Veteran Recruitment

Still, it was difficult to translate his career in a way that was understood by recruiters and hiring managers. Also, to understand that after your time in service that included 2 years in company command, leaving the service meant starting over to a certain degree. It is also hard to talk about what you did. “In the Army you were taught that we succeeded as a group, so it was hard to talk about your own individual accomplishments. When I talk to new veterans now, I say to speak up about what you did.”

After more than 10 years in banking, Paul is currently a Team Leader in Corporate Cash Management selling US and Canadian cash management solutions to Fortune 500 companies. He is involved in a number of veterans organizations including being one of the leaders of TD’s Veterans Business Resource Group. “When I first made the transition there were a number of people who were integral to my success, and I want to pay it forward to other veterans. There are more developed organizations and better resources now but it’s still needed work.” He also highlights that being involved in these organizations gives the comradery of individuals with the shared connection of military service. He feels TD is a great environment for veterans and one where their experience and service is recognized. “Since joining TD over 3 years ago, I have seen how veterans are recognized and that they continue to grow the available resources both for employees and clients of the bank.

Despite most U.S. households needing two incomes to stay afloat financially, more than 20 percent of military spouses are estimated to be unemployed. TD is hoping to help change that with a new relationship with the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP).   MSEP includes more than 500 employers, including TD, which connects spouses targeting employment opportunities. Chantal understands the emotional toll of constant worry for your spouse’s safety and the need to comfort the children and reassure them in spite of your own real-world concerns. “I think the MSEP partnership shows how much TD cares, recognizing that our military families (spouses and children) also make sacrifices for our country. We hold down the fort at home and support our loved ones in uniform to keep all Americans safe and our freedoms intact. The MSEP partnership is one more example of TD’s sustained commitment to veterans and their families, and to diversity and inclusion throughout the organization.”  Chantal believes “military families understand each other. They look out for one another, check in on each other, and are always available for support. This is the spirit upon which the MSEP partnership was built; one of respect and understanding, of community and connection.”

One of the most significant challenges of being a military spouse is when their partners return from long deployments and must reintegrate their lives.  “I must remind myself I’ll never understand the emotional toll my husband endured while deployed and to always remain supportive.  TD’s support of Veterans and their families shows the workplace can be a safe place, where it’s possible to find a colleague who knows exactly what someone is going through and can provide that all-important support to help them get through the tough times. The liberties that every American enjoys are paid for by the brave service people of our nation’s armed forces and the families who love them. TD’s commitment to supporting our military families is one meaningful way we give back and share our gratitude for the freedoms their service and sacrifice have afforded us.”

When connecting with military spouses who are looking for new jobs, Chantal encourages them to utilize all available resources provided by the military to make their job search easier.  “As active military can move around the country three to four times during their career, Chantal advises military spouses to be open about their situation with employers.  “Your manager can’t help you if they don’t understand your unique circumstances as a military spouse.  If you’re the only parent at home, you’ll need to leave work to pick up your child from school when they are sick.   Be transparent about your spouse’s deployment and the support you need during this time and join Veteran groups within your organization to network and get advice from colleagues who’ve shared your experience and are happy to help you.”

Excited to start searching for a civilian opportunity when he left the Army, Luis was initially disappointed that despite pursuing many jobs, he didn’t receive the interviews and job offers he’d anticipated.  Looking back on this time, Luis now realizes he allowed his worries to dominate his thoughts throughout his job search.  “Upon leaving the Army, I worried that I hadn’t interviewed in over six years, and I might not effectively promote my skills and experience to a prospective employer.  I worried that some recruiters may not want to pursue people with military backgrounds.  I worried that employers would not want to hire people going to school part time.  My worries took over my thoughts and I became scared and preoccupied with fear that I would never find a good job.”

Luckily for Luis, his skills, experience, strong communication skills and tenacity impressed a TD hiring manager.  “During my interview with TD, I thought the job sounded like a great fit, the culture seemed inclusive, and I was excited for the potential opportunity.  Despite my enthusiasm, I was nervous I might not stand out as the right candidate for the role.  I was transparent and shared that as an Army Reservist, I’ll need one weekend off per month and two weeks off during the summer.  I also shared that I was pursuing my MBA on a part time basis and occasionally may need to leave work early for class.  To my surprise, the hiring manager, said this would not be an issue. What I thought would be a deal breaker turned out to be fine as long as I communicated my needs in advance to my manager.”  Luis realized that TD was similar to the military in that they wanted him to be himself and not fit a mold; they valued his unique experience and allowed him to excel and grow in his career.   “When you work hard and are open to opportunity, there’s so much potential, TD wants you to be successful.”

Looking back on times when he was filled with worry and fear that his career would never launch, Luis understands the anxiety but encourages people to start with work that will appreciate your unique experience.  “With so many organizations short staffed today, it’s a great time for Veterans to roll up their sleeves and work hard to get noticed.”  Luis also encourages Veterans to look for ways to meet people upon joining an organization.  “As a new hire, my manager suggested I join TD’s Veterans Resources Group.  “I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’m glad I joined the group.  I continue to meet Veteran colleagues throughout the bank and work with Recruit Military to help Vets seeking job placement.  I’m always happy to help a solider who was in my position of worrying about looking for civilian employment. Luis’ efforts with the Veteran Resource Group led to him becoming Co-Chair of Metro New York Veterans Business Resource Group.  He is currently a frequent participant in metro New York City Veteran job fairs.  “The Veteran Resource Group values any level of participation.  Anyone can contribute, we value everyone’s efforts.”

Those skills and experiences have proven vital in Malaika’s work at TD Bank, where she started more than seven years ago as a team manager at a TD Contact Center before being chosen as one of 10 in-house veterans to be trained for project manager roles. Her supervisor had suggested she consider the training program because of her earlier experience. “That was a great opportunity,” said Malaika, now a Senior Governance and Control Analyst for Shared Services Governance and Control in TD’s Greenville, South Carolina office.

It makes sense for the bank to look to veterans as promising project managers, given the expertise they developed in the service, according to Malaika.

“I could see why TD Bank decided, ‘You know, this is a great opportunity to use military people.’ I had to understand how to set up and plan with other organizations that were not military,” said Malaika, who was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant in 2008.

The military background, combined with strong family role models, had prepared Malaika for success. The Army experience strengthened her confidence, leadership, and belief in doing things the right way rather than taking shortcuts.

“The leadership, the morale and the work ethic are engrained in me. I bring it with me every day,” she explained. “It taught me how to use challenges to my advantage, to learn and grow from them,” she said.

“Having that will to go out and learn, that’s another thing as well. That’s a big benefit here. Did I know how to do project management the TD way? No, I didn’t. But I had the will to learn, to embrace it – that drive for learning,” said Malaika. Malaika’s manager can’t say enough good things about having veterans on his team.

Malaika looks forward to spending Independence Day with her husband’s family, who have strong military roots and seeing the fireworks at night in her hometown of Greenville. One song always played that day has a meaning for her. “They start the Star-Spangled Banner toward the end and that gets you pretty emotional about the reasons why we celebrate the Fourth of July, for those freedoms and rights the country fought for,” she said. “It’s a very emotional experience, even if I hear it right now. You think about what you did and what you went and served for. It makes me feel proud about serving for my country.”

No doubt some of Malaika’s drive was nurtured by a strong family. Distant relatives adopted Malaika and her younger brother and sister – who are both retiring from active-duty military service this year. Malaika’s birth mother asked the family members to take them in when they were about to become foster children.  Her adoptive mom and dad guided the siblings.

“Those are the ones that gave me the strength to start building the foundation and getting on the right path,” she said. “They were willing to do that. They took that step for us so that we could have a better future for ourselves.”

Malaika became the first woman from her birth family to graduate from high school. “I was raised by a lot of strong women in my family,” she said. Her dad, who also had a military background, “was definitely strong, and hard as well. That parent instilling that structure” helped as she went into the military.

Enlisting in the Army Reserve allowed her to stay close enough to home to support her siblings while venturing away from her parental safety net. She wanted to prove to herself she could do something on her own.

She also wanted to set a higher bar for her siblings. “It wasn’t about rising above expectations,” she said. “It was about setting new ones and going farther than our parents had.”

Malaika has also derived strength from her relationships at TD, where she enjoys support and guidance from colleagues she considers to be her very own “executive board” – a professional network of trusted mentors, sponsors and peers, men as well as women.

She earned an associate degree in electrical telecommunications from ECPI University while in the Army and is working toward a bachelor’s degree in project management from Strayer University, with support from TD’s tuition assistance benefit.

Mom to a 15-year-old son and 24-year-old stepdaughter, her “bonus daughter,” Malaika is actively giving back by serving as the TD Bank’s Veteran Business Resource Group co-chair, president of TD’s Toastmasters Greenville chapter, member of the Black Employee Network and the Individuals with Diverse Abilities (IwDA) community, and as mentor to other women across the bank.

“We can get so caught up in pushing forward that sometimes we don’t stop to pull each other up,” she said. “We need to be deliberate about growing each other, there is always something you can teach or learn from someone else.”

Rob joined the Army Reserves in his mid-20’s, “while my career trajectory was going well, I never got past my passion to serve my country. There were some crossroads in my life where I knew it was now or never, so I made the decision to join the Army Reserves, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”  Rob’s military journey was unique as a Reservist.  Following a year of constant military training and completing military schooling,  Rob returned to civilian life.  After completing his military activity, Rob’s life was transformed and following his time in uniform, he wanted to join active duty. “Unfortunately, I could not get out of my Reserves contract so that was not an option, however I was able to volunteer on many stateside tours where I oversaw training and traveled domestically. Once I completed my time and decided not to continue my service, I knew I wanted to serve those who served our country.”   As a Reservist, Rob was familiar with civilian work, so transition from the military was not challenging.  “My goal was to combine my military training and education in my civilian career, and I found it hard to find opportunities that easily combined my two experiences.  Applying and receiving an Apprenticeship from Major League Baseball Network helped me not only break into a field I never would have been able to otherwise; it allowed me to be an ambassador for all Veterans.  Working as an advocate for Veterans helped me find my passion.”

When guiding Veterans interested in finding civilian work, Rob suggests finding Recruiters and Sourcers on LinkedIn who specialize in Veteran talent.  “When you find a job that interests you, reach out directly to the Recruiter.  Veteran Recruiters and Sourcers love to connect; it makes our job easier when people reach out to us directly.”  Rob also wants Veterans to utilize all available resources to benefit their job search.  “The Department of Defense has many job hunting resources from resume writing to interview tips that will guide Veterans through each step of a job search.”  Rob also suggests Veterans ask an organization about their commitment to supporting the military to learn more about values and culture.

“Since joining TD in 2022, Rob helped launch a program for new hires, We are TD, which offers Veteran new hires introductions to colleagues from the military, information on how to join the Veteran Business Resource Group and tools that will help them successfully navigate their new work home.  “I enjoy helping Veteran new hires learn about our Business Resource Group as it gives them an opportunity to help the military community, network to meet colleagues and leaders who could lead you to potential future opportunities, and most importantly, reconnect with those who wore a uniform.”  Since joining TD’s Veteran Business Resource Group, Rob has been a featured speaker at a Veterans Day summit, organized conferences for Veteran colleagues and conducted focus groups with Veteran colleagues to gather their feedback on a variety of work-related topics.

Tina’s military career progressed to include relocating to the 533rd MI Battalion in Frankfurt, Germany for three years and managing a team of Russian translators.  The team’s complex work always varied and ranged from focusing on translating documents for Chernobyl Incident to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan fighting the Taliban. While in Afghanistan, the work was not safe, especially for a Female Soldier.  Not wanting to shirk away from her leadership responsibilities, Tina led her group but was detained and captured when they realized she was a female soldier.  “I’m not sure how long I was held hostage in a cave.  I was not treated well, and was hog tied which caused many disabilities.   While I’m grateful to be free and alive, the biggest lesson I learned it that as a leader, it’s not about your individual skills or how you protect your team, you need to ensure your efforts are what’s best for the whole team.  In trying to do my job, I lost sight of the mission and what was most important to my team.  The biggest lesson I took to my civilian career is to focus on your team and customers rather than yourself.”

While Tina received accolades and medals for her military work, she spent many years feeling she didn’t live up to expectations.  In time, Tina was able to heal and recall her military journey with pride and use lessons from this period in her civilian career in organizational effectiveness and development.  The same curiosity and love of learning that led Tina to join the military when she was seventeen is alive and well in her today.   When advising Veterans transitioning and considering civilian employment, Tina feels “you can’t sit back and think you know everything in life, ask questions, be curious and enjoy learning.   The military was a godsend to me, I learned the Russian language, earned a bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees and gained wonderful professional experience.   Veterans must always remember their accomplishments; as they transition from the military, some people can lose their sense of purpose.  Look for organizations that mirror your values and the standards you enjoyed in the military.   When I joined TD, I knew I’d be ok because I could see the organization’s purpose and values and they were similar to mine.”

Paul considers himself a Servant Leader, which means he shows up to work every day ready to put the needs, growth, and wellbeing of his colleagues first. Being the Head of the U.S. Contact Center, he has thousands of Colleagues relying on his support and guidance. But his dedication to employees extends beyond his own team. Because of his firsthand experience navigating the corporate world as a Veteran, he leads our TD Salutes Business Resource Group, and he has a special interest in helping other Veterans in the workplace succeed. He believes that any team will be better off with Veteran representation.

“Veterans offer discipline, leadership, loyalty, and many other qualities to our diverse workforce—all of which help make TD a great place to work. We know the skills Veterans develop in the military such as collaboration and decision-making agility are exactly what we want in our team members and our leaders. It’s imperative that we as an organization leverage these skills to strengthen our teams and help each other succeed.”

Once you are transitioned out of military life and into your career, Paul strongly recommends all Veterans to take advantage of the workplace offerings, resources, and programs specifically for Veterans. Taking advantage of these programs can give you exposure, build your network and increase your success in the workplace. Paul’s passion for helping Veterans succeed in the workplace has translated into his work as the Lead of TD Salutes, TD’s organized communities for Veterans and those looking to support their Veteran Colleagues.

“Our mission is to help give all active duty, reserve, former military and service members, as well as their families and friends, a community where they can share their experiences, grow their careers and help us to promote education and awareness of Veteran matters.”

To mention just one of the many benefits of joining TD Salutes, each quarter, there is a speaker’s series where our colleagues can hear career advice from Veteran leaders, both inside and outside the bank. We offer advice on best practices to advance your career at a corporation, the importance of self-identifying as a veteran, and how to use your military experience to shape your success.

“My advice to Veterans in the workplace is to use your training to stand out among your peers. Act as a leader in any position you hold. Everything you do, the way you carry yourself and respond to even the most seemingly minor things is critical.”

At the beginning of military life, Elinet struggled with constant change but with lots of support and teamwork from military coordinators (ombudsman) she learned to be organized and have a plan.  “Have a plan and work your plan. As a military wife you always want to be organized, prepared, and be structured which all have been how I became successful.  Being resourceful and asking for help made things easier but I learned the hard way.”  Elinet realized she needed a team of supportive people who can encourage you to succeed and be available to guide you when you make mistakes.  “I have also learned that you are a family in the military and that you depend on others, no one stays behind.  No one stays behind has made me successful in team settings and in my performance within leadership, my team understands that I will work as hard as they do and sometimes right next to each of them.  If they fail, I fail, if they succeed I do as well.”  Elinet will always be grateful for the discipline she gained from her military family.  The military has also brought Elinet and her family wonderful opportunities to meet new people that become like family.  “My favorite military network event was the Christmas parties, where all the families would get together and share food and gifts as a family as well gather gifts and donate to those families in need.  Volunteering time and helping others has always been my favorite networking event with the military.  I always like to help the new spouses and families when deployment is about to happen.”

Elinet’s husband left for Italy for a tour of two years while she stayed in New Jersey with her son and family while completing (and absorbing the cost) of her college degree.  Elinet began working at TD as a Teller.  The flexible schedule and friendly, inclusive culture made Elinet feel at home.  “I moved through the east coast and had several customer services positions and when I moved back to New Jersey, I knew I wanted to come back to TD.”  Elinet joined the Contact Center in a Customer Representative position.  “During my 15 years with TD, I have held 8 different positions within the Contact Center.  My most recent positions were the Interim Group Manager for Day to Day and Team Manager for the Bilingual Team in Day to Day.  My current position of one year is a Group Manager within TD Card Services.”