USTRANSCOM recruiter, Navy veteran, volunteers to help other veterans find careers

Collins said that is when he decided his passion in life was to help service members find careers when they transition to the civilian work force. For more than two years, Collins has been volunteering with group called VETworking in Saint Louis, Missouri, that connects veterans with other veterans who are willing to serve as a coach through the job application process.

Collins meets twice a month with veterans virtually or via phone to review resumes and conduct mock one-on-one or panel interviews. Additionally, he chats with employers interested in targeting veterans to develop military advocate positions or announcements.

“Service members struggle having to think about a career outside of the military when they haven’t had to for years,” said Collins, a recruiter in the Human Resource section of USTRANSCOM’s Manpower and Personnel directorate.

“The services are doing a better job with the transition assistance programs, but we could be doing better. The world sends the wrong message, that a job is going to be handed to you because you’re a veteran, but is it a job you will enjoy or that can support your family?”

Collins began working as a recruiter at USTRANSCOM in April, but he is no stranger to the base. He has been volunteering at the Airman and Family Readiness Center at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, for almost 10 years and with the TAP for more than 17 years, where he teaches classes and sits on mock interview panels during the TAP courses.

“I really enjoy helping others find their passion, but at the end of the day the real objective is to make sure vets land on their feet and find a job,” said Collins, who has also served as a human resources director and staffing specialist in the past.

“Most recently, I volunteered to help a Soldier of 21 years walk through a USAJobs announcement and decode what he did in the military to resume bullets that related to the skills needed for the civilian position he wanted to apply for. I helped him understand that military expertise does matter.”

Collins’ motivation to help others is also reflected in his new position as the command’s first recruiter. One of his goals is to meet with each directorate to identify potential skill sets he needs to target.

“It’s hard to sell mission over money in civil service. I am building a foundation from scratch for USTRANSCOM’s recruiting,” he said about the products and plans available for recruiting.

“A lot of people don’t know who USTRANSCOM is, it is my job to plan outreach engagements and build awareness. Once I create awareness about who TRANSCOM is, instead of spending all my time telling people who we are, I can start to target candidates in positions we want to fill to tell them about our opportunities."

Last month, Collins participated in five virtual college career fairs and talked to 200 candidates via Zoom. The only two that had heard of Scott AFB thought someone had to be in the military in order to work on the base.

“My advice to anyone looking for a job is to utilize the company’s recruiter,” said Collins, who has been a recruiter for almost nine years. “If there isn’t a recruiter, get on LinkedIn, find someone that works there, and ask them if they can chat with you. People are willing to help.”