On this Veterans Day, we dedicate our BAYCOM Connect newsletter to the men and women who have served our country.
Veterans are an important part of the BAYCOM family. Nearly 20 percent of our employees are veterans. And that hasn’t happened by accident. Roy Helms, BAYCOM Technical Service Manager, says there are three reasons why veterans often make ideal employees.
First, veterans are likely to have practical, relevant work experience.
“A lot of the people in the military have obviously used communications, and the military is very good at training them. Since that’s the type of work we do, we tend to get a good percentage of our candidates that are military or have military backgrounds. Plus, beyond simply using communications equipment, a number of them have interacted with it more closely, in situations such as setting up communication systems, maintenance and repair.”
Second, veterans bring an attitude and work ethic that’s hard to beat.
“People in the military learn how to act as a team. When I’m hiring, I personally look at those traits as being an advantage, most of the time, because I don’t have to train people how to work as a team. I don’t have to train them how to work with another person to accomplish the job. Veterans take on responsibility and follow through on things. So even if they don’t have a background in communications, I look at it this way: We can teach the technical part. It’s hard to teach a good attitude, a good work ethic and things like that.”
Third, veterans make good leaders.
“In the branch of the military that I was in, you’re always taught to take over for the one above you – in case you have to. Being able to lead, being able to develop a team that will do what needs to be done because they follow you, that kind of thing, those are traits that are taught in the military or at least enhanced in the military. Here at BAYCOM, we’re always looking for the next leader, the next one who can take over a team. Even at the basic tech level, if I have two people working on a project, somebody’s going to end up being the leader of that team. We’re really looking for that as well; people who exhibit the characteristics of a leader.”
Among BAYCOM’s current 87 employees, 17 are veterans.
· US Air Force: 5 employees
· US Army: 5 employees
· US Marine Corps: 3 employees
· US Navy: 4 employees
We’re proud to have them on board! If you’re a veteran and are interested in learning more about joining the BAYCOM team, check out our open positions!