How military veterans bring skill, focus, and perspective to the workplace

Commitment to military service is a serious and commendable achievement that can take many forms and have broad applications once a person has returned to civilian life. These experiences, and the discipline and perspective they inspire, can prove invaluable in a fast-paced and innovative corporate environment like Bloomberg.

At Bloomberg, we respect and admire our employees’ service and appreciate that our own values – like innovation, collaboration, and doing the right thing – are equally valued within the military and veteran community. Here, veterans working in Bloomberg offices in the U.S. and the UK share those aligned values, what drew them to military life, the transition to the corporate world, and how that experience has influenced their current roles.

Military values

Serving in the military taught me many life lessons and ingrained many essential values that I would carry into civilian life. The two that immediately come to mind are teamwork and discipline. These values were instrumental in shaping my career when I started at Bloomberg in 1990, and are probably the cornerstone values that have contributed the most to the company’s success. – Ossie Munroe, Air Force, Sergeant, Production Specialist, 4yrs/ Business Information Security Officer at Bloomberg

The need for clear communication, an orderly approach and teamwork were the essential lessons I took from my time in the military. It’s very easy to fail at any task if the objective is not clear; it’s approached in a disorderly fashion and team members are not aligned in execution.  – Nicholas Bean, H.M. Forces, British Army, Royal Corps of Signals / Head, Cross-Asset Electronic Trading Solutions at Bloomberg

Both Bloomberg and the military have taught me that the organization is more important than the individual and that a sense of pride supports the company’s success. A culture of loyalty and a sense of belonging to something significant and unique are powerful motivators. – Brad Roberts, US Army Captain, Calvary Scout, 5 years / Chief Operating Office, Risk & Compliance at Bloomberg

Attention to detail, resiliency, dependability, and hard work have all been deeply important. All are essential to my daily workflow as a campus recruiter. I wear a lot of hats in my role – interacting with multiple stakeholders, meeting students at events, and monitoring job positions, – so it’s very important to have attention to detail in everything that I do. Also, being dependable fits seamlessly into the collaborative aspect of Bloomberg. – Jamilla Smith, Sergeant First Class, Army Reserves / Senior Campus Recruiter at Bloomberg

From active duty to corporate life

The transition for me wasn’t terribly difficult. Bloomberg is a very dynamic and nimble company that often shifts priorities at the drop of a dime. Most folks wouldn’t instinctively make that connection with the military, but, as a soldier, your mind is trained to trust in your superiors and follow orders. In order to do that effectively, you have to be prepared to adjust accordingly when someone determines a change of course. That ability has been invaluable to my career here at Bloomberg. — OM

Transitioning from a military career to a civilian profession carries challenges, especially if managers are unaware or unsure how to translate a soldier’s skill set to benefit a team. I luckily, had great leaders and mentors that appreciated my leadership abilities and operational problem solving. The military and Bloomberg are similar, not only for the values they share, but because of its fast paced environment and appreciation for decisive leaders.

The biggest difference between the military and Bloomberg was the different types of leadership styles. I had to adapt to motivate individual team members and help them understand the vision to execute at their highest potential. – BR

My transition was smooth, since I’ve been juggling working full-time while being in the Reserves for the majority of my academic & professional career. I’d say Bloomberg and the military are similar in the sense of working as a team, multitasking, and hitting deadlines in a timely fashion. The difference is I have a lot more flexibility & autonomy in my role here at Bloomberg. — JS

Taking ownership and working with others to overcome difficulties when they arise has been an essential part of my transition. Of the three private sector firms I’ve worked at in the 10 years since leaving the Armed Forces, I’ve never experienced a firm as committed to creating a collaborative environment as Bloomberg.  – Stephen Holford, Royal Navy, Submariner, Nuclear Engineer, 9 years / EMEA Infrastructure Manager at Bloomberg

I had two jobs in between USMC and Bloomberg. They were good experiences overall, but very limiting in that there were very specific lanes I had to stay in. USMC had its lanes, but I was also expected to cross them if the situation warranted. I see more similarities than differences at Bloomberg. I’m able to make an impact here in a variety of ways, and there are huge opportunities for me to have influence elsewhere within the company. – John O’Connor, USMC. Lance Corporal, 4 years / Technology Infrastructure Operations Manager at Bloomberg

Parallels and shared skills

As a solider, you’re taught discipline, but also that organizational skills are mandatory. These have repeatedly come in handy throughout my professional career. Organization and finding gains in efficiency have been the cornerstones of all the projects I have been involved in over the years. – OM

Innovation and collaboration are two of Bloomberg’s culture metrics and resonate with the values expected and demonstrated in the military, particularly collaboration across joint missions with different military branches and countries. – BR

Communication and leadership are hugely important in the military. Everything I do now in Bloomberg involves a form of communication, whether it is an email, a slide deck, meeting or phone call. The ability to articulate clearly and get a message across efficiently and without ambiguity to different audiences is a useful skill learned from a military career. – Matthew Fell, British Army, Royal Engineers, Major, 16.5 years / Electronic Trading Solutions Risk Management

There’s a lot about the culture here at Bloomberg that reminds me of working in the military. One is the willingness to empower people to make a decision. The most effective way to get stuff done, while motivating everyone on the team, is to allow those that are best placed to make the right decisions, regardless of their “seniority.” – SH

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