While years in the service can provide important job skills, many veterans lack experience in landing work in the private sector. But a Goodwill Manasota program launched this year will better prepare area veterans and their families for job interviews. The program builds on successful efforts on Goodwill’s part to prepare military members for life after finishing their tours.

CJ Bannister, Goodwill Manasote director of Veteran Services, recalls that when she completed her time in the service, wrapping up in 2001 after eight years in the Air Force, she didn’t have the right vocabulary for civilian life. A paralegal through the Judge Advocate General Corps, better known as JAG, Bannister was sending her resume and getting no return calls before another veteran attorney called her back and informed her non-military court proceedings used completely different terminology than what she had learned while in uniform. While he could not offer her a job, he helped rework her applications. “He crossed out all the court terms that were called something different and two weeks later I had my first job (outside the military),” she says.

The experience showed her how important such mentorship can be to veterans trying to establish themselves in the civilian workforce. She has volunteered or worked professionally for support groups in the 16 years since, the last two working at Goodwill.

A new “mock interviewing program” at Goodwill launched in January with the purpose of helping veterans prepare for the interview process, something most have not engaged in for years before their discharge. Coaching over time reduces anxiety and teaches the participants how to sell their own skill set in the private sector. 

Kevin Henault, owner of Veteran Air, was the first CEO to help with the mock interview program and has since hired five candidates for his own company. "I appreciate that Goodwill works to help and employ veterans through its many programs and services," says Henault, himself an Army vet. "Especially given my own family’s tradition of service, I'm honored to partner with Goodwill to help the veterans in our community. At the same time, I’ve benefited through some great hires for my company."

The interview program is the latest offering since Goodwill launched its Veterans Services program in 2013. Bannister says Goodwill also hosts weekly therapy for former soldiers still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and hosts job connections classes that have helped hundreds of veterans in the last few years. One program, launched with a grant from the Department of Labor, has helped 103 homeless veterans. The jobs program has been expanded to help all veterans, serving more than 350 veterans in 2015 and another 250-plus in 2016.

All programs run from Goodwill’s Veteran Services facility on Lockwood Ridge Road.