TERRA Helped Me Transition from the Military to the Civilian World

By Jenifer Lambert

Posted on November 14, 2012

TERRA Helped Me Transition from the Military to the Civilian World

Many of us will never understand the sacrifices our military personnel make. Unless you’ve worn the uniform, it’s hard to fully comprehend what it means to serve in a role protecting the best interests of an entire nation.

At TERRA, we are grateful for the service of our military personnel and consider it a great privilege to work with veterans to assist them with employment as they transition into new roles outside of the military.

This Success Story highlights Holden Howe and how he worked with TERRA to translate his military experience into success in the civilian world.

After serving our country admirably in the Army, Holden Howe brings that same commitment and dedication to his new job.

Holden joined the Army right after graduating from high school in Lansing, Michigan. From the beginning, he was a standout and was selected as one of two soldiers in his class to be sent to SOCOM (Special Operations Command) training. After 19 weeks of intense training, he passed the course and was assigned to the 160th SOAR (A) Airborne Regiment where he was a helicopter mechanic working on MH47 Gulf (Chinook) aircraft.

According to Wikipedia: The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) is a special operations unit of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for general purpose forces and special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice. The 160th SOAR (A) are also known as the Night Stalkers and their motto is Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.

The last two and half years of Holden’s enlistment he was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. After four years honorably serving our country, he left the military and was faced with the daunting challenge of a job search.

“It was a big transition,” Holden said. “I was a bit apprehensive but I was fortunate to have the love and support of my wife, Tawnya.” They were married in August 2011.

Holden was introduced to TERRA when a friend told him that the company he works for hires through TERRA. Holden was interested in working for that company so he came to TERRA hoping to be put to work there.

“The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the smiles. I felt very comfortable coming into TERRA. From the smiling person at the front desk to the recruiter I interviewed with. You could tell the morale was really good and people really wanted to be helpful, Holden remarked.

He initially interviewed with Joseph Narvaez, a recruiter in TERRA’s Kirkland branch. Joseph introduced him to Natalija Colic, another recruiter in Kirkland, and Natalija assigned him to his first assignment. Natalija said, “As soon as I met with Holden, I was struck by his honesty and versatility. Though he was a great fit for an immediate opening we were working on, I thought of two other clients where he would could also be the right fit. I’ve really enjoyed working with him from Day One.”

Holden with Natalija Colic, TERRA Recruiter. “I’ve loved working with Holden. From the minute, I met him, I knew we would be able to help him find the right fit.”

Holden was placed in a temporary assignment with the company that referred him to TERRA, but it wasn’t the best fit. He worked with Natalija and another TERRA recruiter, Morgan Mason to find a job that was a better match and more in line with his career goals. He is now working on a temp-to-hire assignment where he has already been promoted in less than 90 days.

Holden had never worked with a staffing company before, but his experience with TERRA exceeded his expectations.

“I didn’t expect the consistency. I thought that work might be sporadic with a lot of stops and starts but the team at TERRA really did everything they could to make the right fit.” He added, “They really made me feel special and seemed to put me first. They checked in with me regularly to see how the job was going and when any issues came up, they were always really helpful in getting them solved.”

What advice would Holden give to other veterans transitioning from military to civilian life? “It’s not easy restarting from the ground up, but don’t give up.  Keep moving forward,” Holden advised.

We are grateful to Holden Howe for allowing us to helping him move forward and to play a supporting role in his Success Story.

Categories: Success Stories

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