Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How One Consulting Firm Hired Veterans Through a Civilian Skills Bridge
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, I want to talk about a consulting firm — one of the Big Three — and how it built a fellowship for veterans that doesn't just plug people into entry-level roles. Luna: Because we always hear 'we hire veterans,' but rarely how they actually make those skills transferable. Lucas: Exactly. This firm created what they call the 'Veterans Bridge Fellowship.' It's a 12-week paid rotation — not an interview gauntlet. You're hired into a cohort, you work on a real client project under a senior partner mentor, and at the end, you're evaluated for a permanent role. Luna: So the assessment is performance-based, not resume-filter-based. That's a fundamentally different approach. Lucas: Right. And they built a transparent skills-mapping framework. For example, an Army logistics officer's experience mapping supply routes in theater — that maps directly to supply chain consulting. They literally document it: 'This military task equals this consulting competency.' Luna: That transparency matters. Because a lot of vets don't know how to translate 'I managed a platoon' into business language. Lucas: That's exactly the insight. The firm realized the hiring managers didn't know how to read a military résumé, and the veterans didn't know how to write a civilian one. So they built a shared vocabulary. Luna: What did the numbers look like? I read that they had a high retention rate. Lucas: They did. After two years, 92 percent of fellows were still at the firm. Compare that to 68 percent for lateral hires from other consulting firms. That's a massive gap. Luna: Wow. So not only are they filling a pipeline, they're actually building loyalty. Lucas: And the business case is strong. Veterans bring crisis-decision experience and structured team leadership. When a client's project goes sideways, someone who's made decisions under fire can handle that pressure. Luna: But I want to push back a little. A lot of these programs end up filtering for officers — people with leadership titles. What about enlisted personnel, especially non-commissioned officers who have years of hands-on technical and team management experience? Lucas: That's a fair critique, and the firm stumbled there initially. The first few cohorts were 80 percent officers. They realized they were implicitly ranking 'officer' as more equivalent to 'consultant.' Luna: So what did they change? Lucas: They broadened the skills-mapping to include non-commissioned officer roles. A platoon sergeant who managed logistics for 40 soldiers — that's not just leadership, that's operations management. They now actively recruit at military bases for NCOs, not just through ROTC channels. Luna: Good. Because enlisted folks often have deeper technical and process management skills — they execute, they don't just delegate. Lucas: And that's exactly the kind of talent consulting firms need. They also made the mentorship pairing more intentional. Each fellow gets a senior partner mentor, but also a peer mentor who's a former veteran who went through the program. Luna: So there's a cultural translator as well as a career sponsor. Lucas: Exactly. And the peer mentor helps with things like how to talk about your experience in a performance review, how to navigate office politics — the soft skills that no orientation covers. Luna: If this episode has given you a concrete model to think about in your own organization, or if you're a veteran considering a corporate path, that's exactly what we're here for. And listener, the way these conversations stay free and ad-free is through listener support — you can help keep it going at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Appreciate that. So back to the fellowship — another interesting detail: they don't require a four-year degree for the program. Luna: That's huge. Because many enlisted vets have credits but no degree, and that's a barrier at most professional services firms. Lucas: Right. They use the skills-mapping as the primary evaluation. So if you've got 10 years of logistics experience, that's what matters. They've since expanded the program to include spouses of active-duty military, who face their own career disruption issues. Luna: That is smart — you get loyalty from both the service member and the family. It's a retention multiplier. Lucas: One thing that surprised me: the program costs less per hire than their traditional MBA campus recruiting. They pay less in recruiter travel and agency fees, and the retention savings are significant. Luna: So it's not just a diversity initiative, it's a cost-effective talent strategy. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the kind of case that gets CFOs on board. The firm calculates a 3-to-1 return on investment over three years, factoring in reduced turnover and faster ramp-up time because these fellows are already used to intense, structured environments. Luna: Is there a risk of 'veteran-washing' — just checking a box? Lucas: There's always that risk. But the retention numbers suggest genuine integration. And the firm publishes the data annually, which is rare. Most companies keep diversity pipeline numbers internal. Luna: So accountability through transparency. That's a lesson for any company trying to build a real pipeline, not just a press release. Lucas: I think the biggest takeaway is that you have to be willing to redesign your process, not just add a new sourcing channel. The skills-mapping, the rotation model, the dual mentorship — those are structural changes, not window dressing. Luna: And the lesson for veterans listening: if a company's hiring process doesn't ask you to demonstrate what you actually did, it might not be the right fit. Look for programs that value performance over credentials. Lucas: Luna, that's a great closing note. For our next episode, I want to look at a tech company that built a return to work program specifically for military spouses — because that's a demographic that gets overlooked even within veteran initiatives. Luna: I'll be there. And listeners, if you found this useful, join us next time.