Why veterans and military spouses love Fidelity’s customer service jobs

Veterans account for 1 in 20 civilian workers in the U.S., yet veterans without four-year degrees might struggle to find civilian jobs. Some employers might not understand how the skills veterans acquired in the service, like dependability, discipline, and adaptability, translate to the corporate sector.

Military spouses have a 21% unemployment rate, which is 5 times higher than the national average. Moving every 2 to 3 years and/or their spouses’ unpredictable schedule can make finding a job challenging for military spouses. That leaves many military spouses underemployed with jobs in retail or hospitality rather than in jobs that meet their education and experience levels.

Fidelity meets veterans and military spouses where they are in their careers and lives. We understand the value of the skills you earned serving our country, especially your soft skills. We train you on the financial knowledge; all you need to do to do is bring your grit and desire to help others.

Why Fidelity is a career destination for veterans and military spouses

The financial services sector offers veterans and military spouses the chance to learn new skills; leverage the skills they already have; contribute to their family’s financial well-being; and be part of an inclusive, supportive culture. Here’s what you need to know.

“Fidelity took a chance on me as someone with no financial experience, and that meant a lot to me.”

Fidelity helps veterans and military spouses make a fresh start in their careers

For veterans and military spouses who want a new career challenge, Fidelity is a great place to try something new without needing a 4-year degree or a background in finance.

It’s not easy to get outside your comfort zone, especially when you’re making a major life change like reentering the civilian world. “Wanting to do something different added to the overall stress of transitioning,” said Salvador, a Fidelity financial customer associate. “I joined the military right out of high school, so that was all I’d really known.” He saw Fidelity as an opportunity to challenge himself while helping others and being supported by a company that valued him. “I liked what I saw from Fidelity when it came to the way they treat their people,” he said.

The pressure to get a job in a brand-new industry with comparable benefits to the military can add up, especially for veterans coming back from overseas deployment like Tayler, now a Fidelity high-net-worth associate. “When we came back to the U.S., I was like, what am I going to do?” he said. “I could have done the comfortable thing and done more court reporting or armed security, but those things weren’t interesting to me anymore. People say you should have all these job prospects, but the reality was that I didn’t.”

Fidelity gives you the chance to stretch yourself and your skills if you’re willing to learn. “Fidelity took a chance on me as someone with no financial experience, and that meant a lot to me,” said Tayler. “Finding Fidelity at that time in my life was really what I needed.” Tayler has since earned his licensing, started a job as a Fidelity customer relationship advocate, and been promoted to a high-net worth associate.

As an active-duty military spouse, Becca, now a Fidelity university talent recruiter, was no stranger to following her husband around the country. “The military lifestyle can disrupt a spouse’s career because of frequent moves, which could lead to financial hardships for the family,” she said. Every time the family moved, she had to find a new job or try to build her own business. Now that she’s with Fidelity, she feels blessed to contribute to her family’s financial well-being with a steady income.

Fidelity customer service jobs help veterans and military spouses grow their careers

“Fidelity gives veterans and military spouses the opportunity for growth,” said Becca. “Fidelity truly invests in their employees.” That support starts from day one, with robust and comprehensive training for both unlicensed and licensed customer service roles—even for people without any financial services experience.

“My onboarding team was awesome,” said Salvador, “That’s why I’m working as a peer guide to help new hires, so I can be part of that supportive experience.” Fidelity’s support makes transitioning into financial services much easier.

Having a military background could even make the licensing process feel more manageable. “In the military, you’re asked to be a good soldier,” said Tayler. “You’re prepared for tackling challenges and anxiety head-on. You just have to do the work.” Even though licensing is challenging work, it’s doable, especially with Fidelity’s support.

Fidelity promotes associates in customer service based on performance metrics. For veterans who are familiar with metrics-based goals, that’s a familiar framework. “I know the goals set in front of me I have to hit,” said Tayler. “It’s very easy for me to go ahead and achieve them. Veterans are used to performance metrics and know how to put their minds to their goals and focus because they did that in the military.”

“The military is one giant team broken into smaller teams. It’s the same at Fidelity.”

Fidelity customer service jobs let veterans and military spouses leverage transferable skills

While the military gives service members highly specialized skills for defense, it also provides veterans and military spouses with in-demand soft skills that are highly transferrable to financial services. Here are the skills that will easily transfer to financial services and that Fidelity wants:

• Dedication and resilience
  Serving in the military means meeting challenges head-on with an endless amount of resilience and determination. From boot camp, service members and their families must dig deep to focus on the mission at hand. That comes in handy in financial services, when you’re dealing with the bigger picture and a sensitive and emotional topic like money.“In the military, it’s all about the process and what you’re trying to accomplish,” said Tayler. Veterans and military spouses can use their focus and resilience to learn a new industry, help their teams achieve goals, and serve customers.
• Serving as a loyal team member
  “The military is one giant team broken into smaller teams,” said Salvador. “It’s the same at Fidelity. Smaller groups work with each other to complete transactions.”There’s a sense of camaraderie. “I feel like I’m back with the people I served with,” said Tayler. “We get to have fun. We do our job. It really helps knowing you have great people to the left and right of you in the same situation.” Working here means being part of a community. “I have my military family and my Fidelity family,” said Becca.
• Attention to detail
  The military and finance hinge on attention to detail. In the military, that attention to detail can drive safety and the success of missions. In finance, attention to detail ensures trust and integrity. “Whenever I’m dealing with customers, that attention to detail is very important, specifically when it comes to account numbers and transactions,” said Salvador.
• Emotional intelligence
  “The military teaches you to be respectful and how to handle criticism,” said Tayler. “You can pretty much talk to anybody. It puts things in perspective.” “Being able to stay calm in stressful situations and when people’s emotions are heightened is important,” said Salvador.Working in the military or being a spouse might mean interacting with diplomats, politicians, or high-level military leaders. “If you have this kind of experience, it really helps you craft your language to meet the client where they’re at and deliver that white-glove service to them,” said Tayler.
• Adaptability and comfort with uncertainty
  Serving in the military and being a military spouse means being ready to uproot at a moment’s notice. “We’re looking for candidates who can be flexible and adaptable, who welcome new opportunities and challenge themselves,” said Becca.

Fidelity customer service jobs offer exceptional benefits for veterans and military spouses

“Fidelity’s benefits are almost one-to-one what I experienced in the military,” said Tayler. Here are a few of Fidelity’s benefits that stack up to military benefits.

• Paid time off
  In the military, active duty service members can earn up to 30 days off per year. On average, U.S. employers offer 14 days of paid time off, but Fidelity starts associates with 23 paid days off. Over time, associates can increase their paid days off to 33 per year after hitting key milestones.
• Parental leave
  Service members get 12 weeks of parental leave. Fidelity provides 16 weeks of paid parental leave to birthing parents and 12 weeks of paid parental leave to nonbirthing and adoptive parents.

For active-duty military spouses who are pregnant like Becca, using Fidelity’s parental leave in tandem with the military’s leave means their baby will have more time with the family. “Our plan is to do the first month together, then I’ll take my 16 weeks, and my husband will take 8 weeks after that, so the baby is home for 6 months total,” Becca said.

For someday parents like Tayler, these benefits make Fidelity even more attractive as an employer. “I want to be in my child’s life and help my wife when we have children,” said Tayler, “The 12 weeks of paternity leave was one of those things that really surprised me about Fidelity.”

• Mental health support
  Active military personnel and their families as well as veterans have numerous mental health resources available to them. Fidelity understands that all our associates, including veterans and military spouses, deserve mental health support to feel their best at work and at home. That’s why we offer mental health benefits—including 12 sessions with a licensed mental health professional a year—as well asfree online courses and in-person or virtual wellness activities like meditation.

“When my partner was overseas on missions, there was a lot of stress and worry. I would tap into my mental health benefits, which have been a huge support for me as a military spouse,” said Becca. “The online courses include topics like grief, burnout, anxiety. I have taken full advantage of these and meditation classes through many challenging times.”

“Fidelity’s benefits are almost one-to-one what I experienced in the military.”

Fidelity customer service jobs provide an inclusive and supportive culture for veterans and military spouses

When veterans and military spouses work at Fidelity in customer service or other departments, they get a warm welcome and are integrated into the bigger team. “Fidelity addressed my veteran status but hasn’t made it a big deal,” said Tayler. “They treat me like any other person, which is great.” Tayler’s managers ask how his transition to Fidelity is going and check to see where they can step in to help at work or where he needs any other support.

Fidelity offers ample work-life balance to veterans and military spouses. That means having a set schedule and being able to leave work at work. “If you’re able to handle the rigors of military life, working a regular schedule is a lot easier. You’ll have more time to explore professional and personal activities,” said Tayler.

Fidelity leadership aims to lead associates by serving them first. “Fidelity really knows how to hire and promote,” said Tayler. “If you had good leaders in the military, you’ll find that same passion to do good at Fidelity. The leaders here do a good job of balancing our concerns.”

The FiVE, a Fidelity Employee Resource Group (ERG), is specifically designed for veterans and military spouses to encourage networking, mentorship, and service activities in the military community at Fidelity. “There’s an additional sense of support along with a lot of mentorship opportunities to help veterans transition into their Fidelity roles,” said Becca. There’s even a subgroup for active military spouses that Becca hopes will continue to grow.

Learn more about what Fidelity’s workplace environment and culture are like here.

Find your Fidelity in a customer service role

“If you’re looking to start a new career and be somewhere that supports you in all aspects of your life, work with Fidelity,” said Tayler. “Fidelity is going to help you out. Put your best foot forward, and they’ll have a dynamic relationship with you.”

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