Volunteer Spotlight: Phylicia

Volunteer Spotlight: Phylicia

Time is considered one of the most valuable resources of the 21st century. When volunteer Phylicia Taylor was looking for an organization to donate her time to, she considered factors such as the population she wanted to serve and making a difference in people’s lives without the geographical location being a factor.

“I love that I can provide services to our clients regardless of where I am. I have taken client meetings while traveling for work and even when heading out of town for vacation because everything is coordinated online, and client meetings are conducted over the phone. This allows me to volunteer consistently without my busy schedule interfering.”

When Phylicia began serving at Hire Heroes, she quickly provided a value-add to clientele, making a noticeable difference in their lives. She called upon resources and information that she had acquired in her professional career to give clients insight into their career trajectory, interview preparation and even business start-up guidance. 

“As a college professor at Florida A&M University in the School of Business, a licensed Gallup Strengths coach, and a small business consultant, I use my knowledge to direct clients in developing a plan that will allow them to achieve their goals.”

Phylicia aims to provide tailored services to meet her client’s needs. Her desire is to ensure they walk away from their conversation more confident and prepared to meet their professional goals. Some of the most important guidance she offers her clients in the job search process are: 

“Trust but verify! When pursuing anything new, it is important to always do your research, even when consulting with experts. We often blindly trust the information provided by those in our networks and on the Internet. Still, verifying the information you receive by cross-checking multiple sources, like news outlets, published research journals, and government websites are imperative. Doing so will ensure upfront that clients are making the most informed decision and one that is best for their dreams and goals.”

Hire Heroes is extremely grateful to have Phylicia’s dedication and professional experience on the volunteer team. The impact that she has on her clients is genuine and she’s truly making a difference in each of the lives of the military spouses and veterans to whom she dedicates her time.


If you would like to make a difference in the lives of veterans and military spouses, please click here to learn more about volunteering with Hire Heroes USA.

The Importance and Value of Professional Training

The Importance and Value of Professional Training

Sandy Kaider
Latest posts by Sandy Kaider (see all)

Being prepared, reinventing yourself and adapting to a rapidly changing career landscape is an essential skill for the modern worker. You may have heard about lifelong learning, upskilling, reskilling, professional development, and other related buzz words but how do they relate to your career path? Let’s explore why a personal culture of learning is so important, how to identify reputable training providers and what training options are the best fit for your short and long-term goals.

The 4 top reasons you should make the investment in lifelong learning: 

  • 1.) Increase your career satisfaction: Those who are actively learning are less dependent upon their job alone for career satisfaction and are therefore more content and energized overall. 
  • 2.) Increase your market value An employee with additional relevant skills and knowledge is more valuable to the employer and better positioned for career advancement. It also increases your competitive advantage in the job market.
  • 3.) Increase your confidence and professional network: The more you know and become proficient in new skills, knowledge, and technologies, the more confident you will be in your current and future roles. Remember that your professional network is often pivotal to achieving your next role. Take a look at this Networking Success Guide.
  • 4.) Demonstrate your investment in your own career journey: Employers look for and hire candidates who have shown they want to keep growing and improving their skills through focused and relevant professional development.

Evaluating Training Opportunities

Most training opportunities have a cost associated and are widely offered by a variety of companies. Identifying quality opportunities that are also ethical is critically important to ensure you maximize your GI Bill benefits and upfront cost. Follow these steps to ensure a high return on investment:

  • 1.) Identify and focus. First, identify what training or education will be the most beneficial and supportive of your career goals. Watch this short video on Goal Setting to help you get started. Relevance is key to making training work for you. Ask yourself:
    • -Where do you want to be professionally in 5 years, 10 years? 
    • -What do you need to learn to help me achieve that goal?
    • -What skills, education and certifications are common among job postings that you want for my next career move? 
  • 2.) Know yourself. Identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and most effective learning styles will help you determine the best learning environment for your success.
    • -How have you learned best in the past (reading, listening, kinetic)? 
    • -Do you need the interaction dynamics of a classroom where real-time open discussion takes place, or do you prefer to study alone without distractions?
    • -Do you easily comprehend and retain information that you read? Do you prefer to listen to instructions?
    • -Do you have a full schedule and need to learn in short bits of time?
    • -Do you need to experience what you are learning by doing (building a project or manipulating physical objects)?
  • 3.) Evaluate the quality of training. Websites and search engines such as Google, Reddit, and Course Report are good places to start your research. Yelp and Facebook reviews can also be helpful.
    • -Read a few of both the high-end reviews and the low-end reviews. 
    • -Employee reviews on Indeed or Glassdoor can also give insight into the functioning of the organization and how they treat their employees.
  • 4.) Some additional tips and tricks for identifying reputable training:
    • -The training opportunities listed on Hire Heroes USA’s Training Partners page have been vetted for quality and ethical practices. Each partner also provides some means of lowering the cost barrier to training for veterans and military spouses.
    • Talk with industry professionals about what training they have found beneficial. This can have the added benefit of growing your network.
    • -When you successfully complete a relevant training or certification make sure to include it on your LinkedIn profile and your resume.

Whether upskilling, reskilling, continuing education, or professional development, cultivating a culture of learning and growth will produce valuable results both personally and professionally.


Sandy Kaider is the Manager, Referral and Training Partners Program for Hire Heroes USA. If you would like to learn more about Hire Heroes USA’s Training Partners you can visit our Training Partners page, email specific questions to trainingprogram@hireheroesusa.org, submit an Additional Services request through MyTrak or speak to your Transition Specialist.

Top Jobs & Training Programs for September 2022

Top Jobs & Training Programs for September 2022

Every month, Hire Heroes USA selects several job openings from our job board to highlight. These job openings are posted by partnered employers who are looking to hire veteran and military spouse talent.

View jobs from our featured employer this month, CorTech. Also, be sure to check out several of our training partners by downloading the document below.

Click here to download the newsletter.

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