Supervisor of Staffing Strategy at Dominion 
Dominion recruiter hires veterans, lends his expertise to TAP classes.
by Warren Duffie

In Demetrius Carter’s opinion, the most important key to a successful transition is early planning.

“Most of the time, you know when you’re going to leave the military,” said Carter, a 21-year Navy veteran. “It’s usually not a surprise, so you should start preparing at least a couple of years in advance. When I was a Navy career counselor, I used to tell the Sailors coming in that they should immediately start thinking about their civilian careers. Whether you’re serving four years or 20 years, you’re not going to sit on the porch when you get out. You need to be ready.”

On the Job
As the supervisor of staffing strategy for Dominion – one of America’s largest producers and transporters of energy – Carter hammers home this message daily to military personnel. Based in Richmond, Va., Carter, 41, is in charge of a five-person team that recruits talent from colleges and universities, technical schools and the military – and provides a variety of scholarships and internships.

Carter and his crew often visit Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Connecticut’s Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, and various installations in the Washington, D.C., and Hampton Roads, Va., areas. One of the team’s main projects is holding mock interviews and résumé-critiquing sessions in Groton.

“Interviewing for a civilian job is different than sitting in front of a military board,” said Carter, a former petty officer first class. “A lot of military people struggle with it. During our sessions, we provide immediate, valuable feedback.” Carter’s team also provides training modules covering phone interviews and online job applications and participates in executive Transition Assistance Program classes for officers O-5 and above.

Carter lives by the motto “never the same day twice.” During a work day, he might hold meetings with his team, consult with business leaders, give a speech at a local college, or travel hundreds of miles to attend a career fair. Meanwhile, he reviews the department’s budget and expenditures and often monitors intern mentoring.

“My time as a Navy career counselor really helped prepare me for this job,” Carter said. “I learned to think strategically, outreach to people, and give presentations and workshops. I worked with a lot of Millennials (born between 1977 and the late 1990s), the same age group that primarily makes up our college recruits and interns.”

The Company
Dominion has a portfolio of approximately 27,500 megawatts of generation, 1.2 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas and oil reserves, 14,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,000 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation’s largest natural gas storage facility with 975 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 12 states. Corporate headquarters are in Richmond, Va. The company has about 18,000 employees and in 2008 earned $16.3 billion.

In honor of its efforts to recruit military veterans, Dominion received the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense.

In Uniform
An Army brat, Carter always wanted to serve his country. He joined the Navy Reserve at age 17 and planned to attend Washington State University. But when Carter was about to begin classes, he realized more school wasn’t for him. He wanted to travel and gain more maturity. So he went on active duty.

Carter served as a signalman aboard USS Kidd, USS Hayler, USS Belknap, and USS Nicholas, and in Italy and Recruiting District New England. He changed his rate to career counselor, received training at Naval Station Norfolk and was assigned to Naval Submarine Base New London.

The Transition
Eighteen years into his career, Carter began planning his transition. He had earned degrees from Park University and was professionally certified as a human resources specialist. Carter attended several transition classes and took advantage of the employment resources offered by the Navy and Park University – whose career services office contacted him about the opening at Dominion. Carter applied and was hired two weeks later.

“I’ll never forget my first day,” he said. “It was April 16, 2007, the day of the Virginia Tech shootings. A lot of Dominion employees had connections with the university, so I spent the day helping people with travel arrangements, leave requests, and getting in touch with company counseling resources.”

Carter’s Advice
Plan ahead. “Figure out what you want to do and where you want to live.”

Get your financial house in order. “Your lifestyle will change a lot as a civilian. Things are more expensive.”

Build up your savings. “You don’t want to go into a job interview desperate. People can smell desperation.”

You’re not in it alone. “Network with anyone you can. There are so many people who can provide valuable advice and insight.”