Going from ingredients at Nestlé to hurricane response in Houston in two days
How Jessica balances life as an active Military Reservist and a Raw Materials Specifications Specialist at Nestlé USA
For most of us, balancing life and career can be a challenge. Now imagine that you’re not just balancing one career, but two: life as a First Sergeant in the Air Force, being called up for disaster response, along with a civilian career working to perfect ingredients at Nestlé. What happens when a hurricane hits?
Jessica has lived this incredible challenge and is a perfect example of why, at Nestlé, we love hiring and working with veterans and military personnel. We believe that skills learned in the military can be incredibly valuable in the civilian workplace — not to mention the integrity and perseverance gained from military service.
I recently spoke to Jessica, an active Military Reservist for the U.S. Air Force and Raw Materials Specifications Specialist at Nestlé in Ohio, about her experiences in the workforce and see how a Nestlé career has fit with her commitment to serving her country.
What led you to joining the military?
I always knew that I wanted to join the military. My senior year in high school a friend of mine was killed in service, and I especially felt called to join to honor him and his service. I joined immediately from high school and have been a Reservist for my full 12-year career. I’ve held civilian jobs and have been deployed four times, so juggling work, service, and family is challenging at times. I’m higher ranking so there’s a more commitment than the typical one weekend a month.
How have you made that juggling act work?
The flexible hours and working structure at Nestlé has been awesome — I’ve been able to manage my priorities for these different parts of my life.
I’m an Enlisted Adviser to my Commander, so my job is ultimately to take care of my people. I guide them through career progression, personal coaching, and everything in-between. I’m always doing something even if I’m not in active service — I have 150 people that I’m responsible for, and team members text and call me asking for help at all times. It requires constant engagement, because no one’s going to trust you if you’re not showing that you care and are accountable.
How do you keep up the motivation to engage constantly?
I’m very proud of all of my people, and when I see them excel and do good things, I feel a real sense of achievement. I’ve had people who were in really bad places in their lives, but I was able to help them through them. Those private moments when you see someone struggle but then see them come out on the other side? That’s what really matters.
How did Nestlé become part of your story?
I’m a military person through-and-through, so I love structure. Working for a complex, impactful organization attracted me to Nestlé. When I was doing my research and learned that Nestlé is the largest food company in the world, and was leading the charge on nutrition improvements in the industry, I was really impressed. I was looking for a well-organized and stable company, and the potential to broaden my horizons, and I knew I would find that here.
I was looking for the potential to broaden my horizons, and I knew I would find that here.
The sense of teamwork and not being afraid to break down barriers is really important in the military, and it’s something I’ve tried to do here, too. I make it a point to be close to our teams and stakeholders to figure out best processes, really understand their priorities, and see if there’s anything else I can provide.
Have you found that military experience has helped your work here, and vice versa?
I think at Nestlé two things that are really appreciated are 1) a sense of perspective, and 2) being able to work collaboratively. I’ve learned to excel in that way from being in the military, and I’ve found that my colleagues have also reciprocated those things in how they’ve treated my military service.
Less than three months after starting with Nestlé, I was deployed to assist with Hurricane Harvey, with only two days’ notice. My manager, Esther, was very supportive and immediately began to prioritize my work load within the team. I felt bad as an employee for having to drop my work, but my team and my manager understood why it was important for me to go.
Less than three months after starting with Nestlé, I was deployed to assist with Hurricane Harvey, with only two days’ notice.
After this experience, I nominated Esther for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve — Patriotic Employer Award from the Department of Defense, and she won! The award goes to one specific person but it takes a village, and she was the communication bridge.
Esther and the team checked on me while I was gone. I was working 17 hour days, and I’d come back to my room and have a text from Esther asking how I was doing. The fact that she reached out and cared about me as a person really meant a lot to me, and allowed me to focus on serving our country.
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