Lime Celebrates Heroes on Veterans Day
Today is Veterans Day - a time to remember and give thanks to those who have served and continue to serve. Today and everyday, Lime is proud to support, hire and connect with those who have fought to secure the many freedoms that we enjoy on a daily basis.
Over the course of their service, these brave men and women have developed many invaluable skills that are being used not only to build an inclusive culture within Lime but to further their professional development while fostering Lime’s mission of building a future for urban transportation that is shared, affordable and carbon-free. The same characteristics that make our serving Military members and Veterans successful, are the same ones we see mirrored in outstanding employees here at Lime.
Our active and employee-driven resource group, Veterans @ Lime builds bridges between Lime and our veteran employees, creating a safe space to share their experiences, make their voices heard and connect with others who have similar backgrounds. We wanted to give some of them the opportunity to share their story, in their own words with the rest of our community and with you.
Veterans Spotlight Q&A
Rick Cortez, Operations ManagerWashington, D.C.
Q: Can you tell us why you decided to join Lime?
A: Having been in the micromobility industry for almost 2 years before joining, I’ve always wanted to work for the #1 company in the micromobility space!
Q: What do you think has enabled you to be successful at Lime?A: Prior to joining Lime, I worked for two other micro-mobility companies for 1.5 years in positions such as Repair Operations Manager, Senior Operations Manager, and Head of Launch. This experience coupled with my years of service in the military, enabled me to come in and hit the ground running.
Q: Can you share what your experience was like transitioning from military life to civilian life?
A: My transition from military to civilian life wasn’t necessarily easy, but my personality allowed me the ability to turn off a lot of what I did in the Army and turn on what I needed to do in the civilian private sector. What I mean is “not everything translates over” from what I learned and experienced in over 20+ years of military service to working as a civilian. What I did was take what translated and used to the best of my ability, while “learning how to be a civilian.”
Q: In your opinion, how does Lime help to make the transitioning process easier for others looking to transition out of the military?
A: To be honest - Have a bigger “footprint” of veterans that can be a sponsor for veteran Lime candidates that would like to work for us. I loved that there is a veteran space that is leaning towards this already but would be absolutely phenomenal to bring in more veterans. Especially in local city operations.
Q: What is your advice for transitioning members of the military and/or veterans who are currently interviewing at or interested in joining Lime? How can they stand out from the crowd?
A: It depends on how long they’ve been out of the military, but for the ones who just finished serving our country, my advice is to be HUMBLE. Understanding that the private sector isn’t like how the military runs. Be willing to learn, regardless of rank or position you’ve held. Be able to speak intelligently about what you’ve accomplished while in uniform, but in civilian terms. One way to stand out in a crowd of veteran candidates? Knowing and understanding how a company operates and spends (P&L, ROI, etc). Being proficient in both Microsoft & Google Suites is a minimum if you are going for a management position.
Q: Anything else you’d like to share to help a transitioning military member or veteran?
A: No, but I’d like to reiterate - BE HUMBLE!!!
Hamish Ellis, National Operations ManagerNew Zealand
Q: Can you tell us why you decided to join Lime?
A: In the summer of 2018 Lime had just launched in Christchurch, NZ. I was posted to Burnham Military Camp and had begun to see scooters on the streets around my house. When I heard about the opportunity to work for Lime I realised that Lime was much more than a few scooters. Lime had a great mission that I could get behind, and plenty of challenges yet to be overcome. This resonated with me and so I applied.
Q: What do you think has enabled you to be successful at Lime?A: The characteristics and skills I picked up in the military have helped me significantly in the start-up environment at Lime. Firstly, the military taught me resilience and being comfortable in a dynamic, uncertain and evolving environment. From a skills perspective, the approach to safety, training, processes and leadership I learned in the NZArmy helped develop our business and enable us to optimize and ultimately to scale safely and profitably.
Q: Can you share what your experience was like transitioning from military life to civilian life?
A: The transition was interesting, as I went from a highly restrictive environment with rules and processes that are centuries old - to an environment where we had a lot of freedom, and had to build these largely from scratch. I really enjoyed the change, but struggled initially with lack of structure. Fortunately we had a great team and were able to shape this ourselves.
Q: In your opinion, how does Lime help to make the transitioning process easier for others looking to transition out of the military?
A: Lime gives you a lot of freedom and flexibility to not count the hours, but make the hours count. Lime values results-driven approaches which really allows you to focus on delivering value. Lime also has a great global team which gives you opportunities to connect with people from differing backgrounds which was similar to experiences gained in the military. Finally, Lime has been very understanding of my service and my desire to keep serving NZ, now in a reservist capacity.
Q: In your opinion, how does Lime help to make the transitioning process easier for others looking to transition out of the military?
A: Transitioning members should be confident of the skills and values that they have developed in the military. Seeking some help in translating these skills into a "civilian CV" is worthwhile in helping articulate the wide range of experiences, skill sets and responsibilities that are gained through military service.
Q: Anything else you’d like to share to help a transitioning military member or veteran?
A: Ensure you enjoy your work - and make an effort to maintain your military relationships by staying connected with your friends and colleagues.
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At Lime, we’ve taken concrete steps to ensure our company reflects the communities we work with, employing those from all walks of life. We’ve seen the remarkable value when the priority of our leadership team, as well as our employees, is to continue building an inclusive company for all.
To all the Veterans at Lime and around the world- we thank you for your service. The holidays have always been a time for family and gratitude and it’s fitting that we thank and honor our Veterans as we head into the holiday season.
If you are looking to join our team, review all of our job openings at li.me/careers. We are hiring!