CAREERS
Hiring Our Heroes: Tony Ho
Cox Communications is pleased to partner with Hiring our Heroes to provide help and support to veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses as they find meaningful employment opportunities outside of their military careers. Through the Corporate Fellowship Program, Cox is providing on–the–job training and helping our service members bridge the gap between their military service and civilian careers. Here, we’re learning about January 2021 fellow Tony Ho.
Before being accepted to Cox’s Hiring Our Heroes program, Tony Ho spent six years of active duty as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy.
“I served onboard USS McFaul (stationed in Norfolk, VA) as the Main Propulsion Officer and was forward deployed to Mine Countermeasures Squadron Seven (stationed in Sasebo, Japan) as the Assistant Operation Officer and Force Protection Officer,” Tony said.
Like many veterans adapting to civilian jobs, Tony believes one of the biggest challenges is differences in corporate versus military communication styles, as well as getting adjusted to better work-life balance.
“We have gotten so used to our jargon that others may not understand in the civilian workforce, and life has been so highly structured over the years that we now have to step back from it,” he said.
Tony, who resides in Norfolk and will continue to serve in the reserves, is working in field operations at Cox Communications during his January 2021 Hiring Our Heroes fellowship. He said that his favorite part about being a Cox employee is the company culture.
“From day one, I have felt like I was a part of the team and ultimately a part of the family,” Tony said, “In the military, the mission was important, but taking care of your sailors was even more important to me. Finding a company that truly cares for their employees can be hard to come by, and it has been refreshing to find at Cox.”
If he could give advice to other transitioning military members, Tony said that he would recommend networking, staying humble and knowing their value.
“If you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to ask for help,” he said. “You will be amazed at the amount of people that will go out their way to help you understand something when you are up front about things. Know your value, but also be humble enough to know that you may have to work your way back up into a leadership position. Listen, learn, adjust and make your actions do the talking.”
Click here to learn more about Cox’s support of the military community.