{"id":5369,"date":"2023-03-07T10:58:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T15:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/?p=5369"},"modified":"2024-02-26T10:20:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T15:20:25","slug":"metlife-kat-la-hart-military-spouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/stories\/metlife-kat-la-hart-military-spouse\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Can Bring My Authentic Self to Work\u2019: Air National Guard Spouse Works to Welcome Veterans, Military Spouses to MetLife"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kat La Hart loves her job. Like really, really loves her job. If you ask her to elaborate on her satisfaction at MetLife, she points to two factors as the primary reasons for her feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe people I work with and my purpose to train, recruit, and retain top entry-level talent for sales.\u201d But she does not stop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love that I can bring my true, authentic self to work every day and feel good about what I do in helping our talent grow and thrive while being able to focus on the veteran community,\u201d she told Hiring Our Heroes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kat
Kat La Hart<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As Director, Sales Training and Development, La Hart recruits, onboards, and trains entry-level sales talent in the MetLife Group Benefits Sales Internship and Sales Academy programs \u2014 and helps deploy them into full-time sales roles. Additionally, she is responsible for launching an orientation program for all Group Benefits new hires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La Hart is also a military spouse. Her husband was a firefighter in the U.S. Air Force before transitioning to intel. Now, he is a chief master sergeant serving in New Jersey\u2019s Air National Guard. The couple has two children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat makes my story unique as a military spouse is that I get involved, listen, and act to empower transitioning military members to find meaningful employment opportunities within Group Benefits,\u201d La Hart said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find a Role to Grow into a Career<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

La Hart joined MetLife as a marketing services support consultant in 2008. During her nearly 15-year career with the company, she has held various roles in communications before transitioning to training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, La Hart moved to her current role focused on hiring individuals for positions in MetLife\u2019s Group Benefits Sales and Service teams for locations throughout the United States. On the Service team, consultants are trusted partners who work as an extension of a customer\u2019s benefits team to support the delivery of benefits to employees. Sales team members represent one of the most robust benefits portfolios in the marketplace. They work with brokers and HR leaders to craft wellness benefits offerings that help attract and retain employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Sales and Service, we hire for a variety of roles that many align with veteran talent. For example, in Sales we hire sales representatives. This specific role would empower transitioned military members to leverage the many core values that were instilled in them while in the service, including the use of their leadership and team-player skill sets,\u201d La Hart said. \u201cOther roles where military talent may thrive include account managers, client service consultants, implementation leaders, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One advantage of working as part of MetLife\u2019s Group Benefits Sales and Service teams is the diversity of available roles. It allows individuals \u201cthe opportunity to grow into a career that is most fitting for them,\u201d La Hart explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I love most about Group Benefits is that you can work toward a career path in alignment with your passion, and leadership is supportive of being intentional about finding the best fit,\u201d La Hart said. For example, if a veteran is hired for an account manager position in service but later discovers a passion for sales, that person may switch positions easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n