Title:Transitioning From the Military to the Civilian Workforce? 3 Challenges You'll Face, and How to Overcome Them
Author:Michelle Tillis Lederman - Reprinted with permission
Date:July 2017
Source:michelletillislederman.com
As a veteran, you've faced far more frightening and serious situations than the job interview. Yet for many, the thought of entering the civilian workforce comes with a myriad of concerns and challenges.
I wrote a whole book to help you in the interview process, which you can get for free at www.heroesgethired.com. In the meantime, here are three challenges I want to minimize for you right away:
1. Translating Your Skills
A recent study indicates many veterans find one of the biggest transition challenges is explaining how their military skills translate to a civilian work environment. Some great news from the same survey is that nearly all veterans believe they have the skills needed to land their ideal job. So it's just a matter of communicating those skills.
To start wrapping your head around this, think about what you did on a daily basis in the military and how many of the skills you used are essential for the normal workforce. In the military, you were in stressful situations that required you to think quickly, be effective with limited resources and adapt to ever-changing circumstances, and as a result, you built many, many skills.
Veterans are adaptable, energetic, creative; they pay attention to detail, get the job done, communicate critical information clearly, meet deadlines, display maturity and have an extraordinary work ethic. They are problem-solvers, team players and leaders.
The first step in preparing for a civilian interview is to recognize these skills, and the second step is to value them. You want to communicate these translatable skills — and the added value you as a vet bring to a civilian work situation — at every step of the job hunt process, from resume and cover letter right through to the actual interview.
For an idea of how you can translate your experience to master an interview, see this quick video.
A veteran without years of civilian workplace experience can actually bring a fresh perspective to a situation. For an interviewer, the passion and confidence an interviewee projects can be more powerful than the recent experience they have or have not had. As a vet, you can be a catalyst for innovative solutions and protect an organization from the groupthink that often occurs when a team of employees has spent years in the same industry or field.
2. Adjusting to a New Culture
For those just coming out of the military, it's important to understand there will be an adjustment period as you integrate back into civilian culture. The standard modes of military thinking and behavior can be vastly different from those of the civilian workforce, but once you recognize these differences, you'll be able to adapt to them more easily — after all, service members are excellent at adapting to new situations.
Some of the differences between military and civilian workforce culture include attire, language and word choice, formality of verbal and nonverbal communication, receptiveness to opinions, leadership styles, a focus on responsibilities versus results, and even possibly the definition of success.
You've just come from a structured environment in which you were trained to develop responses and take initiative to accomplish a mission. These traits will be welcome in the civilian workforce, and you'll have many opportunities to use them — just in different ways
While in an interview, you want to spotlight how you can adapt to new surroundings and how this means you'll be able to fit with the company's culture. Present yourself in ways that make sense for the civilian workforce but still let your personal strengths and qualifications shine through.
3. Dealing with Physical or Invisible Injuries
Those who have survived a war often do so with injuries, whether physical or invisible. It's important to know from the very beginning that potential employees need only disclose disabilities if and when they need an accommodation to perform essential functions on the job. Other than this, applicants never have to disclose a disability on a job application or during an interview unless they choose to do so (EEOC, 1992). For more information on how to determine whether you have a disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act, visit eeoc.gov/policy/docs/902cm.html.
If you do find your injury will impact your ability to do the job for which you're applying, consider your options and what they mean for the employer. What accommodations would you need in order to be effective in the role? Explain these when appropriate and, if known, their costs. Often, minor adjustments can easily be made to create a productive workspace; recognizing this can increase your comfort as well as that of your potential employer. You want to make sure you find a situation that's an excellent fit for both you and the organization.
As a veteran, you've already done it all! If the person interviewing you doesn't understand this, it's your responsibility to make sure they know it by the end of the interview.
The main challenge will be perception — yours and theirs. Believe in your capabilities and qualifications, and you'll communicate this belief to others. (Like this thought? Tweet it!) You must not only know you can do the job, but that you've already done the types of things it requires. Preparing for the interview will help you bring this knowledge to the forefront and truly embrace it.
