Military to Civilian Careers: Making the Transition

cbjen | Dec 23, 2008 | Comments 0

The United States is home to more than 1.4 million active duty service members,[1] half a million National Guard members[2], and 23.8 million veterans.[3] Protective laws and free resources are available to assist armed services members with this process, which can often be fraught with challenges.

At any given time, thousands of these men and women are in the process of transitioning from a military to civilian career, or returning to civilian life after deployment.

Right to Re-Employment: Keeping Your Old Job

Members of the National Guard and Reserve components of the United States Military have certain rights to retain their employment after deployment or other service. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), provides job protection and rights of reinstatement.

USERRA provides that an employer may not discriminate against an employee or potential employee on the basis of military affiliation, and that an employee has the right to retain their position after an absence for mandatory military service of not more than 5 years. To benefit from this law, an employee must provide their employer with timely notice, and hold a job with a “reasonable expectation of continuance for a significant period of time.” (Even if that job is described as “temporary.”)

Although an invaluable protection for the service members it covers, USERRA’s scope is limited to members of the Guard and Reserve who have been called to federal duty.

From Military Jobs to Civilian Career: Challenges

For service members not eligible to continue a civilian job under USERRA, or those who are transitioning or retiring from the service, establishing a fulfilling civilian career has some challenges, but none that can’t be overcome. We asked Bill Scott, Vice President of Bradley-Morris Inc (a respected employment services company serving military veterans) to describe the greatest challenges facing today’s veterans as they re-enter the civilian workforce. ”A veteran has two big challenges. The first is to work hard to “civilianize” their experience and their resume.” What does this mean? “A civilian hiring authority will not understand military occupational specialties, military acronyms or ranks.” Bill advises veterans to put their military training in terms an employer can understand, such as number of people managed, dollar value of equipment maintained, improvements in uptime, or hours of technical training.

“Civilianizing” the resume is not the only challenge veterans face, however. “The second challenge is how to find the free military job seeker services that are out there,” said Bill. “Know that there are many, many resources available that are set up to assist you at no charge.” Most importantly: “Use multiple resources. Don’t sign an exclusive agreement. And don’t pay for placement services.”

Moving Forward: Key Advice

Bill Scott sees a bright future for today’s transitioning veterans, with a few caveats: be ready to relocate, and start early.

“We’ve placed veterans in virtually every industry….If veterans are open to different locations, they will vastly increase their number of opportunities.”

”Despite the persistent news of a struggling economy, we see the job outlook for veterans as still being strong. But the main thing that can impact a veteran’s job outlook is how early they begin their transition process – we recommend at least a year in advance of their transition date. There is a lot to learn about the civilian work world, and it takes some time to figure out what types of civilian positions you are qualified for, what you want to do in your ‘second’ career and where you want to live. Make sure you start early and can cover all of these bases so that you can have a job offer in hand as close to your separation date as possible.”