Common Transition Difficulties: Addressing Academic and Positional Elitism in the Workplace
Transitioning from military service to civilian careers presents unique challenges, especially for APSU’s Military-Affiliated Students. In civilian workplaces, biases rooted in academic and positional elitism can create barriers to professional growth, disregarding the skills and experiences these students bring from their military backgrounds. Academic elitism elevates formal degrees over practical expertise, while positional elitism prioritizes authority and title over contributions from lower-ranking individuals. These biases limit innovation and hinder collaboration by dismissing the diverse perspectives essential for success.
Military-affiliated students often find that their leadership skills, honed through service, are not immediately recognized or valued in civilian settings. As a result, they may encounter microaggressions—subtle remarks or behaviors that dismiss their experience—and intersectional bias, compounding challenges based on overlapping identities such as gender, race, or veteran status. Understanding and addressing these biases is essential for students to navigate their career transitions effectively, advocate for equitable promotion practices, and thrive in civilian workplaces.
This article explores the nuances of academic and positional elitism, illustrating how they manifest through microaggressions, impact promotion processes, and shape workplace dynamics. It also offers actionable strategies APSU students can implement to ensure their military experiences are valued and their skills fully leveraged in civilian environments. By taking intentional steps—such as documenting achievements, advocating for merit-based promotions, and participating in mentorship programs—military-affiliated students can overcome elitist assumptions and position themselves for career success.
Understanding Academic and Positional Elitism
Academic and positional elitism promotes hierarchical thinking, where individuals are judged primarily by educational degrees or titles instead of practical contributions. APSU Military-Affiliated Students may encounter both types of elitism during their career transitions, especially when their military experience or non-traditional education paths are undervalued in civilian settings.
Example: A manager might prefer hiring candidates with MBAs from elite universities over individuals with extensive practical experience, even though the latter may have better industry insights.
How Microaggressions Reinforce Elitism
Microaggressions are subtle but impactful remarks or actions that convey bias, often without malicious intent, reinforcing hierarchical thinking in academic and positional elitism. In the context of workplace elitism, these remarks—such as,
For APSU Military-Affiliated Students, these microaggressions dismiss their military expertise or leadership roles, creating the perception that practical experience is less legitimate than civilian credentials. This can erode morale and prevent these students from fully leveraging their unique perspectives in civilian roles.
Action Step for APSU Students: To counter these biases, students should document leadership roles and achievements during their military service, emphasizing quantifiable metrics like cost savings, team performance, or mission success. Including this data in resumes, interviews, and professional interactions helps illustrate how competence and impact transcend formal degrees or job titles, showcasing real-world achievements that align with civilian success measures. For example, using terms like "managed logistics for $2M equipment inventory" shifts focus from rank to outcome-driven contributions, helping students build credibility with employers unfamiliar with military frameworks. Additionally, engaging in mentorship programs and networking through the MAPP can further position students to break through elitist assumptions.
Intersectionality in Bias: Multiple Challenges for Military-Affiliated Students
Intersectionality reveals that social identities, such as veteran status, gender, race, age, and disability, can overlap and amplify challenges related to discrimination. For military-affiliated students—particularly those from underrepresented groups—compounded biases often emerge. For instance, women veterans may encounter stereotypes both about their competence in military roles and their ability to fit traditional leadership models in civilian settings. Similarly, Black or Hispanic veterans may face heightened scrutiny regarding their qualifications compared to peers, reinforcing racial stereotypes. These compounded biases can result in higher barriers to career advancement, microaggressions, and exclusion from leadership discussions. Understanding these intersectional dynamics is essential for identifying and mitigating workplace inequities.
Action Step for APSU Students: Military-affiliated students at APSU can benefit from mentorship programs and peer networks that cater to veterans and underrepresented groups, such as APSU’s Military-Affiliated Professionals Program (MAPP) . These platforms provide guidance, emotional support, and professional connections, empowering students to navigate the academic and workplace landscapes confidently. Additionally, mentorship tailored to intersectional challenges offers students the tools to address biases proactively, develop leadership skills, and build networks within diverse industries. These initiatives allow students to gain insights into overcoming systemic barriers while promoting their unique strengths and experiences.
Bias in Promotion Processes: Barriers to Advancement
Unconscious bias often skews promotion decisions, favoring individuals with traditional credentials or senior titles. As a result, qualified candidates from non-traditional paths, including veterans, may be overlooked, perpetuating homogeneity at leadership levels.
Challenges APSU Students Might Face:
Action Step for APSU Students: Military-affiliated students at APSU can counter these biases by promoting structured, merit-based promotion processes in their workplaces. During performance reviews, students should prepare to present quantifiable results from their previous roles, demonstrating the impact of their contributions beyond rank or position. Highlighting transferable leadership skills—such as problem-solving, teamwork, and strategic planning—developed during military service can also showcase their readiness for advanced roles. Moreover, students can engage in professional development programs, such as those offered through MAPP or Lean Six Sigma certifications, to bridge any perceived gaps and further align their experiences with civilian expectations.
Strategies to Overcome Bias in the Workplace
1. Structured and Transparent Promotion Criteria:
a. Structured promotion criteria ensure that advancement decisions are fair, measurable, and aligned with performance outcomes rather than personal connections, academic background, or prior military rank. This process emphasizes tangible contributions like leadership accomplishments, technical expertise, or project impact. By setting clear, consistent benchmarks, employees gain clarity on what is required to advance, fostering motivation and reducing perceptions of favoritism or bias.
b. For APSU Military-Affiliated Students, promoting these standards helps bridge the gap between military experience and civilian roles. Clear criteria allow them to highlight their skills in ways civilian employers can quantify, such as showcasing leadership or logistics accomplishments relevant to their industry. Advocacy for standardized promotion frameworks is essential, especially in workplaces where informal networks or implicit biases may influence decisions.
2. Diverse Promotion Panels:
a. Diverse promotion panels mitigate affinity bias—the unconscious preference for candidates similar to current leaders—by incorporating reviewers from various backgrounds, experiences, and departments. A diverse group of decision-makers brings multiple perspectives, reducing the likelihood of reinforcing existing hierarchies or favoring candidates based on shared traits, such as educational pedigree or former military rank.
b. APSU Military-Affiliated Students can advocate for these panels by promoting veteran representation in decision-making processes. Having veterans involved in the hiring or promotion process ensures that military achievements, which might otherwise be misunderstood, are appropriately evaluated. This practice leads to more equitable outcomes and provides organizations with richer talent pools, enhancing innovation and performance.
3. Blind Performance Reviews:
a. Blind performance reviews anonymize candidate information, removing identifiers such as names, academic degrees, and prior job titles. This process focuses on the evaluation of specific accomplishments and competencies, reducing biases related to race, gender, military status, or educational background. Blind reviews help decision-makers focus purely on performance metrics and contributions.
b. For APSU’s Military-Affiliated Students, blind reviews can prevent assumptions about their military background from influencing the outcome. Some civilian employers might unconsciously undervalue military experience or assume veterans lack certain industry skills. Anonymized evaluations allow students to compete on equal footing with their civilian peers, ensuring fairer assessments of their transferable skills.
4. Continuous Implicit Bias Training:
a. Ongoing implicit bias training is essential for building awareness and driving organizational behavioral change. While initial training sessions may raise awareness, systemic change requires consistent reinforcement to ensure accountability. Effective programs integrate interactive learning, real-world scenarios, and post-training evaluations to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
b. Military-affiliated students at APSU can benefit by advocating for regular bias training that includes veteran-specific scenarios. This approach helps employers recognize and mitigate biases linked to military stereotypes, such as viewing veterans as overly rigid or unfit for creative roles. Training that emphasizes inclusive leadership practices ensures that veterans are not only included but empowered in civilian workplaces.
5. Track and Analyze Promotion Data:
a. Monitoring promotion trends helps organizations identify patterns of exclusion, such as the underrepresentation of veterans, women, or employees from non-traditional educational backgrounds in leadership roles. Regular DEI audits allow organizations to adjust promotion practices to align with diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Tracking data over time ensures that systemic biases are addressed, fostering a fairer and more inclusive culture.
b. For APSU Military-Affiliated Students, advocating for data transparency in hiring and promotion processes can reveal whether veterans receive equitable advancement opportunities. This data-driven approach encourages organizations to rethink promotion criteria and evaluate candidates holistically, creating more opportunities for those with diverse backgrounds and experiences to succeed.
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Fostering Inclusive Leadership: A Collaborative Approach
Inclusive leadership creates environments where employees at all levels are empowered to contribute meaningfully, dismantling elitist practices tied to rank or educational background. This leadership style emphasizes the importance of recognizing diverse perspectives, ensuring that contributions are valued based on their substance rather than titles. Research indicates that inclusive workplaces are more innovative and collaborative, as individuals feel psychologically safe to share ideas without fear of dismissal.
Leaders must intentionally engage with team members to cultivate inclusivity by promoting open communication and trust. This involves acknowledging and appreciating input from all employees—regardless of their position—and actively seeking ideas from underrepresented voices. Studies highlight the importance of rotating leadership roles during meetings, a strategy that encourages participation from those typically excluded from decision-making processes. Anonymous feedback tools further amplify these voices by allowing employees to provide input without fear of retaliation or judgment, ensuring decisions reflect diverse insights.
For APSU Military-Affiliated Students transitioning to civilian careers, modeling inclusive leadership within their teams is a practical and impactful step. As students collaborate with peers and colleagues, rotating responsibilities in team settings can foster a sense of belonging and mutual respect. This practice encourages diverse leadership styles and demonstrates the value of shared ownership. APSU students can also introduce anonymous suggestion platforms in group projects or work settings, promoting a fair evaluation of ideas based on merit.
By embracing inclusive leadership, APSU students enhance team performance and set a precedent for workplace cultures that thrive on collaboration. Demonstrating inclusivity builds trust, nurtures innovation, and prepares them to lead effectively in civilian roles where they can advocate for equitable practices and create opportunities for all individuals to excel—regardless of background or rank.
Final Thoughts
Overcoming academic and positional elitism is essential for APSU Military-Affiliated Students as they transition into civilian careers. The challenges posed by elitist structures—such as undervaluing military experience or prioritizing titles and degrees—can be significant, but they are not insurmountable. By recognizing how microaggressions, intersectionality, and biased promotion processes shape workplace dynamics, students can proactively address these barriers.
Military-affiliated students are uniquely positioned to succeed by leveraging their leadership skills, adaptability, and operational experience gained during service. Documenting quantifiable achievements, participating in mentorship programs like MAPP, and advocating for transparent promotion criteria are critical steps toward demonstrating their value in civilian environments. Additionally, promoting inclusive leadership practices ensures that contributions from all team members—regardless of title or background—are recognized and rewarded.
By intentionally navigating workplace biases, APSU Military-Affiliated Students can drive change within organizations, ensuring their skills are acknowledged and celebrated. These efforts will help create more equitable workplaces where success is defined by performance and innovation, not by pedigree or rank, positioning students for long-term career growth and leadership roles in diverse industries.
References
The Military-Affiliated Professionals Program
The MAPP provides all manners of career service to the military-affiliated students of Austin Peay State University. This population is estimated to be about one-third of its total student population.
In addition, the MAPP extends its services to all service members, veterans, military and veteran spouses, and military and veteran family members, regardless of their affiliation with Austin Peay State University.
Services can be provided virtually or in person under the MAPP. Let us know your needs, and we will tailor our services to meet them.
Austin Peay State University's commitment to our service members and veteran communities remains unmatched.
To take advantage of the services offered by the MAPP, contact us at,
Call or text: 931-221-7930
Email: [email protected] .
If you would like to donate to our program, visit https://give.apsu.edu/ . Select Newton Military Family Resource Center Fund of Excellence. The Military-Affiliated Professionals Program falls within that category.
Austin Peay State University
At Austin Peay, we proudly serve you during your academic career. We are invested in your success and have created a division dedicated to our Military-Affiliated Students and their families. The Military and Veterans Affairs Division comprises several offices and resource centers trained to help you fully utilize your education benefits. From offering condensed 8-week courses through the Austin Peay Center at Fort Campbell to getting career advice from our Military-Affiliated Professionals Program, we are ready to support your success.
Apply Now!
Wisedoc Partners With The MAPP
The Military-Affiliated Professionals Program (MAPP) is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Wisedoc, which provides comprehensive support for transitioning service members, veterans, and their families. Through this collaboration, we offer access to a cutting-edge platform that simplifies resume-building while ensuring compatibility with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Our partnership with Wisedoc aims to develop additional resources that focus on understanding the intricacies of military roles and their wide-ranging responsibilities, ensuring that military experience is accurately translated and effectively communicated in civilian career applications. This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to equipping our military-affiliated community with the tools they need for successful transitions into the civilian workforce.
Friends of the MAPP:
United States Army Transition Assistance Program: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/taphq/
Operation Stand Down Tennessee: https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/osdtn/
RecruitMilitary: https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/recruitmilitary/
Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development: https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/tennessee-department-of-labor-workforce-development/
SkillSyncer: https://skillsyncer.com/