How Can Military Veterans Successfully Transition To the Private Sector?
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In the military, there are tasks, strict orders, a chain of command and assignments that must be completed with the utmost accuracy. But what resources are available to service members and veterans as they transition to jobs in the private sector. We discuss the helpful programs and which companies are best for veterans.?
By Helen Harris
“I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.”
“I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.”
“If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.”
These are just three of the six U.S. military Codes of Conduct initially drafted by Franklin Brooke Nihart, a U.S. Marine Corps colonel and Navy Cross recipient from the Korean War, in 1954. The purpose of the code of conduct was to create a credo that military personnel could follow if they were held captive.?
It’s easy to gather, just from this code of conduct, that military personnel set the precedent for the ideal employee in a civilian workplace. These individuals are prepared, loyal, diligent, brave and persistent.?
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs reports that employers and companies benefit from hiring veterans as they are often cross-trained in multiple skills and have experience in varied tasks and responsibilities, such as the following:?
Jeff Battinus , national director of talent acquisition at Pediatric Associates, particularly emphasizes the strength veterans have when it comes to adaptability.?
“They have a willingness to be agile in any situation,” said Battinus. “In the military, your job is constantly changing every two years. You're sent to a new assignment depending on your job. So whether you're a pilot, military police, in the infantry or otherwise, adaptability is the greatest strength these individuals have that carries over into the private sector.”??
So when someone in the military begins to transition to the private sector, how can they best apply their skills??
Understanding the Military To Civilian Transition??
Each year, roughly 200,000 service members leave U.S. military service and return to civilian life according to the U.S. Department of VA . This process is known as the military to civilian transition.?
These are 200,000 individuals entering the civilian job market.
And despite their strengths learned in the military, they have historically faced some very tough challenges. In 2011, the veteran unemployment rate was 12.1%. This was considerably higher than the non-veteran unemployment rate of 8.7%.?
A November 2015 study conducted by Zoli, Maury, & Fay revealed the most significant transition challenges for more than 8,500 veterans, active duty service members, national guard and reserve members and military dependents. The results included the following:?
But things have been on an upward trajectory in recent years, with the unemployment rate steadily dropping. In 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001 declined to 4.6%. This is compared to a rate of 5.3% for nonveterans. Additionally, the jobless rate for all veterans decreased to 4.4%.?
The TAP and SkillBridge Programs?
Battinus explains that a veteran candidate’s knowledge of the civilian world — not just the job they are applying for — is incredibly important when getting into the job search. With this in mind, he mentions the transition assistance program (TAP), which provides information, tools and training for members and their spouses as they enter the civilian world. While it is recommended that you begin at least two years prior to separating from the military, the TAP program does require at least a year to transition for those who are separating or retiring.?
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Michael Quinn , army veteran, two-time LinkedIn Top Voice, CEO at HireMilitary and Tenova LLC, and Forbes Contributor also states the importance of the SkillBridge program in helping veterans transition into civilian work life.
“The SkillBridge program is a Department of Defense Program that's managed by each of the services that allow transitioning service members in their last 180 days to do internships, apprenticeships, OJT job shadowing or training with employers,” said Quinn.?
Quinn clarifies the common misunderstanding that the SkillBridge is not like an unpaid internship but that the transitioning veteran is being paid by the military while receiving the benefit of learning a new skill.?
“That's what makes SkillBridge so incredible,” said Quinn. “It's a training and education program. You’re doing on-the-job training with your team side by side, and working through any processes you may not be familiar with. Companies absolutely love it. It's been a huge success on both sides.”?
He also states that even if a service member does it and realizes a certain job isn’t for them, they don't have to commit — but they still have that two to four months of a steady paycheck with the military. This allows them to pivot without risk and explore what they may want to do next.?
Ultimately, though, Quinn states that his company, HireMilitary, has had tremendous success with the program. He mentions that last year the company “did a few hundred of them” and had a 97% offering among participants.?
There is incentive for companies to participate in TAP because during the transitioning service member’s time at a company, the company does not pay any salary or benefits.
“If a hiring manager knows they have four months to evaluate whether they want to make an offer or not while not paying salary and benefits, that allows them to focus purely on talent and performance,” said Quinn. “That manager can focus on aspects such as if the potential new team member is going to be a good fit for the team, if they’re going to be culture add, if they are motivated and if they are going to mesh with the team. And in return, the company gets a highly motivated, transitioning service member who hits the ground running.”
But what jobs are these transitioning service members filling — and which ones are best for those who don’t have a degree??
Battinus hints again to veterans’ strength of adaptability and how this helps them find jobs.
“In the military, you become an expert at being an expert,” said Battinus. “You are constantly shifted around the world into different types of positions, from military police to infantry to IT support to quartermaster to countless other roles. And because of this, you can be slotted anywhere in civilian work. And if you have the desire to do a particular job — you’ll almost always be successful.”?
Best Jobs for Veterans?
“When you talk about veterans and transitioning service members either way, it is the most diverse group out there,” said Quinn. “You've got everything from nurses to EMTs to special forces to combat arms to truck refuelers to cooks and beyond. And as far as education, there are those with Ph.D.s and those with GEDs.”?
Quinn highlights Amazon as a great company for transitioning service members of all backgrounds.
“Amazon cracked the code,” said Quinn. “They really focused on hiring a lot of veterans and transitioning service members for their operations roles. There's a lot of continuous improvement, a lot of on-the-floor movement, engaging with hourly workers, motivating them and inspiring them. Everybody is moving in a direction toward a common goal.”?
He praises UPS and FedEx for their operations, manufacturing and distribution roles for veterans and transitioning workers.?
According to Military.com , other top employers of military veterans include the following:?
Additionally, “Military Times” states that healthcare, government and public administration, defense contracting and information technology are the top industries for transitioning veterans.?
To continue hiring transitioning military and veterans, Battinus emphasizes the importance for companies to bring recruiters and leadership on board that have military experience.??
“What that does is it brings in a level of professional acumen into the talent acquisition team,” said Battinus. “And a talent acquisition team can be the leaders and the mentors to the rest of the enterprise no matter what area they're recruiting in. If you want to hire military people into your company, you need to bring on recruiters who have military experience — and then spread that knowledge base.”?
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2 年Veterans are attractive job candidates. They have focus, discipline and many times have managed and led others. I tell every person I work with who has been a veteran to state so on their resume. For decades the US military has enabled junior officers to make autonomous decisions in the field. This works for today's corporate environment. That said, it is an adjustment and there are numbers of organizations, some mentioned in this excellent article by Helen Harris, that can help with the transition.