Posted on Aug 23, 2016
Has anyone had barriers to employment for being "too military"?
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I have had some wonderful advice, and answers but let me clarify. I have been at the top of my game for many years in the civilian sector. My position was eliminated last winter. This is a new issue with a recent interview where I used my Veteran's Preference (with a 30% plus disability rating) to get the interview. In order to not totally frag myself with future opportunities, I am not going to reveal who the opportunity was with.
Posted in these groups: 
Employment
Employment
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 18
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For me the biggest problem was being too blunt and direct. In the military this is perfectly normal and acceptable. In the civilian world that seems to be misconstrued as rude. Not long after I got out my wife glanced at one of my emails and seem almost shocked that I was talking to someone that way. During my break in service I eventually learned to "soften up" my language so that I don't hurt anyone's feelings. Now that I'm back in I can go right back to being an @sshole.
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Capt Tom Brown
CPT (Join to see) Very good; that, I believe, is what I was referring to in large part..
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I was told I was "too intense" at the first office-job I had when I got out of the USMC (:
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CPL Deanna Green (Parkinson)
I have been out for 15 years and been very successful...now it happens...I am pretty sure that I haven't gotten more intense...LOL!
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SGM (Join to see)
I don't think I was. I just had little patience for incompetence... and meetings that lasted more than an hour for simple issues.
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The civilian sector is and odd duck for former military to enter. In the service it's all about mission accomplishment. It's about we not me. In the civilian sector it's about me and making my boss look good. It's hard to bridge the gap, but it can be done.
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CPT Tom Monahan
Capt Tom Brown - Politics and building interpersonal relationships. Many civilian leaders think the business revolves around them and not the mission statement. You have to work to make your bosses goals get accomplished vs exceeding a standard. Also and in many cases, there is no IG or jumping the CoC to make sure things are right. The idea of the inverted leadership pyramid does not exist.
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Capt Tom Brown
Politics is really a factor for a supervisor or manager etc in which the individual has authority over their own department or work group, but has no stroke with other depts which do not report directly to them. People guard their turfs and will not let anyone 'mess' with their people, even in private sector. Good interpersonal relations are used to get cooperation from adjacent depts...
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CPT Tom Monahan
Capt Tom Brown - I think the politics play more in interdepartmental dealings. Having been a Corp Supply Chain Manager, I knew where all the bodies were buried in marketing, operations, finance and engineering. I could use that knowledge power to get what the business needed vs individual stakeholders wants.
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