Help me identify other transitional areas we need awareness so as to better prepare civilian transition.

2015-03-29T09:53:09-04:00

Understanding Military vs. Civilian Cultures - Job-Hunt.org

http://www.job-hunt.org/veterans-job-search/military-vs-civilian-cultures.shtml

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Understanding Military vs. Civilian Cultures - Job-Hunt.org

Helping veterans understand how military and civilian workplace cultures differ.

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Mar 29 at 2015 11:09 AM

2015-03-29T11:09:41-04:00

Having had feet in both worlds for many years, there is a grain of truth in the article, but I think it is oversimplified and overstated.

Anyone who has ever worked three days on staff understands a matrixed environment. Anyone who has ever served in the military for a few years has been in ambiguous operating environments (It was the Army that introduced me to "Semper Gumby"). Once you have been in a few years, my experience is that the environment is a lot more collaborative than "command and control" (doesn't mean that the Iron Fist isn't there if needed, but it's not the daily operating paradigm) Etc, etc, etc.

Moreover to say "all civilian environments are like..." is just as silly as saying "all branches of the military are the same" or even "all Army QM units are the same." Some civilian environments lack any discernible structure, others are absolutely command & control to an extent that the military of the 1950s would be envious.

The biggest area for awareness is simply an understanding that different systems are ..... different. From there, it becomes as question of "what do I want" or "what can I make work, given my other commitments?"

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Mar 29 at 2015 11:35 AM

2015-03-29T11:35:00-04:00

I can guarantee you that things like "Scout / Sniper" and "Search and Destroy Mission" are not good things to have on your civi resume.

However, there are many times when you find yourself in a "situational interview" where you will be asked "Give us a situation where teamwork has mattered in a previous job". Now your real problem is selecting which of the several thousand you have as an x-troopie that wont scare the pants off the suits in front of you.