Stressed About Transition? Change Your Focus.

2017-10-24T09:44:21-04:00

Transitioning from a military career to a civilian one can sometimes seem like an overwhelming process. Just deciding what type of job to look for right after you leave the service can be challenging. Should I stay in the same career field, use the skill set I already have? But I might be interested in public policy or, no, maybe I want to start my own business. Do I need to go back to school for an HR degree or an MBA? I don’t want to stay in my current location, so is a local job fair even worth my time?

Leaving the service means you have an array of different choices regarding your post-military life and career. And, sometimes, that’s exactly the problem – too many choices. Narrowing the options can reduce your stress level and help you make a better decision. Here are a few recommendations to limit your choices and improve your chances of not just landing a job, but landing the right job.

1) Define Your Go/No Go List: While it can often be difficult to articulate what you want your post-military career to look like, it is often less difficult to define what you want your post-military life to look like. Are you willing to work nights and weekends? Is there a specific location you’re interested in? What salary do you need to support yourself or your family? Is one week of vacation a year enough or do you want more? How much are you willing to travel for work?

Making a list of these type of questions and your answers to them gives you a reliable tool with which to evaluate possible employment options and narrow down the field of potential choices. It also makes you less likely to choose any available job and more likely to choose a job that suits you and your goals.

2) Run the Marathon: The military is a culture of sprint – as fast and as hard as you can until you accomplish the mission or it’s time for your next change of station. Your civilian career is going to be more like a marathon, lasting usually at least twice as long as your military career. You need to pace yourself.

Pacing yourself means don’t feel pressured to get the perfect job right out of the gate, but don’t take any old job either, as both of these extremes can impact your overall career development. Choose something that’s going to move you in the direction of your long term goals, that provides the capacity for growth, and that matches your Go/No Go list. Additionally, remember that these days individuals change jobs and companies frequently during the course of their career. The first job you choose isn’t likely to be the job you spend thirty years doing. Even if you make a bad first choice (I did), you and your career can recover.

3) Focus on the Culture: Too often, transitioning service members focus on the job, rather than the organization. No matter how much a specific job might suit you, if you don’t like who you are doing it for, you aren’t going to be happy. In fact, there is nothing worse than a toxic work environment, or one that provides you no opportunity for growth. Avoiding these environments is as critical to your job search as choosing a position that interests you.

Also, as I mentioned above, you are unlikely to have the same position for your entire civilian career. By choosing an organization that you believe in and that suits your Go/No Go list, you not only improve your quality of life, you improve your chances for longevity and upward mobility in that company as well.

Deciding what you want your civilian career to look like can be challenging. Chances are, the first job you choose won’t be the one you stick with. But you can improve your choices by identifying the things that matter: how you want your life to look, remembering that your civilian career will be a series of events and you need to pace yourself, and looking for a company culture that suits you.

Sarah Maples is the Director of National Security and Foreign Affairs for the VFW.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2017 9:48 AM

2017-10-24T09:48:50-04:00

CPT Maples- this is very well written and it is great advice. If you can, add this on the Veteran Mentor Network on LinkedIN.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2017 10:11 AM

2017-10-24T10:11:19-04:00

This is a great article Capt Private RallyPoint Member Your points are extremely relevant and useful for anyone going through transition. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2017 10:47 AM

2017-10-24T10:47:40-04:00

Thank you! I just posted it there.

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Oct 24 at 2017 2:01 PM

2017-10-24T14:01:28-04:00

The part about narrowing options is very on point. Focus on just a few and pick a target (my input) if that don’t work out after a few tries, pick a new target and go from there. After so long you might need to lower your standards I’ve heard people say to me.. it was at the time, not the right time.. it’d already been a grueling day.. and i didn’t need to hear that from a person that had never tried to improve themself beyond that of a outside clean-up guy at a penny ante Coney Island..
I went out the next at about 9 and seen a restaurant had a advert on it’s marque for an experienced Chef.. I had worked in Officer’s Open Mess and Enlisted’s too on a part time basis. I turned at the next corner and they had a drive in trance off that street and I pulled in and grabbed my portfolio and by chance the kitchen door was open.. I knocked first, called out and a young man in a apron who had been putting away stock came and took me to the office. I introduced myself and pulled out my resume which was quite brief put I felt it was adequate as I just spent a good amount of years in the AF.. the Interview lasted 20 minutes.. the mgr escorted me back to the door.. “Chef... be here at 10:00 tomorrow. You’ll be 2d Chef and Sr. Will show you how we do here.. I was there about a half hour earlier.. and got in. Senior Chef was there and gave me
A paper to take to a uniform outfitter a couple blocks down the road.. he showed me around and asked were there any questions.. I already had a ready tailored uniform on and put my others in my truck and went back in and went to work.. stayed 3 years.. the corporate sold the restaurant and asked if I would move to another of it’s stores and I did. I stayed there 5 years .. it was larger.. better equipment.. what surprised me is they set me up a place to stay at an apt. Building They owned. There were a lot of people
Living there that worked at that restaurant. They owned a laundry/cleaners right by there.. that delivered my uniforms to me. I naturally did my personal items at their laundry. I was given a pass key to operate the wash machines, dryers w/o using the coin insert part. I was earning a very good wage and benefits . I was surprised that they had $150 travel pay in my check statement. I put the that toward apt. Rent. It covered 3 months, wow! One thing about living there it was always easy for them to find me .. and I didn’t mind .. and to think their other restaurant was the first place I stopped at 8 years ago !..

Response by CW5 Jack Cardwell made Oct 24 at 2017 4:41 PM

2017-10-24T16:41:42-04:00

Great read !

Response by CPO Nate S. made Oct 24 at 2017 6:31 PM

2017-10-24T18:31:34-04:00

Capt, where this truly needs to be is in a 90 day pre-termination seminar. Often times vets don't think about as much as they should before getting out. Great article. I agree placing on Linked-In is good, but AD need more of this before they transition!

# 3 is MORE important than many vets might think. I can tell you that had I considered CULTURE a little more some of the tactical errors I made from getting my signals mixed up would NOT have caused me the grieve I experienced. We (us as vets) can be so MISSION focused that culture is something we just don't think about that often. But, it should be as you stated. You have to be able to know and more importantly TRUST your boss and your peers. You are 100% spot on that if either one or both are toxic it can be civilian career deadly!!!

Finally, it has taken me 20 years to find the job that has come to my whole motivation for getting up each morning. I can tell you that it is finally a very good feeling to be able to work for and with fellow veterans on a big project that will have a huge marketplace impact in the next 18 months. It is rare that one finds people combined with a mission that once truly enjoys learning something new every day to make the job better, more valued by making my little piece of world fit better to help navigate our team to avoid the rocks and shoals. It is a marathon, the sooner we can tell our fellow vets, especially the new crop, the sooner they will reach success because they have had facilitating a better plan to reach that feeling of success and self-worth sooner.

Response by PFC Sandra Wade made Oct 25 at 2017 10:20 PM

2017-10-25T22:20:51-04:00

Q. Do you have to have been boots on the ground? I am VN era. Not boots on the ground. I need a definitive without question answer I had a man at a VFW Hall tell me know I couldn't join

Response by PFC Sandra Wade made Oct 26 at 2017 9:05 PM

2017-10-26T21:05:00-04:00

Although, the VA recognizes me as a VN era veteran.

Response by CPL(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2017 4:49 PM

2017-10-31T16:49:52-04:00

Its hard to find that perfect job. Definitely writing a list of goals is good. Update your resume as well. I had several jobs that did not get "military lingo".

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Dec 2 at 2017 11:51 AM

2017-12-02T11:51:10-05:00

So, two comments to add.
First, "Your civilian career is going to be more like a marathon, lasting usually at least twice as long as your military career. You need to pace yourself. " is right on point. The trick about the military culture being a sprint is that the end is ALWAYS in sight. You know THIS deployment will end, this tour will end, this commander will rotate out, etc. I had the same civilian as either my boss, or my boss' boss (when I first started) for 17 years (13 if you subtract mobilized time).... Let that sink in for a minute. That is essentially an entire military career with the same guy - and largely the same coworkers. Now, let's say that guy sucks.... (He didn't BTW, great boss)

Second, the culture fit cannot be overemphasized. As I mentioned above, same employer since 1999, in the same department. Absolutely loved it, great boss, great peers, loved coming to work. Right before I came back, my boss, the CIO retired and a new one was appointed. I gave it 30 days to form an opinion, and am now looking for jobs absolutely as fast as I can. And seriously considering jobs that are not TOO MUCH of a pay cut to do it. The department's environment is now noticeably toxic, and likely to remain so for at lest the next 2-3 years. A mere 60 days ago I was excited to get back to a great organization.

Response by AA Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 3 at 2017 1:49 AM

2017-12-03T01:49:24-05:00

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