Transitioning from Military to Civilian: Skills You Bring & Skills You Need

Capt Marshall Carter — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:00:15 -0500

As a former Marine Corps captain with service in Vietnam, I’ve transitioned into civilian life during a time when military service wasn’t as appreciated as it is today. In the mid 70’s, things were pretty tough for veterans, so I ended up applying to 85 companies. Veterans were often blamed for war back then; they weren’t seen as heroes with exceptional leadership and life experiences like they often are today. Despite the shift in public perception of veterans, the transition from military service still isn’t an easy one today. I’ve been helping veterans transition since the 1991 Gulf War and, though I’ve reworked some advice, I’ve shared the following with countless veterans since then.

If you are currently serving or have recently left service in search of a civilian career, you should know there are many skills you have already learned throughout your career that will be great assets as you transition to the civilian sector. Some of these you may already be well-aware of while others may seem so obvious that you don’t view them as tangible skills. Still, there are many you may not already have but should be looking to refine as you prepare for your next role.

Here are some skills that you already bring to the table as you start your civilian career:

Multi-tasking

In the military, you were always expected to handle a myriad of different assignments and duties. There were very few times where you weren’t juggling a handful of tasks at the same time. This became routine for you, as you became more and more proficient at multi-tasking.

Ethics and an Ethical Basis for Actions

As service members, we swear to live by a code of ethics, and always have an ethical basis for our actions. This is a very valuable asset, as I’ve found most civilians don’t naturally align by a similar code.

Ability to Deal with Stress, in You and Others Around You

Service members are team players, not solo performers. We know that we each hold tremendous responsibility, as do all of those working around us. Because this is a constant in our military careers, we all are generally able to efficiently manage and deal with the pressure and stress placed upon ourselves and our counterparts.

Ability to Prioritize – To Separate Critical from Non-Critical Tasks

Members of the US military constantly have tasks to complete, but skill at multi-tasking isn’t helpful if you choose the wrong tasks to perform.We must know how to prioritize so that critical tasks are always completed in order to support the greater mission. This is a skill that is often lacking in the civilian workforce, especially under stressful situations and comes as a great advantage for veterans.

Leadership Experiences, Building Unit Accomplishment Versus Individual

Leadership is more commonly discussed and coached in the military than probably any other organization in the United States. Early on, we learn that all accomplishments are unit successes, not individual ones. We also learn that the rank we earn is best used to gain resources and empower our subordinates, rather than just a stepping stone to the next rank at the expense of our employees.

Ability to Deal with Complexity in Corporate Organization

Military units are part of the government, so naturally they are complex, matrixed, and often leave you reporting to multiple bosses. This comfort with complex reporting channels is valuable, particularly if you seek to work within a large civilian company or to do business with them.

Ability to Work Long Hours Without Loss of Efficiency

I’ve often been told by civilians that they can’t comprehend what it was like to serve in war. Before I did it, like you, I really couldn’t have known what to expect either. When challenges come our way in the military, we’ve been trained to deflect incoming rounds while still pursuing our mission even after long hours. Even if you are not the most senior person in a group when you join a company, you can demonstrate your aptitude for leadership (and perhaps earn your next leadership role) by making it clear that you’re willing to roll up your sleeves when others are trying to punch out for the day.

Quick Reaction Capability

In the military, things don’t typically go as planned. When bad things happen in civilian life, your experience in making decisions that mitigate damages during bad situations can save your company profits and help you demonstrate why you are the right person for the job.

Administrative Skills

No one in the military can avoid paperwork. Although we may not all enjoy this part of our military training, this is an incredible skill to have for any civilian job. We are trained to pay attention to detail take notes and have exceptional organization skills. These are incredible assets in the civilian world.

Overall, you bring an incredible amount of experience and skill to the table - whether you realize it or not. Knowing that, the next big question you need to answer for yourself is: how will you make these skills known and put them to use?

With the skills you already have, there are many skills that you may still need to refine in order to succeed in civilian life. Here are four of the most valuable skills you may want to refine while transitioning:

Interviewing, Hiring, Firing

In the military, we can’t always control the personnel machine, for ourselves or the people that report to us. These core components to job placements in civilian life are much more complex when you don’t have a massive human resources command identifying and moving people around to open jobs. The process of interviewing and hiring potential candidates to fill a specific role is often incredibly time-consuming and difficult. You must be able to evaluate individuals based on past experience, as well as future potential. With that, you must also be able to gauge whether or not they will assimilate to the culture of your company or team. It’s not an easy task, and neither is firing an individual when they are not meeting standards. Especially if you have P&L responsibility in civilian life, you realize how important a bottom line is to maintain to keep the lights on when that’s never really been a concern in the military. If talent doesn’t perform, you need to counsel/coach them, document shortfalls and ultimately terminate them if they are not meeting standards The more experience you can get interviewing, hiring, and firing smartly, the stronger your skill set will be.

Understanding “Making Payroll” in a Company

In the civilian workforce, “making payroll” is a common phrase that refers to making enough money to pay your employees. Unlike the military, where the government determines budgets based on expected needs, private sector companies are restricted to hiring only as many employees as their revenues can support. It’s important to understand that private sector companies hire you to fulfill a need that is worth considerably more than your salary to them. Understand that you are being hired to perform something of value - something someone else (a customer or client) should be willing to pay for.

Detecting “Hidden Agendas”

For the most part during our military careers, things are pretty straightforward and clear. People are candid and honorable, and you know how things are supposed to work. Unfortunately, during your civilian career, you’ll quickly realize that many people like to “play politics” and try to leverage situations for personal gain. As you progress and observe more, you’ll get better at detecting these “hidden agendas” so you’ll be able to identify what people are really after, and whether or not you can take someone at their spoken word.

Dealing with New Corporate Cultures

In general, if you were a Marine, a pilot, a tanker or a submariner, you generally worked in a similarly-minded culture throughout your military career. When you get into civilian life, you may find very different cultures if you were to work in the same role in different industries. It’s important to identify the norms of the culture you are joining and establish yourself as an individual performer, but in a way that is very much seen as a team player in that new culture.

Now that you can identify your strong skills, as well as those skills you’ll still need to learn in the civilian workforce, I’ll leave you with a few final tips for your job search as you begin your civilian career:

● Danger points – When a civilian looks at your resume, they may think it’s a sign of poor performance that you change jobs every three years. You may also find yourself being older than the person you are going to be working beneath. Be prepared to deal with or address these issues if necessary.

● The most important thing is to get a job in a company you like, even if it’s not the job you want so that you can get experience and can prove your capabilities. Also important to get “line” (revenue, profit) responsibility early.

● Military people have difficulty selling themselves - they wear their achievements with ribbons on their chests and referring to their experience. Learn how to sell yourself and your achievements to people who don’t understand anything about your military career.

● You should expect some rejection and expect people to not value your military experience. Our society now has only approximately 1 in 25 people with military service experience. Keep that in mind, and keep moving forward.

● Military people have difficulty asking for things such as business and career development. Work on overcoming that so that you can progress in your professional career.

● Figure out a new balance. The military is not a job, but a way of life. On the other side, people in industry and business tend to balance their definition of “life” between family, jobs, and outside interests.

● Success is directly related to your ability to give clear instructions; follow up and take responsibility for your actions. This is no different than early military training.

● Don’t feel bad about leaving the military “early”. Academy graduates especially may experience guilt or have guilt put upon them. Make the best decisions for your life.

● Bigger companies may appreciate your leadership experiences best and these companies have processes (HR, career development, planning, etc.) similar to the military.

-----
I was proud to serve in the Marines in Vietnam, and I believed in our mission. I later went on to a 35-year career in the financial sector, including positions as the chief executive of a Fortune 500 company and the chair of the New York Stock Exchange Group. But I never felt I had as much responsibility as being the commander of the 224 Marines of C Company, who put their faith in my leadership abilities, and entrusted me with their lives.

Response by SSgt Robert Marx made Feb 8 at 2017 5:12 PM

SSgt Robert Marx — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:12:53 -0500

Transitioning out of the military is always a trying time. I left active duty in 2000 and missed it terribly so I enlisted into my local National Guard unit. I have finished that career back in 2012 and no longer can serve in the Armed Forces. I believe that the mind set military personnel develop does not transfer readily into the civilian sector. Having a support system with family and good friends is the best way to overcome. I think this post contains very pertinent data that veterans can learn from no matter how long ago it was that they got out.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2017 5:17 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:17:20 -0500

Great Post Captain! When I was discharged, I had a goal of going to work for the Space Program and knew that I needed a degree. I interviewed for a high paying operator job at a chemical plant, with 100 others. I had three interviews and one of the interviewers tried to rattle me by asking me if I was stable after my Vietnam experiences. I answered his questions in a calm manner, but still knew that he did not like the military. The other two interviews went very well, and I was hired. Five and a half years later, I had my degree and started working on the Space Shuttle program, where I stayed until the end of the program. In college, I caught grief for being a Vietnam Veteran, but I stayed the course. Going to school and working helped me because I was too busy to dwell on things that I could not change. Hard work and discipline will work wonders in accomplishing your goals.

Response by SFC George Smith made Feb 8 at 2017 7:13 PM

SFC George Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 19:13:34 -0500

Great and informative Piece Thanks for the Share...

Response by 1LT Vance Titus made Feb 8 at 2017 7:45 PM

1LT Vance Titus — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 19:45:33 -0500

Captain Carter, this is a wonderful piece. The challenge is how do we get your message out to a broader cross section of active military about to transition and the population of separated military looking for work...and perhaps, more importantly, how do we get this message out to prospective employers? The value of military experience is real, unfortunately it is still under appreciated.

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Feb 9 at 2017 12:54 AM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 00:54:38 -0500

Capt Marshall Carter very well informative points for all to take great heed. Your precise details of outlining the observances are what most people will need to be aware of once they begin hunting for a new career. For me it is all about selling yourself and being confident in your abilities to warrant such a hiring by the employer. If they can comprehend my capabilities translated into recognizable skills and work ethics than I have a fair chance as any other competing for the same position. I do believe that I must gain the trust of any human resource manager by explaining what I can offer and bring to the table for their company. If they can see past the uniform and picture me being an asset, I am doing well at that point.

I have been doing a lot of research to better market myself when the time comes for me to pursue my next career. There are many good points on this thread and with more to come from others.

Response by CPT David Gowel made Feb 9 at 2017 5:54 AM

CPT David Gowel — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 05:54:19 -0500

Capt Marshall Carter I always enjoy hearing you speak about transition as your coaching was a major factor in my successful move from tanks to the tech industry. Thanks for sharing these thoughts on RP as I agree with 1LT Vance Titus: more vets and employers need to be a part of this dialogue.

Response by Barbara Coombs made Feb 9 at 2017 10:20 AM

Barbara Coombs — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 10:20:51 -0500

What an excellent article naming ALL the amazing talents of our service members as they enter the civilian workplace.

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 9 at 2017 11:19 AM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 11:19:20 -0500

Great story sir, I will certainly heed your advice.

Response by Susan Foster made Feb 16 at 2017 11:39 AM

Susan Foster — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 11:39:22 -0500

Excellent article! I would recommend all transitioning military personnel read this. In coaching transitioning military, they often don't give themselves enough credit for their leadership skills, discipline, and variety of experiences.

Response by Cpl David E. Jenkins Jr. made Feb 16 at 2017 11:39 AM

Cpl David E. Jenkins Jr. — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 11:39:33 -0500

Hello everyone, my name is David E. Jenkins Jr. and I am the Veterans Outreach Specialist at Alliance Computing Solutions. As a reminder I am informing everyone I help Veterans with Employment training. As a Marine Corps Veteran I know the importance it is to have employment after Military Service. A lot of our Service Men & Women had MOS's that might not be conducive to today's workforce. So they would have to be trained in something that can get them gainful employment. That's where I come in. I can help them with Employment Training. So if you have any Veterans that may need my help please have them contact me. I am in the office here at Alliance Computing Solutions on Tuesdays. The rest of the time I am in the field. I try to make the training at no cost to the Veteran and in some cases the Veteran can get a stipend to help with financial needs. Thank you for your time. Have a great day!

David E. Jenkins Jr.
Alliance Computing Solutions
545 8th Ave
Suite 1210
New York, NY. 10018
Tel: [login to see] Ex. 203
Direct Line: [login to see]
Fax: [login to see]
[login to see]

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2017 7:55 AM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 07:55:43 -0400

Captain Carter, I would love to get your thoughts on how online, project-orientated internships can help develop these skill sets. I founded a company that aims to build experiences, skill sets, and connections via online internships that surround a single project. All service members are eligible for the internships by simply filling out a career plan profile. We then personally match to a project. What are your thoughts? Do you see this as an effective way to prepare for transition?

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Aug 23 at 2017 1:28 PM

SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:28:21 -0400

If you didn't learn anything in military, you should of taken away one thing that helps everyone in transitioning "NETWORKING" you can't get anywhere in life with out NETWORKING.

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Jan 19 at 2018 9:07 PM

SSgt Boyd Herrst — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 21:07:09 -0500

I thought it really informative... much of it I would of appreciated knowing In my earty days when I exited the AF on To TDRL(Temporary Disability Retirement List). I spent the first month putting together a list of what I’d like to do and what I thought myself capable of doing..
was I fooling myself? I had suffered a TBI
That previous year(1977)..spent 6 months relearning walking and getting my gait back... and speech therapy.. Therapists thought I was doing satisfactory in that(what I thought I needed to do was getting the two together.. actually three(walking, talking and chewing gum)
Hahahaha.. I got into Vocat. Rehab through the VA. Drs thought I should concentrate on academics (class stuff)
First, so I took Food Service sanitation,
Food Service Account’g, Restaurant Planning.. class room stuff and I could still
Be considered in the Vocat Rehab sitrep.
So I concentrated my efforts on academics.. no getting a job at that point.. that came next semester..
What made things easier at the comm. college was Comm Col. AF credits I had acumulated by classes I’d completed, my Career dev. Courses , OJT (on job training) counted as apprenticeship time
For each course. NCO Leadership School, NCO Academy. Supervisor drug
Recognition Safety course , It all counted
Toward completion of the Applied Science
Associate degree in Culinsry/Restaurant Mgt... It shaved off a load of classes and saved the VA Vocat rehab program quite a few thousand dollars.. I did the 1st 1-1/2
Years of TDRL and went for evaluation..
there were a lot of inconsistencies and I wasn’t satisfied with the evaluation and filedfor s formal one and went to Texas
For it.. after that was over, they added another year on the TDRL. back I went and was working at a Restaurant being an Assist. Chef /Rest mgr. I didn’t have many actual class hours so I had more actual job hours .and the Vocat rehab was tied in .. So I got my SSG Ret. Pay 50%, my school $$ was same amt as my AF Ret. Pay, and my job checks per wk added up was same as a month’s SSG pay (O’R 6, ‘78 pay level). Some Of my hours at the Restaurant went to a profit-share. I took some of my return of dividends in
Pay came in Chef jackets, trousers(tailored) work shoes.. No tax on those items. .. those were deducted before pay tax taken out.. I believe it worked out good.
My job gave me a good performance review that they forwarded to the Vocat
Rehab Progrsm., And they in turn forwarded to the AF board for my Re-entry.. After my return to the AF I assisted Airmen who had decided to make their exit(transcribe their AF job to what it would be compared as a civilian like position.. There were some who had no intent of booing to work as cooks and I informed them it’d still be good anyway for s’thing to fall back on for a while.. They already know they would have to do.. so it wouldn’t be a hard trans-.. formation.
There were several Veterans in the new class of 1st Semester students coming on
board as our Chef instructor(Pastries, cakes, breads) said it.. Some of the ‘civilian’ students in 2d semester group were trying to keep the New 1st Semester
Students that were Vets away from me..
that didn’t work.. We found each other ..
and we hung together between class times. The civilians accused me of “monopolizing/manipulating “ the Veterans. Hey, they found me 1st..
you could tell who the Vets were;
Haircuts, boots brushed/blacked,
Jackets pressed.. trousers pressed, creased.. demeanor (Military discipline, a lot of protocol, proper manners..). Some of the civilian guys thought it obnoxious..
A few of them went to see the Department head about my manipulating the Veteran’s that I turned them into clones.. that I didn’t think I did... Their Military haircuts had been relaxed some ..
They themselves went back to more formal military cuts(quite short regular haircuts, a couple did ‘high and tights’.
One of the civilian students was going to sit right on the Vet’s pressed Chef jacket..
I knew he seen it.. he looked right at it. Anyway the vet seen it also and grabbed the Jacket and got it off the seat.. ZThevcovilian was itching to start s’thing but the Vet turned and conversed with another Vet like that Jacket sitrep never happened .. and neither did the civilian..
He didn’t quit... “HEY, I was going to sit there !” “and I moved my jacket so you could, So what’s your major malfunction..
Maggot!”... replies the Veteran.. The “maggot” goes away for about 10 minutes..!and comes back with a public safety ofcr. Who has his portfolio and his pen out.. “this plaintiff attests that you verbally assaulted him. what’d you say?”
“I said;So what’s your major malfunction,
Maggot?” “So you didn’t actually use a curse word?” The PSO asked.. “No, just called him a maggot.. are we finished here?”... “I believe so” the PSO replied and walked away.. The civilian must of not noticed the miniatureCombat Action Ribbon(C.A.R.) on the PSOs pocket flap.
The civilian student did see his name tag.. and filed a subsequent complaint against the PSO.. who was ready for it..
He turned a reply in to the provost officer who accepted it and approved it.... Some people don’t get when to just let it go..
It went all semester like that . The provost called a meeting for our Department.. What would solve the sitrep? Stop the military vets from cliquing together.. they come in wearing
Their Military paraphanalia , use all their acronyms and we are lost.. they need to lay off all that spit and polish.. it makes us look “so sloppy”. We can’t relax .. All the girls are hanging on them.. I remarked “ maybe these ladiesare tired of sloppy and boorishness.., clean up your act ..” jump on the team and come in for the big win !”( I borrowed that from “Full Metal Jacket”. The scene where the Colonel asked ‘joker’ where he got the peace sign and had ‘born to kill’ written on his helmet). The Vets recognized the
Scene from the movie. and got a laugh out of it..
The meeting broke up and nothing positive (it did for the Vets) came out for the non-Veteran students., The non-Vets went to see a counselor.. (prob’ly to shed a tear on her crying towel)... she came to the Dept and seen the student union and how the Females were hanging onto the Veterans(including me). That we made no attempt to inter-act with the non-vet male students.. (as far as normal conversation might go on.. talk about jobs, sports, and going out.. One of the
Vets commented in a tone that he was a macho guy and didn’t generally hang on other males.. like a guy would with a woman., he just wasn’t brought up that way.. A few of the effeminate types got a bit upset.. The councelor suggested that Vets grades go down a notch for non comaradery for not intermixing with the non-Vets.. This is America, you cxn’t tell
People who they have to fellowship with !
Even in an academic setting.. especially a
Public one ! In the AF, it is true we interacted.. it was a part of duty.. in our career fields.. I had
Airmen friends of different racial groups..
sometimes we just wanted to be with our own racial group.. and the others with their own on their own time.. that doesn’t make s’one a racist..
Playing politics for career advancement ; Or p.c.; I had a civilian job as an Assistant Chef and I’ve had to work on another team as their leader.. some teams were really cliquish.. they could handle them selves and do a good job getting the dinner orders out because they had experience.. There was a team that needed leadership and they just didn’t have it together yet, they couldn’t decide who’d lead them when their assistant chef leader was off.. So I went
In on my off night.. I got them all together
Before we started and we had a meeting about who would be doing what position;
window/order calling., broiler Grill, saucier/soups.. fryer /flat grill .. Backup /
Convection oven/ salamander. And that the fryer/flat grill covered the backup/convection/salamander when he was gone.. Every body had to have s’body’s ‘6’.. when the guy next to them had to step off the line.. Don’t step off and not tell you’re leaving.. . I got a know , your partner does too. Not what for if it’s personal like Use the h___d but to get s’thing from the cooler or freezer .. or go to the sham and get a rib.roast.. so we work together and we’ll be ok., We worked and we clicked.. that’s what it’s about.. Bravo team had worked last night and didn’t get the ice water and blood that dripped from the drawers .. it’s got to be done every night.. or it can start stinking.. miss 2 nights and it will stink !
3 and they can smell it out front.. I don’t care who didn’t do it last night.. we will do it tonight.. regardless ! It needs to be pumped out, squeegees, mopped and dry-mopped.. and sprayed with disinfectant. We were there until 11 that night getting e’thing spiffy.. top to bottom!
Hoods, filters, backwall behind grills and fryers... grease trays under broiler and trap for flat grill and salamander.. s’body hadn’t done their job on a couple crews..
And we had to get it right.. and they had a full crew last night and night before. The
Big guy will deal with them.. when he gets the incomplete jobs sheet of jobs not done..or not done right.. I’ve been short 2 guys on a 5 man team and we still got everything done.. maybe not perfect but pretty dang close ! ((In the AF nobody leaves until it is spiffy !)...I’m sure it’s that way in the other Service branches too..

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Aug 6 at 2019 12:50 PM

SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 12:50:23 -0400

Good Stuff to know!

Response by LTC Stephan Porter made Feb 8 at 2021 3:20 AM

LTC Stephan Porter — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 03:20:01 -0500

Great “article”. I’ll pass this one in our efforts to help transitioning SMS and their families!