Five Ways to Make a Military to Civilian Life Transition Easier
Copyright 2005 Vivian Banta
The process of transitioning out of the military can present its
own unique set of challenges. While the armed services train
soldiers well in technical and leadership skills and do provide
soldiers with many useful resources as they exit, there are some
things that military service does not prepare you for when
re-entering civilian life.
Here are five tips to help make the transition a bit easier:
1. How to connect to a new community With its relocation and MWR
departments, the military does a lot to help soldiers and their
families adjust to a new base, posting and locale. Once out of
the service, though, you may find connecting to a new community
quite daunting. Apart from become involved with the school your
children attend and joining a new religious organization, there
are other ways to immediately connect to a new community.
Tapping into your interests, hobbies and sports can reveal
others who are like-minded and share your passions. You can also
choose to get involved by volunteering with a not-for-profit
organization or taking a class at the local community college or
at a hobby or home improvement store. Many cities also offer a
Newcomer's Group to welcome recent additions to their new home.
Check out the meetings and events calendar in your newspaper or
ask at the local library to find out when they meet. It's a
great way to meet people who may know a lot about the city, who
can perhaps point you towards other resources and groups and who
want to welcome strangers. Finally, civic organizations and
special interest groups offer a further way to involve yourself
in a new community and build long-term relationships that can
help with your career as well as your social life.
2. How to write a resume Instead of a resume, the military uses
a Field Service Record to detail qualifications, training and
experience. This poses several challenges to you in civilian
life. First, you may never have had to write a resume. Second,
the information contained in the service record is dictated by
military regulations. It may include things not applicable to a
resume while neglecting to mention other useful and marketable
skill sets. Finally, they are written in military language that
is difficult to translate into civilian speak.
In addition to learning how to write a good resume, you must
also learn how to remain marketable in today's business climate.
Military planners often look ahead to determine future needs and
train soldiers accordingly. Also, few soldiers are concerned
about getting laid off in a downsizing. You didn't have to be
ready with a current resume and a strong network of contacts. In
the competitive civilian world, individuals must keep informed
about where their chosen industry is heading and gain or refresh
skill sets ahead of when they are needed to ensure their future
employability.
Although soldiers pride themselves on being resourceful and
self-reliant, this is one area in which it's best to obtain
professional help. On many bases, there is a department that
provides soldiers with specialized help in creating a good
civilian resume and there are numerous outside sources of help
as well.
3. How to select your family's support team Medical and dental
care and basic life insurance is provided to all active military
members and their dependants and soldiers. Similarly, soldiers
have access to basic legal services through the Judge Advocate
General (JAG) office.
Once out of the military, these support services are no longer
available and you may have no idea how to locate, interview and
select medical health providers, life insurance, lawyers and
financial planners. It's important to learn about these
different services, determine what your family's needs are and
thoroughly research the providers before choosing your support
team. Many resources are available, particularly on the
Internet, to help you. Several even list important questions to
ask during the interview process as well as the customer service
record of various providers.
4. How to succeed in the civilian business world One of the
first things that soldiers encounter is the competitive nature
of the civilian business environment. Most find the dog-eat-dog
mindset of their new civilian co-workers and supervisors
bewildering and disappointing. After participating
collaboratively in military service where you are trained from
boot camp on to look out for and depend on the other members of
your team, you may quickly discover that civilian workers are
often lone wolves when it comes to careers. Where you might
expect camaraderie and support, you might find anything from
caution to backstabbing, from poor morale to ruthlessness. While
this is not true of every work environment, you need to
understand that this behavior grows out of a competitive
employment climate marked by downsizing, industry shifts and
turnover.
In the military, you are given an assignment for a specific
length of time at a standard pay grade with a predictable salary
and are provided with the clothing, equipment, and training
necessary to carry out the mission objective. Ordinarily, you
don't face such issues as researching a company prior to a job
interview, negotiating salary and benefits packages, selecting
and purchasing a civilian work wardrobe, keeping skills and a
resume updated frequently, being ready for downsizing, creating
and maintaining a network and giving a resignation notice
without burning any bridges.
Working with a transition coach or other similar resource can
help to process the experience and ease the pains of necessary
change.
5. How to start your own business Perhaps because former
military members find the civilian business environment so
alien, some decide to become their own bosses and start their
own businesses. Unfortunately, many aspiring small business
owners do not take the time to fully research and plan how to
start and run a business and lose whatever savings they have
managed to accumulate. Starting your own business requires a
clear vision, full commitment, plenty of work, and realistic
planning.
Fortunately, there are many resources available. Start with a
local Chamber of Commerce or Small Business Development Center
(part of the SBA). These organizations can help or point you in
the direction of further assistance.