How to Transition from Military to Civilian Life

Here are some steps you might want to consider taking if you are moving into civilian life from a military background:

Look for Military-Friendly Employers and Recruiters

Many veterans tend to downplay the significance of their service to aggressively focus on their transferable skills. However, ignoring such a major chunk of your life can impede your military to civilian transition.

Wearing your identity with pride has its benefits. The government also has several programs in place that provide incentives and tax credits to companies that hire veterans. Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is an example of such a program.

Many employers are interested in working with veterans due to their unique skills and experiences. Commitment, discipline, and other similar skills that distinguish a military veteran from a civilian are on top of the priority list for most recruiters. Your skills can help add tremendous value to their organizations.

Fun fact: Veterans are more likely to stay with their companies for 8.3% longer than an employee who has not seen military culture. 

Reaching out to employers that prefer to hire ex-military personnel also help you get in touch with and build friendships with fellow veterans. Here’s a comprehensive list of such employers. You can also work with headhunters dedicated to catering to military professionals transitioning to civilian life. Bradley Morris and Lucas Group are two such agencies.

Network Your Way to the Right People

It can take a lot of time for you to get recruited given the high number of applications recruiters receive for every position. To rise above the noise and make your application stand out, you may have to network. Networking is especially important if your technical skill set doesn’t seem as competitive as your fellow applicants.

Check out our networking tutorial to connect with the right groups and professionals.

But before you start connecting with professionals, here are a few networking tips:

• • A lot of the job seekers I’ve worked with fall into traps by thinking things like, “Before networking with this person, I should spend a couple more hours researching their company.” That level of effort isn’t necessary; people with lots of shallow relationships tend to succeed more when networking than those with a few deep relationships, according to a study published in the American Journal of Sociology.

• • Therefore, you should network broadly instead of deeply; in other words, avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. It’s going to be very counterproductive if you get emotionally attached to one job and put all your resources into networking with that one decision-maker, and then later finding out that they weren’t hiring in the first place.

• • Consider smaller companies. Not only is it easier to get interviews with smaller companies, they are responsible for more than two-thirds of all hires. There’s simply more room to work with. 

• • Network with people you could potentially be reporting to. For example, if you are interested in a Sales Associate role, depending on the size of the company, you could be reporting to either a Sales Manager or Director. They might even be responsible for hiring decisions.

• • Reach out to your fellow veterans. Spend time with them, ask how they approached the transition from a military to a civilian career, and try to learn from their experience.

Moreover, look for support groups, websites, or seminars that offer support, guidance, and help with the transition process. MilitaryOneSource and National Veterans Foundations are examples of such institutions that are solely dedicated to helping the veterans.

You can find templates for outreach in my networking tutorial.  

Identify Your Transferable Skills

Think about the skills you acquired during your service and about careers that also use those skills. For instance, if you were in charge of training a group of people, you could use this skill set to apply for training jobs.

If this sounds overwhelming, here’s a simple guide on how you can market yourself for a career change.

Your discipline, leadership, resilience, and determination set you apart from anyone else who never served.

Useful Tip – Play up the strengths that non-military candidates may lack. For example, your discipline, accountability, and ability to handle stressful situations can help you stand out.

Know Your Benefits

If you were discharged from active military service (other than on a dishonorable condition), you are eligible for most of the VA benefits, such as…

• • Pension programs 

• • Free or low-cost medical care through VA hospitals and medical facilities

• • Job training

• • Small and disadvantaged business assistance for veterans

Make sure that you stay on top of your home state’s veteran benefits and keep yourself updated with everything available to you.

Take Care of Your Health

Here are some factors you can incorporate into your lifestyle to help you with the military to civilian transition:

• • Take care of your social health: Keeping in touch with other veterans outside of just networking for jobs can help you remind yourself you’re not alone in this. No one can provide support like someone who has experienced exactly what you have. 

• • Take care of your physical health: The most difficult part of adjusting to civilian life is the loss of a routine. Keeping a routine in the form of exercise or even a healthy diet can help you switch more smoothly.

• • Take care of your mental health: The mental transformation can take longer than the physical one. Therefore, be sure to provide yourself ample time to make that journey. If you’re struggling to have a military to civilian transition, consider reaching out to the Department of Veteran Affairs. The department helps veterans cope with different mental health challenges.

Learn to Write a Resume

To shift it from military to civilian resume, learn to write a resume, preferably after meeting with a career counselor, and have them look at it. Be sure to show this to your transition mentor and/or your civilian career counselor.

You can also upload your resume down below to get a detailed, honest, and free critique from me.

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Suggested Readings

• • Do’s and Don’ts of Networking

• • How to Market Yourself for a Career Change

• • How to Create the Perfect Resume – A Complete Guide

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