Hope and Change is more than a campaign slogan for many service members and their families as they prepare to transition from active duty to civilian life in 2015.
As the Army continues to reduce its troop strength (otherwise known as downsize), transitioning service members and their families are holding on to the prospect of getting a viable job in light of the declining veteran unemployment rate.
Active duty service members are more confident their skills will translate to civilian jobs (81 percent, nearly twice more than in 2013).
But their confidence may be anchored in false hope.
A new University of Phoenix national military survey suggests that despite the declining veteran unemployment rate, many vets may actually be underemployed. It found that 61 percent of past service members who have held civilian jobs say they have previously been or currently are in jobs beneath their skill sets, many (72 percent) because they were unemployed and needed a job.
I recently spoke to U.S. Army Colonel (ret.) and University of Phoenix Military Division Associate Regional Vice President Garland Williams, who himself made a successful transition from a 28-year military career to civilian employment five years ago. My goal was to reveal some tactical and practical steps Veterans can make in 2015 to give meaning to hope and improve the chances of landing a job that pays the bills.
What he and the study revealed was enlightening.
First off, only one-third (34 percent) of veterans made a transition plan for returning to civilian life after separation from the military (just 1 percentage up from last year). Not good. The first fix:
- Make an action plan.
- It isn’t enough to just hope your skills will translate to any job. Identify the industries you want to work based on your skillset, then identify the companies.
- Once you identify the companies, look for a fellow Veteran that is employed in the company and make a connection – the best tool for this is LinkedIn.
- If you are able to make a connection, ask for guidance on how best to position your skills with HR. Granted, the HR process may be a “rats nest” but with an inside connection, you stand a better chance.
- Finally, plan your follow-up. Don’t just send your resume and let “fate” do the rest. Determine dates you will follow-up on what you send – until you are hired, your job is getting a job. Follow-up shows your commitment and tenacity.
Colonel Williams also shared that, according to the study, less than one-third (29 percent) of veterans say they are using their military skills in the civilian workplace. Not super shocking since many are underemployed.
Bottom line: The job market is competitive and if you don’t plan your mission targets, you stand a strong chance of under-utilizing those skills you acquired while in service. Plan your mission!
Next week, I’ll share the details of the next tactical step: the importance of a support network and how to leverage it.
–By Michael Schindler
Michael Schindler, Navy veteran, and president of Edmonds-based Operation Military Family, is a guest writer for several national publications, author of the book “Operation Military Family” and “The Military Wire” blog. He is also a popular keynote and workshop speaker who reaches thousands of service members and their families every year through workshops and seminars that include “How to Battle-Ready Your Relationship” or “What Your Mother-in-Law Didn’t Tell You.” He received the 2010 Outstanding Patriotic Service Award from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
The U.S. Postal Service has a “secret” medical regulation manual that discriminate against veterans with psychological and or psychiatric discharge which cites in part, Applicant with a history of mental illness are restricted from positions requiring the possible use of firearms or contact with the public.
If you like to review the regulation of ELM-806 Section 152.3, I can forward the regulation to you.
Finally, if the U.S. Postal Service has such regulations, then one must assume other U.S. Gov’t agencies must have such or similar regulations as well regarding the hiring of veterans.
Paul, having an SOP around hiring individuals with some form of mental diagnosis that could impact public interaction doesn’t seem unreasonable.
I think it is important to note that only a small percentage of veterans receive a psychological or psychiatric discharge.
Mike: Although it has been many years (dating back to the 1970s), I, like many other veterans, encountered the public’s reluctance (or perhaps inability) to grasp the value military experience, discipline, and work ethic can bring to civilian employers. When applying for civilian employment upon my voluntary termination from Naval active duty back in the post Viet Nam era, my military responsibilities were generally regarded as non-applicable to the non-miltary workplace, although I had managed shipboard departments of up to 50 personnel charged with a variety of responsibilities relevant and transferable to those required for the civilian jobs for which I was applying. I was actually asked on several occasions during my initial job search what my experience “in the real world” was. To me, the real world at that time consisted of driving a destroyer in a carrier task force formation in the combat zone off the coast of Viet Nam, while supporting air operations and participating in Naval gunfire support operations. All of that seemed pretty “real” to me and helped shape me and my future. I was part of an impressive professional team dedicated and committed to a specific mission. At 24 years of age, I had the greatest “real” responsibility I will ever enjoy in life, and I have since enjoyed a most rewarding career in engineering and environmental services practice and management. Many of the lessons and personal traits that sustained and advanced me during my civilian career were learned and developed while in service.
In my retirement, I have no greater pride than having served, and learned, in the military. And I fully endorse your support of veterans as great potential assets in the civilian workplace. Looking back, the most valued mentors over my 40-plus year working career all had military service, and most had combat experience. They knew how to analyze situations and act quickly and effectively, as well as how to build and work with productive and diverse teams. They simply knew how to get the job done, while all the time respecting and maximizing the efforts of those they with whom they worked.
With only a relatively few exceptions, those with military experience were the best leaders I have had the pleasure to work with. And, in my humble opinion, at least one of the reasons our current Congress is so polarized, entrenched, and ineffectual is because less than 10 percent have benefitted from military service.
All employers should make the hiring of qualified veterans a priority. We owe them much, and they possess the skills, drive, and dedication that simply make public and private organizations better.
Thank you for your service and passion, Mike.
Steve, thanks for the kind words and thank you for your service. One reason our nation moved ahead after WWII was because there was a significant representation of Veterans in Congress…so I would agree that understanding how to navigate conflict, working efficiently and effectively under pressure all the while being focused on mission success despite personal difference is lacking in today’s political world. We don’t have to look too far to see this play out.
Once America realizes that today’s Veterans and their families have not only significant training but are also accustomed to winning the hearts and minds of those who may not agree with them, we will see more Veterans in viable jobs and significant contributions on many levels throughout this country.