{"id":5211,"date":"2016-10-24T11:00:21","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/?p=5211"},"modified":"2016-10-20T13:08:46","modified_gmt":"2016-10-20T18:08:46","slug":"4-steps-from-military-to-civilian-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/4-steps-from-military-to-civilian-career\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps to Move from the Military to a Civilian Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Making the switch from the military to a civilian career can be challenging. Do the skills you honed in the military have value in the mainstream workforce? Should you choose a career that looks like the one you had in service, or venture into a brand new field?<\/p>\n<p>John Hayes, associate director of Specialized Services at Capella University, offers four steps and a few tips for a successful transition. He\u2019s also a veteran of military intelligence in the U.S. Air Force, so he knows first-hand about moving into the civilian work world.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Step 1: Ask yourself, what\u2019s my dream career?<\/h4>\n<p>Maybe you loved your job in the military and hope to find the closest civilian equivalent. Or perhaps you\u2019d like to try something new. Either way, the first step in your transition is to ask yourself, \u201cWhat\u2019s my dream career?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not sure what you want to do, it\u2019s time for some exploration and research. Talk to a career counselor at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.va.gov\/statedva.htm\">your state Veteran\u2019s Affairs office<\/a> or Department of Labor office. As a Capella student, you can also connect with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.capella.edu\/about\/career-planning\/\">Career Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As you consider your options, keep these questions in mind: What am I really good at? What kind of job would make me feel excited to go to work every day? What do I want to achieve for myself and for my family?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Step 2: Assess your skills and experience.<\/h4>\n<p>At first glance, the skills and experience you gained in the armed forces may not seem to translate to your target career field. But take a closer look, and you may discover that many of them can be strong assets to highlight for prospective employers.<\/p>\n<p>Do this exercise: Write out a list of all of your military duties. Now, translate each of these into its value in the civilian job market. For example, let\u2019s say you worked as a munitions specialist loading missiles on to planes. How might you interpret your responsibilities in this role for a civilian job search? You might say:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Handled sensitive information and equipment<\/li>\n<li>Ensured protocol compliance while supervising a team of 12 people<\/li>\n<li>Developed complex schedule for 24-hour operations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Need help translating your skills? Use this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onetonline.org\/crosswalk\/MOC\/\">military occupation translation tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As you take stock of your marketable skills, don\u2019t forget:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your inherent strengths (leadership, attention to detail, follow through)<\/li>\n<li>Volunteer experience, and<\/li>\n<li>Civilian jobs you may have held over the years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Don\u2019t sell yourself short! There\u2019s a high rate of underemployment among veterans transitioning to a civilian career as many accept positions that are beneath their level of skill and experience. You deserve a position (and the pay) that matches your level of experience. So be sure to take stock of your experience and expertise, and showcase these on your resume.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Step 3: Fill in the knowledge gaps.<\/h4>\n<p>You\u2019ve figured out which industry you\u2019d like to enter, and perhaps even targeted a specific career. And you\u2019ve inventoried your skills to see which are marketable. Now, it\u2019s time to figure out if there are any holes in your knowledge that you need to fill. If there are gaps, consider earning a degree.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Step 4: Build your network.<\/h4>\n<p>If you don\u2019t already belong to a professional organization in the industry you\u2019re targeting, join one now. Attend local events and get to know people who are working in your chosen field. Do you have any military buddies working in the industry you\u2019re exploring? Get in touch, and let them know you\u2019re looking to break into the field. Call the organizations that you\u2019re interested in and ask if they have a veterans employee network.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a couple of valuable resume and interview tips.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Speak the language of the industry that you\u2019re entering.<\/h4>\n<p>Study job descriptions in your chosen field to learn the skills and qualities that organizations are looking for. Can you align any of your military tasks with the skills and qualities listed in the job description? When possible, mirror the language that your prospective employer is using in your resume and cover letter.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Avoid military terminology.<\/h4>\n<p>Words that express war and violence can have strong negative connotations in the civilian workplace. So when describing your experience on a resume or in a job interview, choose neutral language. For example, instead of \u201cmissiles,\u201d you could say \u201cpayload\u201d or \u201cmaterials.\u201d And avoid other insider military-speak that may be unclear to a civilian employer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Need help with your job interview skills? Check out the Capella Career Center\u2019s <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.capella.edu\/about\/career-planning\/\"><em>tips on informational interviewing<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking to make the switch from military service to a career in the civilian workplace? Here are 4 steps to ensure a successful transition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":5213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[237],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5211"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5211"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5217,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5211\/revisions\/5217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}