Victor R. Morris, Defence Consultant, charts the unique challenges of transitioning from military service to civilian life
Around 200,000 people leave the United States (U.S.) military each year, according to government departments with veterans programs. Transitioning from the military to civilian life has complex challenges that affect people differently.
Most veterans transition successfully, though many may experience temporary or situational challenges during reintegration. Others may require longer-term medical
attention for functional problems that impede full reintegration into civilian life. This article focuses on some of the civilian employment challenges veterans face.
The challenges transitioning veterans can face are multifaceted. For many, these challenges may not become apparent until one or more years after completing formal transition programs. Moreover, individual, interpersonal, community, and societal factors influence transition and reintegration, especially following combat or rotational (non-combat) deployments.
At the individual level, psychological and physical health conditions can affect a person’s ability to cope with interpersonal (family dynamics), social, and financial stressors. These conditions often compound posttraumatic stress-related anxiety and feelings of isolation that can create significant barriers to reestablishing a civilian identity and non-veteran connections.
For some Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans, not being understood, a crisis of identity, and “not fitting into the civilian world” are common themes that can cause difficulty relating to family members, transition program administrators, civilian mentors, or potential coworkers.
Fortunately, military transition assistance programs provide counseling and identify high risk service members who can get additional support through interagency programs, mitigating initial transition challenges. While formal programs provide foundational resources and civilian work experience, some veterans still encounter employment challenges.
Reentering the workforce challenges
Military careers span over 500 specialties, from intelligence and cyber to law, music, and beyond, offering service members diverse and transferable options. However, military careers can contrast sharply with civilian job roles, credentials, and experience. This disconnect can make navigating the vast array of civilian job titles feel overwhelming despite transferable experience and skills.
Next, participants choose education, vocational, employment, or entrepreneur tracks during transition programs to support their goals. Below are three unique challenges transitioning veterans on the employment track may face.
1. Limited civilian career exploration
Transitioning veterans with ground forces backgrounds like Infantry, Armor (tanks), or Field Artillery may face unique civilian employment challenges. Sometimes, they are steered toward limited career options and certifications due to ineffective career-matching tools and inexperienced counselors. Many transitioning veterans are unaware of suitable opportunities across different sectors, industries, and verticals. Opportunities that may align with their motivations, transferable skills, and upskilling/reskilling interests.
In some instances, they may find it easier to expand their employment options by undertaking business, management, or strategy courses in a civilian context. This could be during the period as they reintegrate into civilian life, or it could be after they have several years of non-military career experience.
For example, I undertook the Executive MSc in International Strategy and Diplomacy at LSE IDEAS, London School of Economics. This led to my participation in the LSE’s startup accelerator, which supported me in exploring career opportunities in entrepreneurship.
2. Initial recruitment and hiring barriers
According to a Harvard Business School report, employer actions are the “single largest barrier” preventing veterans from entering the civilian workforce. Problematic recruiter influence and unconscious bias are likely some of the root causes, stemming from stereotypes, stigmas, and myths about mental health and culture fit. For example, some employers may undervalue military experience. They may also perceive veterans as transient, overqualified, or having unique family and career expectations, leading to doubts about fit.
First, veterans themselves have trouble matching their transferable experience and skills with different civilian job requirements, which can lead to underemployment. Next, communicating relevant situations, actions, and results in resumes, job tests, and interviews can be challenging, while self-promotion and networking may also be uncomfortable initially.
Similarly, some veterans struggle to articulate their organizational impact in a way that resonates with employers unfamiliar with the military. Unlike the corporate world, where performance metrics are often tied to revenue, productivity, or market growth, military achievements are frequently measured in personnel management, property accountability, and operational readiness numbers. New veterans often find it hard to translate these accomplishments into metrics hiring managers recognize, such as revenue, cost savings, efficiency improvements, or management successes.
3. Adjusting to civilian workplace culture
A zero-defect mentality and perceptions of competition over camaraderie can make adjusting to workplace culture challenging for some veterans. Sometimes, they may initially find civilian workplaces uncomfortable if they prioritize group success over individual contributions.
As mentioned above, a strong emphasis on self-promotion may clash with quiet professionalism and selflessness learned in the military. Finally, veterans may feel alienated if they perceive trust and cohesion to be low or face affinity, in-group, or other behavioral biases in the workplace.
How technology can reduce transition challenges
Emerging technologies like AI have somewhat improved veteran hiring outcomes to overcome these persistent workforce challenges. Recently, companies have leveraged machine learning and natural language processing to enhance talent management, including veteran engagement and hiring prioritization.
Further, research supports that AI can potentially mitigate hiring practice bias as well. According to an LSE Business Review blog, “AI can make equivalent or better, less biased hiring decisions than humans acting independently”.
Over the last two years, generative AI solutions have flooded the market, including solutions to empower transitioning veterans. AI-enabled job recommendation and resume writing tools have proven effective, helping transitioning service members land their first civilian jobs faster. Notably, some AI tools provide custom federal resume writing support, significantly reducing time spent writing long resumes and increasing interviews and offers.
I argue that fair and unbiased AI can significantly improve transition program oversight and outcomes by enabling standardized data collection, comprehensive analysis, effective corrective action planning, and automated reporting. Finally, integrating data from industry, academia, and civilian society partners could be an innovative way to mitigate multifaceted challenges and better meet transitioning service members’ needs.
