15: How to transition from the military to a civilian job (Veterans Day)

Are you making a career change from the military to a civilian job?

U.S. Army veteran Regina Ross is a professional certified coach, who helps military service men and women transition into the civilian sector once they complete their service.  Regina is the founder of Walk on Purpose and she suggested we talk about the hard time some veterans have with their career switch post military. 

In this episode, Regina explains the common pitfalls military vets should avoid when switching to a civilian career. She highlights the skills unique to military personnel that we should all pay attention to. Plus, she provides resources for vets who are looking for a new career AND for companies that are hiring.


Find Regina Ross at:

Website: www.walkonpurpose.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/reginaross

Instagram: www.instagram.com/regina.l.ross

Walk on Purpose free 90-minute replay of Career Empowerment During Crisis Workshop:
www.walkonpurpose.com/career-empowerment-during-crisis 

Walk on Purpose 6-week virtual group coaching program, Fortify Your Foundation:
www.walkonpurpose.com/fortify-your-foundation


Resources:

Stand Beside Them: www.standbesidethem.org

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes: www.hiringourheroes.org

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Veterans Employment Toolkit: www.va.gov/VETSINWORKPLACE/index.asp

U.S. Small Business Administration Veteran-Owned Businesses: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/grow-your-business/veteran-owned-businesses

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Transcript

Lixandra: Hi everyone, I'm Lixandra Urresta and this is Career Switch Podcast. This show is here to encourage you to take action with whatever career change you've been considering or are working on. In some episodes, I talk to people who've made their own career switch, whether by choice or circumstance. They share the good, the bad, and the truth about their journey, including what worked for them and what didn't. In other episodes, I speak with experts who offer their best career advice on issues that can come up during the process of making a career change. After all, it takes guts to switch things up, and it's not easy. However, it is possible. So. I hope you hear something in this episode, an idea, a suggestion, a piece of wisdom that'll spur you into action with your own career switch, whether it's taking that first bold step or trying something new. Welcome. I'm glad you're here. 

With the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan and Iraq this year, plenty of military personnel are looking to switch into civilian careers. If you're a veteran, this episode is for you. And if you're not, this episode is still for you because we talk about how we can all help veterans with making their career switch, especially if you're in a position to hire. 

I got the idea for this episode from Regina Ross, a professional certified coach and human resources expert. Regina coaches military personnel with transitioning into the civilian sector once they complete their service. She is a U.S. Army veteran who has spent the past 25 plus years in the civilian sector working in strategic planning, operations management, and human resources for a variety of Fortune 500 companies. Regina is the founder of her coaching practice, Walk on Purpose, and her mission is to provide coaching that helps people become the best version of themselves, which in turn helps them to maximize their impact and enhance their lives. 

In this episode, Regina explains the common pitfalls military vets should avoid when switching to a civilian career. She highlights the skills unique to military personnel that we should all pay attention to. Plus, she provides resources for vets who are looking for a new career and for companies that are hiring. 

Hi, Regina. It's so good to have you with us today. Thanks so much for bringing this topic to our attention. It's certainly a timely issue now that many military personnel are back in the US and are looking to make a career switch. Now, when we first spoke, you mentioned that coaching veterans to help them with their transition is dear to your heart. Why is that?

Regina: I am someone who has a family history of being in the military. My father and sisters and so many people, so I come from a long line of military servicemen and women, and I'm also a US Army veteran. I see how veterans who have honorably served their country are treated when they return. Many veterans encounter difficulty in finding suitable employment that capitalize upon their skills and their experience. And so many end up resorting to lower skilled jobs that do not pay them what they are worth. And that is something that touches my heart. And I would like to help veterans avoid some of these common pitfalls when they're switching to civilian careers.

Lixandra: Just so we all have a better understanding, what are some common jobs that military personnel do while in service?

Regina: Yes, so in-service is called a military occupational specialty, MOS. Signal officers, which are communications and information systems, you have a lot of security officers and personnel. My dad was an aircraft mechanic. I have military personnel in my family who were in some of the ground combat forces. So there's just so many different specialties that do end up translating into suitable careers in the civilian sector.

Lixandra: What are some of the pitfalls that military personnel should avoid when switching to a civilian career?

Regina: One of the ones that I see most often with Sandra is veterans are unable oftentimes to articulate their transferable skills because sometimes they use too much military jargon, especially if they've been in the military for their entire career and they retire. That's basically all that they know. And so I help them change their vocabulary and demilitarize their resume so that they can talk about, maybe instead of a signal officer, talk about communications and information systems. Instead of talking about a 81 Bravo, talk about how you are a technical drafting person, you know, so just helping them to be able to see what they did in the military and how does that translate to the civilian sector. Some other things that are pitfalls I help them avoid is just knowing their value. Oftentimes in the military, you're paid based on your grade and your time in service. So how do you take those total rewards in military and then translate that into a comparable civilian salary? And there's so many resources that you can use, salary.com, glassdoor.com, to research competitive salary ranges so that you know what you are worth in civilian terms. And I would say the final thing that I really help them to do is leverage your resources. There are so many that are out there that are helping military personnel who are transitioning into the civilian sector stand beside them as one that provides free coaching services to military veterans. There's the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes program, and they have so many different career services. And so people may not know everything that is out there to help them. You've got to tap into those those resources, Alexandra.

Lixandra: What about making the switch from a military environment? Let's say you were out on a base to a civilian work environment where you now need to work at an office.

Regina: It's not necessarily the physical environment per se. Oftentimes, it's maybe just the mental shift of what that culture looks like. The military culture oftentimes is very different than the civilian culture. So veterans should understand that civilian jobs may not have the same structure and the same procedures that they may have grown accustomed to in the military. I was actually in a coaching session with a client a few weeks ago who was complaining about her job just being so unorganized and no structure and no processes and procedures, and she is so accustomed to having structure. Another thing that differs oftentimes between the military and the civilian sector is that there are performance standards that differ. Some veterans may be used to being in that team environment where no one gets left behind and, you know, you're enlisted or you're in the military. And so you're there until your enlistment ends. That is not the case in the civilian sector where you've got performance standards. And if you don't meet those standards, you can end up getting fired. And then also when you look at promotions and advancement in their career. In the military, typically there is, you know, your base is based on time in grade. you do so much time, you go to certain classes, and you get your next promotion, they may be somewhat discomfited by the cutthroat competition or stringent performance management standards that exist in the civilian sector, where it may not be based on, you know, how much seniority or how much knowledge you have, but it's who you know and

Lixandra: You coach a lot of female Veterans as well as BIPOC Veterans. That's Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Are these groups more prone to certain pitfalls?

Regina: I would say so. First of all, female and BIPOC employees tend to encounter biased recruiting and hiring practices. What I also see is that these individuals may not have the network in the civilian sector that can help open the door. What I try to teach them is how do they build up that network, how do they build up their value and their skills so that they feel confident in applying for those jobs. Women tend to undervalue themselves and feel like they need to start all over. So when you're transitioning from the military, and I'll give you this example, I've been coaching a retired black female army lieutenant colonel. So you think of general colonel, lieutenant colonel, very high in rank with 26 years of service. And she got out of the military last year and ended up taking an entry level job at a salary that was well beneath her earning potential because she thought, OK, I'm going into the civilian sector. I need to start over. No, absolutely not. And so it's just important to make sure that you know your worth, you know your value. The other thing that I've seen, Alexandra, is that with BIPOC employees, many minorities may end up joining the military because that is a path out of poverty and a way to get education. For me, I knew I wanted to go to college and I went into the military and the military ended up paying for my college education. I didn't come from a wealthy family. And so you end up thinking, this is all that I have, this is all that I can do. And because you don't have that network and you don't have maybe that background and those connections, you end up not leveraging all the resources that are at your disposal to help you open the door and get that next career.

Lixandra: So what outstanding skills do military personnel have that they should be highlighting and that companies should be paying attention to?

Regina: By far, leadership skills. So whether you are a non-commissioned officer, like a sergeant, or an officer, such as a captain or a lieutenant, just those leadership skills are something that is easily transferable to being a leader in the civilian sector. And this is where I say that you don't need to start over and think, hey, I've got to go in as an individual contributor, and I can't start as a leader. You can. Management skills of just managing different processes, managing different functions. Team building skills. You're in a squadron or you've got a battalion or whatever, however big your team is. Teamwork is so important in the military. So just that ability to have good team building and teamwork skills. There are so many other technical skills in terms of logistics or security, things of that nature that translate easily into the civilian sector. And I think by far another great skill is just the discipline, the structure and organization skills, right? Knowing how to see maybe chaos and then out of that, bring order out of the chaos and say, Hey, here's our mission. Here's what we have to execute. being able to be level-headed under pressure. So there's just so many great skills that military servicemen and women bring to the civilian sector that I just wish that we would just take advantage of.

Lixandra: And what are some examples of civilian careers that your military veteran clients switch into?

Regina: Operations leadership, for sure. When I worked at Amazon, there was so many military personnel that we hired into managing the warehouse and the fulfillment center because you're used to bringing teams together and being able to lead teams. So just leading the operations, regardless of what kind of operation that is. Information security. And that is, I think, a skill or an area that is growing a lot, especially in this data age. logistics supply chain, consulting, office administration, the sky is the limit. There's just so many things that military service men and women can do in the civilian sector.

Lixandra: What about consulting? For those veterans who want to break out on their own and be consultants, that means running your own business. So how can the U.S. Small Business Administration be a good resource?

Regina: So there's benefits that you get for veteran owned businesses and perks that you get. And there are workshops and sessions that veterans can tap into to learn about business ownership and consulting. So again, so leverage those resources instead of trying to figure it out on your own. But there are so many companies that will tap into your knowledge as someone who's done information security or logistics, you know, supply chain that you can come in and you can assess their operation. And maybe you don't want to be an employee. Maybe you want to be a 1099 contractor and you can go in and offer your expertise there. So again, the sky's the limit because you've got so much to offer.

Lixandra: Can it take time for veterans to figure out their career switch? Let's say you try one career and it's not what you expected or what you wanted. What's your advice for that situation?

Regina: Be patient and give yourself grace and take time, right? And, um, and I've worked with so many clients and even my sister was a career military person and retired. And then like, okay, do I go to law school? What do I do? Design, explore, give yourself an option to explore different paths instead of getting locked into just one thing or thinking that you've got to do what you've always done in the military. There's so many new opportunities out there in the civilian sector. It could be owning your own business. It could be going into a nonprofit. It could be going into corporate jobs. So explore. And there's so many programs. Just check in as you're transitioning out of the military. Check to see if there is, in your outprocessing, some of those programs that will help you explore different paths. And don't feel obligated to jump on the first thing. Try it. If it doesn't work, try something else.

Lixandra: How can Veterans connect with other Veterans who are also working on their career switch? I mean, it's always good, right, to connect with others who are going through the same thing.

Regina: Sometimes you may not know who to connect with, but this is where you go to like the Stand Beside Them or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes because they will connect you with a body of other transitioning military personnel where you can partner with each other. So if you don't have connections already in your own circle, tap into some of these networks, the Department of Veteran Affairs, Chamber of Commerce, so that you can connect with other military personnel who are transitioning.

Lixandra: What about LinkedIn and other social media as a way to connect?

Regina: I'm a part of a HR veteran LinkedIn group because I'm an HR person and I'm a veteran. And so that's how I connect with other vets. And there are other LinkedIn groups. And even Facebook, I'm not on Facebook as much, but there's groups anywhere. You've got to do the search and find those common tribes with those common traits, and then join those groups and see what works for you.

Lixandra: OK, let's flip it around now to companies that are hiring. With the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan and Iraq this year, plenty of military vets are looking for new careers. What advice and resources do you have for these employers and recruiters about hiring vets?

Regina: Great question, because there's a lot out there, especially if you want to do it and you don't know how to do it. There are a couple of things. One, make a commitment. So if you make the commitment to serving those veterans and recruiting them, then there's resources to help you. Two, I would say once you make that commitment, start using some of those resources. They have the Stand Beside Them program. There's also with the Chamber of Commerce, the Hiring Our Heroes program. There is a great veterans employment toolkit. So if you go into the US Department of Veterans Affairs, there's a great toolkit that shows you just the sourcing of the veterans, how to create the culture, because that's important. It's not just hiring them, but how do you help them be successful once they get into your company, your department. And so this is where, even once you hire them, consider maybe a veterans resource group. pair them up with a new, um, a buddy or somebody that can support them in their transition. It's important to create that psychological safety and that supportive team environment. Let them know that they're welcome, that they belong and that they have a place to succeed there.

Lixandra: Great. Now tell us about your coaching practice, Walk on Purpose.

Regina: I started Walk On Purpose back in 2015 because, Alexandra, my life passion is to help people discover and authentically express their God-given potential in a way that creates purpose, value, and fulfillment. And so I have a lot of programs that facilitate that. One thing that I did last year, because my heart was just so heavy about looking at people who were impacted in terms of their jobs during the COVID crisis, I did a free 90-minute career empowerment during crisis workshop. And this was really to help people gain the confidence, the encouragement, the insight, and the skills to successfully navigate the job market during these challenging times. And my target audience, veterans. women, people of color, because these groups were notably impacted during the COVID crisis. So anyone can download the replay of the recorded webinar and all of the materials for free on my website.

Lixandra: I know you also offer group coaching and individual coaching. What's your website and how can our listeners connect with you?

Regina: Walkonpurpose.com. In terms of social media, most of my time is on LinkedIn. That's where my people are. And so connect with me on LinkedIn.

Lixandra: As we wrap up, what three tips can you offer those Veterans who are listening to this episode?

Regina: Number one, take the time as you are switching to really evaluate, who am I? What do I want to do? What are my core needs? What are my values? What are my skills? So that your career switch will be aligned with that. Just because you did X, Y, and Z in the military, that doesn't necessarily mean that's what you want to do going forward. So really take the time to evaluate who you are, where you're going, where you want to go. I would say number two, know your value and know your worth because you have so much to offer. And it may be a different field that you're playing in, but your skills are still so important. And it's so critical and they can bring so much to the corporation or the nonprofit or whatever it is that you're going to do. And the number three, use your resources. Don't go it alone. Ask for help. Leverage your network and other resources to help open the right doors for your career switch. And this Career Switch podcast is one of those resources.

Lixandra: Aw, thanks, Regina. Well, thank you again for suggesting this topic. I really hope this episode makes a difference to those listening. Special thanks to Regina Ross for being our guest today. You can connect with Regina at walkonpurpose.com and on LinkedIn. You can find links to the resources mentioned in this episode and more helpful information in the show notes and on our website, careerswitchpod.com. While you're there, join our mailing list and follow us on Instagram and Twitter at careerswitchpod. 

So what's your career switch? Are you excited to take action after listening to this episode? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. We'd love to know, along with any feedback you have about the show. We're a new podcast, so please rate, review, and share with your friends and colleagues. It'll help get the show out there. Thanks for listening today. Till next time.