Making the Move: Veterans transitioning to a civilian workplace

Obtaining and retaining employment post military service: A qualitative analysis of challenges experienced by Australian veterans

“…Within the current study, numerous participants recounted a key employment challenge they faced was translating the skills and experience they gained during military service to civilian equivalents. This finding was in line with past research that demonstrated veterans often lacked understanding of their transferable skills and reported difficulty translating their skills in civilian language (Becker et al, 2021;Davis & Minnis, 2017;Kukla et al, 2015;Minnis, 2020;Prudential Financial, 2012).…”

“…Many participants of the current study were reportedly concerned with the lack of role clarity and had difficulty adjusting to the perceived lack of structure and hierarchy in some civilian occupations. These findings were similar to past research that found veterans preferred civilian work environments that mimicked the structure, organization and efficiency of military work environments (Davis & Minnis, 2017;Kukla et al, 2015) as well as occupations where their duties and responsibilities were clear and easily understood (Becker et al, 2021;Davis & Minnis, 2017;Kukla et al, 2015). During military operations, structure and clarity are essential for members to work safely and efficiently as a cohesive unit, to operate according to a clearly defined plan and to ensure the highest chances of mission success (Wilson, 2008).…”

“…Furthermore, when discussing their civilian employment experiences, multiple participants in the current and previous studies expressed difficulty connecting and communicating with civilian colleagues, often because of unfamiliar civilian communication rules and terminology (Becker et al, 2021;Harrod et al, 2017;Keeling et al, 2018). This common finding across studies is possibly indicative of military culture in general.…”

“…Another factor highlighted in both the current study and previous research included the cultural and organizational differences experienced by veterans within civilian workplaces and the impact of this on employment success (Becker et al, 2021). Many participants of the current study were reportedly concerned with the lack of role clarity and had difficulty adjusting to the perceived lack of structure and hierarchy in some civilian occupations.…”

“…However, it remains unclear how the findings of previous research may generalize to this population. A single public report has been released exploring the transition to employment experience with Australian service veterans (Becker et al, 2021). The report interviewed 31 veterans and outlined findings regarding the experience of veterans, including job-seeking challenges, organizational factors (such as the recruitment and onboarding process), and individual factors (including reasons for leaving service and preparation).…”