For those who have never served in the military in any capacity, it’s hard to truly know what veterans (as well as active-duty service members) go through on a daily basis. When veterans return home to begin their transition to civilian life, there are numerous struggles they may face which may not always be seen.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs offers some great insight into common challenges veterans face when transitioning into civilian life that non-veterans may never consider due to their lack of experience in military life. Ultimately, the goal in learning about these challenges is to understand how to better assist the veterans facing them.
For veterans that have never once had to go through the process of applying for jobs, it can be extremely difficult to begin their transition into the civilian workforce. Not only do veterans need to learn the ropes of applying, interviewing, and landing jobs, but they may need to learn how to create a resume for the first time. See here for information on how veterans can translate their military skills to a civilian resume.
In addition to the struggles of finding meaningful work, there are also cultural differences that veterans need to adjust to in civilian employment. While vets may be used to clear-cut orders within their military experiences, some may find it hard to sit with the ambiguity of civilian workplaces.
Sharp Decisions understands the stress of the decommissioning veteran and knows that underemployment and languishing in jobs for which they are overqualified for is detrimental to their well-being. Through the V.E.T.S. Program, we create opportunities for both qualifying veterans and our clients to deploy vets who are hard-working and possess specialized skills.
So, what can civilians do to ease this transition for veterans in their family or workplace? To start, make yourself available to talk with the veterans in your life. They might not know about aspects of civilian life or employment that is expected of everyone, so patience is important as well. When you make it known that you are a person that they can go to for transition advice, it can help them to feel that much more comfortable whether they’re at home or in the office.
Understand that veterans can face an overwhelming amount of choice upon decommissioning from their service, so having that friend, family member, or co-worker that they can go to really can make a huge difference.
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