Bridging the Gap: From the Military to Civilian Workforce

The experiences you receive on a day-to-day basis and training that you receive during your time in the military can help you tremendously when applying for and getting an interview for a position that interests you. There are many programs (private, federal and state funded) that assist military members in multiple facets of transitioning. Some employers generally view a military member as being desirable to hire simply because of the level of training and attention to detail that has been instilled in them. There are a multitude of resources available to a transitioning member and this research paper highlights those. The following information is intended to highlight the many issues that servicemembers can face when job searching and transitioning from the military that can hinder them in finding their new career and adjusting to life in the civilian sector. Many transitioning military members can find it difficult adapting the civilian side of the workforce. This work covers that while also pointing out the many challenges a service member can face. This paper will also attempt to show how difficult it can be to gain employment upon separation from the military and try to highlight unemployment rates of prior service individuals and how it relates to that on the civilian side