As a military veteran myself, having a tool like this when I was transitioning would have been a great help! Military Transition to Civilian Success: The Complete Guide for Veterans and Their Families is a must for those in transition.

Many authors have written on the subject on career transition, but few have focused on the military.  Why focus on the military? The authors make a good point that it is going from one way of life to another – for these people, and their families, everything is changing, with it focused on a new employer and a new way of “work”.

The most pivotal take-a-way from this writing will be for the transitioning military person to take ownership and then to take action. The whole notion of filling out a job application is foreign to most of them. As an individual having control over their future is something that hasn’t been thought of by most. As the author puts it, “Welcome to the challenging civilian world.” An uncertain future is sure to follow. The author makes a good argument that it will be hard work. But, for the right person, it can also be very challenging and rewarding.

The author outlines seven steps to take in one’s progress toward employment transition:
- Identify motivated skills and abilities
- Specify a job/career objective
- Research individuals, organizations, communities and jobs
- Produce resumes and job search letters
- Conduct informational/networking interviews
- Manage job interviews
- Negotiate salary and terms of employment

What are the best careers for people transitioning people from the military? Well, it depends who you ask, but our authors have a few ideas. Of course, one would think of the obvious government contracting type folks, but what about the many others? It’s not easy, but many employers want to hire military folks. Two reasons come to mind to start with: a sense of commitment and discipline, for a start!

The authors present much of their research on trends – things to or not to do, or people to talk to. This is good, but only good for that point in time. They also list many web sites and “live” informational areas. This is where one needs to base their search. With so much information, it changes on a daily basis!

Finally, from a practical viewpoint, the authors offer quite a few samples of assessments, resumes, and job search tools. They are a good collection, but I would say this with caution. It would be simple for one to take these assessments and resumes and make them their own. This thought process may work for someone that is going from one job to another. But transitioning from the military to the civilian world is a whole other story!

As a veteran myself, I would recommend Hay’s, Rorrer’s, Rivera’s, and Krannich’s book, Military Transition to Civilian Success: The Complete Guide for Veterans and Their Families as a guide in their search process. Also seeking out an authority within the scope of career transition would be extremely beneficial.

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