How long should it take transitioning military members to get a civilian job? If I ran the world, the answer would be no time at all.
If I ran the world, your monitor (detailer? Human Resources Command, or HRC, career manager?) would tell you to report to a lucky civilian employer at oh-dark-thirty, two, no, three weeks after you separated or retired from the military.
There would be no interruption in your paycheck. No worry about your bills. Just a guaranteed place to get your next brilliant career underway (until you find something better). I would totally let you off the hook, Veteran, based on your service alone.
This is why they do not let me run the world.
Worrying About Your Next Paycheck Is a Good Thing?
Which is probably a good thing. As Military.com's transition master coach, I can tell you that all that worrying you are doing about how much time it will take to get a job is actually serving a purpose.
Last year, 65% of our Veteran Employment Project community told us that their No. 1 concern about military employment was the timeline between their paychecks. While that worry is so uncomfortable, it is also the force pushing you to do the tedious, frustrating, anxiety-provoking work of getting a job.
The worry about unemployment is making you identify your dream job, write a better resume, reach out to your network, learn about jobs in tech, find security clearance jobs and practice interview questions. At the Veteran Employment Project, everything we do is aimed at making your timeline between jobs shorter.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Civilian Job?
That said, you need to know what kind of timeline to expect between paychecks. When you ask people in your network how long you should expect it to take to get a civilian job after the military, though, they invariably say, "It depends."
I hate that answer because it does not help you plan. Let's get practical. First, you should know that veterans are doing quite well in the labor market right now. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for veterans in the last 12 months was lower on average than for civilians.
The Employment Market
Next, let's look at the long view. Most veterans have a gap between their military service and first civilian job. According to a 2019 study from Pew Research, only one in four veterans had a job waiting for them when they left the service.
Of those who did not have a job lined up, 57% of them took less than six months to find employment. Still, six months is a long, long time. For most transitioning veterans, two months is a long, long, debt-inducing time.
If a long wait happens, transitioning military members qualify for unemployment benefits for up to six months (26 weeks). This may still be a struggle since the check is only for half as much as you were making in the military. The amount is further reduced by any disability pay or retirement pay you receive.
Your Talent Level
Another thing that can lengthen time between paychecks is where you stand on the talent pyramid or staffing pyramid for a civilian organization. The talent pyramid has nothing to do with your personal talent, skills, knowledge or abilities. Instead, the talent pyramid is a tool that shows how many people are needed at each level within the organization -- from entry-level positions up to managers and executives.
People at the lower levels of the pyramid with a lower skill and salary level have a much shorter hiring timeline. Companies need more of them, and their skill level is more easily reached so they get hired quicker.
As you go up the staffing pyramid, the recruiting process gets more complicated because the recruiters must confirm that you have the skills their position requires. If you are a senior leader, this timeline can be very long indeed.
Your Participation in Hiring Programs
One way to shorten your hiring timeline and get a job lined up after the service is to participate in a hiring program. The Department of Defense SkillBridge program works with civilian companies and government agencies to provide internship opportunities for transitioning service members.
Some companies have their own SkillBridge program; others work with a third-party program like Hiring Our Heroes. Most of these programs have a very high job-offer rate. In 2022, the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program boasted a job-offer rate of 85%. Their Military Spouse Fellowship Program had a 91% job-offer rate.
Jacey Eckhart is Military.com's transition master coach. She is a certified professional career coach and military sociologist who helps military members get their first civilian job by offering career-level Master Classes through our Veteran Employment Project and on her website, SeniorMilitaryTransition.com. Reach her at Jacey.Eckhart@Monster.com.
Join us at the Veteran Employment Project
At Military.com's Veteran Employment Project, we work to identify the master level skills you need to get your first civilian job after the military. With our master classes, weekly jobs newsletter and free coaching opportunities, we are here to help you today. Sign up for one of our new FREE 2024 master classes today.
