The outplacement industry has helped military veterans transition their careers to the private sector since the post-World War II era when military veterans needed to learn job-search skills to help them re-emerge into civilian society.
Similar to the way they counsel today’s veterans, outplacement professionals were able to help maximize WWII veterans’ professional experiences of pre-war employment as well as the professional experiences of their military duty. The process of teaching veterans how to assess their past professional experiences and market themselves to potential employers still is in effect today and still provides a great service to the deserving veteran community.
In 1945, Bernard Haldane, the founder of the outplacement industry, created a process to teach returning veterans how to identify their greatest skills, strengths, interests and then to use that knowledge in finding satisfying and productive jobs.
The system created by Haldane would constitute the beginning of a new adult learning process that outplacement professionals practice today.
How do outplacement professionals help those transitioning from military to civilian life?
Translate military experience into similar experiences in the civilian world. Outplacement and career transition professionals have the knowledge and experience that can help a logistics officer in the military restate his experience in a way that can directly relate to the appropriate customer operations or supply chain positions for which he is most appropriate.
Update veterans on the latest career-marketing tools. The job search process is quickly evolving and many career military veterans do not know how to effectively navigate LinkedIn, networking sites, job search databases and recruiters. Trained career transition experts can provide veterans with the tools to succeed.
Help veterans sell value. Military experience is a great training ground for future leaders. Many forward-thinking organizations know this. The job of the outplacement professional is to get the veteran candidate fully prepared so that he or she can talk about the teams that she has managed and the projects that he or she has led. This will help the veteran demonstrate how he or she can come into a civilian organization and make an impact.
Outplacement and career transition programs can greatly assist our deserving military effectively transition into civilian life.
Did you transition from the military to a corporate career? Can you share your story with us? We’d love to hear.
