Beginning a Civilian Career After Military Retirement

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By Curt Smothers (U.S. Navy, Retired)

Nowhere is the challenge of career change for the older job seeker more extreme than for the retiring military man or woman. A career in the military offers an ideal opportunity for early retirement (usually in the early 40's, and sometimes in the late 30's). The retiring military person,therefore, faces unique challenges not only in seeking a second career but also in adjusting to a completely different working environment.

When I left the U.S. Navy, I was completing a 25-year career. I was at the top of my game, in good health, and my financial support system that rested on a foundation of a generous retirement income was there for me. A few weeks before retirement, I attended a seminar for prospective retirees. The seminar was run by civilian contractors hired by the Navy, and it helped. Here are a three things I learned:

1. Begin the job search immediately. Do not take a sabbatical. It is important to jump into the job search mode immediately, because it typically takes far more than a month to find full-time employment. Ideally, looking for a new job while still employed is the key to a smooth transition to the totally new civilian work environment. I was interviewing for jobs at least six weeks prior to my leaving the military.

2. Hone your resume building skills. Our seminar devoted a lot of time to crafting resumes. The key here is to meld the resume to the job offering. We were taught to lay off the military jargon and abbreviations and find a way of describing our military professional experience in civilian terms. I actually ended up with at least five different versions of my resume, each one oriented towards the type of job I was applying for.

3. Practice your interview techniques. A good resume will get you into the interview room, but it is the interview that is always the tie breaker. Our seminar leaders gave us some good pointers on interviewing, and our "graduation exercise" was a full-dress (civilian suit) mock interview.

Interview techniques for the ex-military

The interview techniques covered the most basic and obvious things, for example, scout out the interview location before the day of the interview. We were also taught to find out something about the company or organization where we were applying and be ready with intelligent questions and ideas about your role and potential contributions to the prospective employer.

Drop the military bearing and relax. When I left the Navy I was a Lieutenant Commander. I had 100 men under my command, and my word was law. Entering the civilian job market, however, I was essentially stripped of that authority, possibly competing with much younger people, and the only advantage I had was my technical and professional experience and training.

It is an adjustment to going from very powerful to powerless job seeker. I was able to do that by remembering that I had a good retirement income to back me up. It took the edge off the search and helped me relax.

So, in the end I stayed in the public sector and ended up with a great job as a Vocational Education Specialist on the campus of a wonderful Community College. My military leadership and people management skills helped me to get the job and to be successful at it.

I faced some professional and psychological challenges going from the military life to the job market when I was past 40. These challenges can be daunting, but with a positive attitude and a relaxed view of the process going into a second career can be a thrilling experience. 

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