Service in any branch of the military comes with clear purpose and high reward. That’s why finding a career with meaning is a top priority for most Veterans entering the civilian workforce. With a little effort, life after military can be a rewarding one.

If you’re a Veteran, here’s how you can find purpose post-military.

Build and Leverage Your Veteran network
The Veteran network is vast and growing. It’s also a powerful tool when searching for your next career move. As we’ve discussed in a prior blog post, 85 percent of jobs are filled through networking. It would be a shame to miss out on your potential dream job because you failed to build professional relationships. Putting your initial energy into the Veteran network is the perfect place to start. To do this, we recommend becoming active on LinkedIn and attending Veteran-focused conferences to meet like-minded professionals. In addition, if you are a Vet thinking about starting your own business, check out our blog on 15 Veterans We Admire & What They’re Doing Post-Separation.

Educate Yourself on Options and Benefits
“Opportunities to apply their skills and abilities; adequate benefits and pay; and meaningfulness of the work.” According to a 2014 survey by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and VetAdvisor, these are the top three factors that drive Vets to, or away, from a job. The answer to fulfilling these requirements is in the upfront work you do to learn about your career options and benefits. First, educate yourself on the GI Bill benefits you may be entitled to. Will it pay for you to go back to school? Then, begin narrowing down the various industries you’re interested in and learn as much as you can about each. This is also where your Veteran network will be extremely helpful. Find mentors in Vets who have gone before you to learn whether or not specific career paths are right for you and your family. If you don’t put the time into learning about your various options, then you likely won’t find the ideal employment match. Just like the military taught you: Plan, learn, execute.

Healthy Living
Though the job you hold post-separation is important, it isn’t everything. It’s arguably more vital to your overall happiness to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Healthy Veterans make choices and pursue healthy living habits that can reduce stress and anxiety during times of uncertainty. One way to do this is to prioritize your self-care routine, which could be as simple as a daily exercise regimen, getting outside, or regularly socializing with friends and family. Coming from a structured military lifestyle, it’s also good to establish routines early with the help of planners, goal setting, to-do lists, and daily meditation practice. And don’t forget to make connections within your family and community. Eat dinner as a family each evening or find a nonprofit to volunteer at together. In fact, research shows that people who stay connected or re-establish connections with loved ones tend to live longer, healthier lives.

SAVI is dedicated to making sure Veterans not only find purpose after the military, but excel at it. Contact us today to learn how we can support your post-separation dreams.

Though you’ve heard it before, it’s not what you know but who you know when looking for employment. The countless job sites inhabiting all corners of the Internet make it seem like cold applications are an acceptable form of job hunting, but they rarely end in even a call-back. In fact, 85 percent of jobs are filled through networking, meaning you need to know someone before you’re going to be taken seriously for most positions. Even our SAVI business partners agree that they’re more likely to hire candidates who come recommended by other employees.

If you’re a Veteran new to the job scene, here are three ways to grow your Veteran connections and build your personal brand through networking.

Online Networking
Much of what attracts employers to employees is determining whether or not they would make a good culture fit within their company. One way they do this is through the personal brand you’ve cultivated. And one of the first places they’ll look for that brand is on a little site called LinkedIn. Oh, you’ve heard of it? LinkedIn started in 2003 as a job search tool and has grown to become the largest online professional networking platform in the world. According to research, 50 percent of LinkedIn members have found a job through a mutual connection on the site, and 87 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to evaluate candidates. So if you’re a Veteran entering into the civilian job market, networking via LinkedIn is a good place to start finding connections. LinkedIn is also military-friendly, as it offers military community members one year of free access to LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Learning. Go here to see if you’re eligible.

Veteran Networking Conferences
Despite the power of online networking resources, there isn’t anything that can replace a good old- fashioned, face-to-face meeting. That’s why networking conferences are another important aspect of getting your brand and name out there to potential employers. For Vets, it’s especially helpful to attend Veteran-exclusive conferences. Each of these events bring companies who are looking to hire Vets specifically. By just being a Veteran, you’ve already passed the first round. If you come with a solid personal brand intact, this is a great place for Vets to connect with business professionals who value candidates with military backgrounds and skill sets.

Connect and Build
Once you connect, whether online or off, the next step is to cultivate a relationship from that connection. Luckily for you, there’s a formula to building professional relationships and it’s pretty simple. First, reach out to that connection and set up a time for a quick informational interview. This is you showing you’re interested in the company and want to learn more. The key thing here is to NOT ask for a job. You’re simply showing interest and asking questions. Once you’ve had your meeting, send a thank you email and ask if there’s anyone else you can talk with to learn even more about the company’s culture. This is a great way to make sure the company knows you’re highly interested. Since most job openings aren’t advertised, this is also a technique to keep your name relevant if a position does become available. Put the time in and you may just reap the rewards.

SAVI works with businesses across various industries to offer relevant knowledge to Vets transitioning out of the military and into the civilian workforce. Contact us today to learn more about these business partners and how they’re serving the military community.

In 2008, Walmart executives began the hunt for new leaders to take the reins in their store management positions. The company was growing fast and their usual recruiting techniques couldn’t keep up anymore. When COO Bill Simon threw out the idea of hiring junior and senior level military officers to fill the roles, the company ran with it. Within just a few months, reported a Fortune article, Walmart realized it had hit a “gold mine of talent” — and they never looked back. In fact, Walmart has gone on to hire more than 250,000 military Veterans since 2013. Other corporations, like Home Depot and T-Mobile, have also made massive commitments to Veteran recruitment. All this buzz around hiring Vets poses the question: Are Veterans more equipped to lead in a corporate setting?

We know they are, and here’s why.

Military Veterans Perform Better Under Stress

According to a study reported by KelloggInsight, researchers found that “military CEOs tend to make ethical, conservative decisions — and particularly adept at leading firms under duress.” Because military Veterans have been trained to respond in life or death situations, handling stress in non life-threatening scenarios is much easier for them than it would be for the average civilian. In addition, the study showed there was a direct link between military CEOs and conservative corporate behavior. For example, a CEO with a military background was “less likely to make bold investments in physical capital or research and development compared with CEOs with civilian backgrounds.” Being trained in riskier (life or death) situations actually makes them more risk-averse in decision making. Bottom line: If you want to succeed in times of distress and decline, put a military Veteran in charge.

Military Veterans Have Experience in Leading Large Groups

Though this isn’t necessarily true for every single military Vet, the more junior and senior level personnel will come with a track record of leading large groups. In fact, many of them were 20-somethings when given the responsibility of leading missions. In the Fortune article already referenced, retired U.S. Army Gen. David Patraeus was quoted as saying this:

“Tell me anywhere in the business world where a 22- or 23-year-old is responsible for 35 or 40 other individuals on missions that involve life and death. Their tactical actions can have strategic implications for the overall mission. And they’re under enormous scrutiny, on top of everything else.”

When the stakes are this high and the lives are this many, leadership training has to be a priority in the military. These men and women are entering the civilian workforce with some of the best training and real-life leadership experience out there — and they didn’t go to school to get it.

Military Veterans Have Higher Than Average Integrity

In the same KelloggInsight study, researchers found that honesty is a standout quality amongst CEOs with military backgrounds. In fact, they were even able to put a number on it. Veteran CEOs were 70 percent less likely to commit corporate fraud than the average civilian CEO. In an industry that has experienced its fair share of scandal, putting Veterans in places of influence and power could be a surefire way to keep your company name out of any unwelcome headlines.

If you’re a corporation looking to hire military Veteran talent, SAVI can help. Contact us to learn how we can connect you with the next quality leadership your company deserves.

Transitioning into a civilian career means you’ll most likely have to learn a new set of rules in the way of work style. In the military, the process of getting things done was pretty cut and dry, with little room for creativity. The civilian sector, however, comes with as many “ways of working” as there are people. Still, there are some clear differences between Veteran and civilian work styles that are found in every workplace. Being aware of these differences is key to a Vet’s success in a civilian world.

Here are our top three differences between Veteran and civilian work styles:

Preferred Lines of Communication
It’s no secret, millennials prefer email and text over phone calls and face-to-face communication. Since this group is now the most represented generation in the civilian workforce, these communication preferences have seeped their way into workplaces all across the country. With a focus on emails, more than 205 billion of them are sent every single day, and the average office worker receives 121 emails on a daily basis. Though you may have sent your fair share of email reports in your military days, your email experience most likely lacks compared to that of a civilian worker. Out of the need for immediate feedback, the military holds tight to the traditional face-to-face (or phone call) communication style. In the civilian sector, the lack of urgency compared to the military’s needs are why email-heavy correspondence works.

Teamwork vs. Solo Projects
Working as a team is the founding principle of any great military culture. Working alone in training or on the battlefield could result in devastating consequences, which is why the military work style is one of collaboration and teamwork. Out in the civilian sector, however, solo projects are plentiful, and sometimes even more efficient. Though there will still be opportunities to work in a team setting, proving you’re capable to go at it alone will show versatility in work styles — something all employers desire in employees.

Learning Agility
Being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none is a well-known and widely-accepted part of being an active duty Veteran. It’s rare that someone in the military would have the opportunity to hold one position for more than a few years. Civilians, on the other hand, can make an entire 20-, 30-, or 40-year career in the same job. With that much time devoted to a single skillset, civilians come with more centralized expertise. But with your constant training in various skills, your learning agility is going to be higher than most of your civilian peers. This means you’ll be able to catch on fast and become a productive member of the company in less time than it might take others.

As a Veteran, your differences in work style doesn’t have to be a disadvantage when entering the civilian workforce. You simply need to find a balance that works for you and your employer. Luckily, SAVI can help you adjust and grow upon your skills with our free services for transitioning Veterans. Contact us today to learn more.

From missing limbs and traumatic brain injuries to hearing loss and post-traumatic stress disorder, Veterans can enter the civilian world with a host of disabilities. Despite these challenges, most disabled Veterans are more than capable of working post-military. As we’ve discussed previously, Veterans easily adapt to a variety of workplaces despite any limitations. If you’re a business looking to hire — and retain — former soldiers, making accommodations to support disabled Veterans is key to all-around success.

Here are five of SAVI’s best tips to support disabled Veterans in the workplace.

1. Train Your Managers

Successful support of disabled Veterans in your workspace starts at the top. It’s important that you know how to manage the various readjustments that any Veteran, disabled or not, may have in his new civilian work environment. The VA has plenty of resources and information devoted specifically to this topic. Find the training that works for your business and equip your managers with the knowledge they need to better serve your Veteran employees.

2. Encourage Flexibility

Veteran workplace preferences will differ depending on the disability. If suffering a brain injury, a Vet may require quiet workplaces with minimal distractions. For them, a good set of sound-proof headphones could go a long way to encourage productivity. Those with PTSD, however, may view silence as a distraction. Playing low background music or sitting them near a window may be beneficial for these individuals. Regardless of preferences, it’s important to encourage your Veteran employees to find what works best for them and then be flexible.

3. Provide Resources

Many Veteran-accommodating businesses have found that mentoring programs thrive in the workplace. By creating these mentorship programs between employees, you’re able to support your team and facilitate a much smoother transition for Veterans new to the civilian sector. Mentors are typically seasoned employees who are able to answer questions, provide insight and serve as a friendly face around the office.

In addition to this mentor program, provide additional resources to disabled Veterans with more severe needs, whether they be medical or emotional. Connect them with local community groups and ensure they are informed about the counseling options in your area that specifically support disabled Veterans.

4. Create a Culture of Inclusiveness

One of the most important ways to support disabled Veterans in the workplace is by creating a culture of inclusiveness. First and foremost, make sure your business can easily accommodate those Veterans with physical disabilities. This includes handicap accessible entrances, exits, and bathrooms as well as keeping hallways devoid of clutter and office furniture spaced appropriately. Ask your employees, Veteran or otherwise, what they need to feel supported in their job. By making such accommodations, your employees will feel thought of and included.

5. Acknowledge Military Service

If you’re already making adjustments for your Veteran employees, you clearly care about their success at your company. Why not take it a step further and acknowledge their prior service through special honors or rewards? This could mean giving all Veterans the day off for holidays like Veterans Day, recognizing them in your company newsletter or providing free lunch to all Veteran employees on specified days.

Veterans have sacrificed greatly for our country. Many have put their mental and physical health at risk and spent significant amounts of time away from their families. Creating workplace accommodations for our disabled Veterans is one small way to truly thank them for their service. When including Veterans in your workplace, keep in mind that all needs differ and that some disabilities are more severe than others. If you’re flexible, resourceful, and inclusive, you will reap the many benefits that come with hiring Veterans.

Are you an employer of Veterans?

Check out our employer programs and certificates. Visit www.savivets.org/organization to learn how we can help you serve and support Veterans in your workplace. We can even connect you with transitioning Veterans looking for employment!

Are you a Veteran?

SAVI loves to connect with and support Veterans transitioning into the civilian workplace. Reach out today or visit www.savivets.org/veteran to learn more about the free help our SAVI experts can provide to transitioning Veterans.