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In one of our past blogs (Difficult Deployment: Veterans Entering Civilian Workplace) we talked about six key areas that military should be keenly aware of when making the transition into the civilian work force. If you missed it you can go to it here http://blog.getsoftskillsnow.com/wp/?p=980 In this article we are going to add six additional items to our original six key transitional problems from our last article. 1. Arriving ten minutes early is early When you were in the military your sergeant has always told you that arriving ten minutes early is actually “late.” In civilian life you should plan to always be “on time.” However, when attending meetings it is always a good idea to be a few minutes early. Never, never be late for anything in the civilian workplace. When you are, it will effect your reputation for time management. 2. The 12 hour clock verses the 24 hour clock The civilian world runs on a 12 hour clock. You will typically go home at 5:00 not 1700 hours. Most civilians will not know when 1700 is and just be confused. Most will not like trying to always subtract 1200 from what you say. Now that you are a civilian, always use the 12 hour clock. It will take some getting used to but you are not in the military anymore! 3. You now have a single lapel pin. In the military you were wearing badges, medals and ribbons that spoke to your accomplishments. In the business world it is proper to wear a lapel pin, one at a time. So you can only “brag” about one thing at a time. You won’t be able to easily know anyone’s activities in the civilian world. You just have to get to know them or talk to their friends. 4. Trying to figure out ranks You quickly find out in the civilian world that there is no easy way to determine somebody’s “rank.” Most people look the same and may dress the same, so how do you find out who is who? When you first start work ask for an organizational chart. Also, when you are introduced to people ask who they work for. After a while, you will determine the hierarchy in your company. But just because a person does not have a management title does not mean that they are not a powerful fixture in the organization. Some people are on a fast track and may eventually become very influential. It is best to always to treat everyone with respect. You cannot think about giving someone under your “rank” 50 push-ups anymore! 5. No more cussing or using military acronyms In the civilian world cussing is looked down on. Sure, everyone from time to time will cut loose with a string of expletives when they are really mad, but it should not be an everyday experience. You will end up with a poor reputation and not sound like a professional. 6. Names In the business world you must learn peoples’ first names. Instead of using ranks or last names, in the civilian work place you typically use first names. Out of respect, it is always good to address upper echelon people as Mr. or MS. The more you work at your transition into the civilian work force, the faster you will be accepted. Your military career is now behind you and you need to move on. You only want to be known as “the veteran” for a few months, and then you want to be known as the guy or gal on the fast track to success! Jim Stedt is a partner at The Business SoftSkills Company (GetSoftSkillsNow.Com) located in Santa Ana, California. They provide job readiness and workforce success videos for education, business, prisons and individual use. Training is available online, on DVD, or through an affiliate program. These products are the most complete and concise soft skills training packages now available for the price of an average college textbook.
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