Applications Being Accepted for Intensive Military to Civilian Career Transition Program

Online applications are being accepted through Feb. 8, 2016 for the seventh cohort of the Leveraging Military Leadership Program.

The program, which is designed to create successful transitions from military to civilian careers, is open to Veterans of any rank who left the service in the last two years or who will transition in the next six months. To date, more than 250 service members from all branches of the military have participated in this pro bono program.

Participants will be guided by a team of global leadership experts from Korn Ferry Hay Group and Harris Corporation, who will lead Veterans through a three-month program composed of on-line, remote, and in-person assessments, coaching, instruction, group exercises and lectures. The in-residence portion of the program takes place from Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 10 in Herndon, Virginia. Veterans will receive the same research-based leadership development services offered by Hay Group to Boards, CEOs and senior executives at leading global organizations.

Veterans engage in topics such as defining a career vision, mapping out a targeted post-military career strategy, and creating an action plan that includes networking, using social media and refining their engagement and interviewing techniques.

The transition from a military career to a civilian career is difficult and challenging. But it’s not a full switch. While there are drastic differences between military culture and corporate culture, there are many transferrable skills – and more than most Veterans (and hiring managers) initially believe. The fact is that military professionals have built capabilities during their careers in essential and in-demand competencies, such as planning, problem-solving, team building, crisis management, managing diversity and dealing with ambiguity.

Helping Companies Leverage Military Leadership

Companies that make the commitment to concerted Veteran hiring efforts will not be disappointed. Consider the following tips for finding, hiring and keeping qualified Veterans:

Look in the right places when sourcing – Employers will need to create a strong employer value proposition, whereby Veterans know their service will be honored and valued. That means having hiring managers trained and dedicated to sourcing Veterans, perhaps creating online talent communities geared specifically to the Veteran audience.
Educate managers – Those who manage Veterans should be offered development opportunities to help them understand the unique attributes of Veterans and how to translate their skills into the civilian world.
Help Veterans translate their unique skills into civilian attributes – Ask a Veteran what she did while she was in the military, and she may say, “I drove a ship.” That Veteran should be coached to go beyond what they did into why it matters, such as it helped her learn to deal with ambiguity and instill trust in others.
Create ongoing development – There is no doubt that the civilian world is different from military service. Help the Veteran adapt through programs that, for example, help him or her “influence without authority” instead of the traditional military hierarchy.

Veterans entering the civilian workforce offer tremendous skills and represent an incredible talent source for employers nationwide. We are proud to host the Leveraging Military Leadership Program, which goes beyond traditional training to enable Veterans to develop their own individual strategies to begin and grow their professional careers.

About the Author

Randy Manner, Korn Ferry Senior Partner and Army Major General, Retired