A career in the Canadian Armed Forces is a great way to master a broad range of skills employers value. Your CAF experience has helped you build a strong work ethic, discipline, and technical expertise. You know how to solve problems, work under pressure, and adapt to diverse situations. You’ve honed your teamwork, strategic planning, leadership, and project management skills.
These are all assets in the civilian workplace. But you must learn to present them in terms civilian employers can relate to.
Understanding transition
Life is about change, but dealing with change isn’t always easy. Remember when you were a recruit? Adjusting to military life took months of training.
Transitioning to civilian life will take time too. Where will you live? Where will you work? How will the change affect your family? Where will you find health care and emotional support? How will you plan for retirement? Will you need to retrain or upgrade to get a good job?
Everyone’s transition is different, but many people experience culture shock and loss of identity when they leave military service. You may miss team connections and familiar routines. And you may miss knowing where you stood in a clearly defined hierarchy.
Give yourself time to prepare. Allow yourself to process your feelings about the changes. Let yourself grieve “your old self.”
Understanding job-search challenges
The military workplace is different than the civilian workplace. Many skills are directly transferrable. But you may need to be creative in transferring some skills to civilian life. Or you may need to help civilian employers see the connections between what you did and what they want you to do.
Here are some challenges you may face:
Lack of understanding
Civilian employers often don’t understand the qualifications and responsibilities associated with many military occupations. And they don’t understand military acronyms and terminology.
On the flip side, veterans don’t always understand that their military experience can add value to civilian workplaces. And they don’t communicate this in terms employers can relate to.
Negative stereotypes
Some employers see veterans as rigid, formal, overconfident, and too mission driven. Others are concerned that veterans may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental health challenges. Although such generalizations are inaccurate and unfair, they can influence hiring decisions.
Culture shock
Military workplaces are highly structured and controlled. Decision-making follows precise rules within a strict hierarchy. Mission goals are more important than personal ambition. Career progression follows a formal pathway to the top.
Civilian workplaces are less formal and less centralized. Employers want workers who are independent and self-reliant. Career paths are flexible. Opportunities for advancement are not guaranteed.
Adjusting to these differences can be difficult.
Loss of identity
Transitioning to civilian life can be emotionally challenging. It can be especially hard if you’re leaving for reasons beyond your control, such as health issues.
Even if you’re looking forward to a career change or a retirement job, you can still feel a sense of loss and uncertainty. This may cause anxiety and depression, yet mental health supports may be difficult to access.
Skills mismatch
Your military career may not have prepared you for the kind of jobs you’re looking for—or that employers are offering.
Lack of job search skills
You may have little experience finding work in an open, competitive, and uncertain job market. The last time you wrote a resumé or prepared for an interview may have been when you signed up. And you may never have researched an employer or the labour market.
Lack of networks
If you’ve spent much of your career in the military, your professional networks will likely be limited to your military colleagues. A lack of networks and connections in civilian life makes it harder to find jobs.
Family dynamics
Transitioning to civilian life will affect you and your family on many levels. There will be social, personal, financial, academic, professional, and psychological impacts. This can be stressful and complicated.
Planning for a successful transition
Sooner or later, transition happens to everyone in the Canadian Armed Forces, so it’s never too early to start planning. Experts suggest you give yourself at least 12 months.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
Clarify your goals
Chances are you didn’t get to choose your job while you were in the CAF. Rather, your postings and responsibilities were determined by military needs and priorities.
Civilian life lets you take ownership of your career. It offers the opportunity to create a new path that aligns with your skills, passions, and interests.
Finding a career that suits you starts with learning about yourself. Identify your needs and goals. Set SMARTER goals. Figure out what obstacles stand in your way. Plan how you will get what you want.
A series of short-term goals can break down into manageable chunks. Each goal will take you one step closer to the career you hope for in the long-term.
Change your mindset
In the military, the mission always comes first, then the team, then the individual. The opposite is true in a civilian career. Successful employees are self-reliant. And they understand the art of self-promotion.
You’ll need to adapt your behaviour and thinking if you want to impress a civilian employer. So be open to change.
Identify your transferrable skills
Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces have unique skills that can drive success in any workplace. These include:
- Proven leadership experience
- Strong teamwork skills
- A goal-oriented mindset
- Expertise in problem solving
- The ability to thrive under pressure and adapt to challenges
- Discipline, responsibility, and reliability
Identifying your unique skills and learning to sell them is key to finding a civilian job.
Do your homework
- Identify what civilian jobs compare well with jobs you have held in the service. Tools like the Military to Civilian Translator, MNET, can help. Also consider jobs in the federal government.
- Research employers who are a good fit. Identify those who actively recruit veterans.
- Research workplace trends too, so you can offer employers what they’re looking for.
- Arrange some informational interviews to get the inside story.
- Tap into your networks to get referrals and learn about jobs that aren’t advertised.
Up your game
You may need to brush up your skills so you can offer employers what they’re looking for. Or you may need to retrain for a whole new trade or profession. Adding new credentials can help you stand out in a competitive job market. And getting the right qualification can increase your earning power.
Veterans Affairs Canada can provide financial help with this. Check out their Education and Training Benefit and Vocational Rehabilitation Program to find out if you qualify.
If you’ve left the military for health reasons, the Veteran Family Program offers a range of supportive programs. These include the Second Career Assistance Network and return-to-work programs through CAF Health Services.
Get ready
Finding a job in a competitive marketplace means standing out from the crowd. The alis Look for Work resources on cover letters, resumés, and job interviews can help.
Remember to watch your language when you’re preparing your job search material.
- Use everyday words.
- Avoid military jargon and acronyms.
- Describe military job skills and job titles in civilian terms that employers understand.
- For example, say you were a “team supervisor” instead of a “platoon sergeant.” Describe yourself as “a project manager who coordinated operations” rather than “an operations specialist who managed mission execution.”
In job interviews, remember to focus on your personal accomplishments rather than your team’s. And explain your military experiences in relatable terms.
Take care of yourself
The stress of transitioning can affect your mental health. Don’t hesitate to ask for help to manage your stress and cope with change.
Support programs and resources
- Career Transition Services (CTS) offers resumé help, career planning advice, and job search support. Get in-person services at a Transition Centre near you. Or access the Digital Training Centre for resources that can help you.
- Veterans Affairs Canada offers services to help you find a job, upgrade your education, and prepare for post-service life.
- Military Transition Engagement and Partnerships (MTEP) offers a directory of agencies that offer educational opportunities and other programs and services for veterans.
- The Canadian Military, Veteran & Family Connected Campus Consortium (CMVF3C) helps to position military and veteran students to reach their potential and academic goals during and following service.
- Helmets to Hardhats Canada connects veterans and their families with careers in the skilled trades and construction industry.
- Use the “This employer hires veterans” filter and check out the job postings on alis.