When Erica Shark returned from the Air Force, where she was a squad leader working in avionics, she wasn’t sure how to parlay her military experience into a civilian career.
Military experience typically doesn’t translate well into corporate lingo. For example, Shark’s Air Force experience included supply chain management, but she didn’t know how to articulate that at the time.
In the military, there’s a sense of stability, said Shark. For the most part, you know you have health insurance and are going to get paid regularly. “You move into a world where there’s no certainty,” she said.
What’s more, the culture was totally different. “There’s an overt power structure in the military,” Shark said. “For the most part, your rank is your power. It’s literally on your chest.”
In the civilian workforce, titles matter but so does influence, she said. For example, administrative assistants don’t have powerful titles, but they have the power to influence people, she explained.
Shark said her first two years out of the military were very hard. “I thought maybe I just didn’t have it anymore,” she said. Worse yet, she felt alone in her experience.
Fast forward a little more than a decade. Shark is now a divisional vice president for Rocket Mortgage. Now in her 11th year at Rocket, she’s worked her way up from being an intern to the leadership role she holds now. “I was a 30-year-old intern,” she said. “I wanted to get my foot in the door.”
Like many military women, Shark essentially started her career over upon returning to civilian life. And, as she learned through a program called Next4Vets, facilitated by Inforum, she wasn’t alone in her struggles.
Women veterans at a glance
Women are the fastest growing segment of the veteran population. Over 2 million women veterans live in the United States. They make up 10% of the veteran population and, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, they’re projected to make up 18% by 2040.
Some 41% of these women have received a bachelor’s degree or higher, and they study information technology, engineering and computer science at higher rates than their nonveteran woman counterparts, according to the 2021 Woman Veteran Opportunity Report by LinkedIn.
Even though they’re well-trained and highly educated, these women face many challenges in obtaining and navigating civilian jobs as they return from service. Consider these facts from the LinkedIn study:
• The underemployment rate of women veterans is 18% higher than that of civilian women and 22% higher when compared to the total veteran population.
• 37% of women veterans take a pay cut when they accept a civilian job, as compared to 23% of male veterans.
• It takes women veterans three months longer, on average, than their male counterparts to find employment.
• Compared to women graduating from college at the same time, women veterans are 33% more likely to be in an hourly role when they transition from the military.
An overlooked, underrated talent pool
Why should companies care how military women fare in civilian jobs? Looking again to the 2021 LinkedIn report, we see this population segment dubbed “an overlooked talent pool.” And most businesses can’t afford to overlook talent sources right now.
“Every employer is worried about maximizing their workforce,” said Terry Barclay, president and CEO of Inforum, an organization dedicated to improving opportunities for women in the workforce.
Not only are women veterans an overlooked talent pool; they’re also far underrated in many cases. “Women are not as good at bragging; they tend to discount their experience,” said Amanda Huffman, a former Air Force captain who writes and podcasts about military women. “They’re probably not going to advocate for themselves.”
Depending on who you ask, you’ll get myriad positive descriptions of military women as a group. Allison Albers, women veterans program manager for Hire Heroes USA, a veteran employment nonprofit, listed leadership, resilience, adaptability and operational expertise among the assets women veterans bring to their careers.
“They know how to lead diverse teams and tend to navigate uncertainty well,” said Albers, a former officer in the Army. “While in the service, things happen so quickly,” she said, noting that each military position has a continuity book that details how to step into your leader’s role if you need to.
“You hit a goldmine with veterans,” said Shark. They take ownership, have an inherent sense of service and “an attachment to the mission you just can’t buy. They’re ripe for activation.”
Melissa Washington, founder and CEO of Women Veterans Alliance, said hiring women veterans is “a strategic business move that delivers measurable returns.”
“Women veterans bring exceptional leadership, discipline and adaptability honed through military service,” said Washington, a Navy veteran. “They are trained to lead diverse teams, solve complex problems under pressure and execute mission-critical tasks with precision. These skills translate seamlessly into roles across operations, logistics, project management and technology.”
Hiring women veterans can also enhance organizational performance, said Washington.
“Their unique experiences foster innovation and resilience, contributing to a dynamic and effective work environment,” she said. “Moreover, their presence can enhance diversity, leading to improved decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.”
Organizations may also receive tax credits and other financial incentives, such as the Work Opportunity Credit for hiring qualified veterans and the Special Employer Incentive, which reimburses a portion of the veteran’s salary, Washington pointed out.
Veterans are often more loyal than their civilian counterparts, which can mean lower turnover rates and higher retention, said Washington. Indeed, the 2021 LinkedIn report notes that women veterans remain at their first companies 16% longer than their nonveteran counterparts.
The icing on the cake is an enhanced company reputation, said Washington. Hiring women veterans “signals corporate responsibility and can resonate with customers, partners and investors who value diversity and inclusion.”
Challenges women veterans face
If you showed a photo of a man with close-cropped hair, a man with a traditional haircut and two women, one of them a former Miss Idaho, and asked which one was the veteran, you’d likely get the same answer nine times out of 10, and it wouldn’t be one of the women. But in fact, Miss Idaho is an Army veteran — Albers, who manages women veteran programs for Hire Heroes USA.
A quotation from the LinkedIn report on women veterans echoes this sentiment. “I wish people didn’t seem so surprised to hear that I served for 20 years,” said Jen Anthony, retired chief master sergeant for the Air Force. “I wish I never had to hear again, “You don’t look like you were in the military.’”
Men in the military are more socially accepted and understood, said Albers. For this reason, many women don’t identify as veterans when seeking employment, she said. There’s also an expectation for women to show empathy and compassion in civilian life, she explained. “In the military, that’s seen as weakness.”
What’s more, women’s military experience is not widely understood, said Albers, who returned from the military 15 years ago and initially couldn’t find a job. “No one understood the value that military expertise brought,” she said.
In addition to the culture differences between military and civilian roles, Shark delineated a few more challenges, including differences in communication styles, the need to shift mindsets and uncertainty in career growth paths.
In the military, communication is direct and straightforward, whereas civilian workplaces require more diplomacy and consideration of how people will receive and react to the message, Shark said.
Military life is also mission-driven, with short-term goals, whereas civilian workplaces are less structured and have more long-term goals. “Your mission can feel less impactful day to day,” said Shark, so you must adjust your mindset.
Career growth paths are clear-cut in the military: you work your way up through the ranks. Civilian workplaces often don’t provide clear career growth paths, as Shark found out at Rocket. “Sometimes it’s not as clear and you have to find your own way,” she said.
Barclay noted that military women often experience career stalls after three to five years because employers don’t understand the skills they gained in the military. The LinkedIn report provides numbers to back that up, noting that women veterans are 31% less likely to move into leadership roles within their first three years than veterans overall. Also, compared to women nonveterans, women veterans are 25% less likely to be directors, 15% less likely to be vice presidents and 7% less likely to be partners.
Programs and resources
There are many programs and resources available for women veterans transitioning into civilian roles. One of them is Inforum’s Next4Vets program, an eight- to 12-week program started in 2015.
Next4Vets helps women identify their strengths and overcome imposter syndrome, and it encourages them to proudly identify as veterans, said Kristen Linegar Mercer, vice president of talent development programs for Inforum. The program also provides networking opportunities and helps women navigate their relationship with supervisors, she said.
Barclay noted the culture differences between military and civilian life. In a military role, you’re taught to follow orders without question, but in the civilian workplace, you may need to be assertive and “push back” to achieve career advancement. The program helps women go from following orders to going after their goals, Barclay said.
Next4Vets is funded by sponsors and offered free of charge. Citizens Bank sponsored the program this year. Yasmeen Jasey, Citizens Michigan executive, said Citizens invests in programs like these to help strengthen the workforce. “Veterans bring extraordinary leadership, resilience and problem-solving abilities to the table,” she said. “By supporting this program, we’re helping to bridge the gap between military experience and civilian career advancement, while unlocking a pipeline of talent.”
Shark participated in the program twice and gained valuable insights both times. The first time provided camaraderie and insights into civilian workplace culture. For instance, the “power of influence” segment helped her understand how to identify less-than-obvious influential power structures in an organization.
In her second go-round in the program, Shark learned from the perspective of a manager supervising women veterans, she said. “I felt more equipped to give advice,” she said. “Now I’m getting insight into how to manage my team.”
Organizations like Hire Heroes USA also provide free resources for women veterans, including personalized career coaching, career events, help with resume writing, mock interviews, mentoring and more. Additional organizations like Boots to Heels, Onward to Opportunity and Vets2Industry also offer assistance.
What companies can do
In addition to supporting programs like Next4Vets, companies interested in tapping into women veterans for their talent pool and helping them reach their full potential should learn as much as possible about military experience, said Albers. “If you haven’t served, it’s very hard to understand,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
They can also rethink job descriptions and look beyond military titles. “Eliminate jargon and unnecessary degree requirements,” said Washington. “Many veterans have equivalent or better experience.”
Albers echoed these sentiments. “Military women can excel at roles far beyond their job titles,” she said, noting that certain skills and characteristics are second nature, so women may not think to call them out.
Consider, also, that many women veterans may not have ever written a resume or conducted an interview, especially if they entered the military early in life, noted Huffman. Companies that make allowances for this may find talent they otherwise would have missed.
Partnering with veteran-focused organizations can also help identify a pipeline of talent. For example, Women Veterans Alliance offers employers resources on best practices for hiring and retaining veteran workers, training and workshops designed to educate employers on the value of hiring women veterans, and more.
Other strategic initiatives include providing mentors and internal networking opportunities for women veterans, offering flexible policies to account for childcare and health support needs, and targeting training and development programs to set women veterans up for success.
With the right coaching and career development programs, women veterans can excel, said Shark. Sending women veterans to programs like Next4Vets provides a great return on investment, she said. “You’re going to get way more out of a team member.”
