What was the most surprising thing to you about civilian employers when you got out of the military and started looking for work?

2016-10-25T15:19:07-04:00

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Oct 25 at 2016 3:22 PM

2016-10-25T15:22:58-04:00

None of them cared at all about my military service!

Edit, Apr 10, 2020. In 1956, the telephone company would not even match my
Army Basic pay of $160 a month as a SGT-5!

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 25 at 2016 3:30 PM

2016-10-25T15:30:07-04:00

The weird looks I got when I addressed everyone by "sir" or "Ma'am" and the even odder looks I got when I stood at "At Ease"

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 25 at 2016 3:39 PM

2016-10-25T15:39:17-04:00

Calling everyone "Sir" or "Ma'am", getting work done quickly and efficiently, having a clean workspace, organizational skills.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Oct 25 at 2016 3:47 PM

2016-10-25T15:47:57-04:00

The one that gets me is that they are surprised by my attention to detail. They tell me to a task a certain way, I do it that way and just want to get it done. I hate to wait and waste time, let me go and do what needs to be done so I can go home.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Oct 25 at 2016 6:07 PM

2016-10-25T18:07:08-04:00

That we have different perspectives on what "professionalism" is. In the military you can probably tell your peer to "f-off" and laugh about it but you'd get on his/her case if their boot was untied. In the civilian sector, it's a bit of the opposite. You can look a little scrubby (by military standards) but you can't tell your co-workers to "f-off."

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Oct 25 at 2016 7:11 PM

2016-10-25T19:11:35-04:00

I was lucky in that the local utility company that hired me,had quite a few Veterans on the payroll,Korean War,Cold War and WWII so in my case it was like old times,things did change later though and the Services were not as well represented.

Response by MGySgt Rick Tyrrell made Oct 25 at 2016 7:27 PM

2016-10-25T19:27:20-04:00

The lack of tax information. This was done for me for 30 years after I got out the first year I spent thousands of dollars cause I filled out the tax form wrong!

Response by CPO Scot Reid made Oct 26 at 2016 9:35 AM

2016-10-26T09:35:40-04:00

Lack of accountability at all levels. Tons of complaints and excuses but rarely any suggestions or actions for improvement.

Response by PO2 Kayla Modschiedler made Oct 26 at 2016 9:39 AM

2016-10-26T09:39:44-04:00

How unprofessional my civilian bosses were, even though they were really cool just not too bright sometimes lol

Response by Maj Walter Kilar made Oct 26 at 2016 10:02 AM

2016-10-26T10:02:19-04:00

1. Lack of respect. I learned to stop calling everyone "sir" and "ma'am", but I still cannot understand how employees speak to the CEO as if they were both high school classmates. I found it more difficult to understand how the employers lacked respect for employees. There does not seem to be mutual respect for anyone's time, space, personal life, or much of anything.
2. Lack of professionalism. From the employers' dress to their decorum, I find it hard to believe that college educated people with 20 years of life experiences cannot take pride in what they do, whom they do it for, and why they do it.
3. Lack of accountability. In my company and in others, I have not found many that will seek responsibility and take responsibility for their actions.
4. Lack of understanding. I feel as if after 20 years of military service I have been dropped off into a parallel universe. Few employers or fellow employees understand the world as I see it. How is it that policemen are the bad guys, and the military is just a pawn in multiple conspiracy theories? How is it that the employer who sells million dollar equipment to the military has zero understand of how the military works?
5. Lack of calmness under pressure. Everything is reactionary and completely overreacting.

I expressed these points to my employers, and I even told them that I do not belong here. I am still trying figure out for myself which "here" I am talking about--this job, or anywhere too far away from fellow veterans.

Response by SPC Phil Norton made Oct 26 at 2016 10:02 AM

2016-10-26T10:02:53-04:00

How sensitive everyone was you couldn't tell someone to do a task you had to ask them and then try to convince them to do it when they started crying about how unfair it was that you asked them to do their job

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2016 4:42 AM

2016-10-27T04:42:06-04:00

I didn't make an issue but employers did and a topic starter. Bearing and good manners, strike a chord. SGT Terry Hall.

Response by Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth made Oct 27 at 2016 9:04 AM

2016-10-27T09:04:02-04:00

1.) Attention to detail
2.) Not understanding the structure and the responsibilities that go with progression. They see someone retired or separated, they don't care what level of responsibility based on rank they had. It is just like the civilian world you may start out in the mail room (E-1) and work your way up to CEO (O6), but they can't make that connection.
3.) Acceptance of mediocrity
4.) Work ethic-I was told to dress down because I was making everyone look bad. I was also told to go home at the end of the day when I had some work to finish because the others didn't want to look bad and it would be there tomorrow
5.) Wasted time
6.) Lack of respect for each other
7.) Professional Courtesies
8.) Equating joining the military to not being able to find a job or not qualified for anything else.

Response by MSgt Richard Randall made Oct 28 at 2016 9:23 AM

2016-10-28T09:23:58-04:00

I could write a book… These are the first things I noticed at my first civilian job after leaving the service:
• Don’t stand in the doorway at 1700 (5 PM)
• Most of the managers and directors I worked with couldn’t manage a bake sale at the monthly PTA meeting
• Most of the managers and directors I worked with couldn’t construct a proper sentence
• Most of the managers and directors I worked with could not give a cogent formal presentation to a large group
• Regardless of responsibility, titles are EVERYTHING! You could give a custodian the title of “Manager” and they would think they ran the company
• Attention to detail? What’s that?
• Waste, fraud and abuse was normal, especially on expense reports
• Lack of cohesiveness in the group – backstabbing and gossip
• Meetings to discuss when to have the next meeting
• Don’t stand in the doorway at 1700 (5 PM)
It took three or four years to accept the new normal, however, I never really adjusted.

Response by SSgt Dwight Deatherage made Apr 10 at 2020 7:02 PM

2020-04-10T19:02:46-04:00

I got out of the Army in 1977, and after going to college for a year, I found myself short on funds, saw an ad for a local Ford dealer hiring salesmen. I applied and was hired. Being a Veteran got me absolutely nothing. I was working with a viper pit of 4-F and draft dodgers, the most that I been around ever assembled in one place.

The company didn’t do any recognition of Vets. I loved when these clowns would say well I was going to join.

Response by Maj John Bell made Apr 10 at 2020 8:47 PM

2020-04-10T20:47:08-04:00

There was no weekly weapons cleaning session.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Apr 10 at 2020 9:31 PM

2020-04-10T21:31:02-04:00

I was surprised by how certain people felt the need to be vocal and upfront about their disdain of the military.