Ready for the Jump?
December 4th, 2007Most recently I was talking with several veterans about how effective they felt TAP (Transition Assistance Program) was in helping them get prepared for finding their next job in the civilian market. Although I didn’t get a whole lot of direct negative comments, what I did get was mostly looks of unhappiness, mild groans, “are you crazy” looks or just silence. Trying very hard not to come to conclusions, on a few occasions I dug a little deeper. Let me point out that not everyone said they were dissatisfied.
One veteran said that the he got information overload most of the time during the classes and he didn’t know how to sort it all out so he didn’t use any of it. When he got out, he found a job on his own (it wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was “OK”). Another felt they were using a “one size fits all” approach which didn’t invite a lot of different questions or take into account the widely different interests and learning styles of the audience so he stopped paying attention after a while. He just went because he was required to go.
As if the above wasn’t suggestive enough, I learned about a new survey conducted by Military.com that sought to get an idea of how prepared transitioning veterans felt for the process of entering the job market. The results were stunning: 81% of them did NOT feel fully prepared for the process of entering the job market.
Equally as surprising was the feedback from surveyed employers at the same time: 64% felt that veterans needed additional assistance to make a successful transition into the civilian job seeking market.
The numbers: over 4,400 veterans or military responded along with 287 recruiters and hiring managers from a cross section of U.S. organizations representing small to large size firms.
What do you think? Is your experience reflective of the survey results or different? Let us know with your input and reply.
