Supporting successful transitions from the military to the civilian workforce

Learn About The Books

Mission Next Consulting envisions a world where transitioning service members swiftly succeed in the civilian workforce because they have the right tools and mindset necessary for their next phase in life. Our vision also includes civilian organizations that prepare their culture and recruitment strategy to maximize the leadership skills and values that a veteran brings to the workforce.

#

The Problem We Want to Solve

Over 200,000 service members leave active duty every year. That's a staggering amount of people that are faced with the challenges of transitioning into the civilian workforce. Some service members smoothly transition with limited support, while others most certainly do not. Each branch of service spends an incredible amount of time and money to recruit individuals into active duty, but they spend far less to integrate service members back into the civilian world. As of 2014, the federal government was running 85 different programs to help veterans transition. Yet, the Governmental Accountability Office found that most of those programs had only limited success.

In the civilian world, around 19% of employees leave their jobs within the first year of being hired. Turnover rates for veterans are noticeably higher. Studies show that between 54% and 65% of veterans will leave their first civilian job by the end of their second year. Officers tend to stay in place a little longer than enlisted service members.

YEAR ONE
26.7%
officers reported leaving
48%
enlisted service members reported leaving
YEAR TWO
26%
officers reported leaving
20%
enlisted service members reported leaving

It is difficult to ignore the staggering difference between how quickly former military members leave their first jobs compared to the civilian turnover rates. Civilian organizations repeatedly share how much they want to hire veterans. Government analysis and research studies back up this claim. Study after study confirms that businesses value veterans. The research by the Mission Next consultants pointed to a long list of skills and values that civilian organizations desperately want including "sense of duty, commitment, dedication, selfless service, and leadership." The disconnect happens when civilian organizations are unable to understand how veterans’ skills translate into their workplace, and when veterans are unable to apply their values and skills to the new organization.

Additionally, surveys suggested that service members thought that pay and benefits were the reasons that they left their first civilian jobs in their first 24 months. The research by Mission Next consultants shows different reasons. Veterans leave because they picked a job that wasn’t a good fit for them. They struggle to synch or conform to the culture of their civilian organization and simply abandon their new civilian job. A successful transition relies on the veteran’s ability to truly understand his or her own values and personal vision for this next phase. This step is crucial in making the transition and creates the foundation for the work at Mission Next.

Learn More About Mission Next

The Books

The books were a result of two years of intense research on why veterans leave their first civilian positions. They are resources to help both transitioning veterans and employers looking to hire and retain veterans.

Learn More

Our Services

In addition to the books, Mission Next offers workshops for transitioning service members and consulting engagements with civilian organizations to improve recruitment and retention of veterans.

Learn More

About Us

The Mission Next consultants bring professional and personal experiences to support transitioning service members and the civilian organizations who want to hire them.

Learn More

What Our Clients Say



  • I was excited to participate in the research that led to the Mission Next book because it reminded me how this needed to be a priority for our organization.

    Chief Human Resources Officer
    Community healthcare organization
    Ohio

  • I learned that you can't walk around with your rank in your back pocket, so I had to quickly adapt in the new civilian environment. Any preparation work you can do before you make the transition is worth your time.

    Retired U.S. Army officer
    University veterans’ liaison
    Alabama

  • From the very beginning, I spent time working on my interpersonal communication skills. I de-militarized my speech and stopped using all the jargon. Since then, I’ve helped many veterans make that transition...

    Retired U.S. Army officer
    Human Resources Director, manufacturing company
    Michigan

  • I got an early copy of the Mission Next book to preview. I wish I would’ve had the book prior to my transition because I had to figure out so many of the points from the book on my own.

    Former U.S. Navy officer
    Financial advisor
    Michigan

Joining the service is easy.
Leaving is a whole lot harder.

If you want to contact us with questions, or to discuss our services, we'll be happy to engage in a dialogue about how we can help you or your organization.

Contact Us