AbstractThe authors contend that there are substantial benefits to hands-on, individualized, professional assistance to veterans transitioning to the civilian workforce. Reviewing the experiences of a cohort of Navy veterans with aspirations to pursue civilian careers in the federal government or government contracting services, the authors explore what happened when cohort members received professional assistance. In presenting this group's results, the authors seek to begin a discussion - and encourage further study - about the right methods and best approaches to helping veterans transition into rewarding civilian careers.IntroductionThere is little question that many veterans face daunting prospects upon transitioning out of their military careers and into the search for new beginnings in the civilian job market. Some seek professional positions, while others are poorly equipped - largely due to academic deficien- cies - to pursue professional employment. Regardless of preparedness, any military separation comes with the possibility of unemployment, which has been linked to suicide within the veteran community (Kramer, 2011). With post-9/11 era veteran unemployment rates hovering near the double-digits (Altman, 2014; Maze, 2013; Mutikani, 2014), the question of improving veterans' tools to successfully compete for jobs becomes paramount.While veterans enjoy a range of benefits, including the GI Bill, training assistance, and disability aid (Congressional Research Service, 2014), most still face significant obstacles to obtaining civilian employment. One such obstacle is the lack of support for veterans in developing individualized job search strategies, effective resumes, and knowledge regarding job application processes. Due to the lack of assistance in these areas of professional development, many, if not most, veterans rely on a plethora of free information about job search strategies, resume writing, and job application processes. While some assistance is avail- able at One-Stop Centers and college career centers, much of the advice veterans rely upon for their post-military job searches is hands-off, non- individualized, and non-professional (e.g., Internet blog posts, general- ized resume templates, web-based pre-packaged tips and toolkits). Despite the recognized appeal of free job search information - it is, after all, free and accessible - we contend that hands-on, individualized, professional assistance in making the transition to the civilian workforce provides a substantial benefit to veterans. Acquiring professional guid- ance can often be a "game-changer" for veterans who, as a group, tend to be poorly prepared for engaging in a non-military job search. This paper reviews the experiences of a cohort of Navy veterans with aspirations to pursue civilian careers in the federal government or government contract- ing services and what happened when they received professional assis- tance. While many veterans do not possess such clear goals, this group's results deliver some insight into what specifically worked for this popu- lation. In exploring this group's results, we seek to begin a discussion - and encourage further study - about the right methods to keep veterans out of unemployment lines, out of the VA homeless programs, and help move them into rewarding, quality careers.Veteran Transitions: Can Professional Assistance Make a Difference?This study involved a contract by a professional resume writing and career coaching service through the US Navy Fleet and Family Support Service in Naples, Italy in 2012. The service was contracted to profes- sionally assist a group of veterans transitioning out of military service through Executive Review Board early separations, reductions-in-force, and self-selected retirement. The group was comprised of forty-one vet- erans who possessed an average of 14 years of military experience, many of whom were either higher-ranked enlisted personnel or commissioned officers. …

THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL COACHING and RESUME WRITING in SUCCESSFUL VETERAN TRANSITIONS