Close up of job application with "military service" section in focus

Communicating Military Experience and Skills to Employers

October 23, 2023

​Being in the military grants you skills and experience you can use to market yourself throughout your job search. However, you'll need to make sure you use civilian language for employers to understand exactly what you can bring them.

Personal Inventory

Start by taking a personal inventory of your experiences thus far. Create a mental list of the civilian occupations related to the military field in which you served. Also, consider which skills from your civilian experience apply to your desired career. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What does the employer need in a new hire?
  • Which skills can you transfer to the employer's needs?
  • What were your accomplishments during your service?

Don't hesitate to let employers know the answers on your resume and cover letter. However, make sure you're only including information that's relevant to the civilian workforce, and to the job you're applying for. For example, a medal in rifle marksmanship probably isn't relevant to most civilian jobs.1 Remember to customize your resume for each job, and be specific rather than general.

Also, feel free to enter your Military Occupational Classification (MOC) code on O*NET to identify your military skills to search for job titles and descriptions that match them.

Make Your Application Civilian-Friendly1

The accomplishments, skills, and experiences you have gained from your military service are valuable to employers. However, be sure the average hiring manager can understand your application materials regarding the information you decide to share. You should also keep this in mind when you go in for interviews.

Hiring managers may not be familiar with military jargon, ranks, acronyms, and the like. If possible, translate these into civilian-friendly language. This page gives some good examples of military terms and job titles, as well as their civilian counterparts. If you have no choice but to use a military term, clearly explain it on your resume or cover letter. For example: Instead of just writing "MP," write "Military Police."

If you were in combat, it's a good idea to avoid graphic details. These may not be applicable for a civilian job search. You may not even be comfortable sharing these details of your service.

Here are a few other good ways to make your application civilian-friendly:

  • Show your resume and cover letter to non-military peers. Make sure there are not any parts a civilian would not be able to understand without explanation.
  • Scan job descriptions for keywords and see if you can use these terms instead of military-specified ones.
  • Use Military.com's skills translator to help match your military skills to civilian jobs.

This doesn't mean you should down play your military background. Instead, be proud of it! Your experience is valuable to employers and sets you apart from the rest of the crowd.

Next Steps

Read more about civilian job search tips in Marketing Your Skills and our Resume Writing Guide. You can also use our Military to Civilian Skills Worksheet to keep track of everything.

 

Sources

1https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/out-of-uniform