How to Transition from Military to Civilian Jobs

Leaving the military and entering the civilian job market is a major life transition. Nonetheless, it does not need to be extremely difficult if you plan and prepare properly. With some strategic thinking about how your military background positions you for civilian employment, you can smoothly shift into rewarding work. 

Assess Your Skills

First, make a list of all the roles you have held during your military service. Write down your responsibilities and accomplishments in each position. This helps you see all the skills you have gained. Include both technical expertise like operating machinery or weapons systems as well as soft skills like leadership, teamwork, punctuality, and problem solving. Knowing your abilities helps match you to civilian openings requiring similar talents.

According to the people over at ProTrain, the military COOL program has descriptions of most military occupational specialties. Review these to remind yourself of all your capabilities based on your former day-to-day duties.

Translate Your Abilities

Civilian employers rarely understand military terminology. Before applying for civilian jobs, translate your military abilities into equivalent civilian experience. For example, combat roles may involve planning missions and managing diverse teams. Logistics positions similarly coordinate complex distribution operations with many movable parts.

When possible, avoid military acronyms and jargon. Describe your skills in simple everyday language civilians easily grasp. Emphasize accomplishments that show initiative, independence and diligence attractive to civilian managers.

Earn Civilian Credentials

Many military skills certify you to do parallel civilian jobs requiring a license or certificate. Research civilian credentials linked to your former military occupational specialty through the military COOL program website. Then take exams to earn any appropriate civilian trade licenses or professional certifications. These provide concrete proof to hiring managers that your military background qualifies you for civilian openings.

For example, military police experience prepares you for police officer or private security jobs. Aviation maintenance skills easily translate to aircraft mechanic roles. Logistics experience is ideal for supply chain management, warehouse supervision and related civilian positions.

Update Your Resume

With your abilities translated for civilian employers, revise your military resume, or create a new civilian resume. In the experience section, prominently feature civilian equivalent accomplishments rather than just listing former military ranks and bases. Quantify achievements with details like number of personnel supervised, budget dollars managed, or extreme conditions overcome.

Also emphasize transferable abilities like leadership, precision, adversity management and work ethic. De-emphasize military-unique elements like security clearances that will not apply in civilian roles. Format your document following civilian resume conventions rather than the military style.

Search Job Listings

Many resources post civilian job openings, including company websites, online boards like Indeed and LinkedIn and state workforce agencies. Search for positions requiring capabilities matching your background. Avoid limiting yourself just to defense contractors. Your military-honed abilities qualify you for diverse civilian fields like operations, logistics, maintenance, security, corrections, aviation and more.

If eligible, leverage military preference during federal government hiring. Customize your applications to align with each civilian employer’s needs. Highlight your most relevant qualifications for each job while explaining how military expertise applies.

Conclusion

Preparing your military-to-civilian transition removes much uncertainty from the process. Assessing your abilities, translating them for civilians and earning any required credentials allows you to market military expertise to civilian employers. 

Veterans who strategically present their transferable skills and accomplishments from military service are extremely attractive candidates for civilian openings. Avoiding confusion about your qualifications means you can rapidly move into a stable, fulfilling post-military career. With planning and effort, you can smoothly shift to rewarding civilian employment drawing on your valuable armed forces experience.