Your military service likely provided you with skills that are in high-demand within the civilian workforce. For example, you may have acquired "hard skills" that equip you to carry out the technical or procedural requirements of specialized civilian jobs. When considering possible career paths for which you are qualified, it's important to think beyond the specific details of the work you performed. A serviceperson whose responsibilities included weaponry inventory management, for example, may certainly be capable of overseeing inventory in a different setting as well.The U.S. Department of Labor's Military to Civilian Occupation Translator can assist you in considering your options by providing civilian equivalents to your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Your MOS codes can be found on your DD Form 2586, Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET). For more information and/or to request a copy of your VMET, visit the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program portal. You’ll need a Department of Defense Common Access Card (CAC) login to enter the site.
But what if your MOS does not have a civilian equivalent, or you wish to pursue employment that is completely unrelated to your military experience? In addition to hard skills, you undoubtedly also utilized valuable "soft skills," which are personal attributes that enhance your workplace interactions and productivity. Examples include communication, time management, and problem-solving, among others. Most soft skills are beneficial in performing a wide range of jobs, and are therefore referred to as "transferable." A solid understanding of your soft skills will help clarify the full range of career options available to you.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Skills Profiler can help you identify jobs that are good fit with both the hard and soft skills you used while in the military. Additionally, online job boards such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com may also be useful in determining suitable civilian occupations. If your military duties included working with spreadsheets, for instance, searching on keywords such as "spreadsheet" or "Excel" can help you identify relevant jobs that may not have otherwise occurred to you.
Research of this nature is an important step in job search planning and preparation – helping you to create a more focused civilian resume and interview with greater confidence and effectiveness!
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