Military Careers, Second Careers - Army Times

Define your skills in civilian terms

If you’re among the many young service members returning home to start new jobs and careers, you have tons to offer the civilian work force. The hard part will be explaining that to the nonmilitary audience you want to work for.

I don’t have to tell you what it’s like out there. Unemployment rates of young military personnel have been consistently higher than non-veterans, says a CBS News story. To make it easier for civilian employers to see your value, try these tips.

Cut out the jargon.

Writing things like “I enjoy MOS ...,” “will ETS out of the military,” “served as an 18D” and “experience as M2 gunner (50-CAL)” does not help civilian employers understand what you can do in private industry. Most won’t even know what these words mean. What skills and knowledge did you develop, and how do they relate to the civilian world? Explain this in your profile.

Clean up your grammar.

Use complete sentences, start sentences with a capital letter and capitalize proper nouns. You’re making a first impression, and employers want to know you can communicate effectively.

Don’t say things like, “looking for a job that pays well and supports my family needs.”

Companies are looking for people who can solve problems. For that they will hopefully pay you a competitive wage. Using what-can-you-do-for-me language won’t command attention.