It is always a good idea to revisit job descriptions annually to ensure they are accurate and true to the mission of your company. The more detailed and specific the job description, the more likely you are to attract Veteran candidates who understand how their skills and experience can translate to the civilian workforce.
COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line) offers two websites to help you determine how military careers, ratings and experience can translate to meet civilian certification and license requirements.
- Army: cool.army.mil
- Navy: cool.navy.mil
Mil2FedJobs Crosswalk helps you identify the military occupations related to a specific federal job. It also provides information about military careers and terminology to help hiring managers and HR professionals better understand and assess a veteran’s education, skills and experience.
Consider using military language in your outreach and job descriptions
O*NET OnLine offers a Military to Civilian Crosswalk that may help you improve your Veterans outreach by targeting specific Military Occupational Classification codes that relate to civilian positions.
Simply enter the job title you are looking to fill (e.g., accountant, human resources, warehouse, etc.) into the military search section. Most civilian occupations will display a list of the occupational specialty codes used by the different branches of the military. You might consider including a list these codes in your job announcement as a way to help Veterans better understand the correlation between their military training and the civilian career you have available.
Consider alternatives to full-time employment, such as work experiences, internships and apprenticeships
Many transitioning Service Members and Veterans are ready to jump right into civilian employment. For others, the value of a pre-employment civilian work-experience is unparalleled. Internships and work experiences offer a “safe” opportunity for many to learn and practice the intricacies of the civilian workplace. Furthermore, for individuals with combat-related injuries and/or disabilities, having the opportunity to see first hand what their minds and bodies can do post-injury is extraordinarily helpful.
For Veterans worried about transitioning to a civilian employment environment, a pre-employment work-based experience can help to develop a remarkable level of self-confidence. The same can be said for employers without experiences hiring Veterans. Both parties have the opportunity to conduct a “test drive” to see if the fit is right (including the environment, culture, job duties, etc.), which often creates a win-win. The following are an assortment of pre-employment possibilities.