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Title:Translate Your Military Skills to a Civilian Career

Author:VA Careers

Date:August 2025

Source:vacareers.va.gov

You did it: you served your country and now you're a proud Veteran. But you're also now on the job hunt for a civilian career—which can feel complicated when the work you were doing sounds so different than the work you're applying to do.

Luckily, your military service can translate into numerous skills that Federal employers like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) value. Spend some time reviewing your resume to determine which skills can be used in a civilian role. For instance, leadership experience, collaborating on a team, and problem solving are all valuable skills you built during your military career.

For specific examples of how your military experience can apply to a civilian job, consider using O*NET OnLine. The O*NET database contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations.

Follow these steps to get assistance translating your military skills:

  1. Click "Crosswalks" at the top of the page.
  2. Click "Military."
  3. Select your branch from the drop-down menu and type in your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) or Military Occupational Classification (MOC).
  4. Click the blue link associated with the officer or enlisted MOS/MOC. If another blue link appears, click it to take you to civilian positions that correlate to your MOS.
  5. Click specific job titles to see occupation-specific tasks and skills that may align with your experience.
  6. Go to USAJOBS and type one of the civilian positions into the search bar. Review the job postings and find the "Job Family (Series)" under the "Overview" section on the right.
  7. Repeat this step with other civilian positions from your O*NET search. Determine the most common job series that aligns with your military skill set and use that information to highlight transferable skills on your resume.

Once you determine common job series that align with your military skills, you can create series-specific resumes tailored to each job series. Since different series have different standards, this can help ensure your resume speaks directly to the position.

Your military experience isn't just something to be proud of — it can set you apart from other candidates. By effectively translating your military skills to civilian job requirements, you can enter the next phase of your career with confidence.

Work at VA

Yes, VA is hiring! Pursue a career that values your military skills, where you can make a difference in the lives of Veterans every day.

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