Post by chillyd on Oct 29, 2011 14:42:27 GMT -8
Jobless US vets say military experience not valued
Many U.S. companies, and sometimes veterans themselves, do not know how to translate military experience into civilian skills. There is a disconnect between companies demanding a college degree and veterans giving confusing descriptions of their military experience to civilian employers.
My youngest is learning this now. Hopefully, some college will help him transition is military experiences into something worthy.
I think the problem is that after the draft ended, so few people have served that they really can't relate to the military.
Hiring managers who have not served in the military are often bewildered by the jargon used by soldiers and weapons specialists, said Becky Brillon, who heads a program at the Community Career Center in Naperville.
A military job title might be listed like this: "25 Romeo visual and media equipment operator and maintainer."
"If somebody was artillery, or a sharpshooter or a sniper, you have to tone that down in the civilian world. It's more about being detail-oriented, precise and focused," she said.
Ahhh . . . yeah, that 'tone down' advice is worth it's weight in gold. Most civvies can even spell Infantry, much less comprehend 'close with & destroy the enemy' and all the willpower, technical & tactical excellence and leadership it takes to accomplish that task.
Many U.S. companies, and sometimes veterans themselves, do not know how to translate military experience into civilian skills. There is a disconnect between companies demanding a college degree and veterans giving confusing descriptions of their military experience to civilian employers.
My youngest is learning this now. Hopefully, some college will help him transition is military experiences into something worthy.
I think the problem is that after the draft ended, so few people have served that they really can't relate to the military.
Hiring managers who have not served in the military are often bewildered by the jargon used by soldiers and weapons specialists, said Becky Brillon, who heads a program at the Community Career Center in Naperville.
A military job title might be listed like this: "25 Romeo visual and media equipment operator and maintainer."
"If somebody was artillery, or a sharpshooter or a sniper, you have to tone that down in the civilian world. It's more about being detail-oriented, precise and focused," she said.
Ahhh . . . yeah, that 'tone down' advice is worth it's weight in gold. Most civvies can even spell Infantry, much less comprehend 'close with & destroy the enemy' and all the willpower, technical & tactical excellence and leadership it takes to accomplish that task.
