Active military and veterans acquire strong skill sets as part of their service time training and experience, and yet student veterans often find themselves struggling to translate these skills when it comes time to job search. There is a disconnect following military separation in that some veterans report feeling lost trying to bridge their acquired technical skills gained during service time with utilizing and expanding these skills in attempts to adjust to civilian work culture. Higher education has been tasked with helping student veterans translate military training into soft skills to promote readjustment around career and education for an efficient transition. Challenges veterans experience include translating military resumes into civilian-friendly resumes, acquiring civilian-informed interviewing skills, in-field mentoring, lack of access to observe civilian work environments, and finding a point of contact to support transitioning from technical skills to soft skills. Career transition courses, coaching, and group coaching could be valuable resources to better support student veterans to expand their network, gain confidence in better understanding their expertise and skills in new environments and gain peer support that can extend well beyond completion of school.

Providing information about veteran-friendly employment organizations that understand the value, experience, and expertise veterans have would be an added resource in addition to instilling hope and competence. Companies such as Wells Fargo initiated a program called Vetlign in 2021, which allows veterans to enter their military background, tenure, assignments, branch of service, and rank into the company's database for matching opportunities within the company. Talent management corporations can support higher education in collaborating to support veterans in remaining hopeful and reducing anxiety about how to navigate occupational and career success following military service. Companies such as Wells Fargo understand the value military members and veterans have acquired, the challenge of understanding these skills in new environments and attempts to capture skills on resumes. A staff member of a Military Talent Strategic Sourcing Team stated "Veterans have all these transferable skills they may not recognize and are valuable in the civilian workforce in almost any industry with any organization." Other organizations are forward-thinking in supporting veterans with preparing for transition a year before transitioning from military culture to civilian culture. Partnering with organizations such as the VA and their TAP (Transition Assistance Program) or VA Solid Start can be fruitful for career readiness programs in higher education in conducting outreach and providing information to military members preparing for discharge by supporting and streamlining this process prior to actual separation from the military. Recruiting and partnering with civilian work organizations can support student veterans with increased recognition of skills, fostering a sense of hope, maintaining purpose, and providing assurance that basic needs and financial security will be established.

Student veterans acquire basic skills as part of their technical and tactical training that can be of value in civilian work culture. Below is a list of some of the skills learned that are of significant value in civilian work culture, as civilian community members and many facets of life following military separation:

• Leadership: Student veterans have been trained to inspire leadership in others, motivate others, lead by example, and give clear and detailed instructions.
• Teamwork: Veterans and service members understand the value of teamwork and how diverse people can work together for a common goal. They have acquired knowledge in understanding effective outcomes are produced by shared responsibility and staying focused on the overarching goal of the organization.
• Core values: Student veterans have learned to live by a strong code of ethics and core values that include commitment, integrity, accountability, and service before self. They understand how building a strong team can build proficiency and trust in a work environment.
• Strong worth ethic: From experience in service and training, student veterans have learned and developed a strong work ethic desired in most working environments.
• Self-direction and motivation: Former service members have become highly motivated individuals who work toward efficacy and exercise self-discipline. Student veterans have learned to be self-starters and accomplish difficult tasks without the need for constant guidance.
• Ability to handle stressful situations: Veterans have learned to set priorities, meet deadlines, and manage daily work responsibilities under high-stress environments with accuracy.
• Diversity and inclusion: Veterans are diverse and have learned how to work with people regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or physical or mental capabilities. They may have traveled many places and often speak more than one language.
• Technology and globalization: Coming from environments with sophisticated technology, student veterans may have gained awareness of technical trends, technological savvy, and global outlook.
• Innovative, creative problem solvers: Student veterans have been trained to think in a solution-focused framework. They have experience with being creative problem solvers and find innovative ways to troubleshoot problems in relatively short periods of time.

Basic skills student veterans acquired during service time are often underrecognized. Student veterans develop valuable expertise that can be significant assets following military separation. Service members who developed skills specific to infantry often report confusion, a loss of purpose, and difficulty establishing work purpose and translating acquired skills on a resume following discharge from the military. Higher education can offer an assured foundation for student veterans and active military members in providing career transition courses, coaching sessions, shadowing and observation, resume restructuring, and mentoring offered through career services, built into first-year student seminars and maintained through learning management systems.

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Job Search Advice Serving Military in HigherEd

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