Translating Soft Skills: Helping Veterans Articulate Their Value
The intent is clear: “I want to hire veterans.” Companies across industries recognize the immense potential within the military community – a talent pool brimming with leadership, discipline, and a mission-first mindset. However, a significant barrier often arises when translating these highly valuable “soft skills” (or, more accurately, universal competencies honed in unique environments) into language that resonates in a civilian hiring context.
It’s not that veterans lack these skills; it’s that the terminology and experiences used to describe them differ. Bridging this communication gap is crucial for both the veteran job seeker and the civilian hiring team looking to make the right hire.
The Hidden Language of Military Competencies
Military service cultivates an impressive array of abilities that are highly sought after in the civilian workforce. However, a “briefing” might be a “presentation,” “mission readiness” could be “project preparedness,” and a “fire team leader” functions as a “team leader” or “project manager.” The challenge for recruiters and hiring managers is often:
- Understanding the Context: Grasping the real-world scenarios behind military achievements.
- Identifying Transferability: Recognizing how skills learned in a combat zone or a logistics base apply directly to a corporate setting.
- Beyond Jargon: Looking past military-specific terms to see the underlying competency.
This communication gap can lead to qualified veterans being overlooked, simply because their resume or interview responses don’t immediately “click” with civilian expectations.
Helping Veterans Articulate Their Value: Strategies for Recruiters
When you say, “I want to hire veterans,” your organization commits to not just seeking them out, but truly understanding them. Here’s how talent acquisition professionals can help bridge this critical gap:
- Educate Your Hiring Teams:
- Best Practice: Provide training for recruiters and hiring managers on military rank structures, common military occupational specialties (MOS/AFSC/Ratings), and how to translate military experiences into civilian competencies.
- Expert Insight: Web-based training and resources are specifically designed to equip your teams with this essential knowledge.
- Example: Teach them that “briefing a commander” translates to “presenting complex information to senior leadership,” or that “leading a platoon” means “managing a team of 30-50 individuals in high-pressure environments.”
- Use Military-Specific Language in Job Descriptions:
- Best Practice: Incorporate keywords that resonate with both civilian and military audiences. Explicitly state that military experience is valued and provide examples of how military roles might align with job requirements.
- Example: Instead of just “project manager,” consider including “or military equivalent experience.”
- Ask Targeted Interview Questions:
- Best Practice: Move beyond “tell me about your military experience.” Instead, ask behavioral questions that prompt veterans to share specific examples from their service that demonstrate the desired civilian competencies.
- Example Question: “Tell me about a time you had to adapt quickly to a changing situation or a new environment. What was the outcome?” (This allows them to draw on deployments, new assignments, etc.)
- Another Example: “Describe a time you led a team to achieve a complex objective under pressure. What was your role, and what did you learn?”
- Offer Pre-Interview Guidance:
- Best Practice: If possible, provide resources or brief guidance to veteran candidates on how to best articulate their military skills in a civilian interview context. This could be a short guide or a quick chat with a military recruiter.
- Benefit: Empowers the veteran to shine and helps you see their true potential, potentially improving veteran interview-to-offer ratios by optimizing their self-presentation.
The Military Friendly® Advantage: Unlocking Untapped Potential
The Military Friendly® designation signifies more than just an intention; it certifies a strategic approach to talent acquisition. Military Friendly® Membership can provide the tools and insights, built over 25 years on unique intellectual property, to help your organization not only identify but also truly understand and value the rich soft skills military talent brings.
When you say, “I want to hire veterans,” let’s explore how Military Friendly® can help your company bridge the communication gap, ensuring that no valuable skill or experience goes unrecognized. This strategic clarity leads to more efficient hiring, stronger teams, and a truly authentic connection with the military community.
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