How to Convert the Military Rate to Civilian Jobs
The term "rate," within the military community, refers to a combination of rate (pay grade, i.e., E7) and rating (job specialty, i.e., Intelligence). The majority of military rates or jobs convert easily into civilian occupations or careers. Many of the jobs in the military today have direct counterparts in the civilian world, making it easy, when leaving the military, to move directly into civilian jobs. About 10 percent of military jobs, however, do not have a direct link to a civilian counterpart. Those jobs that do not translate directly can translate into civilian jobs with the use of a few online tools and keyword analysis.
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Instructions
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Create a list of skill sets for your military rate or specialty. Many military jobs, such as doctor, dentist, lawyer, engineer or electrician, have a direct civilian counterpart. If you are an electrician in the military, then you are an electrician in the civilian job market. For those that do not have that direct counterpart, creating a list of skills will make the transition easier. For example, the rate of Intelligence does not directly convert to a civilian job, so you would then list such relevant skills as database design, computer networking, linguist, investigative analysis, report writing, research, photography and planning.
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Use a military-to-civilian occupation translator, such as the one provided online by CareerOneStop.com. (See Resources) Use the words from the skill set to find compatible civilian jobs through the occupation translator. Insert a keyword skill, such as investigative analysis, into the keyword search blank. Press the "Next" button to move to the next screen in the translator. Click on the "Civilian Occupation Search" with this keyword hyperlink. It will separate the two words: choose "Investigative" and click on the hyperlink. The translator will provide a list of civilian occupations that fit that skill set. In the case of the keyword "investigative," detective, criminal investigator, reporter and correspondent provide the best choice for a civilian job or career.
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Take the information provided by the occupation translator and use it to formulate a new resume. Use the civilian title provided by the occupation translator to do a job search through an online job board. The resulting list of jobs will present you with a good idea of job descriptions and job markets for that particular career path.
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Check with a military recruiter for updates to the Military Occupational Code handbook. Look up the MOC to find a civilian counterpart. Updates and changes often occur when a rate changes or skills increase. A new update might provide a new career path to investigate.
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