Navigating the Civilian Job Market: How Veterans Can Beat AI Resume Screeners & Virtual Interviews
Many veterans struggle while navigating the civilian job market. Because most AI resume screeners don’t recognize military experience, they filter out qualified veterans instead of sending their resumes to recruiters:
- AI screeners scan resumes to rank candidates and identify potential matches.
- Military job titles, acronyms, and occupational specialties often don’t translate clearly into civilian hiring language.
- Because AI looks for patterns, if a job posting requests cybersecurity experience and a veteran’s experience appears in military terminology, the resume screener will ignore the information and overlook the candidate.
As a result, veterans must use their adaptability, discipline, and experience to demonstrate their value to employers. The following guidelines can help.
Translate Military Experience into Skills and Outcomes
Using military terminology in a resume to describe a veteran’s experience means little to a civilian AI resume screener. For instance, highlighting a veteran’s service as a 25B, 68W, or 11B does not emphasize the technical, leadership, or project management skills a screener looks for.
Rather than listing military occupational specialties or unit-specific achievements in a resume, emphasize measurable skills and outcomes in language that AI resume screeners can understand:
- Intelligence collection translates to data analysis.
- Convoy operations translate to logistics coordination.
- Communication planning translates to project coordination.
- Leadership experience translates to team management.
Compare a Resume to the Job Posting
Reread the resume and the job posting to determine how closely they compare:
- Focus on whether the skills and keywords in the job posting accurately reflect the veteran’s experience in their resume.
- Ask a civilian to provide constructive feedback on the resume.
- Update any information the civilian doesn’t understand, because the AI resume screener likely won’t either.
Prepare for Virtual Interviews
Virtual interviews mean a veteran’s first impression is through a webcam rather than in person. Beyond translating military experience into civilian language, managing the stress of a career transition, and learning new professional norms, veterans must learn the following:
- Technology
- Backgrounds
- Lighting
- Camera angles
- Microphone quality
- Eye contact
Tips to set up the environment for a virtual interview include:
- Download and install the video platform well in advance.
- Wear interview-appropriate attire.
- Position the camera at eye level, framing from the chest up.
- Face a window or a lamp so the light hits from the front.
- Have a clean, simple background, such as a plain wall, bookshelf, or organized home office.
- Test the internet connection, microphone, speakers, and video quality at least 24 hours in advance.
- Close the door, silence the phone, put pets in another room, and ask household members to be quiet.
- Look at the camera lens, not the interviewer’s face, to make eye contact.
- If the audio cuts out, type in the chat, “I apologize, my audio appears to have dropped. Let me reconnect.” Leave the meeting and reconnect.
- If the internet connection fails, call the interviewer and say, “I apologize for the technical difficulty. My internet dropped. Can we reconnect, or would you prefer to reschedule?”
- Email a thank-you note within 24 hours of the interview.
Partner with an Experienced Recruitment Firm
Translating military experience into civilian skills and outcomes helps information pass AI resume screeners and reach hiring managers. Preparing for virtual interviews increases the odds of advancement in the hiring process.
Contact your local PrideStaff office for help navigating the civilian job market. Let our expert recruiters help you find a job opportunity that aligns with your goals and military experience.
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