Career Help

Biola's Center for Career Development is excited to work with military personnel and veterans! Our office provides services to help you explore career options, create résumés, hone interviewing skills, improve job search and network with employers.

The military provides valuable skills, including leadership, teamwork, communication, technical competencies and often, international experience and a second language. A key aspect of your career preparation will include translating your military experience into civilian terms. In other words, translate and repackage your skills in a way that civilian employers value. This guide provides seven sequential steps to accomplish this task.

1. Identify the Military Occupational Code (MOC) for each job you held by your service branch:
   1. Army MOCs
   2. Navy MOCs
   3. Air Force MOCs
   4. Marines MOCs
   5. Coast Guard
      
      
2. Generate a list of civilian occupations related to your MOC by using O*Net’s Military Crosswalk. Select your service branch and enter your MOC. Click on job titles that sound interesting to you, review details about the jobs and compile a short of list of job titles to search for openings.
   
   
3. Search for job openings matching your short list of targeted job titles. We can help you with this process if you make an appointment with us. Here are some sources:
   1. Biola Handshake: Biola's recruitment platform with job and internship opportunities.
   2. USA Jobs: The federal government’s official job board.
   3. Other job boards: indeed.com, simplyhired.com and many more.
      
      
4. Translate your military experience into civilian skills by using an online tool such as the Veterans Affairs' website. Select your service branch, military pay grade and enter your MOC or military job title. This will generate a list of civilian skills associated with a military job. Copy and paste the relevant skills onto a document for future reference.
   
   
5. Create customized résumés for each job you wish to apply for. Visit this site for résumé tips geared to military personnel and veterans. Upload a résumé to Biolalink and an associate will review your first résumé online.
   
   
6. Connect with other veterans
   1. Veteran Career Network: Search among more than one million veterans working in industries, job fields and organizations that might interest you.
   2. LinkedIn: Create a LinkedIn account and join groups such as “US Military Veterans Network,” “Military Network,” “Iraq War Veterans,” “Veterans Hired,” “Afghanistan War Veterans” and more.
   3. Veteran organizations.
   
   
7. Additional resources
   1. Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board (SELACO WIB) Career Center, (562) ­863-­0299. SELACO helps businesses hire veterans and offers free employment services to veterans.
   2. Department of Rehabilitation. Visit one of their offices to be assessed for potential disabilities (free service, $1,500 value). If a disability is found, they can assign you to a counselor to help you obtain and retain a job.