Student Veteran Career Resources Toolkit

Career Guide for Student Veterans at the University of Michigan

Welcome to Michigan! The University Career Center is committed to being a partner to our student veterans. We look forward to helping you prepare for your next steps after Michigan and to help you build on the skills you have already gained through your experiences.

You're already coming to U-M with strong skills, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming to decide on your career goals and to translate your experiences to a civilian audience. Don't worry- we're here for you for your career exploration and preparation.

Below are some veteran specific links that will help you get started. If other questions arise, look at our additional resources on our websites or schedule an appointment online to meet with one of our career coaches.

For additional information regarding being a student veteran at The University of Michigan, visit the Veteran and Military Services website.

Table of Contents:

  • DEVELOPING A “CIVILIAN-FRIENDLY” RESUME
  • EXPLORING CIVILIAN OPTIONS
  • JOB AND INTERNSHIP SEARCH RESOURCES FOR VETERANS
  • PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND NETWORKING GROUPS
  • OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL

DEVELOPING A “CIVILIAN-FRIENDLY” RESUME

To be competitive for jobs and internships outside of the military, you will need to translate your military experiences and skills to civilian terms on your resume. Regardless of your specific profession in the military, you developed and strengthened marketable skills for a civilian workplace.

University of Michigan/UCC Resources

  • Review the “Resume Resources” page of the University Career Center website for general resume tips and to begin a draft.
  • Get Feedback- Undergraduates at U-M can upload their resume to vmock.com/michigan for on-demand, personalized feedback.
  • All student veterans can email careercenter@umich.edu to be asked to set up for a 1-on-1 appointment with a coach experienced in working with students with military experience.

Additional External Resources

EXPLORING CIVILIAN OPTIONS

Career Assessments

University of Michigan/UCC Resources

  • Take an assessment at the University Career Center. We offer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), and the CliftonStrengths. Scholarships are available. 

Additional External Resources

  • Use career assessment tools to help you when choosing a major or career. Check out MyNextMove for quick and free tools to explore options. 

Research How Your Experience Translates to Civilian Roles

University of Michigan/UCC Resources

  • View the “Getting started/explore” page of the University Career Center Website for general information about exploring interests and career options. Make an appointment with a University Career Center career coach to explore options.
  • Find other veterans who went to U-M on UCAN to learn about their pathways. Type “veteran” in the keyword search to begin identifying student veteran alumni. 

Additional External Resources

  • Match your military skills and experiences to civilian occupations using the Military-to-Civilian Occupation Translator from CareerOneStop
  • MyNextMove, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, has a tool to help you translate your military assignments into civilian occupations.  
  • Obtain your Verification of Military Experience and Training Document from the DoD Transition Assistance Program. This document lists your military job experience and training history, recommended college credit information, and civilian equivalent job titles.
 

JOB AND INTERNSHIP SEARCH RESOURCES FOR VETERANS

Below are links to veteran-specific job boards.  During your job and internship search process, it's not a good idea to rely only on job boards, but they can be a good resource when used effectively.  Use them to understand: who is hiring? For what position? Where? 

While you can still apply to those positions through the job boards, keep in mind that it would still be a good idea to contact the company directly regarding the position and keep networking as an important part of your strategy.

University of Michigan/UCC Resources

  • Handshake: A pathway to career connections. Through this tool you can: Explore job and internship openings, engage in recruiting activities with employers, and develop and track your goals and next steps. You can also identify University Career Center events, workshops, and fairs and schedule an appointment with a UCC coach to discuss your ideas, and develop plans, and strategies related to graduate/professional schools, and employment.

Additional External Resources

Interested in starting your own business? The Small Business Administration has a page devoted to entrepreneurial vets interested in starting their own business. 

Schedule a “Job Search” appointment with the University Career Center to meet with a career coach and strategize your search.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND NETWORKING GROUPS

Joining groups can be beneficial for many reasons including support, networking, resource sharing, learning, and potential job opportunities.  Below are a few groups and networking pages to consider joining. Also consider looking for groups associated with your branch.

LinkedIn Groups:

Facebook Pages:

 

OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL

Visit our Applying to Graduate School page for more details about picking a program and applying.

Links to external resources are included due to their potential interest to students. Inclusion of a resource does not imply University Career Center or University endorsement of the particular organization, opportunity, or resource described.  Descriptions of a resource are taken from the external site and the University is not responsible for the content.