You Are More Than Your MOS

An MOS doesn’t capture the whole you – read more here

“So what was your MOS?” This is a question that we all have been asked at one point or another. For some, this is seen as a conversation starter – the asker found out you’ve served and it’s an easy way to break the ice. Many hiring managers do this as well, though most don’t fully understand what an MOS represents. Despite that, it’s often used to size someone up to see where they might fit into a position.

The problem with this is that all of us are more than just our MOS – much more. We all possess skills and training that come from joining the military, becoming a key part of a larger team and taking on a role within our service. Every one of us has been given additional duties outside of what our MOS entails, and we all consider it part of the job.

Therein lies the rub – our MOS is not a full representation of who we are as a potential candidate for a job.

Your MOS Isn’t the Whole Story

An MOS, or Military Occupational Specialty, is just that – a specialty. It highlights specialized training an individual may have, but in no way does it capture the entire individual or completely summarize our experience.

It’s very similar to graduating from college with a major – the major is an area of focus, but the fact that you were able to complete a degree program conveys much more about you. A lot of jobs require a degree, and while some jobs may seek degrees in certain areas (engineering, accounting) quite often the cut-off is simply having a college degree. For example, my degree is in history but throughout my career I’ve had jobs in project management and operations.

Having (and earning) an MOS should be viewed by you in the same way – while you may have specialized in something, you’re the sum of much more. Every service member, whether they be an E-1 or an O-10, has been responsible for leading projects, managing people and being financially responsible for equipment. These are things that are drilled into you from the time you start basic training, and they’re expected of you no matter your duty station.

Remember how you signed your life away when you took possession of your rifle, or when you had to drive a vehicle from Point A to B? Notice how E-5 (Sergeants) are the ones who catch grief from higher ups when the Private messes up? This is because we’re tasked with duties outside of what our MOS designates.

How to Reframe Your Ideas of Your MOS and Experience

For example, look at how Op-Orders are conveyed – you’re given the situation and then told what your mission will be and how you’re expected to execute it. Faith is put in you to manage the people and equipment given to you to complete a task. In interview-speak, that is project management, leadership and fiduciary responsibility, plain and simple.

Want more proof? Simply look at an NCOER (non-commissioned officer evaluation report) or OER (officer evaluation report). In both instances, raters look at far more than just MOS. Leadership, how you train others, and responsibilities, among other things, are in your evaluation. While principal duty title is required, right below are sections for additional duties and appointed duties. Is there any check box asking if the soldier is doing exactly what his MOS states? No, not at all. It’s understood that we all do something more than our primary MOS.

Many companies and hiring managers who want to hire Veterans sometimes don’t get this. They see an MOS, look it up and don’t consider the outside responsibilities we all have. Honestly, this is also a hang-up for many of us as Veterans looking to enter the workforce. We tend to think of ourselves just by our MOS, disregarding other items we managed.

This is why you need to convey the whole you and not limit yourself into what your job title was while in service. What we all need to do is change the conversation and create the understanding that members of the military have much more behind them than just their MOS.

Overcoming MOS Assumptions and Misperceptions

When you introduce yourself, let people know you served and let them know that you managed people and projects as part of what you did. We have all heard a fellow Vet who has said with earned pride, “I was a cavalry scout.” What a civilian with no military experience imagines is John Wayne riding across the plains on a horse. A better way to convey this might be “I’m an Army Veteran where I managed people and projects, and I’m looking forward to doing that as a career.” Later, as you get to know someone, you can mention you were a Cav Scout.

Finally, I have to say that this is one of my big irks with most online MOS translators. There is a general tendency for these tools to match someone into a role specific to the MOS. For me as an Army Infantryman – MOS of 11B – by all rights I should be either a police officer or a security guard. I have done neither. What I have brought to the job is follow-through, dependability and leadership. This is what’s missed by most online MOS translators, and it makes it difficult for service members looking to enter a career path.

To be fair, I have seen some good corporate programs out there that do take this into account. I give some big kudos to AT&T as a prime example. If you go to their Veteran Hiring page, you will be prompted to enter your MOS and then given a list of positions that you might fit into. When I enter 11B here, I get a lot of listings including Logistics Associate, Premises Technician and Training Facilitator, just to name a few.

Does it mean you automatically get the job? No – but at least they’re taking into account your overall military background and offer these positions up as possible matches. This gives you an idea of some of the places you can go with your background.

So, my fellow Vets, let’s not limit ourselves to just our MOS, because we all know we did a whole lot more that’s not captured by that title. Let’s change the dialog and position ourselves as more than our MOS. Hiring managers, just know that all of us who have served have a much wider range of experiences and responsibilities beyond our MOS.

It’s time for both sides to move beyond what a few numbers and letters convey.

*This article was originally published by Every Veteran Hired.

Portraying Service Members On Screen

I am often asked how a service member or more often how an actor portraying a service member should approach appearing in a video or photo. 

There are many things to consider when putting uniformed talent in a video. These considerations are the same whether the subject is an actor or a current or former service member.

In fact, there is an entire section of the US Code dedicated to our Armed Forces, and an entire section of which that applies to actors portraying military service members:

Title 10 US Code 772: (f) While portraying a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps, an actor in a theatrical or motion-picture production may wear the uniform of that armed force if the portrayal does not tend to discredit that armed force.

In all cases, its important to strictly adhere to the US Code above, and employ additional safeguards to guarantee compliance.

6 rules to follow when filming actors in uniform:

1. Actors portraying members of the military must wear civilian clothes to and from the location where they will be filmed or photographed

2. When using a uniformed actor in a video project, be sure to adhere to all published military appearance regulations.

   All actors portraying members of the military will adhere to grooming standards consistent with military regulations

3. All references to rank will be correct for each branch of service
4. While wearing the uniform, standard policies will be observed. For instance, covers (hats) will only be worn while outside or under arms when inside. Boot laces will be tucked in and bare arms will be as current policy
5. Under no circumstances will an actor portraying a service member use alcohol, illicit drugs or portray their use while in uniform
6. No actor in uniform will promote a political party or show support for any candidate

There are many other nuances associated with portraying an actor in uniform. However, our general rule is: if you’re being respectful to the armed force being represented and following their uniform regulations, you should be in the clear.

 

Just Like Success in the Military, Your Career Search Requires Good Intel

Creating success in your transition to civilian employment involves tools similar to creating mission success in the military. In the military you had to have good tools, dependable teammates, an initial plan of action, and above all else, good intelligence on what you were walking (or sailing, flying, etc.) into.

This holds true of your transition and job search outside of the military. Not only do you need good tactical intelligence on the job for which you are applying – duties involved, how your skills and experience fit, positions where you’ve applied the same skills, etc., you also need strategic intelligence on the company and how supportive the organization is toward those who have served in the military or continue to serve in the Guard/Reserves.

This is an important area that’s often overlooked, yet it’s something that will give you an indication of how the organization will value your military service and provide some understanding of how happy you’ll be in the long run. This won’t be the deciding factor on taking a job, but it should be part of the intel you gather as you look for companies where your skills are wanted.

What Does “Veteran Friendly” Mean?

I have seen many companies call themselves “Veteran Friendly” but honestly what does that mean? We have all had people come up to us and say “thank you for your service,” and many of those who have not served think this is all they need to do. The same can be said of veteran-friendly companies. They may say thanks and even offer a discount to military personnel when it comes to purchases, but is that really being supportive of those who have worn the uniform? More importantly, how will they look at you as an employee who did your service?

It’s important that we look for companies that are not just “friendly” but those that are truly “veteran-supportive.” Veteran-supportive companies and organizations are those that have taken it upon themselves to do more than just say thanks. These organizations make an effort to understand where you’re coming from, what skills you bring to the table and also help you to acclimate so you can be successful.

While there are a great many things an organization can do, here are a few that I have found to be especially helpful:

• The Company Has a Veteran Employee Resource Group
  • An EVRG, or whatever it may be called, is a group or “club” of prior service members. Ball Aerospace, Bank of America and DaVita are all examples of companies that have put these types of groups together. It may be formal or informal, but these are companies that support Vets who are employees and come together and share ideas, talk about transition and usually get involved in some community support activity. The Bank of America’s EVRG pitched in to volunteer together at VFW Memorial Day picnic event. Ball Aerospace routinely meets to find volunteer opportunities in the community to support other Veterans.
• Military Culture Training of Key Staff
  • A great indicator of how supportive a company is when it comes to those who’ve served is finding out if key folks have undergone some type of military culture training. These are companies where HR folks and company recruiters have undergone some type of training to understand where you are coming from, what skills and how to relate to what you bring to the table. While they will not know everything about life in the military, the training they receive allows them to have sincere discussions with Veterans looking to join their workforce. Large companies like DaVita have done this, but so too have smaller companies like RK Mechanical.
• Companies that look beyond MOS
  • Military Occupational Skill is essentially your job position within the military. Most MOS translators just do direct correlation between military and civilian jobs. The problem is the MOS doesn’t cover all the training and outside responsibilities. For example, I was in the infantry and by all accounts I should be a police officer or a security guard. That ignores the personnel, project and financial management responsibilities a service member has. An example of a company that has done a good job in this is AT&T. On the link to their MOS Translator through their website, I can put in my MOS, 11B, and find jobs all over the country. This is far better than most of the military occupation translators I have seen, including those powered by the federal government.
• Companies that Understand and Support members of the National Guard and Reserves
  • Many of us continue our military service as members of the Guard and Reserves, though there are some companies that don’t like to hire folks who are part-time military because they are worried they will get activated and deployed. Why, they figure, should they put time into training and integrate you into a team when there is a chance you could be sent away for a period of time. While there are legal ramifications involved with a company retaliating against someone who is called to duty, it still becomes a huge issue for the individual and takes time to resolve. Plus, do you really want to work at a place where you have to resort to getting a lawyer involved?
  • A number of organizations are deservedly proud of their employees who continue to serve, and some have even gone above and beyond by providing pay to offset any loss in income the service member might encounter. I know when I was in the Reserves, my company — Liberty Media — didn’t even make me take vacation while I was away on Annual Training and continued to pay me as if I were still there at work.
  • Even if you are not part of the Guard or Reserves, how companies treat the men and women who continue to serve in this capacity is a good reflection of how you will be treated. Check out your state ESGR — Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves — Program to find companies that are veteran-supportive. ESGR is a DoD organization that recognizes companies that are supportive of these men and women and jumps in to mediate when problems arise. Xcel Energy is one such company that was recognized by ESGR, and they take great care of their Veteran employees, including those continuing to serve.
• Look at Which Companies Support Veterans in the Community
  • A great indication of organizations that are really supportive of veterans is what they do in the community. Home Depot provides some great grants to veteran service organizations, and my VFW Post was able to paint their entire building through a paint donation. First Command adopted Project Sanctuary and has supported their week-long family retreats though both a strong corporate financial donation and by offering financial planning classes to military couples.

In Conclusion

Take a deeper look at the organization your are hoping to join and get some basic intel on how they treat those who came before you and those who will certainly follow in your footsteps.

As mentioned, while this may not be the deciding factor, it will give you a better understanding of the culture you are looking to enter. You will find that those organizations that really are veteran-supportive are going to be a much better fit for you in the long run. Plus, at a point down the road you’ll be in a better situation to assist those service members and veterans coming behind you, and you’ll have great company support to assist.