Thanks, vets! Now get lost. Or, how I found out that ex-military need not apply

by Matt Collins

Best Defense potential bonus marcher

Last week, the
Wall Street Journal had an article
about a company that had 25,000 applicants for a single position but did not
hire anyone because none of the applicants were "qualified." The
author, an HR expert from Wharton, cited this kind of inflexiblity, refusal to
pay competitive wages, and the death of corporate training and apprenticeships
as contributing to unemployment. Veterans are some of the hardest hit hit by
this insanity.

While I
understand that it is difficult to translate military experience into the
civilian job market, this is getting out of hand. Reuters just ran a
story that mentioned a medic who couldn't use his background to get a job
as he would need two more years of school to get the same civlian medical
qualifications he had in the military. I know one grunt with tours in Iraq and
Afghanistan who bagged groceries for two years after he got out, then took a
job as a defense contractor in Afghanistan. I recently applied for a job as a
security guard, but didn't get it because I did not have the right credentials.
I've carried a gun in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, but I apparently need
more training and licenses to carry one around an office building. 

There have been
some great intiatives to try to help veterans use their military background in
the civilian world. But, some skills simply don't cross over. There are no
civilian artillery observers or mortarmen. My roommate at Annapolis was a SEAL.
He has a degree in oceanography, speaks fluent Hindi, and is frighteningly good
at swimming and shooting people. I wonder where he will take those skills in
the private sector. I know of some service academy grads who don't list their
time in the military on their resumes.

As the military
draws down in Iraq and Afghanistan, more and more veterans are going to try to
enter the workforce. The Department of Defense and others have threatened
stated
that defense cuts could raise unemployment another percent. I understand that I
bear the brunt of the responsbility for translating my experience into civilian
language. I don't expect companies to meet me halfway, but a little consideration
would be nice. If firms are going to continue to expect perfect candiates to
emerge fully formed from Zeus's head like Athena, a lot more veterans are going
to be filing for unemployment. At least
the defense contractors are still hiring ... for now.

Matthew Collins spent 10 years as a Marine
Intelligence Officer, including tours with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, the
Defense Intelligence Agency and the British Army. Now he's an otherwise unemployed
MBA student at St. Louis University.