Is it possible that your military service isn't that big a deal and you aren't the leader you think you are (searching for civilian job)?

When I retired, like you, my resume was loaded with crap no regular civilian could understand. When I went on interviews they had no idea what I was talking about when I answered their questions. In other words I could not talk to civilians. Fortunately for me I found a job, not what I was looking for but a job none the less, and was placed with a guy who was a Marine. He taught me a lot about how civilians talk. Civilians don't take leave they take a vacation. Civilians don't take a 96 the take a long weekend. The list is long.

If civilians do not understand your resume, rewrite it in civilian language. More importantly write it in the language the job is looking for. No one resume is good for all jobs.

Once you land a job your leadership skills will come to light in more ways than you can even manage!

Good luck.

MAJ Jim Steven Sir, you are a Major, so, yes you are a leader. When I was discharged in 1972, I had to interview with three different managers for a high paying job at a chemical plant. One of the managers did not like the military or veterans, and he let me know it. The other two managers were impressed enough to hire me for the job. When I obtained my degree, I again went through a series of interviews to work on the Space Shuttle program. I was hired and began a 33 year career that I loved. In part, I succeeded because of the determination, discipline, and never quit attitude that I owe to my military service. My service did not help me land jobs, but it sure helped me succeed, once I had the job. Major, keep searching for the right job. If not a member, join LinkedIn, and then become a member of the "Veteran Mentor Network." group. This group can be helpful for job seekers.

You described the situation perfectly, but you completely missed mentioning the cause of the problem. The civilian world doesn't understand us, and they no longer understand leadership; let alone the value of it. As officers, we changed hats regularly, thriving even when taking on management of vocational areas that may be previously unfamiliar to us. Why? Because in most areas, and particularly in senior management, competence in leadership is far more important than technical competence. The average middle-of-the-road performing military officer is light years ahead of most any civilian manager in terms of fostering teamwork, motivating employees, prioritizing issues, general problem solving, and contingency planning.

The managers of today don't understand these concepts because they are either self-centered, short-sighted millennials, or they're the dim-witted prior generation that raised them. Not only do they not understand leadership as we know it; they don't see a need to understand or possess it. Job experience and technical expertise can be obtained by any monkey. Leaders are far harder to come by--except in the military. Unfortunately, as we witness in the frequent liberal snowflake rants on this site, it's becoming rarer in the military as well.

As members of the United States military, we constitute the highest order of mankind. Unlike almost everywhere in the civilian world, the function of even the lowest among us holds tremendous importance. It's hard to find employers who understand this, but when they do, they know to hire vets.