You can leverage artificial intelligence in your post-military career transition.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has roared into our reality in the last couple of years. Like it or not, it’s here to stay. AI already is reordering and shaping the workforce. If you are transitioning from the military or are a veteran who wants to change jobs, you put yourself at a disadvantage if you ignore how AI can help you in your post-military job search.
To find out how, we asked Mike Hurdy, chief science officer at Hirevue. The company helps job candidates and human resources professionals.
How should transitioning service members and veterans think about artificial intelligence in the job search? Is it a tool, a risk, or both?
In the job search and application process, AI is a productivity tool that can remove friction. Use it for drafting, organizing, tailoring and accelerating the work that doesn’t directly showcase your talent. But it’s also a risk when it replaces your judgment, your story or your authenticity.
The most important frame is this: AI should amplify your knowledge, skills and abilities, not manufacture them.
What are the most common misconceptions veterans have about using AI in their career transition?
We’re not hearing specific misconceptions from veterans, but there’s a common concern that employers will automatically reject anything written by AI. Employers don’t reject AI. They reject generic, vague or inflated content. The issue isn’t AI, it’s sameness and lack of specificity.
Use AI to help translate military experience into language for civilians,
but add your own context to convey your unique experience.
Where can AI add the most value right now in a post-military job search?
AI adds the most value for candidates where the work is repetitive and time-consuming. For veterans, I’d prioritize:
1. Translating military experience into civilian language
2. Tailoring materials like resumes for each job you apply for
3. Interview prep to practice civilian framing and responses
4. Company and role research to accelerate understanding of expectations and culture
How can veterans use AI to translate military experience into civilian language without losing accuracy or credibility?
Start by giving AI the right inputs. Don’t just paste your MOS or a list of duties. Provide a short description of what you actually did, who you led, what the stakes were and what outcomes you drove. The more context you provide, the less likely it is to fill gaps with vague corporate language.
Then ask AI to translate at the level of skills and outcomes, not at the level of titles. Civilian employers don’t know what “platoon sergeant” means, but they understand leading teams, managing risk, training people, improving processes and delivering results under pressure. AI can help convert military terms into language that maps to those competencies, which is what hiring managers are actually evaluating.
But credibility depends on how you validate what comes back. AI will sometimes overstate your role, upgrade your scope or invent metrics
to make the narrative sound impressive. That’s where veterans can accidentally undermine trust. Treat every output like a draft: review it, correct it and make sure the final version is factually true and specific. If you don’t have a number, don’t add one just because
it sounds good.
Can you share an example of a simple but effective AI prompt a veteran could use during a job search?
Here is a simple prompt to start with:
“I’m transitioning from the military. Here is my job history and a target job description – Identify the top 6 skills this job requires. Map my experience to those skills using civilian language. Suggest 3 resume bullets that show measurable outcomes. Keep everything accurate and avoid buzzwords.”
How can AI help veterans prepare for interviews, especially when explaining military experience to civilian employers?
Before you begin utilizing AI in interview prep, make sure you’ve covered the basics of thoroughly reading the company’s website and social media accounts. Hiring managers want to see that you know about the company and the role. Next, look at places like Glassdoor to see if others have shared common interview questions.
You can ask generative AI for common behavioral interview questions and then draft answers to them using the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. This framework is useful for answering questions in the actual interview.
How are employers and recruiters using AI today,
and what should veterans understand about applicant tracking systems (ATS)?
Employers use AI primarily for screening and prioritization, job matching, skills validation, workflow automation and summarization at scale.
What veterans should understand:
- ATS systems do not read like humans. They parse structure, keywords, titles and consistency.
- A resume filled with generic AI language can backfire because it is harder to match to validated skills.
- Employers are increasingly shifting away from resumes as the single gatekeeper because resumes are degrading in value due to generative AI.
The resume still matters, but it is no longer the whole story.
What should veterans never rely on AI to do for them during the job search?
Companies are being much more explicit in how they do or don’t want candidates to use AI in the hiring process. Follow the guidelines set by companies, so you’re never in the position of being screened out for deception.
How important is basic AI literacy for long-term career success, even in non-technical roles?
Basic AI literacy is going to matter for long-term career success in the same way basic digital literacy became non- negotiable over the last two decades. You don’t need to be an engineer, but you do need to understand what these tools can do, what they can’t do, and how to use them responsibly.
The reason is simple: AI is becoming embedded in the everyday workflows of most organizations, not just in technical teams. If you don’t understand how AI influences work, you’ll eventually be at a disadvantage. Not because you’re less capable, but because you’re operating without a basic map of how work happens.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give a transitioning service member who feels overwhelmed or skeptical about using AI?
Start small. Use AI for these things: Translate your experience into civilian language, generate interview questions, and tighten a resume bullet.
Do not ask it to do the entire job search. Ask it to remove one friction point at a time so you can focus on what matters: showing your capability and building real connections.
AI should give you time back, not take your story away.
Important cautions for veterans:
Never fabricate experience. AI can unintentionally “enhance” details— employers will catch it.
Protect your data. Don’t upload DD-214s, medical records, or sensitive personal information.
Your story still matters. AI can’t replace lived experience, judgment, or character.
