Your record is a qualification the posting was not written to read

The gap is not capability. It is that the words on your record and the words in the posting describe the same work and do not match on paper, and the first filter between you and a person is usually matching words.

What actually gets lost

Leadership scope. Running a team of twelve under real consequence reads on a civilian posting as supervisory experience, but only if somebody translates it. Left as a job title and a unit, it reads as nothing.

Clearances. This one cuts the other way and is worth being deliberate about. An active clearance is a hard qualification that a large number of employers will pay for, and it is frequently the single most valuable line you have. It also expires, which makes timing matter.

Certifications and training that already map to a civilian credential, where nobody told you the civilian name for it.

The postings worth your time

Employers who actually hire veterans tend to show it in specifics rather than a badge on the careers page. A named veteran hiring program with a contact. Clearance language in the requirements. Job descriptions that list responsibilities rather than years in a title.

The ones that put a flag on the site and nothing else are usually not doing anything different from anyone else.

What I do

I read the postings, throw out the ones that were never going to answer, and hand you a short list with the reason each one is on it. Where your record maps cleanly to what they are asking for, I will say so. Where it does not, I will say that too.

I cannot promise you a job or an interview, and you should be suspicious of anybody who does.