You served four years, eight years, maybe twenty. You know your job inside and out. But when you pull up USAJOBS and see "GS-0343-09" or "GS-2210-11," it feels like reading a foreign language. Federal job series codes are how the government organizes every civilian position, and figuring out which ones match your military occupational specialty is the single biggest barrier between you and a federal career.

I built BMR's Career Crosswalk Tool specifically because this problem nearly derailed my own federal career. After separating as a Navy Diver, I had no idea that my experience qualified me for positions in environmental management, supply chain, contracting, and engineering. I stumbled into my first federal role and then kept advancing across six different career fields. Most of that progress came from understanding which job series matched my actual experience, not just the obvious ones.

This guide breaks down how federal job series work, maps the most common military specialties to their matching GS series, and shows you how to read a job announcement so you can spot qualifying experience you might be overlooking. Whether you served as an 11B, an IT, an ET, or a 3D0X2, your military skills translate to more federal series than you think.

How Do Federal Job Series Work?

Every federal civilian position is classified under the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) system. Each job gets a four-digit series number that identifies the occupation. GS-0301 is Miscellaneous Administration. GS-2210 is Information Technology Management. GS-1102 is Contracting. There are over 400 active series across the federal government.

The series number tells you what kind of work the position involves, but it does not tell you the grade level, location, or agency. A GS-0343 (Management and Program Analysis) position could exist at the Department of Defense, the VA, the EPA, or any other federal agency. The work might look different at each one, but the core classification is the same.

Here is why this matters for veterans: your MOS, Rating, or AFSC trained you in skills that map to multiple federal series, not just one. An Army 92Y (Unit Supply Specialist) does not only qualify for supply positions (GS-2001). That same experience can qualify you for GS-0303 (Miscellaneous Clerk), GS-0344 (Management Clerical), GS-2003 (Supply Program Management), and GS-1101 (General Business). The problem is that most veterans only search for the obvious match and miss the rest.

Why Does Your MOS Map to More Than One Series?

Military jobs are broad by design. A Navy Electronics Technician does not just fix circuit boards. They manage maintenance schedules, supervise teams, order parts, write technical reports, and train junior personnel. Each of those tasks maps to a different federal series. The maintenance work maps to GS-0856 (Electronics Technician). The supervision maps to GS-0301 (Miscellaneous Administration). The training maps to GS-1712 (Training Instruction). The parts management maps to GS-2001 (General Supply).

The military trains you as a generalist within your specialty. Federal jobs are classified as specialists. That mismatch is where veterans lose opportunities. You search for "electronics technician" on USAJOBS and find five openings. But if you searched for all the series your experience actually qualifies you for, you would find fifty.

Stephan made his military accomplishments translate to corporate. Six figures.

"It made my accomplishments in the mil translate so well to the corporate side!"
— Stephan, E-6, Army

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Which Federal Job Series Match the Most Common Military Specialties?

Below is a reference mapping of popular military specialties to their most relevant federal job series. This is not exhaustive. Use it as a starting point, then check BMR's Career Crosswalk Tool for your specific MOS, Rating, or AFSC.

Notice that GS-0301 (Miscellaneous Administration) appears across almost every specialty. That is because military service at the E-5 and above level involves administrative duties regardless of your MOS. Supervisory experience, report writing, training coordination, and resource management all fall under this series. It is one of the most common entry points for veterans into federal service.

How Do You Read a Federal Job Announcement for Qualifying Experience?

Every USAJOBS announcement has a section called "Qualifications" or "How You Will Be Evaluated." This is where the agency spells out exactly what experience counts. You need to read this section line by line, not skim it.

Look for the "Specialized Experience" paragraph. It usually says something like: "You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level that includes..." followed by a list of duties. Your job is to match your military experience to those duties, word for word when possible.

One thing that trips up veterans: the announcement might say "experience in program management" and you think that means you need PMP certification or a civilian PM title. It does not. If you managed a training program, a maintenance program, a safety program, or a readiness program in the military, that counts. The key is translating military terminology into the civilian language the announcement uses.

Also pay attention to the "Education" section. Many GS series allow you to substitute experience for education at the lower grade levels (GS-5 through GS-9). Your military experience plus any college credits from tuition assistance or the GI Bill can combine to meet the requirements. OPM calls this "combination of education and experience," and it opens doors that veterans often assume are closed to them.

What Are the Easiest Federal Series for Veterans to Enter?

Some federal series are more veteran-friendly than others, not because of preference points but because the qualifying experience aligns closely with military duties. Based on what I have seen across the 15,000+ veterans who have used BMR, these series consistently produce the best results for transitioning service members.

GS-0301 (Miscellaneous Administration and Program): This is the catch-all series. If you supervised people, managed programs, coordinated logistics, or handled administrative functions at any level, you likely qualify. It is the most common series in the federal government and exists at every agency.

GS-0343 (Management and Program Analysis): If you ever analyzed processes, wrote reports on efficiency, or recommended improvements to operations, this series fits. It maps well to NCO and officer duties where you evaluated unit performance and proposed changes.

GS-2210 (Information Technology Management): Any military specialty that touched networks, systems administration, cybersecurity, or communications equipment maps here. This includes Army 25-series, Navy ITs and ETs, Air Force 3D-series, and Marine 06-series MOSs.

GS-1102 (Contracting): If you managed government purchase cards, processed requisitions, or handled any procurement duties, this series is worth exploring. It is also one of the higher-paying series and has consistent openings across DoD agencies.

GS-0080 (Security Administration): Veterans with any security clearance management, physical security, or force protection experience fit this series. It maps to a wider range of MOSs than people expect.

When you write your federal resume, target the specific series you are applying for. Use the language from the job announcement, mirror the duties listed in the specialized experience requirements, and keep it to two pages maximum.

How Can You Use BMR's Crosswalk Tool to Find Your Federal Match?

I built the Career Crosswalk Tool to solve exactly this problem. You enter your MOS, Rating, or AFSC, and it shows you matching civilian careers with salary ranges and federal position series. It pulls from real occupational data so the matches are based on actual skill crosswalks, not guesswork.

The tool also shows you private sector matches alongside federal ones, which helps if you are considering both paths. Many veterans start in federal service and later move to defense contractors or private industry, or vice versa. Knowing all your options upfront saves months of unfocused job searching.

After you identify your target series, use BMR's Resume Builder to tailor your resume for each specific announcement. The builder handles the military-to-civilian translation and formats your experience to match what federal HR specialists expect to see. You paste in the job announcement, and it restructures your experience to align with the specialized experience requirements.

What Mistakes Do Veterans Make When Matching MOS to Federal Series?

The biggest mistake is tunnel vision. Veterans search for one job title that sounds like their MOS and ignore everything else. An Army 12B (Combat Engineer) searches for "engineer" on USAJOBS and only applies to GS-0801 (General Engineering) positions. But that same experience qualifies for GS-0809 (Construction Control), GS-0810 (Civil Engineering), GS-0301 (Admin/Program), and GS-0028 (Environmental Protection). Five series instead of one.

The second mistake is not reading the full announcement. Veterans see a job title, check the grade and location, and apply without reading the qualifications section. Then they wonder why they get rated "not qualified." The qualifications section is a checklist. If your resume does not specifically address each item on that list, you will not make the referral list. This is not about common resume mistakes like formatting. It is about matching your experience to their requirements point by point.

The fourth mistake is assuming you need a degree for every federal position. Many GS-5 through GS-9 positions accept equivalent experience in place of education. Your four or eight years of military service counts as professional experience. Combined with military education (PME, technical schools, MOS-producing courses), you often meet the requirements without a bachelor's degree. Check the announcement carefully because it will state whether education can be substituted.

The fifth mistake is ignoring the questionnaire. Most USAJOBS applications include a self-assessment questionnaire. Your answers here determine whether your application moves forward. Answer honestly but do not sell yourself short. If you performed a task regularly in the military, rate yourself accordingly. HR uses these scores alongside your resume to determine qualification.

Your federal job search should be strategic, not scattershot. Identify your matching series, tailor each resume to the specific announcement, and apply consistently. The veterans who land federal jobs are the ones who treat the application process like a mission, with a clear target and a specific plan for each position.

Start by running your MOS through the crosswalk tool to see all your qualifying series. Then set up USAJOBS saved searches for each one with email alerts turned on. When a position posts that matches your experience, read the full qualifications section before applying. Pull the specialized experience requirements into a checklist and make sure your resume addresses every single item. This is the difference between getting referred and getting screened out. The veterans who get hired are not the most qualified on paper. They are the ones who match their resume to the announcement most precisely.

Related: Federal resume format 2026: OPM requirements and KSA examples for federal resumes.

Build yours: Create your federal resume with the free BMR Federal Resume Builder.

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