How to Write a SkillBridge Job Posting That Attracts Interns

You signed up to host a SkillBridge intern. Good. Now you have to write the posting that gets one to pick you.

This is where most companies lose. They write a vague listing. Nobody applies. Then they blame the program.

A transitioning service member in their last 180 days is shopping. They browse listings the same way you browse job boards. A weak posting gets skipped. A clear one gets a message that same day. This guide shows you how to write a SkillBridge job posting that pulls in strong interns. You get the exact sections to include, the tone that lands with military readers, and a short before-and-after so you can see the difference.

Where does a SkillBridge job posting actually live?

Your posting is not a normal job ad. Service members find it through DoD SkillBridge, the DoD authorized program that lets a company host a transitioning member for up to 180 days.

Here is the key part. The member stays on active duty the whole time. The Department of Defense keeps paying their salary and benefits. You pay nothing for their labor. Your listing shows up on your provider page and in the SkillBridge opportunity list that members browse. You can see how the whole thing works on the official DoD SkillBridge program overview.

Members can start a SkillBridge opportunity no earlier than 180 days before they separate. Any rank can apply, enlisted or officer. So your posting may reach a junior technician or a seasoned senior chief. Write it so both can picture themselves in the role.

So your reader is not a laid-off job seeker. They are a current service member who got approved to do an internship instead of their normal duties for their last few months. They are picking one host out of many. Your posting is your pitch.

What is a service member in their last 180 days looking for?

Put yourself in their boots. They are about to leave the only career they have known. They have a short window to build civilian skills. They want proof that this internship leads somewhere real.

They are scanning your posting for a few things. Will I learn a skill I can use after I separate? What will I actually do all day? Where is this located, and can I do it near my base or from home? Does this host tend to hire the interns they take on?

They are not looking for fluff. Military readers spot filler fast. They want the mission, the tasks, and the honest picture. Give them that and you stand out from the hosts who wrote three vague sentences and called it done.

What are the sections of a strong SkillBridge posting?

A good posting has a clear shape. You do not need to be fancy. You need to be clear. Here are the parts that matter and what goes in each one.

The title

Name the actual role. "Logistics Analyst SkillBridge Intern" beats "SkillBridge Opportunity." A member searching the list should know what the job is from the title alone. Add the field if it helps. Skip clever wording.

What they will do

List the real tasks. Give three to five things they will work on. Use plain verbs. "Build supply reports," "shadow the project manager," "run inventory counts." This is the section members read most closely. Vague tasks kill interest here.

Skills they will build

Tell them what they walk away with. Name the tools, the software, the process, or the certification path. A member wants to know the skill is one they can sell to the next employer. This is the payoff, so make it concrete.

Location, remote, and duration

Say where the work happens. On-site, hybrid, or remote. If on-site, name the city. Say how long the internship runs. Most run somewhere inside the 180-day window. Be exact so they can match it to their separation date.

The path to full-time

Be honest here. If you often hire your interns, say so. If you cannot promise it, say that too, and explain what a strong intern can earn. Never imply the slot is a guaranteed job. Members respect straight talk and see through hype.

Put these parts in order and keep each one tight. A member should be able to read the whole posting in under a minute and know exactly what they would do. If a section runs long, cut it. If a section is missing, add it. That is the whole job.

How do you frame the "no salary cost" part without sounding cheap?

You do not pay the intern. The DoD covers their pay and benefits during the program. That is a real benefit for you. But do not lead your posting with it.

Why? Because the member does not care that you save money. They care about what they get. Lead with the skills, the work, and the path. Mention the pay structure once, plainly, so there is no confusion. Something like: "As a SkillBridge intern, you stay on active-duty pay through the DoD. There is no salary from us during the internship."

That one line clears up the money question and moves on. Frame the deal around their growth, not your savings. A posting that reads like a cost-cutting move attracts nobody worth having.

What does a finished posting look like?

Here is a full example you can copy the shape of. It uses every section above in order. Swap in your own role, tasks, and location.

Title: IT Support SkillBridge Intern (Hybrid, Dallas TX)

What you will do: Work our help desk queue, image and set up laptops, learn our ticketing system, and shadow our network team on real fixes. You will handle live tickets from week two, with a senior tech backing you up.

Skills you will build: Hands-on time in our ticketing platform, Active Directory basics, and a clear path toward the CompTIA A+ if you do not hold it yet. You leave with real help-desk experience an employer can verify.

Location and length: Hybrid in Dallas, TX. Two days on-site, three remote. Runs 90 to 120 days inside your final out-processing window.

Pay and path: You stay on active-duty pay through the DoD. There is no salary from us during the internship. We hired 4 of our last 6 SkillBridge interns into full-time IT roles.

See how that reads? A member knows the job, the skill, the place, and the odds of a hire in about forty seconds. That is a posting that earns a message.

What tone lands with military readers?

Write like a person, not a brochure. Short sentences. Plain words. No corporate buzzwords. Military readers work in a world of clear orders and direct language. Match that.

Skip the hype. "World-class culture" and "rockstar team" make them roll their eyes. State what the work is and why it matters. Respect their time. If your posting reads like every other job ad, it disappears in the list.

Do not over-explain the military. You do not need to prove you get veterans. You need to show a real opportunity. A clear, honest posting does more for you than any statement about how much you value service. Let the work speak.

What mistakes kill interest in a posting?

Most weak postings share the same few problems. Fix these and you already beat half the hosts on the list.

The biggest killer is a vague title. "SkillBridge Opportunity" tells the member nothing. They will not open it. The second killer is no clear task. If you write "support our team," a smart member assumes you have no real plan for them. The third killer is no path. If you say nothing about what comes after, they wonder if the internship goes anywhere.

One more. Do not bury the posting in legal or program language. The member already knows how SkillBridge works. They want to know what YOU offer. Keep the program mechanics short and spend your words on the role.

How does a SkillBridge posting differ from a regular job ad?

The bones are the same, but the frame is different. A regular job ad sells a permanent role with a salary. A SkillBridge posting sells a learning window with a possible hire at the end.

Because of that, you shift the weight. A normal ad leads with pay and benefits. A SkillBridge posting leads with the skills and the experience, because the pay comes from the DoD, not you. Your job is to make the member believe this internship moves their career forward.

The good news is the same rules that make a strong veteran job ad make a strong SkillBridge posting. Clear title, real tasks, honest framing. If you want the deeper version of that skill, see our guide on how to write a job description that attracts veterans. The same principles carry straight over.

How do you build a steady pipeline of SkillBridge candidates?

A great posting is step one. But one listing does not fill a pipeline. You need a plan for finding, hosting, and converting interns over time.

Start with the setup. If you are not yet a host, walk through how to become a SkillBridge host company first. Then learn to find candidates through the SkillBridge provider directory. Once an intern is in the door, your goal is to keep them. Our guide on how to convert a SkillBridge intern into a full-time hire covers that step.

Two more pieces round it out. The real ROI math on SkillBridge helps you justify the program to leadership. And if compliance matters to your firm, SkillBridge can count as documented veteran outreach for VEVRAA. Read the Department of Labor opinion on SkillBridge for the official view.

The other half of a pipeline is a steady supply of ready candidates. That is where BMR comes in. More than 1,000 new veteran profiles are added every month, and over 60,000 resumes have been built on the platform. That means a fresh, growing pool of transitioning members you can reach as you host and hire.

Write the posting well. Keep the pipeline full. Do both and SkillBridge becomes one of the strongest, lowest-risk ways to bring proven talent into your company.