The military was linked in long, long before Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn’s CEO, was born. All military clients are linked in to the military community and use it much the same way LinkedIn is used by their civilian counterparts. In fact, that aspect of service is so ingrained many servicemen and women may not recognize its role in their transition to their new civilian careers. Yet it’s beneficial to review the parallels.

The network’s role in military hiring: No, that’s not a typo. People on active duty use networks to “hire” or to be “hired,” especially for the best jobs. Perhaps a personal example will help.

When I served in the Pentagon, we often received copies of personnel folders from people who wanted a sought after headquarters position. We routinely ignored them. We knew how the system worked.

It usually started with a call from a general officer. He or she wanted to hire someone with specific experience. Like most of my peers, if I didn’t know anybody personally and well, I apologized for not being able to help.

Then a call came from an assistant chief of staff who wanted someone with operational flying experience and a master’s degree in operations research. I had the perfect candidate.

I had flown with a most capable officer. She was hand-picked to attend MIT on a full scholarship to get a master’s in operations research. She would graduate soon with a 4.0 GPA. I recommended her because I knew her well. By the end of that phone call, she was hired.

Military people should think about those who know their work at first hand and ask for LinkedIn recommendations from them rather than request a more rarely used letter of recommendation.

They should also reach out to those for whom they worked on active duty. If those individuals may have already made the transition they can be the perfect gateway to a civilian career. They can offer great LinkedIn recommendations as well.

Beware the beltway bandits: Some excellent, well-respected companies have the military as their primary customers. Naturally, military professionals leaving the service can be attractive candidates as long as DoD ethics rules are followed.

However, there are a few organizations who try to take unfair advantage of that most sought after military person: the one with a high-level clearance and an up-to-date personal phonebook (network).

These firms try to make offers they think people can’t refuse. To them, it’s a lot cheaper to hire the right people, work them very, very hard then release them just before they qualify for expensive benefits and perks. Those tactics are their undoing. Separating military people should remember: if it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.

The “new” networking has always been basis of military life. The traditional definition of networking describes a mutually mortifying process whereby the job seeker imposes on friends, relatives, and total strangers to ask for something none of them can give: a job. No wonder most recoil from the idea.

The new definition aligns perfectly with the military culture: offer value and help with no immediate expectation of return. In short, to serve is to network. If more military professionals recognized that simple truth, their job searches would be easier, faster, and more effective.

There are many parallels between how key military jobs get filled and how civilians build their careers. Let’s hope many who hang up the uniform get to use them well.