Members of the New York Army National Guard are trained to do a lot of tasks that apply to civilian life.

Take X-rays. Drive trucks. Care for the injured.

But when it's time to get a job outside of military life, those skills don't always translate smoothly into a career.

"They've been spending a year driving a semi truck back-and-forth between towns in Iraq, but all of a sudden, they come back and can't do it now," said Michael Livi, a veterans employment representative for the New York State Department of Labor.

A group of National Guard members in the Buffalo area and across the state are working to help their colleagues work through the hurdles of landing a job -- whether it's obtaining proper certifications or just getting a ride to the interview. Their efforts culminated Tuesday in a Job Expo at the Connecticut Street Armory, aimed at helping connect members of the National Guard and local veterans with employers.

They hope that strong civilian careers will mean a more stable Guard.

Spc. Pablo Hurtado, a unit career counselor in the 27th Brigade, said the state created his position after noticing a trend of men and women who were leaving the Guard to move to other states for jobs or who were going on full-time active duty for the pay.

"We lose our strength in numbers," said Staff Sgt. Stephen Campbell, who also works as a career and retention counselor. "Every time they switch, we lose a guy."

Hurtado and Campbell were among the Guard members who helped organize the job fair at the armory. The fair, which drew more than 50 employers, was aimed at helping Guard members and veterans find jobs but was also open to the public. They hope to turn the Job Expo into an annual event.

Hurtado said that part of his job is educating Guard members about the education benefits they receive, as well as programs that help them transfer their military experience into civilian certifications or licenses.

"These guys are getting out of the military or the Reserve, and they have skills," Livi said, "but a lot of the skills they have won't or don't transfer to the civilian side."

Another issue, Hurtado said, is employers who don't want to hire Guard members because they are concerned about deployments or weekend drills. Hurtado said he also works with employers to overcome those concerns.

Pfc. Zachary Pickard of North Tonawanda has dealt firsthand with the difficulty of finding a civilian job. Pickard is on schedule to leave for training in a month and then deploy overseas.

He has been looking for a job for months. Finding an employer who wants to hire and train him for only a short time, he said, has been difficult.

Pickard, an X-ray technician in the Guard, said he hopes to turn that skill into his civilian career when he returns.

"In Western New York," Pickard said, "there's not a lot of opportunity making more money if you don't have a college degree."

djgee@buffnews.comnull