There are a number of different job opportunities in the United States Coast Guard, and Coast Guard Reserves. It is the oldest continuous seagoing service, and has been around since its beginnings as the revenue cutter service back in 1790 One of the positions available in both the Reserves and Active duty Coast Guard is the job rating of Yeoman.
The simple explanation is that the Yeoman, or YN rating is similar to the company clerk in the Army. But that would be too simplistic as an YN in the Coast Guard performs a great many tasks. The responsibilities of a Yeoman include delivery and certification of payroll, receiving and preparing travel and military orders for personnel, scheduling transportation for members with orders, helping to arrange shipment of household goods, and other duties related to caring for the members of the unit. A Yeoman is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the paperwork, and has to often be a master solver of problems, information source, and career counselor, all rolled into one.
To qualify for the Yeoman rating in the Coast Guard you should be a person who pays attention to detail. The ability to type is a must, and computer and Internet familiarity, and skills are very helpful. Knowledge and skills with office machinery, spreadsheets, word processors and word processing software, as well as other computer skills is highly desired. One of the main jobs of a Yeoman is data entry and retrieval. You should be able to organize and prioritize daily, weekly and monthly tasks to insure their completion. To receive training for the Yeoman job rating you have to score at least a 106 on the VE + AR portion of the ASVAB test, and a NO + CS of at least 101.
There are two different avenues to becoming a Yeoman in the United States Coast Guard. One method is to attend formal Coast Guard schooling in Petaluma, California. This instruction lasts four to six weeks in length, and is self paced. The other method is to receive on the job training, or strike the rating, in order to become a Third Class Petty Officer.
Yeomen are people in whom the Coast Guard relies heavily. There is Yeoman in every unit or group in the Coast Guard, and they are the key behind scenes type people that keep the Coast Guard running well. Most of the offices with any size, from land based Staff offices to Coast Air Stations, Marine Safety Offices, and other land-based offices have Yeomen ratings on duty. Nearly every ship that the Coast Guard has where personnel live onboard has Yeoman duty billets, from the largest Cutters to smaller buoy tenders.