Troops returning from overseas tours of duty are coming home to another kind of battle: Job hunting.

About 17 percent of returning veterans said it took more than six months to find employment after leaving active duty, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey. That's nearly 1 in 5 veterans.

The survey also found that nearly 1 in 10 veterans said it took a year or more.

The greatest challenge, said 1 in 5 veterans, is getting employers to see how military skills can translate into qualifications for civilian positions. Veterans also said other reasons they have trouble finding jobs are a lack of college degree, a low number of jobs in their area and inexperience with civilian job interviewing.

Despite the findings, nearly 20 percent of employers said they plan to actively recruit veterans over the next 12 months.

"Employers value the diverse skill set that veterans can bring to their workforce and how these workers can have a positive impact on their bottom lines," Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder.com's human resources vice president said in a prepared statement.

She said that employers plan to fill roles in fields such as IT, sales, management and engineering over the next year.

Employers considering veterans for work said that the most important qualities to them include teamwork (74 percent of employers), a disciplined work approach (73 percent), leadership skills (66 percent), integrity (64 percent) and the ability to perform under pressure (62 percent).

Haefner recommended that veterans seeking civilian work make their skills transferrable by focusing on how that experience can be used in the civilian workplace. She also suggested that veterans be specific when describing work experience and keep options open by focusing on skills rather than a military job title.