Veterans – Angela Malagon

Original Posting by Military Onesource

Your civilian resume is a summary of your background and experience, and it’s likely to be the first information about you that an employer will see. With your background of military service, you already have impressive skills and knowledge. These tips will help you make a resume that will stand out. Also, see below for links to resume building tools.

With a background of military service, you already have impressive skills and knowledge. These tips will show you how to write a resume that will stand out.

Collect your assets.

Get a copy of your Verification of Military Experience and Training through the Department of Defense.

Your VMET will give an overview of the skills you’ve gained in the military.

Make a list of your technical skills.

Computer technicians, mechanics and engineers have skills that can be easily converted to civilian jobs.
Convert your military job training into civilian terms. For example, “budgeting” is a critical skill in civilian companies.

Make a list of your intangible skills.

Include leadership, discipline and a strong work ethic.

Select your resume style.

There are different ways to organize your resume. Pick a style that highlights your strengths. Your resume should highlight your unique qualifications.

Chronological resume

Your employment history is highlighted, starting with the most recent position, and then going back in time.
Include your responsibilities and accomplishments under each separate job.

Functional resume

Your skills are highlighted. Your work history and gaps are de-emphasized.
Skills and accomplishments should be divided into specific areas of expertise.

Combination resume

Your skills earned in a variety of jobs are highlighted, but using a job history format.
Your specific skills will form the main body of the resume, followed by a concise employment history.

Include these essential components:

Contact information: In the heading, include your name, address, phone number and email address.
Objective or job target: In one or two lines, say what kind of job you’re looking or applying for, and what makes you uniquely qualified.
Summary of qualifications: This is a bulleted section just below the objective in the visual center of the resume.
- Include five or six lines highlighting the skills that qualify you for the job.
- This will include your experience, certifications and related training.
- Title this section “Highlights of Qualifications,” “Summary of Skills” or “Summary of Experience.”
Employment history: Will vary depending on the type of resume.
Education and training: List colleges, schools or military training schools you attended. You can list the name of the school and the location, but not necessarily the dates.
Special skills: Include foreign languages, computer skills or any other relevant skills that will set you apart.

Make your resume unique to you.

You’ve got the basics down. Now use your resume to showcase your unique abilities and accomplishments.

Target your resume. Change and tailor your resume for the job you’re targeting. Learn what this employer looks for and highlight those qualities.
Translate everything into civilian terms.
- For example, replace “officer in charge” with “managed.”
- Take out the acronyms and use terms civilians understand. For example, replace “SNOIC for 2d MarDiv G-3, planning and executing all logistics for operations conducted in our AOR.” with “Supervised staff of 15 people. Planned and coordinated operations conducted by various subordinate units within our division.”
Include your accomplishments. Use numbers to highlight, if possible. For example, “Managed budget of $100K” or “Reduced training time from 26 weeks to 24 weeks.”
Be concise. Limit your resume to one or two pages.
Include volunteer experience if it’s relevant to the job. Volunteer experience can add to credibility and character.
Leave off unnecessary details. Don’t include marital status, height and weight or religious affiliation. Leave off salary information unless it was specifically requested.
Check spelling and accuracy. Proofread your resume, ask someone else to proofread it, and read your resume backwards to catch typos.

Write a cover letter.

Always send a cover letter with your resume. Your cover letter will explain why you’re interested in the position and how your skills make you the best choice for the job.

Get the name of the person in charge of hiring. Send your email or cover letter to him or her. Usually you can just call the company and ask for their name.
Mention the job that you’re applying for in the first paragraph. Focus on describing how your skills and abilities can help the company.
Keep it to one page. Use a business-letter format.
Always follow up. Mention that you will call to follow up and don’t forget to do it.

Tap into resume-building tools.

These websites have tools to help you build your resume and translate your military credentials and experience into civilian skills. They reference veterans, but they’re also for active duty.

Veterans.gov from the U.S. Department of Labor has an online job exchange with access to employers, skills translator, resume builder, interest profiler and more.
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers an interest profiler, educational and career counseling and links to other job resources, such as support for veteran-owned small businesses.
Resumeengine.org through Hiring Our Heroes provides an easy-to-use resume application to service members that will translate military records into a strong resume that civilian employers can easily understand.

Prepare for your job search early.

The earlier you can start your preparation for civilian employment, the better. The Transition Assistance Program office on your installation can help you get started. Military OneSource also offers the Transitioning Veterans specialty consultation to further assist you in transitioning from the military to civilian life.

If you’re pursuing federal employment, upload your resume to the federal resume-building websites. Visit the federal government’s USAJOBS site or your installation Transition Assistance Program for more information.

Original Posting by Monster: Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

You’ve gained a wealth of experience and skills in the military. Now you need to prove that on your resume.

You’re leaving the service and are faced with the daunting task of developing your resume. Your military career is filled with accomplishments, but even the most decorated veteran needs to figure out how to effectively communicate those successes in civilian terms. Monster’s resume-writing tips for veterans will show you how to draft a high-impact resume that describes how your military experience is transferable to a civilian job.

As with all other resumes, you need to kick things off with a professional summary—about three or four sentences—that quickly lets the reader know what you’ve accomplished and the value you’d bring to an organization. From there, follow Monster’s basic resume format to cleanly and clearly demonstrate your skills and experience. Make no mistake: Although companies are eager to hire veterans, that doesn’t mean you can skip the fundamental elements of a strong resume.

Simple Resume-Writing Tips for Veterans

Define your civilian job objective.
Create a resume that speaks to employers’ needs.
Assume readers have no knowledge of the military.
Showcase your accomplishments.
Flaunt your military background.
If you were in active combat, leave out the details.

1. Define Your Civilian Job Objective

You can’t effectively market yourself for a civilian job if you don’t have a clearly defined goal. Because so many service people have diverse backgrounds, they often make the mistake of creating resumes that are too general to be effective.

Before writing your resume, do some soul searching, research occupations, and pinpoint a specific career path. If you’re having trouble with this step, tap into your local transition office or solicit the help of a career coach. If you’re torn between two or more potential goals, set up different resumes.

2. Create a Resume That Speaks to Employers’ Needs

Now that your objective is defined, you’re ready to create a winning resume. Consider a resume’s purpose: To answer the employer’s question, “What can this person do for me?”

A great way to start thinking about employers’ needs is to research your target job. Look at jobs on Monster, scour company websites, and read as many job postings as possible. What types of skills and experiences are employers seeking? What aspects of your background are most relevant?

Any information that does not relate to your goal should be eliminated or de-emphasized, and this includes any unrelated military awards, training, and distinctions. For example, your marksmanship badge, while impressive, may not have any bearing if you’re applying to an office position. This is often the hardest step for former military personnel, which is why it’s so common to see their resumes span five pages or more.

As you decide which information to include, ask yourself, “Will a potential employer care about this experience?” Consider this the top among resume-writing tips for veterans: Include only the information that will help you land an interview.

3. Assume Readers Have No Knowledge of the Military

Demilitarize your job titles, duties, accomplishments, training, and awards to appeal to civilian hiring managers. Employers with no exposure to the military don’t understand the terminology and acronyms, so translate these into civilianese.

Show your resume to several nonmilitary friends and ask them to point out terms they don’t understand. For additional resume-writing tips for veterans, refer to job postings and Military.com’s skills translator for help substituting civilian keywords for military terms.

4. Showcase Your Accomplishments

Your military career has offered you excellent opportunities for training, practical experience, and advancement. Tout these accomplishments on your resume so the average civilian understands the importance of your achievements and the measurable outcomes.

Here’s an example of a demilitarized accomplishment statement:

Increased employee retention rate by 16 percent by focusing on training, team building, and recognition programs. Earned reputation as one of the most progressive and innovative IT organizations in the Army’s communications and IT community.

Here’s an example of incorporating a military award so employers understand its value:

Received Army Achievement Medal for completing 400+ medical evaluations and developing patient database using MS Access. Database improved reporting functions and tracked patient demographics, records, medication, appointments, and status.

5. Flaunt Your Military Background

You might have heard you need to develop a functional resume to mask or downplay your military experience, but the opposite is true. Your military experience is an asset and should be marketed as such. Many employers realize the value of bringing veterans on board.

Attributes honed in the military include

dedication
leadership
teamwork
positive work ethic
cross-functional skills

If you fear a potential employer won’t realize the significance of your military experience, make sure your resume clearly communicates the value you bring to the table.

6. If You Were in Active Combat, Leave Out the Details

Defending your country and its interests is among the most admirable pursuits, but the sad truth is actual references to the horrors of combat leave many employers squeamish. While you might have worked in a short-range air defense engagement zone, this experience might not relate to your future goal. Instead of including details of your actual combat experience on the battlefield, focus instead on any awards and the team-building experience that you developed in combat and how those can apply in the civilian world.

Before You Deploy Your Resume, Get It Inspected for Free

After reviewing these resume-writing tips for veterans, it’s time to write your own and get it out there in the world. But before you do that, it’s smart to double-check that everything is in order. Need some help with that? Get a free resume review from Monster. We can show you how to strengthen your resume so that all your skills and experience get the recognition they deserve.

Category: Veterans

How to Write a Civilian Resume