Writing a Military to Civilian Resume that Lands the Job

Finding your first job after years of military service can be a challenge – mostly as you try to convey how your military experience is relevant in a business environment. Converting a military resume to an effective civilian resume requires a bit of creativity as you demonstrate how your experience will benefit them.

Just by having been in the military, you have one quality most employers are desperate to find in their employees: discipline. Your military experience trumpets your work ethic, your loyalty, and your ability to work with a team. Be sure your civilian resume communicates this quality, because it will set you apart from most of the other applicants.

A word of caution when it comes to detailing your military work experience – make sure that each function you mention applies directly to the industry you are trying to get into. So much of what you did in the military, while required for your advancement in that world, may not be relevant to your prospective employer. Focus on what you did to accomplish specific desirable results.

Be sure to speak civilian, rather than all of the abbreviations and acronyms that became second nature to you during your years of service. Chances are, your prospective employer will not understand military terminology. By using it, you may give the impression that you will have challenges communicating with civilians on the job.

What should you include on your military to civilian resume?

• Numbers and statistics that display your effectiveness. You can likely use information from your military evaluations, and because they are quantifiable, your resume will carry the strength of proof rather than the vague claims many civilians include on theirs.

• Did you take any courses during your service that might be relevant in the business world? If so, make sure to include them on your resume, highlighting how your knowledge will benefit your employer’s interests.

• A very clear objective. Do some research before you write your resume, and find out how employers describe their ideal employee as well. Understand their goal in filling this position, and write your objective in a way that communicates how you will fulfill that aim.

• A civilian email address. Using a military email address may confuse your prospective employer or give the impression that you are not fully living a civilian life. You can get a free email address through Hotmail or Gmail.

Once you’ve drafted your civilian resume, be sure to have some friends or family members review it for you. It’s best if they have no military background, because this will help them to read it in the same way your prospective employer will. They should evaluate whether it communicates without using military terms, whether it seems to connect the dots between what your prospective employer is looking for – and what you offer.

For some employers, you may be the first former military employee they have hired. You will fit in best if you bring a sense of humor with you, making your coworkers comfortable working with you. Remember, leadership in business can look very different from how it looked when you were in the service.

Military Transition Resume Writing
Expert military transition resume writers by writers with military service backgrounds.