Key Strategies for Writing a Military-to-Civilian Resume
- 1. Key Strategies for Writing a Military-to-Civilian Resume How to make your resume more competitive when transitioning into the civilian workforce Dream. Plan. Achieve. SVC 2088 813-974-2171 Mon-Fri: 8-5 www.career.usf.edu
- 2. Common problems with military-to-civilian resumes identified by employers • Overuse of military jargon and abbreviations • Tendency to downplay achievements because of team- orientation • Group training & deployments separated on resume – gives off a “job hopper” feel • Lack of focus/direction, unorganized (Mian, 2012)
- 3. Employer misconceptions about Veteran applicants • Veterans are inflexible, unable to adapt • Lack innovation/creativity • Lack of openness to other cultures; appreciation of diversity Need to address these misconceptions: • Need for flexibility/adaptation crucial; situation, assignments, training could change with short notice • Military personnel are trained to be problem solvers, ability to perform under pressure • Deployments to various locations in the world provide more exposure to other cultures than the average citizen; Military has history of inclusion and diversity appreciation (Mian, 2012)
- 4. Know who you are and how you want to be perceived • Explore who you are • Identify your career interests, goals and objectives • USF Career Center offers self-assessments and career counseling activities to help identify these • Review your professional development during your military career: Job titles, duties, tasks. • What did you do in the military? Review your performance evaluations, training records, award and decoration nominations • Use online military-to-civilian translators to identify transferable skills • Tie in what you have done to your career objectives • Highlight relevant skills and experiences to showcase your qualifications for the position you are seeking • Use civilian terms to describe skills and experiences • Identifying your qualifications with your career interests will help give your resume clear direction and focus (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)
- 5. Sell it, Don’t tell it Telling It • Describes features • Tells what and how • Details activities • Focuses on past activities without any context on impact of activities “Managed personnel and equipment during 6-month overseas deployment” Selling It • Describes benefits • States why the “what” and “how” are important • Includes results, details • Explains benefits of what you did and how they impact country, branch of service, unit, community, etc. “Directed a team of 45 electricians, machinists, and mechanics and maintained more than $30 million in equipment throughout an arduous 6-month overseas deployment. Achieved/maintained 100% inventory accuracy” (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010, p. 7)
- 6. Key Words • Identify key words and phrases that are specific to the civilian career/job you are seeking • Recruiters will understand the language and recognize your knowledge in the field • Integrate these keywords and phrases in describing your experiences, to relate your qualifications to your career goals • Try online military-to-civilian translators to ensure you are using terms used in the civilian workforce, rather than military language: “Led Troops” = “Managed people” • Review job postings to which you are applying to find out what key words are being used in their job descriptions; incorporate these into your resume if applicable (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)
- 7. Example of Military to Civilian Occupation Translator
- 8. Examples of Keywords • Operations Management: • Production planning; scheduling; materials management; inventory control; quality; process engineering; robotics; systems automation; integrated logistics; product specifications; project management • Training: • Needs assessment; instructional programming; training program design; testing and evaluation; public speaking; instructional materials design; seminar planning; resource selection • Aircraft Maintenance: • Aircraft electronic systems; fuel handling; hydraulics and braking systems; fixed-wing and rotary; airframe; pyrotechnical equipment; preventive maintenance • Law Enforcement: • Homeland security; emergency response; interrogation; investigation; patrol; criminal justice; search and rescue; suspect apprehension; security procedures; inspections (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010, p. 7)
- 9. Sample of Job Posting Key Words ← Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are listed ← Action Verbs used to describe requirements ← Technical Skills listed in requirements Examplesofwhattolookforinajobpostingthatyoucanutilizeinyourresume
- 10. Focus on the big things • Program implementation, special projects, cost savings, efficiency and productivity evaluation, team performance • Save smaller tasks/responsibilities for the interview • Demonstrate your job function describing achievements. Example: “Responsible for all aspects of housing and welfare at the base level” Change to: “Led a team of 35 responsible for all aspects of housing and welfare for 2,000 soldiers and more than 4,000 family members at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Fully accountable for more than $30 million in assets, a $10 million annual operating budget, and a series of innovative programs to enhance soldier/family morale and retention within the Armed Forces. Achieved retention rates 12% higher than the nationwide norm during a period of massive reduction in force” (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010, p. 11)
- 11. Purpose of the Resume • To get you the interview; From there it can guide/direct the interviewer’s questions • Feature your key accomplishments and qualifiers prominently • Focus on skills needed for new profession • Keep it organized and readable (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)
- 12. Structured resumes reduce confusion • Recruiters scan through resumes quickly, wanting to pick up important facts in a short amount of time • Stay consistent with placement of job titles, organization names and dates of employment • Use clearly defined sections with headings and subheadings • Watch for grammar and redundancies! (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)
- 13. Be Realistic • Marketing your experiences is one thing, embellishing them to the point of falsehood is another • Stay honest with your experience utilizing real facts to support them, and describing them with strong, descriptive terms • The truth is in the details. Think about: - The challenge/problem you faced - What steps you took to solve the problem(s) or overcome challenges? - What was the outcome/results of your actions? - Why is this outcome valuable? Don’t stretch the truth too far and result in a fabricated resume (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010) (Lord, 2012)
- 14. Be Confident • You have a vast amount of valuable experiences; the key is learning how to market those experiences to potential employers • Keep aware of resources available to you, such as the many workshops available from the Career Center on resume writing, interview tips, networking strategies • Research resources on services targeted to veterans: military-to- civilian transition assistance programs, job search engines, military friendly companies (Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)
- 15. Resources • USF Veteran Services: http://www.veterans.usf.edu/index.asp • USF Career Center: http://www.career.usf.edu/ • USF Libraries Job Shop: http://lib.usf.edu/job-shop/ • Military to Civilian Occupation Translator: http://www.acinet.org/moc/ • Skills Profiler: http://www.careerinfonet.org/skills/default.aspx • My Next Move (from the Occupation Information Network): http://www.mynextmove.org/vets/ • US Department of Labor – Employment and Training Administration: http://www.doleta.gov/ • Real Warriors Campaign: http://www.realwarriors.net/ • Department of Veteran Affairs Vet Center: http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/ • Student Veterans of America: http://www.studentveterans.org • Careers for the Transitioning Military: http://www.taonline.com/ • GI Jobs: http://www.gijobs.com/ • TurboTAP – Transition Assistance Program: http://www.turbotap.org/register.tpp • Vetjobs: http://www.vetjobs.com/ • Hire Heroes USA: http://www.hireheroesusa.org/ • Military.com Job Search: http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs • USA Jobs (Government Jobs): https://www.usajobs.gov/ • Hire Patriots: http://www.hirepatriots.com/ • Civilian Jobs: http://www.civilianjobs.com/
- 16. References • Enelow, W.S. & Kursmark, L.M. (2010). Expert Resumes for Military to Civilian Transitions. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works • Lord, J.U. (2012). Your Military to Civilian Career Change Resume, EzineArticles.com. Retrieved from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Your- Military-to-Civilian-Career-Change-Resume&id=7110737 • Hay, M.T., Rorrer, L.H., Rivera, J.R., Krannich, R. & Krannich, C. (2006). Military Transition to Civilian Success. Manassas Park, VA: Impact Publications • Mian, M. Z. (2011). Hiring Heroes: Employer perceptions, preferences, and hiring practices related to U.S. Military Personnel, Apollo Research Institute. Retrieved from: http://apolloresearchinstitute.com/sites/default/files/hiring_heroes_re port_final.pdf • Real Warriors Campaign (2012). Translating Military Experience to Civilian Employment, Real Warriors Campaign. Retrieved from: http://www.realwarriors.net/veterans/treatment/civilianresume.php
Editor's Notes
- #2: Introduce Self, Write name and email on whiteboard
- #3: TAD PGS Survey: 78% of Resumes downplay or do not list accomplishments55% lack visual impact36% lack objective, focus29% list irrelevant data
- #6: Jonathan.Storytelling exercise
- #7: Jonathan.“Managed” too much. Describe what you “managed” or many people you “led”-Supervised-Demonstrated-Facilitated-Directed
- #8: Jonathanwww.careerinfonet.org/moc/
- #9: JonathanTypical examples in these fields.Research your chosen career field and learn the types of keywords, “buzzwords” and phrases that hiring personnel use and look for in a resume
- #10: From www.employflorida.com/vosnet/Default.aspxEmploy Florida Marketplace, which has a sub-site: Employ Florida Vets
- #11: Don’t know what could be a big thing?All Aspects? What does that mean? Clarify & expand. What may seem simple could actually be a big deal.
- #12: To get you the interview!!!Career Center has available resources.
- #13: JonathanExample of a poor resume, look through good examples.Keep it simple, don’t get crazy w/ bold, italics, fill, size, caps, etc. Their v. They’re v. ThereSpell check doesn’t always catch all mistakes.
- #14: Stay Honest
- #15: Jonathan