Military Resume Writing Tips

In the 4.5 (!) years since I left active duty in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, I’ve reviewed a lot of resumes for transitioning veterans. Without exception, they're great teammates with strong backgrounds, a fantastic work ethic, and intellectual curiosity to spare. They’d be an asset to any organization and will be phenomenal Army alumni. If only all of these transitioning veterans had resumes that (a) matched their credentials and (b) told a story about their experience. There’s plenty of military resume advice that tells you to “avoid acronyms” and “describe your experience using analogous ‘civilian’ language,” but I’ll focus my advice on two practical tips and one mindset shift: (1) Screen your resume for terms and concepts that mean a lot to your military colleagues and nothing to a civilian with no military experience. You should assume that whomever is reading your resume has no context for words and phrases like “battalion” or “brigade staff” or “formation." When someone new sees something they don’t understand on your resume, they’ll skate right over it. If you can’t talk about something without framing it in these terms, you need my next tip. (2) Add detail. Every experience you have on your resume should have bulleted highlights of things you accomplished -- you might think it’s gauche to advertise how many courts-martial you’ve prosecuted or defended, but it means more than saying you “served as the primary legal advisor for a 3,000-person Brigade.” Quantify where possible and add texture so that people (a) understand what you have actually done, not just where you have been and (b) have something to dig into. Your goal is to get someone to want to talk to you. (3) Change your mindset. Remember that you have benefited from a few headwinds that you’ve probably taken for granted that will not exist outside of the military: * Your resume won’t be on your uniform. People cannot assume or assess your competence based on a badge or a patch or a level of promotion. You’re starting fresh. * Your reputation won’t precede you. In most services, the world is smaller than you think -- and people talk. Your reputation often gives you the crucial few months of grace to establish yourself in a new job. In the absence of your reputation, you now need to advertise your skillset to each new audience. It takes practice, but it’s essential. * You get to tell your own story, and choose your own next steps. An assignment history is not the same as a career path -- you have less choice, less agency, and less flexibility in assignments than you do in choosing your post-military employment. Think carefully about where you want to be and make sure your resume tells the story of why you belong there -- don’t just tailor it to the job application in front of you, but to how you want to be seen and your individual value proposition for a civilian employer. Need help applying the above? Get in touch. #military #transition #career

If you are transitioning out of the military, make sure that you civilianize your resume including your titles. I’m sharing this piece of advice with you today because some of you insist on listing your enlisted/officer ranks such as: Sergeant First Class Gunnery Sergeant Master Sergeant Navy Captain Army Captain Marine Corps Captain Air Force Captain Those of us who have served KNOW they are all very different, but most civilian recruiters and hiring managers won't know the difference between these military ranks. Make it easier for the civilian recruiter to understand what you did. If you had a technical role like IT, Intel, etc., then use those titles because many of the those titles are being used in the civilian sector as well. For example, if you did IT and had leadership roles, you could say you were a Senior IT Manager, or Director, depending on your level of responsibilities. I also recommend you stop using acronyms like JIOC, TSOC, AFSOC, COCOM, OOD, CDO, NOD, etc. Spell out the acronyms, and briefly explain what they are and relate them back to why you want the reader to know about that thing/place you are listing. If you are struggling to figure out what to write on your resume, READ the full job description (JD) and mimic that verbiage used in the JD to help you civilianize your resume. Don't forget to use metrics (%, $, #'s). Still need help civilianizing your resume while maintaining OPSEC? Then get on my Calendly - link is in my LinkedIn profile. Maloney out! ✌

The biggest challenge I see with veteran resumes (or anyone’s resumes for that matter) is communicating impact. Title is not impact. The amount of equipment is not impact. Number of missions on deployment is not impact. Impact is impact. And it has to be measured. Here is a real example from a veteran I spoke with this week. He shared his resume with me and had this bullet: "Directed planning and daily operations for a 500-soldier battalion, optimizing resource allocation and cross-functional efforts to achieve strategic objectives." Do you have any idea if he accomplished anything? No. So I told him, “Show me impact.” And he came back with this: “Increased mission essential task completion by 36% in 6 months through performance tracking and leader development, directly contributing to enhanced operational readiness and mission success." Ah, ok. Now we are cooking with fire. Is it perfect? No. But do you now see the impact? Yes. I tell everyone think of it like this: Tell me what the situation was and what happened when you entered the equation. You+situation+what you did=result I need to know the situation, what you did, and what happened. That’s how you make a better resume. (And to the guy who I used here- thanks for sharing)

🎖Some seniors transitioning out of the military need to learn their military rank does not hold the same weight / creditability in the civilian employment market when not translated. I observe senior ranking officials listing their rank / title in their LinkedIn headline frequently and as a Recruiter, I occasionally see military ranks published on resumes. While achieving a senior rank is a major milestone, your rank alone is not enough to compete in a competitive job market. Recruiters always suggest translating military language into civilian language. Your rank should also be translated to ensure Hiring Managers clearly understand your skills, abilities and experiences. 🎖Your military, rank carries a significant amount of credibility and represents a person's level of authority and responsibility. However, in the civilian corporate world, the emphasis shifts towards skills, qualifications, and experience rather than military rank. 🎖Employers in the corporate sector typically value specific abilities, such as leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, and communication skills. While military service can certainly develop and enhance these qualities, it's important to translate them into civilian terms on your resume and during job interviews. 🎖Instead of relying solely on your military rank, it's essential to highlight your accomplishments, relevant experience, and transferable skills that are applicable to the desired civilian position. Consider focusing on the responsibilities you held, projects you completed, and any quantifiable results you achieved during your military service. 🎖While your military rank may not directly carry over as credibility in corporate America, your skills, background, and experiences acquired during your military service are highly valuable and can help you stand out as a candidate. By effectively communicating and translating your military experience, you can increase your chances of success in the civilian job market. #militarytransition #militarylife #military #militaryjobs #transitioningmilitary #transitioningveterans #transitioningservicemembers #veterans #veteranemployment #veteranhiring #militaryveterans