how to write an army resume

Military to Civilian Resume Example for Veterans [Updated 2024]

Transitioning from a military lifestyle to that of a civilian is far from easy.

According to a Pew Research Center study, 95% of veterans seek employment after serving in the military.

26% of veteran respondents, however, found shifting from the military to the civilian lifestyle to be somewhat difficult.

Coincidentally, one of the biggest struggles for veterans is creating a compelling military to civilian resume that’s going to help them get a job that’s well-paid and enjoyable.

To help solve that problem, though, we wrote this guide. Read on to learn everything you need to know to create a compelling veteran resume, including:

Military to Civilian Resume Example
How to Write a Military Veteran Resume (8 Simple Steps)
Free Military to Civilian Resume Template
Essential (Free) Job-Search Resources for Veterans

In case you’re looking to brush up on the resume basics, watch the video below.

If you’re ready to get started, though, let’s start by reviewing a well-written military to civilian resume example.

Military to Civilian Resume Example (for Veterans)

Compelling, right? Here’s what the above military to civilian resume example does right:

Follows a functional resume format. The functional resume format focuses more on your skills and strengths rather than work experience. It helps convey how your military experience is going to help you perform well in the civilian role you’re applying for.
Lists the contact information the right way. It includes the applicant’s full name, email, location, phone number, and even a LinkedIn URL while skipping out on a photo.
Captures the hiring manager’s attention with a resume summary. The summary on top of the military to civilian resume example offers a brief snapshot of the candidate’s career, instantly showing the recruiter their value.
Focuses on transferable skills instead of work experience. Instead of mentioning military buzzwords that civilians wouldn’t understand in the first place, the resume example instead focuses on how the candidate's experiences helped them develop valuable skills.
Mentions achievements when possible. Achievements help convince the recruiter that they’re not just any candidate - you’re an overachiever who plays to win.
Uses bullet points to make the resume easier to skim. The recruiter doesn’t have all day - they have hundreds of other resumes to review just for a single role. Making the resume easy to skim makes it more likely to be read.
Includes educational history (in brief). The military to civilian resume example describes the candidate’s educational background, which includes taking a leadership course and basic training.
Makes use of the optional sections. The achievements and interests sections help shed light on the candidate’s personality outside of work, as well.

Now, let’s talk about how YOU can make your resume as impressive as the example above.

How to Write a Military Veteran Resume (8 Easy Steps)

In this section, we’re going to walk you through the 8 steps to creating a powerful military veteran resume, starting with:

#1. Pick a Functional Resume Format

These are the 3 most popular resume formats out there:

Reverse-chronological . This format focuses on your work history over education or skills.
Functional . It focuses less on your work background and more on your skills and how they make you a qualified candidate.
Combination . This format is a mix of the other two formats. It puts equal emphasis on skills and experiences.

As a military veteran, you’re better off with a functional format .

As you can see above, the resume example focuses more on key strengths instead of just listing out work experiences.

This improves your odds of landing a civilian job for one important reason:

Most recruiters aren’t really familiar with military lingo.

Your experiences in the military might be super compelling, but chances are, most recruiters won’t understand how these experiences make you a good candidate for the role.

By framing your experiences around your skills, on the other hand, your resume becomes more understandable for a civilian.

Once you’ve decided on the format, you also need to sort out your resume style, layout, font, and more. Here’s what this includes:

Don’t go over one page . Your resume should be concise and to the point. More often than not, if you’re going over one page, you’re probably including information that isn’t relevant for the role.
Pick the right font and font size . In terms of size, go for 11-12 pt for body text. For the font, pick something like Ubuntu, Times New Roman, etc. That way your resume will look professional AND stand out at the same time.
Use the military-to-civilian resume template . Want to skip the hassle of formatting a resume? Hit the link and pick from one of our free templates! Our templates are easy to use AND look much more compelling than the conventional black-and-white ones.

#2. Include Contact Information

Now that we’ve got the formatting hassle out of the way, let’s talk about resume content.

The first thing in your veteran resume is the contact information section.

Here, you need to include:

Descriptive title. This should include your title in the military, as well as the title you’re applying for. Something like “Security Officer Seeking a Role as Customer Support Specialist.”
Phone number.
Professional email address. Think, [name][lastname]@gmail.com
Location. City and state are good enough, you don’t need to include an address.
(Optional) LinkedIn URL. If you have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, you can include a URL in the contact information section.

And finally, make sure NOT to include a photo in your military to civilian resume. In the US, employers prefer that you don’t include a picture to avoid unconscious bias during the hiring process.

Here’s what your resume contact information section should look like at the end:

Security & Customer Service Professional

[email protected]

416-821-9879

Seattle, US

linkedin.com/in/john.doe

#3. Capture the Hiring Manager’s Attention with a Military Veteran Resume Summary

When reading your resume for the first time, the recruiter will spend roughly 7 seconds skimming it to make sure that you’re qualified for the role.

If the resume catches their attention, they’ll give it a more in-depth look.

If it doesn’t, they’ll simply move on to the next one.

This is where a compelling resume summary can come in handy.

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence “summary” of your past work experience. It helps the recruiter understand your skill-set and whether you’re relevant for the role in a single glance.

Here’s what a convincing military to civilian resume summary looks like:

Dedicated professional with over 9 years of outstanding performance and results in the U.S. Military. Earned three promotions and excelled as a leader. Seeking to apply the skills I gained in the military as a Customer Support Specialist at Company X.

When writing your resume summary, make sure to include the following information:

Your title in the military and the role you’re applying for.
Years of experience.
Top achievements and experiences.

#4. Summarize Your Experiences with a Key Strengths Section

This one’s arguably the most important part of your military to civilian resume.

At the end of the day, the main deciding factor in whether you get invited for an interview or not is if your resume manages to convince the recruiter that you’re capable of doing the job…

And that’s where the key strengths section comes in handy.

To create yours, start by listing out your top strengths as section headers. Then, underneath each header, list your achievements and responsibilities that prove you actually have the relevant skill.

Here’s what this looks like on a resume:

Customer Service

Promoted within a short period by demonstrating an over-achieving dedication that maximized results for the entire team.
Proved internal customer service by relating to all personnel in a professional manner that facilitated the development of a diversified group.
Enhanced soldiers’ individual and professional growth, developing them into independent decision-makers.
Accounted for the safety of equipment valued at over $1.3 million.
Secure the personal safety, training, and performance of fifteen U.S. Army soldiers.

Operations and Administration

Organized schedules for over 45 soldiers.
Implemented new routes, resulting in savings in gas time and reduced work time.
Prevented over 10 cancellations and negotiated over 20 contract renewals with the local government.

Applying for a Military or Private Security Role? Do This

Now, in case you’re applying for a role that’s somewhat related to your experience in the military (e.g. in private security), then you can simply create a conventional Work Experience section instead of Key Strengths .

If that’s your case, here’s how you should format the section:

Create a section header called “ Work Experience .”
Start by listing your most recent role and go backward in time from there.
For each entry, include your title, company name, dates employed, and 3-5 top achievements.
For older positions, you can include fewer achievements and responsibilities.

Now, if you want your work experiences to stand out from the rest of the candidates, we recommend you to include achievements over responsibilities.

Achieved a 99.5% average delivery rate on all assignments, resulting in no losses of materials or assets.
Conducted deliveries of materials and assets.

The first example shows just how the candidate stands out from other applicants. The 2nd, on the other hand, does not.

#5. Mention Your Education (the Right Way)

On to the next section!

The next step to creating a convincing military to civilian resume is mentioning your educational background .

This is where you mention your higher educational degrees, as well as training (e.g. boot camps) and any personal development courses you’ve taken.

First things first, here’s how you’d go about the formatting part:

Create a header called “Education”
Add your latest degree right on top. Then, include older degrees underneath.
If you have a B.A. or an M.A., you can skip your high school degree altogether.
You can skip mentioning a GPA. These days, no one cares about your grades.

Here’s how the end result would look like:

B.A. in Communications Boston University 08/2016 - 05/2020

Now, if you don’t have the relevant experience needed for the role you’re applying for, you can use your education section to show off your knowledge or skills.

You can do this by including:

Any honors you might have earned.
Exact courses you’ve attended.
Any other way you’ve excelled during your education.

#6. Include In-Demand Skills (For the Industry You’re Applying for)

Another must-have of a military to civilian resume is the skills section.

This is where you list out all of your hard and soft skills and (optionally) grade them by knowledge level.

The key here, though, is not to simply list out random skills like:

Critical Thinking
Microsoft Word

Rather, you want to include the skills relevant to the role .

E.g. applying for a role in accounting? You should probably mention payroll tax accounting, cost reduction strategies, budgeting and forecasting , and so on.

You wouldn’t want to mention your Adobe Illustrator skills, for example (even if you’re an expert at it).

So, how can you know which skills are essential to your resume, and which ones aren’t?

The best way to understand this is to read the job ad you’re applying for. More often than not, they include an exact list of skills required for the role, and all you have to do is mention them in your resume (as long as you possess the said skills, of course).

#7. Take Advantage of the Optional Resume Sections

If you still have some space on your military veteran resume, you can take advantage of some optional resume sections.

While these sections won’t land you the job on their own, they can definitely help you stand out from other applicants seeking the same role.

Some optional sections you can include are:

Projects. Any type of personal project you’ve worked on. This can be a local business you started, a side-gig, freelance work, and so on.
Certifications. Any type of certification you might possess. If you don’t have the experience for the role you’re applying for, certifications can help show the recruiter that what you do have is the right skill-set.
Volunteering Experience. If you’ve volunteered in the past, you should definitely include it in your resume. Employers love candidates who love to help others (even if there’s no monetary incentive for it).
Hobbies & Interests. Including hobbies or interests in your resume helps the recruiter see more of your personal side. While your hobbies won’t land you the job, they might help you build rapport with the interviewer.

#8. Make Sure Your Military to Civilian Cover Letter is as Impressive as Your Resume.

At this point, your military veteran resume should be quite compelling…

But you’re not done just yet!

To have both a complete and compelling job application, you need to pair your resume with a cover letter that’s just as good.

Here are our top tips on how to write a quality cover letter :

Start the cover letter by addressing the hiring manager directly. Sure, you could go with the default “Dear Sir or Madam,” but mentioning the hiring manager’s name shows that you’ve done your research and really care about working at the company.
In your introduction, mention the most important parts of your background. E.g. years of experience, key achievements, top skills, and why you’re applying for the job in question.
In the body section of your cover letter, expand on whatever you mentioned in the introduction. This is where you can also explain how the experiences mentioned in your resume make you a good candidate for the role.
Conclude the cover letter with a call to action . E.g. “Looking forward to hearing more from you!” or “I’d love to discuss how I can help Company X as a Support Specialist over a call or an interview.”

Want to learn more? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Essential Job-Search Resources for Veterans

There are a lot of free job-search resources for veterans on the internet - everything from dedicated job boards to free tools, programs, and more.

Here’s a comprehensive list of some of the very best resources:

Veteran Job-Search Resources

Job board that helps you find federal organizations that prioritize hiring veterans over other candidates.
Lots of quality resources to help you transition into civilian life.
If you’re not sure what kind of career you want to focus on, you can use this website to discover different occupations and learn what they’re about.
Website for finding veteran job fairs in your area.
Free career consulting and job search help for veterans.
American Corporate Partners matches you with a free, year-long mentor to help you build your career.
For group discussions for veterans on resumes and gaining employment after service. (Veterans only/ screened and weeded out by questions and profile)
For discussing Skill Bridge opportunities and military transitions. Skill bridge is a military program for giving veterans an opportunity to learn and work at civilian companies for 6 months before leaving the military.
LinkedIn offers its Premium program to veterans for free for a year. You can use the platform to learn new skills, kick-start your career, as well as find and apply for jobs.
A website dedicated to helping veterans transition into a civilian lifestyle. You can use it to find jobs, discover career events, attend job fairs, and more.
Job board for US federal jobs. While it’s not specifically made for veterans, the US government prioritizes hiring veterans over other candidates.
Job board for veteran-friendly roles and companies.
Job board for roles in the private security industry.
Another veteran-only job board.

Key Takeaways

And that’s all you need to know to create a strong military veteran resume!

Before you go, though, let’s do a quick recap of the key learning points we just covered:

For a military to civilian resume, use a functional resume format to show off your skills instead of work history.
Use a “Key Strengths” section to explain how your military experience distills into valuable skills for a civilian role.
Don’t include every skill under the sun on your resume. Instead, pick the ones relevant for the role you’re applying for.
Take advantage of the optional resume sections to show the recruiter that you’re an individual and not just a resume.
Finally, make sure that your cover letter is just as impressive as your resume by following the tips we mentioned above.

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5 Military Resume Examples Made for Success in 2024

Military Resume

Military Resumes by Experience
Military Resumes by Role
Write Your Military Resume

Your multifaceted role in the military could cover anything from groundwork or combat to manufacturing or communications. With unmatched expertise, you anticipate challenges and avert conflicts proactively, making decisions under pressure with ease.

The skills you amass during your service—leadership, adaptability, and teamwork—are invaluable. Now the question is: how do you describe your courage and discipline when writing an effective cover letter or one-page resume ?

Not to worry—we’re here to help. With our military resume examples , you can transform your raw experience into a captivating application that will get you the attention and the interviews you deserve.

or download as PDF

Military resume example with 10 years of experience

Why this resume works

Therefore, you should mention in your military resume your contribution to decreased equipment downtimes to underline your input to team support.

Military Veteran Resume

To make such an achievement count in your military veteran resume, highlight how much you helped reduce equipment downtime to sustain uninterrupted workflows.

Retired Military Resume

Speaking of your experience, list your missions and other roles in reverse chronological order, with your most recent positions and more impactful achievements taking precedence. Finish off this outline with side columns highlighting your military coursework, skills, and certifications.

Military Police Resume

For instance, “Assisted in slashing response times” could be better put as “Instituted advanced emergency protocols using NEC NeoFace, slashing response times by 44%.”

Military to Civilian Resume

It underscores your ability to communicate effectively and ensure that all objectives are met within set timelines; attributes that make you an easy pick for joining the civilian workforce.

Related resume examples

Officer Manager
Operations Manager
Office Administrator

Create a Military Resume That Fits Your Dream Job

Job seeker stands with hands in air, questioning how to fill out job materials

Your military personnel resume should focus on showcasing skills vital to defense and strategic operations. Precision is paramount, so avoid vague terms like “team player.” If your role is technical, zero in on hard skills instead.

Some of the things you could discuss include your proficiency in various weaponry, tactical strategies, and specialized equipment operation. You can also consider highlighting soft skills like leadership, communication, and crisis management.

Ensure your skills resonate with the job’s requirements, whether it’s combat tactics or logistical coordination. Highlight the elevated level of discipline and stress management skills your service in the military has helped you develop, be it for another role within the military or a civilian job.

Looking for guidance?

15 best military skills

Tactical Strategy
Weapon Proficiency
Logistical Coordination
Military Comms
Cybersecurity
Foreign Languages
Crisis Management
Radio Operations
Risk Assessment
Joint Tactical Terminal
Blue Force Tracker

Your military work experience bullet points

Between orchestrating strategic missions and leading successful teams, your military service showcases exceptional achievements. Rather than rehashing routine tasks, spotlight your impactful contributions.

Your role directly influences the stability and security of operations, safeguarding national interests, and minimizing potential risks. While the nature of your experiences varies, harness this section to highlight your proudest moments, whether enhancing emergency response efficiency or mitigating adverse consequences.

Make sure to back up your claims with quantifiable metrics to zero in on the magnitude of your successes. These could be anything from your budget optimization to the number of personnel you’ve trained—it all depends on your specific role and achievements.

Demonstrate your leadership and strategic skills with mission success rates.
Showcase your ability to make quick decisions under pressure with metrics on your average response times.
Highlight your commitment to operational readiness by presenting the percentage decrease in equipment downtimes after implementing maintenance protocols.
Show off your adaptability by mentioning the varying shifts you’ve worked, deployments you’ve been sent on, and languages you’ve learned.

See what we mean?

Created a comprehensive training program for recruits, resulting in a 78% reduction in onboarding time
Conducted an employee satisfaction survey, resulting in an 88% satisfaction rate with internal communication efforts
Maintained an 91% incident resolution rate by handling a variety of security issues and ensuring the safety of personnel and facilities
Implemented a new internal communication system, which resulted in a 28% reduction in information gaps among employees

9 active verbs to start your military work experience bullet points

Coordinated
Implemented

3 Tips for Writing a Military Resume Without Much Experience

Emphasize the significance of every role you’ve undertaken, regardless of your experience level. You can include relevant skills and accomplishments from your military service, training, and related roles. For instance, if you’re transitioning to a civilian logistics position, highlight your experience coordinating complex missions and managing supplies.
Use your military projects to showcase your skills and flexibility. Mention specific initiatives or tasks you’ve executed during your service that align with the new position or civilian job you’re applying to. For example, discuss leading a team to establish a forward operating base, demonstrating your leadership and strategic planning abilities.
Utilize internships, relevant coursework, or hobbies to spotlight transferable skills. Highlight leadership, teamwork, adaptability, and technical proficiencies that align with the role. For example, when applying for a communications role, discuss your experience with working in large teams and communicating under stress.

3 Tips for Writing an Experienced Military Resume

If you have specialized military skills like leadership, logistics, or intelligence analysis, show them off. Next, tailor your accomplishments and metrics to align with the specific role you’re pursuing, highlighting your expertise and achievements in those areas.
Adding relevant metrics really makes your achievements stand out more. Highlight your mission success rates, operational efficiency improvements, and leadership impact. This is good if you’re transitioning away from the military; for instance, in a logistics role, you can discuss how you optimized supply chain processes, reducing turnaround time by 39%.
Include relevant military certifications that demonstrate your expertise and training. Whether it’s command certifications, technical training, or specialized courses, these credentials highlight your readiness for the civilian role or a promotion up the military ranks.

While optional, a tailored career objective or summary can be valuable, especially if you’re switching to a whole new career. Emphasize your military experience and skills that align with the job, such as leadership, logistical coordination, or crisis management.

Make sure to use relevant keywords from the job description . Highlight your military accomplishments, skills, and specialized training that match the job requirements. ATS looks for keyword matches, so use terminology from both your military background and the civilian role you’re applying to.

Emphasize mission success rates, response times, equipment maintenance improvements, and any other quantifiable achievements. These metrics demonstrate your effectiveness in critical situations and your ability to impact operations positively.

Career Blog

Military to Civilian Resume: Example, Template, and Pro Tips

When transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce, one of the most critical documents you need is a well-crafted resume. A military to civilian resume allows you to showcase your unique skills, experience, and qualifications that make you a valuable asset to any employer.

Creating a military to civilian resume can be a challenging task, especially if you have spent several years in the military. With this in mind, this article aims to provide insight, guidance, and tips on how to write an effective military to civilian resume.

In this article, we will discuss the importance of a military to civilian resume and provide examples and templates to help you get started. We will also offer professional tips and advice to ensure your resume stands out in a competitive job market.

Whether you are a transitioning veteran or a military spouse seeking to enter the civilian workforce, this article is for you. Keep reading to learn how to translate your military experience into a compelling civilian resume.

Understanding the Transition

Transitioning from military to civilian life is a challenging experience that requires careful planning and preparation. Military personnel face unique challenges when they return to civilian life, such as finding new employment opportunities, adapting to a new work environment, and adjusting to civilian culture.

One of the most crucial aspects of transitioning to civilian life is crafting a well-designed resume. This document serves as a critical tool for military personnel in their job search process. It needs to showcase skills, education, and experience in the most attractive way possible.

However, military and civilian resumes differ considerably in their structure and content. Military resumes tend to be more detailed and include military-specific terminology that may not make sense to civilians. Hence, it’s vital to create a tailored resume that can help recruiters and hiring managers understand the transferable skills and experience one possesses.

Another challenge that military personnel face is understanding what non-military workplaces would look like. Employers in the private sector may have different expectations and work cultures. While military service is highly respected and valued, the language, rank structure, and acronyms used within it differ from non-military workplaces.

Therefore, it is essential to create a well-crafted resume that highlights transferable skills and soft skills. Retirees or recent military veterans must be aware of their unique value proposition and the qualities that they can bring to a prospective employer.

Transitioning from military to civilian life is a significant life-changing event that takes time and effort. For military personnel, crafting a well-designed resume is the key to securing a civilian job role. Knowing the unique challenges that they will face during this transition will better equip them to succeed in their job search. It is vital that military personnel understand the differences between a military and civilian resume to tailor it effectively based on the skills learned in their service.

Identifying Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are abilities and knowledge that can be applied in various scenarios, regardless of the industry, role or job function. They are typically acquired through previous work experience, education or life experiences. The majority of transferable skills are soft skills, such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and time management but can also include hard skills, such as technical proficiency.

Identifying transferable skills is an essential step for those transitioning from military to civilian careers. To determine transferable skills, examine both the technical and soft skills that you employed in your previous role. Start by reflecting on your daily work routine, listing your duties and responsibilities, and identify the skills you utilized. Then explore how these skills could be applied in a new industry or position.

To identify your transferable skills, start by following these steps:

Evaluate your military experience: Focus on the skills you applied in your military role, and assess how they could potentially be applied outside the military sector.

Analyze job descriptions: Review job descriptions in civilian roles you are interested in and compare them to your current military job requirements. Identify any overlaps or similarities in skills.

Consider your achievements: Think about your accomplishments in your previous military role, what skills did you use to accomplish them, and how could you apply these skills in a new role?

Conduct informational interviews: Speak with individuals who work in the industry or role you are interested in, ask about their job duties, and what skills they feel are critical to their success.

Some examples of transferable skills include:

Leadership: Managing a team, supervising colleagues or coordinating projects.

Communication: Effectively conveying information, negotiating or managing conflicts.

Problem-Solving: Analyzing data, creating strategies, and making complex decisions.

Time Management: Prioritizing tasks, managing schedules, and meeting deadlines.

Interpersonal skills: Cooperating with colleagues, demonstrating empathy and active listening.

Technical proficiency: Programming, information technology, and other specialized skills.

Transferable skills are abilities that can apply to multiple industries, roles, or job functions. Identifying your transferable skills is a critical step in your military to civilian career transition. By evaluating your military, analyzing job descriptions, considering your accomplishments, and conducting informational interviews, you will develop a clear understanding of the transferable skills required to succeed in a new role. Ensure that you highlight your transferable skills in your resume, cover letter, and during interviews to increase your chances of a successful military to civilian career transition.

Military to Civilian Resume Example

If you’re a veteran looking to make a transition into the civilian workforce, crafting a compelling resume is one of the most important steps you can take. However, making the transition can be daunting, as the terminology and priorities in the military differ from those in the private sector. Below is a step-by-step guide to creating a military to civilian resume, along with tips on how to use military-friendly language and an example resume to inspire your own.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Military to Civilian Resume

Translate your military experience: Start by translating your military experience into civilian terminology. Focus on your key job functions and accomplishments that demonstrate your leadership, discipline, and problem-solving skills.

Use simple language: Avoid using military jargon or acronyms that could be confusing to someone outside of the military. Instead, use simple, clear language that anyone can understand.

Highlight transferable skills: When listing your experience, be sure to highlight transferable skills that will be relevant to the civilian job you’re applying for. For example, if you have experience managing a team, that could translate to a civilian management position.

Quantify your achievements: Use data and numbers to quantify your achievements wherever possible. For example, if you were responsible for managing inventory, include information on how much inventory you managed and how you improved the process.

Tailor your resume: Tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for by emphasizing the skills and experience that are most relevant to the position. Use the job description as a guide to help you choose which skills to highlight.

Military-Friendly Language to Use in the Resume

Use action verbs that demonstrate leadership and initiative (e.g. managed, led, supervised, initiated, organized)
Mention relevant training and certifications, such as leadership training, security clearances, or technical certifications
Use terminology that is familiar to civilians (e.g. “team” instead of “squad,” “budget” instead of “funding allocation”)
Emphasize the results of your work and the impact you had on your team or organization

Example of a Military to Civilian Resume

Below is an example of a military to civilian resume that demonstrates the tips outlined above. This is just one possible format; be sure to tailor your resume to your specific experience and the job you’re applying for.

Name: John Smith Contact Information: (555) 555-5555 | johnsmith.

Military to Civilian Resume Template

When transitioning from military to civilian life, creating a resume that can effectively showcase your skills and experience can be challenging. That’s why we have created a comprehensive military to civilian resume template to guide you through the process.

Overview of the Template

Our military to civilian resume template is designed to highlight your accomplishments and transferable skills in a clear and concise manner. It is formatted to be easily scannable by hiring managers and ATS systems. The template includes the following sections:

Contact Information
Objective Statement
Summary of Qualifications
Professional Experience

Tips for Customizing the Template to Fit Individual Needs

While our military to civilian resume template is a great starting point, it’s important to customize the template to fit your individual needs. Here are a few tips for personalizing your resume:

Use keywords and phrases that are relevant to the job you’re applying for
Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible
Focus on the skills that are transferable to the civilian workforce
Use clear and concise language
Keep your resume to one or two pages

Section-by-Section Breakdown of the Template

This section includes your name, phone number, email address, and physical address. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date and professional. Avoid using nicknames or unprofessional email addresses.

Your objective statement should be tailored to the job you’re applying for. It should be a brief statement that highlights your qualifications and career goals.

This section is where you can showcase your skill set and achievements. Focus on transferable skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Use bullet points to make this section easy to read.

In this section, you will list your work experience in reverse chronological order. Include the job title, company name, location, and dates of employment. This is also where you can showcase your accomplishments and how they relate to the job you’re applying for.

List any relevant education and training you have received. Include the school name, degree or certificate earned, and dates of attendance.

Use this section to highlight any additional skills you have that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. This can include language proficiency, technical skills, or certifications.

By following our military to civilian resume template and customizing it to fit your individual needs, you can create a strong resume that highlights your skills and experience. Don’t forget to have someone proofread your resume for errors and clarity before submitting it to potential employers.

Pro Tips for Military to Civilian Resumes

Transitioning from military service to a civilian job can be challenging. Military veterans, especially those who have spent many years in service, often have difficulty converting their military experience into civilian terms. One of the most important steps in this process is creating a military to civilian resume that highlights relevant experience and accomplishments. In this section, we will discuss three pro tips for creating a successful military to civilian resume.

Adding Accomplishments

When creating a resume, it’s important to highlight your accomplishments, not just your job duties. Accomplishments show what you’ve achieved in your roles and how you’ve impacted your organization. In the military, there are many accomplishments that are worth noting, such as awards, medals, and successful missions.

To translate these accomplishments into civilian terms, think about how these achievements benefited your team or organization. Did you save money? Did you improve efficiency? Did you lead a successful project? These are all accomplishments that will impress civilian employers, so be sure to include them on your resume.

Highlighting Leadership Skills

In the military, leadership skills are highly valued and often developed early on in a servicemember’s career. These skills, including the ability to motivate and guide a team, are highly transferable to civilian roles.

When listing your leadership skills on your resume, be sure to highlight specific examples. For instance, if you served as a team leader in a mission, discuss the leadership strategies you employed to ensure the success of your team. It’s also important to emphasize your ability to work well under pressure and make critical decisions in a timely manner.

Emphasizing Relevant Experience

One of the biggest challenges in creating a military to civilian resume is translating military experience into relevant civilian terms. However, it’s essential to highlight your relevant experience to show civilian employers that you have the skills they’re looking for.

To do this, review the job description carefully and highlight the skills and experience that the employer is seeking. Then, review your military experience and think about how it translates to that job description. Focus on key skills that match the job requirements and include them on your resume.

A successful military to civilian resume requires translating military experience in civilian terms, highlighting your accomplishments, highlighting your leadership skills, and emphasizing your relevant experience. By following these pro tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a winning resume that highlights your unique skills and experience.

Writing Accomplishments

Before diving into how to write strong accomplishments for military personnel, it’s important to define what constitutes an accomplishment. Accomplishments are specific achievements or results that an individual has achieved within a particular role or job. They showcase an individual’s unique contributions, skills, and experience.

When writing accomplishments, it’s crucial to focus on tangible results rather than just listing responsibilities or tasks performed. Begin each accomplishment statement with an active verb and quantify the results whenever possible.

Below are some tips on how to write strong accomplishments:

Use specific numbers and percentages to illustrate the impact of your actions. This helps to demonstrate the scope and scale of your achievements.

Example: Increased unit efficiency by 25% through implementing new logistics procedures.

Highlight your individual contributions and leadership skills in team achievements.

Example: Led a team of 10 in successful completion of a high-priority project three weeks ahead of schedule.

Use action-oriented language to focus on your proactive and results-driven approach.

Example: Initiated and executed a cost-saving measure that resulted in a $50,000 reduction in annual expenditures.

Now, let’s take a look at some examples of accomplishments for military personnel:

Led a platoon of 30 soldiers in combat operations, resulting in zero casualties and successful completion of all mission objectives.

Developed and implemented a safety training program resulting in a decrease in workplace accidents by 50%.

Instrumental in the successful execution of a multinational joint training exercise, increasing overall readiness and strengthening partnerships with allied forces.

Writing strong accomplishments is an integral part of crafting a successful military to civilian resume. By focusing on specific results and using action-oriented language, individuals can effectively showcase their experience and skills to potential employers.

Relevance of Military Service

If you are someone who has served in the military and is now transitioning to civilian employment, then it is important to understand the relevance of military service on a civilian resume. Military service offers a unique set of skills that can be valuable in the civilian workforce. What’s more, it shows dedication, discipline, and a willingness to work hard.

To incorporate military service into your civilian resume, it is typically recommended to take a skills-based approach. This involves highlighting the skills and experiences gained from your military service, and demonstrating how they would be relevant to the position you are applying for. One approach is to use relevant military language and terminology that aligns with your new line of work.

Additionally, it is important to translate military-specific jargon into language that civilians can easily understand. This makes it easier for a hiring manager to clearly see the value of your military experience.

Here are some examples of how to incorporate military service into your resume:

Use relevant military language: For example, if you were trained in the use of weapons as part of your military service, you could use language such as “weapon systems training” or “small arms proficiency” on your resume.

Highlight your experience in leadership: Military service often involves leading teams of people, so it is important to highlight this experience on your resume. Describe specific instances where you took charge and made important decisions.

Show off your dedication and work ethic: Military service is characterized by a sense of duty and responsibility. Highlight your ability to work hard and get things done.

Demonstrate your adaptability: The military requires individuals to be able to adjust to new environments quickly. Highlight your adaptability by demonstrating how you have succeeded in different roles or assignments.

The relevance of military service on a civilian resume cannot be overstated. By taking a skills-based approach and highlighting the valuable experiences and training gained from military service, you can make yourself a strong candidate for a civilian position.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

As military personnel transition into civilian life and job search, one of the critical steps is creating a civilian resume. However, military servicemen and women often make common mistakes that can hurt their job search endeavors.

Here are some of the common pitfalls and how to avoid them:

Mistake 1: Using military lingo or jargon

One of the most significant mistakes military personnel make when creating a civilian resume is using military jargon and acronyms. Unless the civilian employer has a military background, they may not understand the military language, and it can be off-putting. It’s essential to translate military jargon into terms that the civilian employer can understand.

Mistake 2: Focusing on duties rather than accomplishments

Military personnel often list duties and tasks they performed rather than highlighting their significant accomplishments. It’s essential to show how your skills and experiences transfer to the civilian workforce. Quantify your achievements, and showcase how you contributed to the success of your unit or team.

Mistake 3: Too much information

Military personnel have a whole set of skills, training, and experiences that they have accumulated over the years. It’s tempting to include every piece of information in the resume. But the truth is, not every experience is relevant to the civilian job market. Focus on the skills and experiences that relate to the job you’re applying for.

Mistake 4: Lengthy resumes

A standard militarized resume can range from three to ten pages. However, civilian employers prefer shorter and more concise resumes. A two-page resume should be sufficient to showcase your skills and experience.

Mistake 5: Not tailoring the resume to the job

Job descriptions vary from company to company, and not tailoring your resume to the job can reduce your chances of getting an interview. Read the job description, identify the skills and experiences the employer is looking for, and match them with your qualifications.

To avoid these common mistakes, military personnel can seek assistance from career counselors, veterans support groups, and civilian mentors. These professionals can guide them on translating their military experiences into civilian language, highlighting their accomplishments, and tailoring their resumes to the job description. Creating a civilian resume is a crucial step in military-to-civilian transition, and avoiding these mistakes can increase your chances of landing a job.

Cover Letter Writing for Military to Civilian Resume

When transitioning from military life to civilian employment, having a well-written cover letter is essential to getting noticed by potential employers.

Importance of a Cover Letter

A cover letter serves as your introduction to the hiring manager and is your opportunity to showcase your qualifications and explain why you are the best fit for the job. A well-written cover letter can significantly increase your chances of getting an interview and landing the job.

Tips for Writing an Effective Cover Letter

Research the company – before you start writing your cover letter, take the time to research the company and the job you are applying for. This will help you tailor your cover letter to the specific needs of the employer.

Use the right format – your cover letter should follow a standard business letter format, with your contact information at the top, followed by the date, the employer’s contact information, the salutation, the body of the letter, and a closing.

Highlight your qualifications – focus on your most relevant qualifications and experiences that match the requirements of the job.

Keep it concise – your cover letter should be no more than one page and should quickly and succinctly explain why you are the best candidate.

Edit carefully – take the time to proofread and edit your cover letter for spelling and grammar errors before submitting it to the employer.

Example of a Cover Letter for a Military to Civilian Resume

Dear Hiring Manager,

As a former Army Sergeant with experience in logistics and supply chain management, I am excited to apply for the logistics coordinator position at XYZ Company. In my 8 years of military service, I honed my skills in organization, communication, and problem-solving, which I believe will make me an asset to your team.

During my time in the military, I was responsible for the successful management of a large-scale logistics operation, overseeing the distribution of critical supplies and equipment to multiple units across various locations. I am well-versed in the intricacies of coordinating complex and time-sensitive logistics operations, and I thrive under pressure.

In addition to my military experience, I have also completed a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on supply chain management. My education, coupled with my military experience, has prepared me to hit the ground running in a civilian logistics role.

I am thrilled at the opportunity to bring my skills, experience, and work ethic to XYZ Company and am confident that I would be a valuable asset to your team. Thank you for considering my application.

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5 Military Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

When crafting your military resume, it's crucial to highlight your leadership experience. Demonstrate the scale and impact of the teams or projects you have led. Showcase your ability to adapt and overcome challenging situations. Your resume should reflect your problem-solving skills and resilience.

All resume examples in this guide

Traditional

Resume Guide

Resume Format Tips

Resume Experience

Skills on Resume

Education & Certifications

Resume Summary Tips

Additional Resume Sections

Key Takeaways

One challenge you may encounter as a military veteran is effectively translating your military experience into civilian terms that resonate with potential employers. Our comprehensive guide can provide you with tailored strategies and examples to bridge this gap, aligning your unique skills with the needs of the civilian job market.

Get inspired from our military resume samples with industry-leading skills, certifications, and more.
Show how you can impact the organization with your resume summary and experience.
Introducing your unique military expertise with a focus on tangible results and achievements.

If the military resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:

Federal Resume Example
Regulatory Affairs Resume Example
Policy Analyst Resume Example
Canvasser Resume Example
Grant Writer Resume Example
Government Resume Example

Enhancing your military resume: format and layout tips

Four popular formatting rules (and an additional tip) are here to optimize your military resume:

Listing experience in reverse chronological order - start with your most recent job experiences. This layout helps recruiters see your career progression and emphasizes your most relevant roles.
Including contact details in the header - make sure your contact information is easily accessible at the top of your resume. In the header, you might also include a professional photo.
Aligning your expertise with the job requirements - this involves adding essential sections such as experience, skills, and education that match the job you're applying for.
Curating your expertise on a single page - if your experience spans over a decade, a two-page resume is also acceptable.

Bonus tip: Ensure your military resume is in PDF format when submitting. This format maintains the integrity of images, icons, and layout, making your resume easier to share.

Finally, concerning your resume format and the Applicant Tracker System (ATS):

Use simple yet modern fonts like Rubik, Lato, Montserrat, etc.
All serif and sans-serif fonts are friendly to ATS systems. Avoid script fonts that look like handwriting, however.
Fonts such as Ariel and Times New Roman are suitable, though commonly used.
Both single and double-column resumes can perform well with the ATS.

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Always remember that your military certifications can be quantified across different resume sections, like your experience, summary, or objective. For example, you could include concise details within the expertise bullets of how the specific certificate has improved your on-the-job performance.

Traditional sections, appreciated by recruiters, for your military resume:

Clear and concise header with relevant links and contact details
Summary or objective with precise snapshot of our career highlights and why you're a suitable candidate for the military role
Experience that goes into the nuts and bolts of your professional qualifications and success
Skills section(-s) for more in-depth talent-alignment between job keywords and your own profile
Education and certifications sections to further show your commitment for growth in the specific niche

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

Proven leadership experience and ability to lead teams in high-pressure situations
Demonstrated excellence in tactical planning, strategy development, and mission execution
Expertise in handling sensitive information with the utmost discretion and adherence to security protocols
Strong understanding of military protocols, chain of command, and experience working within a military structure
Physical fitness and the capacity to meet the rigorous demands of military operations

Essential tips for crafting your military resume experience section

The experience section is indeed the core of your military resume . It's where you present your past and current job roles. But how should you approach this crucial part?

A common error is treating the experience section as merely a list of job duties. Many candidates fall into the trap of detailing what they did without illustrating the impact of their actions.

To effectively write your military resume experience section, consider these guidelines:

Emphasize your achievements, supported by concrete metrics such as percentages, revenue increases, or customer satisfaction rates;
Avoid using generic buzzwords like communication, hard work, or leadership. Instead, demonstrate how these skills added value in your previous roles;
Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb, followed by a skill, and then the result of your actions;
Tailor your resume for each job application by selecting the most relevant experiences, responsibilities, and successes.

We have an array of resume examples that illustrate how to optimally curate your military resume experience section.

Directed a team of 12 in executing strategic patrol operations resulting in a 30% reduction in security incidents within our area of responsibility.
Implemented an advanced technology update for communication systems, resulting in enhanced coordination and a 40% decrease in equipment failure rate.
Designed and supervised rigorous training programs for new recruits, improving overall unit readiness and performance metrics by 25%.
Conducted over 150 reconnaissance and surveillance missions, providing critical intelligence that informed the strategic decisions of high-level commanders.
Oversaw the integration of unmanned aerial systems into the unit’s operations, which improved the surveillance coverage by 50% and reduced risk to personnel.
Managed a budget of $2 million for equipment procurement and maintenance, ensuring optimal resource allocation and zero over-expenditure.
Led an armored vehicle crew through 100+ successful missions with a keen focus on safety procedures and threat assessment, minimizing risks during high-tension scenarios.
Mentored and evaluated 20+ personnel, developing goal-oriented training plans that enhanced their tactical skills and operational performance.
Organized cross-functional training with allied military units, which resulted in improved collaboration and mission success rates for multinational operations.
Efficiently processed and analyzed over 500 intelligence reports, creating actionable strategies that preemptively neutralized threats and safeguarded troops.
Developed a comprehensive intelligence-sharing network with regional partners that bolstered collective security efforts and reduced intelligence gaps by 40%.
Spearheaded the modernization of the unit's intelligence database systems, which shortened report processing time by 20% and improved data reliability.
Orchestrated the logistics for deploying 400 personnel and equipment to overseas locations, ensuring 100% accountability and zero loss of assets.
Served as a primary advisor for sustainment operations, optimizing supply chain management and reducing logistical costs by 15% without compromising operational readiness.
Coordinated with multiple service branches to support joint exercises, achieving seamless integration of logistical support across diverse military units.
Piloted multiple aircraft models in a variety of weather conditions, accumulating over 1000 flight hours and maintaining an impeccable safety record.
Developed and executed air support plans that provided critical cover for ground operations, enhancing the offensive capabilities of the unit in hostile environments.
Trained 30+ new pilots, emphasizing aerial combat techniques and effective mission planning, which resulted in these pilots exceeding the squadron's average readiness scores.
Deployed as part of an elite Special Operations unit, contributing to high-risk missions that disrupted enemy supply chains and reduced hostile activities by 60%.
Initiated a comprehensive cyber-security protocol for the unit, vastly improving the security of communication channels and sensitive data.
Led a joint humanitarian operation that provided medical and disaster relief assistance to over 10,000 affected civilians, earning a commendation for outstanding service and leadership.
Supervised the operation and maintenance of complex radar and electronic warfare systems, ensuring peak performance during critical surveillance operations.
Led an initiative to train personnel in advanced signal processing techniques, which improved detection capabilities and reduced false alarm rates by 20%.
Collaborated with engineering teams to upgrade electronic defense infrastructure, greatly enhancing the operational lifespan and effectiveness of the systems.

Quantifying impact on your resume

Quantify your leadership experience by stating the number of personnel you've managed or trained.
Highlight the size of the budget you were responsible for to demonstrate financial acumen.
Mention the number of missions or operations you've planned and executed to indicate organizational skills.
Specify the percentage of efficiency improvement or cost reduction you achieved in your role.
Detail the number of countries or regions you operated in to show your adaptability.
Include the quantities of equipment or assets you were accountable for to showcase responsibility.
State the number of reports or briefings you've produced to underline your communication skills.
List the measurable improvements in performance indicators under your command or guidance.

Action verbs for your military resume

No relevant experience - what to feature instead

Suppose you're new to the job market or considering a switch in industry or niche. In such cases, it's common to have limited standard professional experience . However, this isn't a cause for concern. You can still craft an impressive military resume by emphasizing other sections, showing why you're a great fit for the role:

Emphasize your educational background and extracurricular activities to demonstrate your industry knowledge;
Replace the typical experience section with internships or temporary jobs where you've gained relevant skills and expertise;
Highlight your unique skill set, encompassing both technological and personal abilities;
Showcase transferable skills acquired throughout your life and work experiences so far.

Featuring your hard skills and soft skills on your military resume

The skills section of your military resume needs to your various capabilities that align with the job requirements. List hard skills (or technical skills) to showcase to potential employers that you're perfectly apt at dealing with technological innovations and niche software. Meanwhile, your soft skills need to detail how you'd thrive within your new, potential environment with personal skills (e.g. resilience, negotiation, organization, etc.) Your military resume skills section needs to include both types of skills to promote how you're both technical and cultural fit. Here's how to create your bespoke military skills section to help you stand out:

Focus on skill requirements that are listed toward the top of the job advert.
Include niche skills that you've worked hard to obtain.
Select specific soft skills that match the company (or the department) culture.
Cover some of the basic job requirements by including important skills for the military role - ones you haven't been able to list through the rest of your resume.

Get inspired with our military sample skill list to list some of the most prominent hard and soft skills across the field.

Top skills for your military resume:

Weapons Handling

Tactical Planning

Physical Fitness

Maintenance and Repair

Communication Systems

Survival Training

Logistics Management

Intelligence Analysis

Problem-Solving

Adaptability

Stress Management

Decision Making

Strong Work Ethic

Effective Communication

Situational Awareness

The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.

What are the best certificates to add to your military resume + how to curate your education section

The education and certification resume sections are the underdogs of your military resume.

They showcase to recruiters that you've invested plenty of time to gain valuable and specific know-how, vital for growth.

As far as the resume education section is concerned:

Detail only advanced education, specifying the institution and timeframe.
Indicate your forthcoming graduation date if you're in the midst of your studies.
Consider omitting degrees that don't align with the job's requirements.
Offer a description of your academic journey if it underscores your notable achievements.

When curating your degrees and certificates on your military resume:

Select only accreditation that matters to the role
Niche knowledge that could help you stand out as a candidate (as is within the past few years), should be listed towards the top of your resume
Include any pertinent data for credibility (e.g. institute name, graduation dates, etc.)
Irrelevant degrees and certifications shouldn't make it on your resume. Those include your high school diploma and any specializations that have nothing to do with the technical or soft skills that are required for the job

As a final note, if you feel tempted to exclude your education or certification from your resume, don't.

These two sections could help you have a better competitive edge over other candidates - hinting that your professional journey in the industry may be for a longer period of time.

Recruiters find all of these military credentials impressive:

The top 5 certifications for your military resume:

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - (ISC)²
Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management Institute (PMI)
Certified Protection Professional (CPP) - ASIS International
Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Civil Engineer Certifications - U.S. Air Force
Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Certifications - U.S. Department of Defense

Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.

Perfecting the Education Section on Your Resume

Professional summary or objective for your military resume

military candidates sometimes get confused between the difference of a resume summary and a resume objective.

Which one should you be using?

Remember that the:

Resume objective has more to do with your dreams and goals for your career. Within it, you have the opportunity to showcase to recruiters why your application is an important one and, at the same time, help them imagine what your impact on the role, team, and company would be.
Resume summary should recount key achievements, tailored for the role, through your career. Allowing recruiters to quickly scan and understand the breadth of your military expertise.

The resume objectives are always an excellent choice for candidates starting off their career, while the resume summary is more fitting for experienced candidates.

No matter if you chose a summary or objective, get some extra inspiration from real-world professional military resumes:

Resume summaries for a military job

Decorated U.S. Army Captain with over 12 years of experience leading high-stakes operations in challenging environments. Expert in strategic planning and cross-functional team leadership. Notable career achievement includes orchestrating the evacuation of a besieged embassy, ensuring zero casualties under volatile conditions.
Seasoned Marine Corps Officer with 15 years of proven experience in logistical coordination, personnel management, and process improvement. Spearheaded the development of critical supply chain streamlined strategies, cutting operational costs by 25% without compromising mission-critical capabilities.
Highly skilled cybersecurity professional eager to apply a decade of experience in IT infrastructure protection to safeguard national security interests. Advanced proficiency in network defense strategies, with a significant triumph in detecting and mitigating a complex, multi-vector cyber-attack against government systems.
Driven financial analyst, transitioning from a successful 8-year tenure with major Wall Street firms to bolster fiscal efficiency within defense budgeting. Exceptional track record in portfolio management and predictive analytics, resulting in a 20% reduction in risk exposure for multimillion-dollar investment accounts.
Aspiring to utilize my leadership skills and unwavering commitment to national service, cultivated through 4 years as Student Government President and extensive volunteer work, to embolden team dynamics and drive mission success in a challenging military environment.
With a passion for technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, my objective is to leverage my software development skills, in-depth understanding of machine learning, and collaborative spirit to contribute to the cutting-edge advancements in military defense systems.

Taking your military resume to the next level with these four additional resume sections

Your military resume can feature a variety of skills (both hard and soft) in diverse sections . Choose those that align best with the job requirements and reflect your suitability for the company culture.

Consider these four additional resume sections recommended by our experts:

Languages - State any languages you are proficient in and your level of proficiency. This demonstrates your commitment to communication and potential for international growth.
Projects - Highlight up to three significant projects you've completed outside of work, showcasing skill development. Include a link to your project portfolio in the military resume header, if applicable.
My Time - How you allocate your time outside work can indicate your organizational skills and cultural fit within the company.
Volunteering - Detail causes you're passionate about, roles you've held, and achievements in volunteering. Such experiences likely have honed a range of soft skills crucial for your dream job.

Key takeaways

The logic of your resume presentation should follow your career highlights and alignment with the role;
Curate information within different sections (e.g. summary, experience, etc.) that helps highlight your strengths;
Exclude from your resume irrelevant experience items - that way you'd ensure it stays no longer than two pages and is easy to read;
Dedicate space within the summary, experience, and/or achievements to highlight precisely why you're the best candidate for the role via your previous success;
Both your technical and people capabilities should also play a crucial role in building up your military application. Prove your skill set in various resume sections.

Looking to build your own Military resume?

Resume Examples

A surprising lesson from Maisie Williams about career change

A recruiter explains how to make your resume unique, how to put gpa on your resume, how to create a cover letter for an internal position, what to write instead of "to whom it may concern", how to list ged on your resume.

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How to Put Military Experience on a Resume
Federal Resume Guide
Military Resume Help

Last Updated on 02/12/2024

Military service immerses people in a separate world with its terminology, codes, job titles, and acronyms. When it’s time for you to enter the civilian job world, your resume with military experience might confuse job recruiters. They often have trouble connecting military job descriptions with job requirements.

Table of Contents

1 How to Add Military Experience to a Resume
2.1 Where Do You Put Military Experience on a Resume?
3.1 How to Translate Military Experience to Resume
3.2 Highlight Your Security Clearance
3.3 Get Feedback
4.1 Translate Enlisted Military Titles
4.2 Attract Recruiters with Your Military Experience Summary
4.3 Military Resume Summary Example:
4.4 Military Expirience Resume Summary Example:
4.5 Adjust Acronyms and Military Terms
4.6 Job Description Keywords
4.7 Enforce Your Military Experience on Resume with Cover Letter and Objective

How to Add Military Experience to a Resume

To fix the problem, you’ll strip away the military language and write the resume for a general audience. The effort will be worthwhile because then you can make a resume with military experience that gets you interviews.

Don’t describe yourself this way:

MOS 12B Combat Engineer charged with establishing secure routes for HMMWV movements.

A better approach for a civilian audience would be:

Civil Engineering Technician in charge of building roads for use by heavy vehicles.

The second strategy for successfully adding military experience to your resume involves how you present the information. Surely you’ve been asking yourself should I put military service on my resume?

You’ll naturally feel inclined to place the military at the center of your writing. But for better results, frame your work experience descriptions around the job opening. Introduce your skills in the context of the job that you’re applying for and then mention that they came from military service.

Military Experience on Resume Examples

The following Do and Don’t resume sample excerpts illustrate how to put military experience on resume.

Don’t:

Marine Corps Captain responsible for commanding 62 Marines during combat operations by assessing tactical data and managing daily operations.
Guided 62 subordinates through daily operations in the role of U.S. Marine Corps Captain while achieving management’s priorities and goals.
CW2 Officer oversaw decontamination and disposal of hazardous materials and weapons in overseas theater.
Determined the safest methods for processing hazardous materials encountered by personnel during field operations in the role of Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army.
O-2 U.S. Army Officer managed company during urban environment operations to locate and neutralize insurgents.
Worked as executive officer managing 1,000-person company for 3 years to complete 59 complex missions that required coordination of information from multiple agencies while serving as First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Air National Guard pilot completed demanding flight schedules that resulted in 20 missions in Afghanistan over the course of 6 weeks.
Experienced pilot rated among the top 1% of peers after flying 20 missions to transport 30 tons of equipment and 120 passengers while serving in the Air National Guard.

This is an extended description of how to include military service on a resume, example:

S-1 Advisor coordinated 15 joint missions between Iraqi and U.S. military personnel while managing command communications.
Professional entrusted with personnel management duties including payroll, vacations, and communications who served as the lead coordinator with Iraqi allies while deployed as the battalion commander’s chief personnel officer with U.S. Army consulting group.

Where Do You Put Military Experience on a Resume?

You could describe your service under the heading military experience. This is appropriate if you have other work experience that you want to mention. If all of your work history comes from military service, then you can simply label the section Work History or Work Experience.

Within your Military Experience or Work History section, you can choose the:

Chronological Approach – List your jobs and describe your skills and duties. Explain to them how they will fit the employer’s goals. If you’re wondering how to list military experience on a resume, it’s acceptable to use bullet points under each job.

Skills-Based Approach – Break out the information into subsections that draw attention to your abilities. Leadership Skills or Technical Skills are typical examples. Use the requirements in the job description to help you select your strongest skills for the position.

One more option where to put your military service on resume is to add section headings like Special Training or Awards and Honors.

Doubt how to add your military experience for a job? Check out Military Transition Resume Writing Services .

How to Write Military Experience on Resume

Quantify the results of your work as much as possible. Include percentages, numbers, or other quantifiable results as you explain your accomplishments.

Don’t assume job recruiters will know things like how many people form a platoon or flight crew. Cite any awards or commendations that you received. This shows employers that you excelled in your work. You need to be precise on how to list military service on resume. If you want to mention decorations and awards, explain the details that led superiors to recognize you.

Good Military Service on Resume Example:

Supervised 6 mechanics on a crew that maintained 50 armored vehicles and reduced rate of mechanical failures in the field by 11% over 2 years.

Look over the job description and find keywords that the employer used to describe the duties and requirements. Make it your top priority to communicate your skills that match the keywords. Regardless of your resume format, your text should contain the keywords used by the employer.

How to Translate Military Experience to Resume

Use online resources to find job positions and descriptions that fit your military experience. The MOS Code to Civilian Occupation Translator and Military.com’s Skills Translator take your military job and show you applicable jobs. Study these job postings and find the terms that employers used to describe the skills that they want. You’ll also get good ideas for friendly names for your military job titles. Think of this process as reverse engineering. You find jobs in private sector for your military experience and then harvest civilian terminology from them for your resume.

Highlight Your Security Clearance

Always mention your security clearance prominently. Security clearance communicates your trustworthiness and ability to pass a background check.

Don’t lean on military codes like TS/SCI.
Do state exactly that you had a security clearance that authorized your access to sensitive information.

Get Feedback

Have someone without military experience read your resume. The feedback will help you fix areas that remain difficult to understand. Read more articles on how to write a resume with military service. Study the wording on these and adapt it to your circumstances without copying the text.

Writing your military career to resume takes more effort than transferring text from the VMET to a resume builder. You need to strip military jargon and acronyms from your work military experience.

Terms like SQDN, PCS, and UAV will likely mean nothing. Because writing a resume and translating military jargon for an audience are both challenging tasks, it’s best to break them up.

To begin, set aside worries about military terms and write a master military resume. Use the military terms that you’re familiar with on this first draft.

For the First Draft, focus on:

Placing your strongest skills and accomplishments at the forefront
Crafting a concise objective statement about your career goals
Choosing verbs that convey action, responsibility, and success
Including keywords that match up with the types of jobs that you want

For the Second Draft:

If possible, ask a nonmilitary person to read your first resume draft. The person could provide insights into which parts are the hardest to understand.

Look at that first draft yourself. Try to imagine that you have to explain it someone who knows nothing about military operations.

Circle or highlight your military titles, acronyms, equipment names, and duties to adjust the content of the resume.

Most of these will need to be adjusted or rephrased to communicate the military experience to resume effectively.

Translate Enlisted Military Titles

Enlisted service members have rank designations of E1 through E9. To make these labels meaningful for a state job recruiter, select generic terms like a team member or foreman.

Lower ranks E1 through E3 would translate into entry-level positions like technician or operator. The middle tiers of E4 to E6 would match with titles like an assistant manager or section leader. The top tiers of E7 to E9 correspond with roles like department manager or supervisor.

Warrant Officer
First Sergeant Manager
Platoon Sergeant
Personnel Specialist
Senior Personnel and Program Manager
Senior Technician, Technical Advisor, Chief
Group Supervisor, Senior Advisor, Group
First Line Supervisor, Training Instructor
Administrative Clerk

It’s fine to mention your rank, but you should expand on the description to clarify its meaning for others.

Commissioned officers and warrant officers have similar designations with the letters O and W. Include terms that represent the greater responsibilities of these positions like a general manager or district director.

Attract Recruiters with Your Military Experience Summary

Let’s consider a resume summary for a job by the following military experience on resume example.

Rick Walker is a retired Quality Control Officer with 18 years of successful military aviation experience. Now he holds a position of a Operations Manager in one of the leading aviation company.

When it comes to showoff an impressive military history, Rick can choose the first option. But what are his chances of getting a job? Will HRs’ understand encrypted information with acronyms and abbreviations? Let’s get deeper into the subject.

Military Resume Summary Example:

Quality Control Officer Proven leader with extensive experience for providing National Guard and aviation units with proper implementation of Army aircraft and airworthiness. Responsible for maintaining and repairing both UH-60 and UH-1 aircraft. Lead financial planning, prepared options, and recommendations on aircraft combat systems. Conducted training and mentoring battalion level maintenance management techniques to aviation maintenance officers.

But what if Rick will translate his responsibilities into civilian-friendly terms?

Military Expirience Resume Summary Example:

Operations Manager Dedicated supervisor with 18 years of experience in coordinating program activities for maintenance and repair work, useful in quality control checks. Responsible for the safe condition of over $32 million in aircraft and equipment. Reduced aircraft maintenance up to 34% due to implementation of cost-effective programs. Developed and implemented training programs; evaluated instruction and performance outcomes for employees.

As you can see several phrases, abbreviations and words substituted by general terms as aircraft and equipment instead of UH-60 and UH-1 aircraft, employees instead of soldiers.

Besides resume summary include exact numbers, which make it more competitive and attractive for recruiters.

Adjust Acronyms and Military Terms

Writing out the full names represented by acronyms could improve comprehension in most cases. Replace words like soldiers or airmen with personnel. In all places, make an effort to put your jargon into simple terms using words familiar to most people.

Suspense Date
Conflict, emergency situations, crisis
Function, tasks, obligations, priorities
Confidential
Personnel, individuals, staff

You also need to interpret military jobs to state jobs for resume. It’s helpful to include facts and figures, such as how many people you supervised or how many pieces of equipment that you maintained.

After editing your first draft, your second draft will have shifted the resume from military to civilian terms. This process of altering military resumes for jobs prepares you to tailor the content for specific job applications.

Have a doubt on how to translate military skills? Choose the Best Military Resume Writing Service .

Job Description Keywords

The words used by an employer to describe an open position are vitally important. You need to incorporate these keywords into the top half of your resume.

Among Fortune 500 companies, 98% of them use software to scan resumes before forwarding them to actual recruiters. Analyze the terms in the job description and select those that fit with your skills. Change some of the terms on your resume if necessary to create keyword matches.

Just select your service (for example Air Force) and enter your MOS code (for example 11A4 – Airlift Pilot). Search for equivalent job titles and read a job description to match your experience.

Pick up a few keywords from the job description, and include into your ex-military resume.

Enforce Your Military Experience on Resume with Cover Letter and Objective

Your resume should include a brief statement about your job objective after your contact information. As succinctly as possible, explain how you wish to apply your valuable military training to the job. Explain how your military experience on resume will promote the employer’s goals in the military to resume objective.

Your letter offers a place where you can expand upon your objective and how it meets an employer’s purpose. Draw upon the military experience that you liked the most during your military career. Did you feel like you were thriving when collaborating with others? Did you contribute the most when operating heavy machinery?

Use these positive experiences to communicate your enthusiasm for a chance at employment.

What is a Military Resume & why do you need it?

A military resume or army resume is a resume for army professionals and aspiring citizens who want to join the US army.

It consists of important details regarding your educational and professional life.

To get shortlisted for the military job of your dreams, you need to optimize your resume by making it ATS-compatible.

So let's get started! There's a lot of learning left to do!

In the meanwhile, get your existing military to civilian resume professionally reviewed by Hiration’s Resume Review Service.

With us, your existing military to civilian resume will be reviewed based on the following parameters:

Resume Length
Resume Keywords
Core Section
Resume Name
Bullet points
Contact Information
ATS Compatibility

Does this seem exciting? If it does, keep an eye out on the bottom left corner of this page to get an in-depth review of your military to civilian resume within minutes!

Military Sample Resume

[ Back to Table of Content ]

Before we begin, here's a sample military resume showcasing the ideal army resume. We have made this using Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

Administered disciplinary actions in the team to cut incidents by 30% in a time span of 3 months
Rendered daily surveillance & security for headquarters and oversaw safety inspections & security checks
Negotiated with vendors to acquire food supplies & inventory for the army headquarter at a 15% subsidized rate
Oversaw the upkeep of army equipment and researched market trends to assess the need to procure new weapons
Coordinated with first-class sergeants to achieve 100% team goals before the stipulated deadline
Trained 5 new sergeants on individual and collective security tasks to bolster overall team performance
Mentored a team of 30 operations & security sergeants on the correct usage of latest equipment & weapons
Received " Most Diligent Staff Sergeant Award " twice in Jun '18 and Jun '17
Communicated with the management and supervised accountability of 30+ trainees
Directed surveillance & security for headquarters and provided external security for internment corrections
Promoted from a position of Security Specialist to Security Forces Staff Sergeant in just 2 years due to 5 star performance
Among the top 2 % of the class
CPR/First Aid Certification | ECC | Jun '13
Weapon Certification
M240b Machine Gun
M780 Shotgun
Received National Defense Service Medal | Jun '18
Secured National War on Terrorism Service Medal | Jun '17
Won Joint Meritorious Award | Jun '16

How to write a Military Resume

Most people tend to write their military resumes just to re-write them all over again. Following the right approach to resume writing helps you write your army resume while optimizing the time it takes you to curate it.

Mentioned below are the 3 stages of resume writing that you should follow:

Stage 1: Master Military Resume
Stage 2: First Draft of Military Resume
Stage 2: Final Draft of Military Resume

Master Military Resume

The first stage of resume writing involves making the master resume.

In this stage, your only job is to compile information. Doing this has the added benefit of helping you write your military to civilian resume in the present and future timeline.

Having a library of information with you, the need to explicitly look for information gets eliminated. Thus, writing your resume in the present and making any updates to it in the future becomes an easy process.

First Draft of Military Resume

In the second stage of drafting your military resume, compose the following sections:

Personal Information
Profile Title
Professional Experience
Certifications (if any)
Awards & Recognition (if any)
Additional Information (if any)

Final Draft of Military Resume

In the final stage, compose the sections we have mentioned below:

Summary/Objective : In this section, you have to impactfully summarize your military experience on resume. Composing your resume summary/objective towards the end helps you identify the best highlights of your career, thereby helping you make a well-informed summary/objective for your resume.

Key Skills : Right before composing your military resume summary/objective, draft the key skills section. Composing this section second-to-last helps you write an impeccable military resume skills section.

Military Resume Sections

The key to a perfect ATS-compliant army resume lies in information presentation. How you present important information in your resume matters.

This is why resume sections are important. It helps you organize information and present it impactfully.

Attached below are the must-have sections of your resume:

Summary/Objective

You can also put your information under the sections that we have mentioned below:

For a better understanding of resume sections, read Hiration's 2022 Guide to sections in a resume .

Additionally, you can use Hiration’s Online Resume Builder to stand a better chance of getting shortlisted for the job of your dreams.

It comes with a huge library of pre-filled military resume templates that you can personalize to suit your professional needs and work history.

Read on and look out for the military veteran resume examples that we have attached in this guide to learn what each section should ideally look like.

Military Resume: Professional Experience

The hallmark of a great veteran resume is perfect readability and relevant information. You can meet these criteria by following the below-mentioned points to communicate your roles & responsibilities:

Frame points
Use the STAR format
Use Bucketing & Bolding

Framing Points

It is a common consensus that you should not use paragraphs to compose the details of your work experience. Instead, one-liner points have been commonly suggested by resume experts globally to present your work-centric information in your military to civilian resume.

Using one-liner points radically enhances the readability of your resume too.

Don't believe us?

Take a look at the military veteran resume examples given below to decide if one-liner points are a better alternative to using paragraphs.

Military Resume Example 1

"As part of my roles & responsibilities as a security forces staff agent, I was responsible for researching logistics operations, engineering and technical evaluations for defense projects. I also advised senior agents on important aspects like safety, disposal, and decontamination procedures. Part of my daily responsibilities included constantly cooperating with sergeants to achieve the team goals of the security forces within the assigned deadline. Additionally, I have also played a key role in coaching a team of approximately 29 operations & security sergeants on how weapons & latest equipment should be used".

Military Resume Example 2

Collaborated with first-class sergeants to achieve 100% team goals before the stipulated deadline
Advised senior agents on safety, disposal, and decontamination procedures involving chemical weapons
Researched the logistics operations, engineering, and technical evaluations for defense projects

Framing Points: Analysis

The above-listed military resume examples present us with the following observations:

Example 1 uses a long paragraph and Example 2 uses crisp one-liner points to communicate the same information.
Example 1 (which uses paragraphs) is hard to read & comprehend. Thus, it fails to satisfy the bare-minimum requirement of great readability that is needed in any ideal military to civilian resume.
On the contrary, Example 2 (which uses one-liner bulleted points) has aced the readability test due to its reader-friendly nature. Moreover, it uses action verbs to begin each point which gives your resume a confident tone of professionalism.
Using one-liner points is an easier alternative to using paragraphs. It is thus highly recommended.

STAR Format

Now that you know how to enhance the readability of your work experience, let us now optimize it using the STAR format.

STAR stands for the following:

Situation : The situation/backdrop/context of your contributions Task : The actual task that was assigned to you Action : The strategy you used to execute the assigned task Result : The result/outcome of your action in the form of an achievement figure

STAR format encourages the use of numbers to quantify your achievement under each one-liner point. Thus, it enhances the effectiveness and relevance of your roles & responsibilities.

Our recommendation: Use the STAR format to optimize each one-liner point.

Bucketing & Bolding

By now, you have a highly reader-friendly and effective resume. But what's the point if it still goes unnoticed?

Nothing. Your hard work goes to ground zero.

This is why bucketing & bolding is important.

Observe the military to civilian resume examples given below to understand the merit behind our argument:

Received "Most Diligent Staff Sergeant Award" in Apr '17
Managed safety inspections & security checks to ensure daily surveillance & security in headquarters
Facilitated the upkeep of army equipment and researched market trends to assess the need to procure new weapons
Negotiated with vendors to acquire food supplies & inventory for the army headquarter at a 25% subsidized rate
Enforced disciplinary actions to cut incidents by 50% within 6 months
Trained 10+ sergeants on individual and collective security tasks to bolster overall team performance

Surveillance & Inventory Management

Discipline Enforcement & Training

Key Achievements

Received " Most Diligent Staff Sergeant Award " in Apr '17

Bucketing & Bolding : Analysis

Example 1 uses simple one-liner points and Example 2 uses bucketing & bolding to organize each point.
By grouping similar points under unique subheadings (bucketing) and marking the important elements in each point in bold (bolding), Example 2 succeeds at enhancing the visibility of your work experience. It diverts the recruiter's attention to an applicant's key responsibilities & achievements in one go.
Thus, you should use bucketing & bolding alongside one-liner points to illustrate your military experience on resume.

Military Resume Sample for Professional Experience

Learn how to add military experience to a resume with Hiration's Blog on how to compose the work experience in your resume . It is a detailed explanation of this section and contains the best tips to perfect it.

In the meanwhile, look out for our military to civilian resume examples to get a better grip of resumes and what they should ideally look like.

Here's a military experience on resume example illustrating a perfectly composed professional experience section:

Professional Experience Section in a Military Resume

Military Resume: Key Skills

Are your skills good enough to land you a job as an army personnel in the US army?

If it is, put them down in the 'key skills' section of your resume.

If it isn't, get skilled.

As a rule of thumb, your key skills section should be crisp and to the point as doing this helps a recruiter quickly identify your functional skills & proficiency.

Do not use phrases like 'experienced in' or 'expertise in' to endorse your resume skills. Instead, summarize your skills into 1-3 words of action. Eg: 'Surveillance & Security', 'Weapons Training', 'Discipline Enforcement', etc.

Read Hiration's 2022 Guide on what skills to put on a resume to get a better understanding of how to efficiently curate this section.

Here's a sample military resume showcasing the perfect key skills section:

Military Resume Summary or Military Resume Objective?

Should you write a military resume summary? Or should you write a military resume objective?

Read on to find out:

Write a military resume summary if you have over 3 years of work experience.
Write a military resume objective if you have no work experience or less than 3 years of active work experience.

Now that you have identified which one to write, follow the guidelines we have outlined below:

Write your summary/objective at the end: Doing this saves you both times and effort as you wouldn't need to revisit these sections all over again.
Pick the best highlights of your career from the work experience section of your army resume and talk about your unique strengths & skills that make you fit for the military job you are after.
Keep the length of your resume/summary limited to a 3-5 line paragraph.

For a better understanding of both resume summaries and resume objectives, refer to Hiration's Resume Summary Guide and Hiration's 2022 Guide to Resume Objectives .

Attached below is a sample military resume illustrating the ideal summary for your veteran resume:

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have compiled with the pre-designed & pre-arranged military resume template on Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

Military Resume: Header

Next up, we will discuss the resume header.

Here are some steps you should follow to perfect your army resume header:

Position it at the topmost part of your resume.
Write it in the largest font size of 16-20 points .
Give a single space between your first name and last name.
If you have a middle name, initialize it. Eg: "Mary L. Baxter".

For a better understanding of this section, read Hiration’s 2022 Guide To Writing The Perfect Resume Header to learn the art of curating the perfect header for your army resume.

Here's a military experience on resume example illustrating the ideal resume header:

This is a snapshot of an army resume that we have composed using Hiration’s Online Resume Builder . The ideal resume header should ideally look like this.

Make use of our military to civilian resume builder now!

Military Resume: Personal Information

The personal information section of your military to civilian resume is a compendium of important contact-centric details such as:

Updated mobile number
Professional email ID

Current Location

Hiration Protip : Don't flood this section with extremely personal details such as your passport details, date of birth, sexual preference, religious beliefs etc. (unless explicitly asked to do so) as it may lead to unbiased hiring and you don't want to be on the receiving end of THAT.

Updated Mobile Number

Most recruitment-centric activities such as an interview or a shortlist announcement happen over the phone. A minor typo can keep you from a potential shortlist. Thus, the details of your mobile number must be presented accurately.

Here are some few tips that you should follow to document your contact details:

Use your country’s ISD code as a prefix before your phone number.
Put a plus sign (+) before the ISD code.
Eg: +1 37648 21511.

Professional E-mail Address

Your email ID is the official communication channel between you and the recruiter and is thus extremely important.

Make sure that it is professionally presented. Do not use fancy email IDs as it would look extremely unprofessional (and you don't want that).

A simple way to go about composing your email ID is by using your name followed by your domain name. Example: '[email protected].

In the language of writing resumes, location is indicative of an applicant's city & state of residence.

Here are some points that you should remember to compose your location correctly in your military to civilian resume:

Follow the city/state code format to showcase location in your army resume.
DO NOT INCLUDE your house number, street number, and your locality name as part of your location.
For job applications in the country of your residence, use the city/state code format . Example: If you live in Albany, New York; your location should be written as 'Albany, NY'
For job applications in other countries, use the city/country code format to showcase your location. Example: If you live in Newark, New Jersey; your location should be written as 'Newark, US'.

Military Resume Sample for Personal Information

For a better understanding of this section, read Hiration's 2022 Guide to composing your contact information .

Our military to civilian resume examples visually communicates what each section of your resume should ideally look like.

The sample military resume we have mentioned below showcases the ideal personal information for your military to civilian resume:

Personal Information Section in a Military Resume

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have built using Hiration’s Online Resume Builder .

Use our Online Resume Builder to explore the pre-designed & pre-filled military resume template that comes with our military resume builder.

Read on to learn about the rest of the resume sections for your veteran resume from the 10+ military to civilian resume examples that are attached in this blog.

Military Resume: Profile Title

Another important section of your veteran resume is the profile title. It communicates the following career-specific information about you:

Your current designation.
Your functional industry.
Your level of seniority in your line of work.

Use the second-largest font size ranging 14-16 points to compose your profile title. This enhances the visibility of your profile title which helps a recruiter identify the above-mentioned information about you in one glance.

Here's a military experience on resume example showcasing the perfect profile title for your veteran resume:

In the meanwhile, give your army resume the touch of professionalism. Use our AI-powered Resume Review Service today.

Military Resume: Education

Textbook knowledge is just as important as practical knowledge, especially if there is a minimum educational criteria for a given job position. As such, you should always include your educational details in your veteran resume.

Making an 'education' section with the following mentioned details is a must:

Name of the school/university you have attended.
Name of the courses you have pursued.
The location of your school/university.
Enrolment and graduation dates in month & year format .

Refer to Hiration's 2022 Guide on how to list education on your resume to read an exhaustive guide on how to correctly curate the education section.

Here's a resume sample showcasing the ideal education section for your resume.

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have made with Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

Our military to civilian resume builder has an optimized military resume template that you can easily modify to suit your professional needs & requirements.

Military Resume: Certifications

As an aspiring army man, being certified in weapon certifications such as the following will give you an advantage over other applicants:

If you have done these certifications (and more), don't shy away from putting them in your military to civilian resume.

Once you do, make sure that you give the following details regarding your certifications in your veteran resume:

Certification course name.
Name of the institute of affiliation.
Location of the institute of affiliation.
Enrolment and completion date of the course in month & year format .

Arrange these points in the below format:

{Name of Certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (month & year format)

For a better understanding of this section, refer to Hiration's Guide to listing certifications on a resume .

Here's a military resume sample showcasing the ideal certification section for your resume:

Certifications Section in a Military Resume

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have composed using Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

The military resume builder is embedded with an ATS-optimized and pre-filled military resume template which shows you what each section of your resume, and the content in these sections should ideally look like in your resume.

Military Resume: Awards & Recognition

Are you an awardee of the National Defense Service Medal?

Or have you been recognized for a job well done?

If the answer is yes, make a separate "Awards & Recognition" section in your army resume and put this information here.

Here's an example of what the perfect sample military resume should look like:

Awards and Recognition Section in a Military Resume

In the meanwhile, write a stellar resume to boost your chances of a shortlist with Hiration's Online Resume Builder :

Military Resume: Additional Information

Perhaps you speak multiple languages?

If you do, putting this information in your veteran resume is a great idea.

When you work for the US army, you can always be deployed to other countries, and if you are sent away for service abroad, knowing the local language would prove to be a big asset in your hands.

Bottom line is, being multilingual is a plus point. So make sure that you mention this skill in your resume but only if you think it will help advance your job application.

Here's a military resume sample showcasing what your additional information would ideally look like in your army resume (must you choose to include this section):

Additional Information Section in a Military Resume

In the meanwhile, boost your chances at getting shortlisted with Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

Resume Review & Free Military Resume Templates

Get your military resume professionally reviewed by our resume experts at Hiration for a constructive analysis of your military resume.

Evaluate how well your veteran resume is performing based on the below-mentioned parameters:

Compliance with industry norms
Content Relevance
Recruiter Friendliness
Design Compatibility
Conversion Scope
ATS Compliance
Global Compatibility
Performance Assessment
Resume Formatting (font, margins, the order of sections, etc.)

Here's the kicker:

You will get 2 resume templates for free!!

Online Resume Builder for Military Resume

Hiration's Online Resume Builder is designed to help you write an ATS-compatible veteran resume.

Alongside this, you will also get these resources with our Resume Builder :

Option to save unlimited resumes
25+ resume designs
Full rich-text editor
Unlimited PDF downloads
100+ resume templates
1-click design change
A sharable link
Live resume editor

Key Takeaways

Follow the 3 stages of resume-writing to optimize the time you take to curate your resume.
Stick to a one-page veteran resume if you have less than 10 years of relevant work experience. If you don't, write a two-page resume. Make sure that you adhere to the two-page limit.
As a rule of thumb, always use your name as your resume header and position it at the top-most part of your military resume.
Your resume header should be composed in the largest font size of 16-20 points and your profile title should be composed in the second-largest font size of 14-16 points . Doing this enhances the visibility of these components in your resume.
Knowing what to put in your resume is not enough. Knowing how to organize them is important too. So make sure that you compile your information under the relevant sections that we have mapped out in this guide.
The professional experience is an integral component of your veteran resume. Make sure that you do justice to this section by communicating your roles & responsibilities using crisp one-liner points.
Use action verbs to begin each one-liner point. Doing this gives your resume a tone of assertiveness and professionalism.
Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Doing this helps you endorse the feasibility & utility of your skills.

With this, you have reached the end of this blog.

For a better understanding of each section, go back and evaluate the military to civilian resume examples that we have endorsed at the end of each section in this blog.

Go to Hiration resume builder and create a professional resume for yourself. Additionally, reach out to us at [email protected] and you can get 24/7 professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries.

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How To Write A Resume In 7 Steps (With Examples)

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Resumes are still the most important document in your job search . Generating a professional and interesting resume isn’t easy, but there is a standard set of guidelines that you can follow. As hiring managers usually only spend a short time looking over each resume, you want to make sure that yours has a reason for them to keep reading.

If you’re looking to write a resume, rewrite a resume you already have, or are just curious about resume format, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will go through the steps to writing an excellent resume, as well as offering examples for what sections of the resume should look like.

Key Takeaways:

A resume is a short document that details your professional history in a way that tailors your experience and skill set for the particular job you’re applying for.

Resumes follow a few standard formatting practices, which hiring managers and recruiters expect to see.

Highlighting your work experience, skills, and educational background with relevant keywords can help you get past applicant tracking systems and into more interviews.

How to write a resume

Writing a resume involves using the proper formatting, writing an introduction, and adding your work experience and education. Stuffing your entire professional life into a single page resume can feel overwhelming, but remember that you’re distilling the relevant parts of your professional experience in order to catch the eye of the recruiter .

Formatting your resume. To start, use a word processor such as Microsoft Word or Google docs. Standard resume formatting calls for:

1 inch margins

10-12 point font

A professional, commonly-used font

Additionally, there are three resume formats that are commonly used. Most people should stick with a chronological resume format , but the combination resume format and functional resume format can be effective for more advanced workers or those who have significant gaps in their resume.

Write a resume header . It doesn’t matter if you have the best resume in the world if the hiring manager can’t contact you. Every single resume should include the following contact information:

Your full name. First and last.

Your phone number. Use a personal phone number, and make sure your voicemail is set up properly.

Your email address. Nothing inappropriate — [email protected] is a safe choice.

Location. City, State, Zip Code is fine, but you can include your full mailing address if you think it’s appropriate.

Your social media (optional). LinkedIn is the obvious one you’d want to include, but make sure your profile looks good. If you have an online portfolio , either on a personal blog/website or on a site like Journo Portfolio , feel free to include that here as well.

Your job title. Also optional, but can be useful for applicant tracking systems.

Resume introduction. You have four options for your resume introduction: a resume objective, summary statement, resume profile, or qualifications summary. For most job-seekers, a resume summary statement is the best choice. Regardless of which resume introduction you choose, avoid first-person pronouns (I/me/my).

Resume objective. A resume objective is the goal of your resume. Since the objective of every resume is to land a job, this is not the most original or impressive opener you can have.

On the other hand, it’s a good choice for an entry-level applicant or someone who is changing career paths . This should be a 1-3 sentence summary of why you’re motivated to get the position you’re applying for.

Who should use a resume objective: Entry-level applicants, career-changers, and recent college graduates.

Resume summary. This is the best opener for most job-seekers. As the name suggests, a resume summary highlights the most salient aspects of your resume.

It should include your current position, how many years of experience you have, some of your biggest achievements, and possibly your career goals. This should be a 1-3 sentence spiel and should include some quantifiable experiences.

Who should use a resume summary: Most job seekers; anyone with quantifiable accomplishments to emphasize and a broad range of skills.

Qualifications summary. A bullet point list (4-6 points is the sweet spot) of your qualifications for the position. It’s best used by applicants going for jobs that require a fixed skill set. It’s not a great choice for entry-level applicants who lack quantifiable achievements.

You’ll notice that a qualifications summary takes up more space than a resume objective or summary, but it can actually save the hiring manager time if you provide a bunch of valuable information right off the top.

Who should use a qualifications summary: Those applying to a job with requirements for certain skills and job-seekers who have a lot of experience in their industry and/or field.

Resume profile. A resume profile is similar to a resume summary, but goes into more detail about your accomplishments at your current or former job, while also telling the reader about your career goals. Think of a resume profile as a section that pulls all the best parts of your work experience section into one place.

Who should use a resume profile: Anyone with significant accomplishments under their belt, expertise in a niche field, or applying to a job in the same industry that they have lots of experience in.

Resume headline. Resume headlines aren’t necessary, but you can include one alongside any of the four types of resume introduction listed above. A resume headline comes between your contact information and the resume introduction of your choice.

Headlines can be used by entry-level applicants and experienced job-seekers alike. The important point is that your headline should be short and to the point. Additionally, you should use title case when writing your resume headline (capitalize words as you would for a book title).

Who should use a resume headline: Any job-seeker who wants to showcase their experience or unique value right off the bat.

Work experience. Your work experience section is the place to let hiring managers know that you have relevant experience that would allow you to handle the job you’re applying for.

If you’re using the chronological resume format, your work experience section would come after your resume summary/objective. In a funcitonal reumse, it would follow your skills section. Either way, work experience should be listed in reverse-chronological order (most recent experience at the top).

When listing your work experience, you should include all of the following information:

Job title. Start by stating the position you held at the company. These are easy cue for the hiring manager to look at and determine whether your past positions would help you succeed at their company.

Company Info. Include the name of the employer, the location where you worked, and perhaps a brief description of the company, if it isn’t a well-known name.

Dates Employed: Use the mm/yyyy format if you want to be sure that most applicant tracking systems (ATS) will pick it up. Whatever format you use for dates, be consistent, or your resume will look sloppy.

Job Description. Don’t just list your job’s responsibilities; hiring managers and recruiters already have an idea of your duties based on the job title. Instead, list your most important and impressive responsibilities/achievements at the job with bullet points. Determine which of these are most relevant for your new role based on the job description.

Ideally, each bullet should be no longer than a single line. However, two lines is acceptable, if used sparingly.

Always start with a strong action verb, followed by a quantifiable achievement and a specific duty. For example: “Developed ad campaigns for clients, increasing sales by an average of 27%.” Each job title should include 3-5 bullet points.

The order that you include this information can be changed around, as long as you are consistent throughout your resume. However, the bullet points detailing your job’s achievements should always be the last item for each entry.

It’s important that you tailor your resume’s work experience section to the job you’re applying for. We recommend reading the job description carefully and highlighting the action verbs in one color and the skills, adjectives, and job-specific nouns in a different color.

Educational background. In almost all cases, your education section should come after your professional history. If you’re a recent college graduate with limited work experience, you may choose to put your educational achievements first.

Like the section on your professional history, educational experiences should come in reverse-chronological order, with your highest level of education at the top. If you have a college degree, you don’t need to add any information about your high school experience. If you didn’t finish college, it’s okay to give a list of what credits you did complete.

Each educational experience can be listed in the following format:

Degree/Program Name College/University Name Dates attended

You don’t need to add anything else, especially if your resume is already impressive enough. But if you’re struggling to fill up the page, or you feel that aspects of your educational experience will help make you a standout, you may consider also including:

Minor. If you think it rounds out your not-exactly-relevant-to-the-job major nicely.

GPA. Only if it was 3.5 or higher. Otherwise, it’s not going to do you any favors to include this.

Honors. Dean’s List, Cum Laude, etc.

Achievements. If you wrote a killer thesis/dissertation that showcases intimate knowledge relevant to the job to which you’re applying, you can include its title and a very brief description.

Extracurricular activities. Only include if they’re relevant. For example, if you’re applying for a management position and you were president of your student government.

Certifications/Licenses. If the job you’re applying for requires/likes to see certain certifications or licenses that you have, you may include them in this section as well.

Skills section. Your impressive skills should be scattered logistically throughout your professional history section, but you should also include a section solely dedicated to highlighting your skill set . Skills can be broken down into two categories:

Hard skills are skills you learn through training and indicate expertise with a technical ability or job-specific responsibility.

Soft skills are your personality traits, interpersonal abilities, and intangible qualities that make you more effective at your job.

Your resume should have a healthy mix of hard and soft skills, as both are essential to job performance. However, since soft skills are harder to prove in the context of a resume, we recommend leaning more toward hard skills. Additionally, whenever you list a soft skill, make sure that it has a correlating item in your work experience section.

For example, if you say you are skilled in collaboration, you should mention a time when a team project was a major success somewhere in your work experience section.

Optional sections. If you still have space left or there’s more you want to show off that doesn’t quite fit in any of the above sections, you may consider adding an additional section covering one or more of the below categories:

Language . Being bilingual is always impressive, and can be included on a resume for any company. Highlight this more if your position involves liaising with international distributors and/or clients. Don’t lie about your proficiency level.

It may be best to not mention it if you’re not particularly proficient speaker . Such as if you took courses in school, or haven’t really managed to gain fluency. It can end up looking like an attempt to inflate your credentials, which you want to avoid.

Volunteer experience . Always a good thing to include. It shows you’re a team player who behaves in a way that promotes the greater good, without thought of personal gain. Especially good for entry-level candidates and those applying for jobs at a non-profit. If you have gaps in your work history, you can also consider including volunteer experiences in your work history section instead.

Personal projects. A personal blog, published works, or a portfolio of your past projects are all good things to include. They show you take initiative, enjoy and take pride in your work, and that you can handle the responsibilities of the job, if relevant.

Certifications/licenses. If you didn’t include these in your education section, this is another good place to list relevant certifications or licenses that you have.

Interests . This is largely just a space filler if your resume is light in other areas. However, if your hobbies are directly related to the job that you’re applying for, it’s not a bad idea to include them. And it might draw a recruiter’s attention if you end up sharing some of the same interests as they do.

If you have several seemingly random items that are valuable, but don’t warrant creating a whole separate section for, you can also make a section called “Additional Experience.” Here you can include all of the above categories in one place. Just make sure that each item is clear and easy for readers to understand.

Resume samples

Now that we have a good idea of how to write a resume, let’s take a look at some example resumes:

Jack Pilgrim Washington , DC 14015 – (555) 444-3333 – [email protected] – www.linkedin.com/jpilgrim Resume Summary Graphic designer with 3+ years of experience creating and implementing promotional materials and social media graphics. Worked with sales and marketing teams to increase inbound calls by 23% YoY through compelling digital media. Adept at planning, managing, and prioritizing multiple deadlines at once, and thrives in fast-paced work environment. Work Experience Creative Designs | Washington, DC Lead Graphic Designer | June 2018-Present Worked with sales and marketing teams to create landing pages, sales proposals, and supporting media elements to drive sales by over $250,000 per quarter Trained, managed, and mentored team of 4 junior designers to fulfill 40+ project orders on a weekly basis Conducted UX research through surveys, usability testing, and data analysis to plan content marketing strategy, driving organic search traffic by 12% Presented proposals, results, and status updates to set of 4-7 clients, ensuring customer satisfaction at or above 95% for 3 years straight Happy Place | Alexandria, VA Junior Graphic Designer | July 2016-May 2018 Translated client needs and branding strategies into design and content strategy, increasing client retention by 22% Reduced project turnaround time by 8% by Utilizing web-based ticket system for completing and archiving finalized pieces Posted digital artwork to network IPTV using web interface to produce high-end info-graphics and other materials Happy Place | Alexandria, VA Marketing Intern | September 2015-July 2016 Assisted marketing team with data collection, analysis, and presentation using Google Analytics Drew up storyboards for new marketing campaigns alongside sales team, increasing brand awareness through social media Wrote 500-1000 word articles to pair with graphical elements on page, leading to a 40% boost in engagement on company website Education Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, Georgia May 2016 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design Skills Adobe Creative Suite Typography HTML/CSS WordPress Collaboration Organization

Allison Neederly Chicago, Illinois , 60007 | (333) 222-1111 | [email protected] | www.linkedin.com/allison.neederly Resume Summary Dedicated customer service representative with 4+ years experience resolving customers’ needs in-person, online, and over the phone. Top achiever at XYZ Inc. with a 100% customer satisfaction rate for Q1 of 2020. Friendly personable, and knowledgable about company’s products and services. Relevant Skills Customer Service Responded to upwards of 200 customer queries daily with XYZ Inc., reducing the average wait time by 56% and increasing customer satisfaction rates by 13% Ability to resolve conflict and create a positive atmosphere for shopping for both new and existing customers through technical proficiency Expert product knowledge and communication skills, and experience training and mentoring new customer service staff Web Chat and Phone Skilled in 3 web chat platforms for helping online customers resolve their queries quickly and accurately Achieved fastest call resolution rate at XYZ Inc., with an average resolution time of under 5 minutes per customer Performed outbound calls for customer satisfaction surveys, as well as writing web-based surveys for 10,000+ customers Troubleshooting Detailed product knowledge allowed for customer technical issues to be resolved at rate within top 5% of all customer service associates at XYZ Inc. Created manual for step-by-step directions for troubleshooting that was implemented for team of 100+ customer service reps Positive attitude took average tech-related negative response from 1/5 stars to 4/5 stars, increasing trust in brands and services Work Experience XYZ Inc. | Philadelphia, PA Customer Service Associate New Look Global | Burlington, VT Junior Customer Service Representative L.L. Bean | Burlington, VT Sales Associate Education University of Vermont | Burlington, VT May 2012 Bachelor of Arts in Humanities

Priya Laghari New York, NY | (222) 111-0000 | [email protected] | www.priyabizdev.com Resume Profile Strategy Development: Grew John Deere’s international sales by 13% by tapping into undeserved countries in Southeast Asia Management: Oversaw a team of managers representing marketing, sales, and product teams. Streamlined collaborative, cross-functional communications through agile and scrum management system CRM: Developed, customized, and implemented new customer relationship management database for accounts totaling over $10M in value Work Experience Business Development Manager 01/2015-Present Microsoft | Redmond, WA Developed product strategies and roadmap for Google AdWords, increasing inbound traffic by 26% YoY Reduced time training on new software by 50% for new and existing employees by implement e-learning programs Spearheaded digital marketing campaign worth $1M that saw a return of 200% in first year by qualifying leads earlier in the sales funnel Regional Sales Manager 11/2012-01/2015 Big Things Inc. | St. Louis, MO Managed territory encompassing 29 regional locations with an annual revenue of approx. $55M Worked with C-level executives to plan business strategies, resulting in 20% reduction in overhead costs Increased client retention by 12% in first year by implementing a CRM approach based on account profiling and elevating levels of relationship selling Account Manager 02/2009-11/2012 Solutions Corp. | Chicago, IL Implemented and developed CRM strategic plans, increasing retention of long-term clients by 22% Maintained 50+ accounts totaling over $35M in value Generated leads through one-on-one consultation via phone inquiries, online check-ins, and meeting office walk-ins Relevant Skills CRM: Proficient with Salesforce, Zoho, and HubSpot; some experience with Keap. Used various CRM software over a decade to successfully manage customer relations and quick to adapt to new software and tools that aid in quality of customer experience. Salesmanship: Negotiated and closed over several deals worth $1M+ and skilled in upselling and cross-selling. Adept at working closely with marketing and product teams to maximize the efficiency of the sales funnel for both inbound and outbound traffic. Presentation: Represented Microsoft Northwest Region at quarterly board meetings, ensuring all stakeholders were kept abreast of new developments and opportunities. Also deliver monthly presentations to big clients and vendors to maintain positive relationship. Data analytics. Expert at integrating data from various analytics platforms, including Google, Microsoft Power BI, and SAP BusinessObjects Education Colgate University | May 2008 MBA Fordham University | May 2006 Bachelor’s Degree in Business

For more resume examples and templates:

Resume examples by job

Google docs resume template

Resume templates

Resume builder

Resume Headers Samples:

Tip : Never put your contact info in the header of your document; some applicant tracking systems might miss it.

For more on how to write a resume header:

Resume Header

Resume Titles

Resume introduction examples

Entry-Level Resume Objective.

Recent graduate with a bachelor’s in Marketing from the University of Virginia seeking an entry-level role in content marketing. Excellent copywriter with 2+ years experience editing content as a member of the UVa Writing Center.

Career Change Resume Objective.

Eager to apply 7+ years of experience with customer success management to make successful outbound B2B calls, deliver customized business solutions to new and existing customers, and provide expert product knowledge in the role of Account Manager for XYZ Inc.

Example Resume Summary Statement.

Accountant with over 8 years of experience in the medical industry. Adept at advising on management of cash deficits, reconciling departmental accounts, and creating new accounts and codes. Coordinated invoice preparation system for ABC that reduced contractor overhead by 19% YoY.

English teacher with a love of language and 6 years of experience teaching high school students. Developed new curriculum that boosted freshman reading comprehension scores by 12% and created after school book club for AP Lit class, resulting in 100% of participating students achieving a 5 on the AP Lit test.

Example Qualifications Summary.

Executive assistant with 5+ years experience helping maintain efficiency in an office of 25 employees Communicated directly with internal and external stakeholders, helping Senior Vice President manage projects worth $5M+ Proactively managed office schedules, identifying and prioritizing changes to ensure client satisfaction Recognized in a company of 500 for “Outstanding Achiever” in May 2019

Example Resume Profile.

Detail-oriented IT Specialist with 4 years of experience overseeing and improving the infrastructure of IT systems. Adept at building and running troubleshooting systems and testing services. Decreased security risk by 47% through continual optimization, while also improving the speed of client portal by 22%. Excellent communicator both internally and for client-facing discussions. Achieved 98%+ customer satisfaction ratings through weekly and monthly check-ins with accounts valued cumulatively at $500,000.

Entry-Level Resume Headline.

Bilingual College Graduate with 80 WPM Typing Speed and Tutoring Experience

Experienced Resume Headline.

Business Development Specialist with 6+ Years Experience Scaling Start-Up Tech Teams

For more on resume introductions:

Resume objective statement

Resume summary statement

Resume summary statement examples

Qualifications summary

Sample resume work experience sections

Work Experience XYZ Industries | Seattle, WA Marketing Associate | May 2019-Present Delivered weekly presentations to client-base to communicate brand messaging, increasing client retention by 11% Served as liaison between marketing and product teams, resulting in projects finishing 2 weeks early, on average Leveraged Excel skills to create and maintain spreadsheet to track consumer insights, emergent trends, and inform decisions of marketing team through competitive analysis Managed team of 5 contractors to juggle multiple priority projects simultaneously, never missing a deadline Initiated an affiliate referral program that PR team went on to turn into a revenue-generating stream valued at $30,000 annually ABC Corp | Seattle, WA Marketing Intern | September 2018-May 2019 Developed, maintained, and processed 20+ digital consent forms and distributor forms Worked collaboratively with a team of 10 marketing professionals, closely aligning our goals with the PR team Provided data analysis using Google Analytics and performed keyword research to increase blog traffic by 56% over six months Answered up to 50 customer queries by phone and email each week

For more on building the perfect resume work experience section:

Resume work experience section

First resume (no experience)

Examples Of Education Resume Sections

Graduated recently from a 4-year program.

Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois May 2020 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology | Minor in Psychology 3.95 GPA magna cum laude Dean’s List all semesters

Two degrees.

Fordham University | Bronx, New York April 2016 Master of Chemical Engineering Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, New York April 2014 Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Anticipated graduation date (not yet graduated).

DePaul Univeristy | Chicago, Illinois Bachelor of Arts in History – Degree anticipated May 2021 Current GPA: 3.8

Older job seeker (graduated 10+ years ago).

University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois Bachelor of Business Administration

High school graduate (no college degree).

Johnston High School 2016-2020 Head of Computer Club

More on crafting the perfect resume education section:

Education resume section

GPA on resume

Dean’s list

Magna cum laude

Examples Of Skills For Resume

Examples of hard skills include:

Examples of soft skills include:

Here’s more information on how to incorporate skills into your resume:

Resume skills section

Hard skills

Soft skills

Top skills for professionals

Skills-based resume

Resume writing FAQ

What is a resume?

A resume is a one to two-page document that focuses on professional experience, past achievements, education and certifications, and specific skills tailored to the job you’re applying for.

Almost every job application requires a resume, and hiring managers use them as a first impression in determining which applicants get a shot at an interview.

Whether you’re fresh out of college or have 30 years of professional experience, this guide should help craft a resume that stands out from the crowd and get you one step closer to landing your dream job.

What is the format for writing a good resume?

Most people will want to use a chronological or reverse-chronological resume format. This format is compatible with most applicant tracking systems (ATS) and is easy for employers to read. Additionally it helps highlight your experience, which helps prove your qualifications.

How far back should a resume go?

A resume should go back no further than 10 to 15 years. However, it is important that all your information is relevant. Therefore, do not include job experience that is irrelevant to your application, even if it’s fewer than 10 years old. Save that information for later discussions.

Should you personalize your resume for each job?

Yes, you should personalize your resume for each job you apply to. Many recruiters use ATS now, which will search for keywords in a resume and reject those that don’t have them. That means that the skills you choose to highlight as well as your opening, such as your resume summary, should be altered to suit each job you apply to.

You don’t need to rewrite the entire resume for each job, but it does show attention to detail and initiative to make sure that your resume is customized. It also makes it more likely that you’ll get past the first step of the process.

State of New York Department of Labor – Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications

Harvard University – Create a Resume/CV or Cover Letter

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Matthew Zane is the lead editor of Zippia's How To Get A Job Guides. He is a teacher, writer, and world-traveler that wants to help people at every stage of the career life cycle. He completed his masters in American Literature from Trinity College Dublin and BA in English from the University of Connecticut.

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Future Focus

Mastering the art of résumé writing.

Crafting a compelling résumé is a crucial skill that can land you that perfect summer job, a coveted place in a college program or internship, and, ultimately, your dream career. Your résumé is an important marketing tool—it is the first impression you will provide to potential employers and can greatly influence whether you get invited for an interview or not.

How do you ensure that your résumé stands out among the hundreds of others in the applicant pool? Let's dive into some key strategies, focusing on what you need to know as a college student or recent graduate.

Depending on what type of job or position you’re applying for, you may need to write a particular type of résumé. Below we will explore the two most common types:

A chronological résumé lists your work history and achievements in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent experience. This type is preferred by many employers, as it showcases your career progression and growth over time. It's ideal if you have a solid work history and want to highlight your career trajectory.
On the other hand, a functional résumé focuses more on your skills and abilities rather than your work history. It's a great option if you're a recent graduate with limited work experience or if you're changing careers. Functional résumés allow you to emphasize your relevant skills and qualifications upfront, making it easier for employers to see your potential fit for the role.

The essential components of a well-crafted résumé are consistent across both types. When you’re writing your first draft, be sure to always include:

Contact information: Include your name, phone number, professional email address, LinkedIn profile (if available), and any online portfolio links you have.
Education: List your educational background, including your degree, institution, and graduation date. If you are still in school, you can include your projected graduation date and degree.
Work experience: Provide details of your relevant work experience, including job titles, company names, dates of employment, and bullet points emphasizing your achievements and responsibilities.
Skills: Highlight both technical and soft skills that are relevant to the job you're applying for.
Certifications: Include any certifications or licenses that demonstrate your expertise in specific areas.
Correct formatting: Keep your résumé clean, concise, and easy to read. Use bullet points to list your accomplishments, and avoid large blocks of text. Aim to keep your résumé to one page, especially if you're a recent graduate.

Before submitting your résumé, be sure to proofread carefully for spelling and grammar—errors can create a negative impression, particularly if you are applying for a job that requires attention to detail. When possible, tailor your résumé to each job application by highlighting the skills and experiences most relevant to the position.

In addition to your résumé, consider crafting a compelling cover letter to accompany your application. Although not always required, a well-written cover letter allows you to expand on your qualifications, express your enthusiasm for the position, and demonstrate why you're the ideal candidate.

Remember, your résumé is your first impression, so invest the time and effort needed to make it shine. Good luck in all your application endeavors!

Learn more about résumé writing by watching our webinar below!

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More than two dozen house democrats blast biden holding back israel military aid, say it ‘emboldens’ hamas terrorists.

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More than two dozen House Democrats led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer told national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday they were “deeply concerned” about President Biden’s decision to withhold military aid from Israel.

Gottheimer (D-NJ) and 25 of his fellow lawmakers wrote in a letter to Sullivan obtained by The Post that “withholding weapons shipments to Israel … only emboldens our mutual enemies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Iranian-backed proxies.”

“Seven months after October 7, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the end of the Holocaust, Iranian-backed terrorist proxies continue to fire rockets and mortars into Israel and at Americans from all directions,” they wrote. “At the same time, antisemitism is spreading globally like wildfire.”

Congressman Josh Gottheimer with Congresswoman Kathy Manning speaks at a press conference regarding recent anti-semitism directed towards jewish students studying at Columbia University in New York on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Biden, 81, announced Wednesday he would not supply arms to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war effort if his military forces moved forward with an invasion of Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“I made clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gotten into Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem,” he told CNN’s Erin Burnett.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that the paused shipment included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.

“He does not want certain categories of American weapons used in a particular type of operation in a particular place,” she said. “We have to make sure that we protect those 1.5 million civilian lives [in Rafah].”

Israeli army soldiers stand atop the turret of a tank positioned in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on May 9, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the Hamas movement.

“We are especially focused on the end use of the 2,000-pound bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza,” she added. “We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment.”

Netanyahu, in a video message Thursday that did not mention Biden, vowed of Israel: “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone.”

The House Democrats said the president’s decision “buttresses” the Iranian terror proxies’ “agenda of chaos, brutality, and hate, and makes a hostage agreement even harder to achieve.”

US President Joe Biden speaks during an event to recognize the 2023 WNBA Champions Las Vegas Aces, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on May 9, 2024.

Hamas kidnapped 240 people during its Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel that led to the massacre of 1,200 people, including 33 US citizens.

More than 130 remain hostages in the Gaza Strip — including five Americans. It is unclear how many of that number are alive or dead.

More than 30,000 Palestinians have also been killed in the dense urban warfare, according to figures provided by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between terrorists and civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024.

“Stalling these shipments will allow terror groups to continue stealing humanitarian aid, ultimately putting innocent Palestinians at even greater risk,” the Democrats also said.

“As the President confirmed after October 7, Hamas must be ‘eliminated entirely,’” they added, reminding Biden of his other commitments to America’s closest ally in the Middle East early in the war.

“When we abandon these duties, we leave a vacuum of American leadership for our anti-democratic adversaries to fill,” the members declared.

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Gottheimer and the other Democrats requested a classified briefing to discuss the matter further and receive assurances for when the $17 billion in military aid for Israel passed by Congress last month “will be delivered.”

The House Oversight Committee also fired off a letter to Sullivan on Friday, accusing the Biden administration of “playing political games with US taxpayer funded assistance going to Israel.”

“Further reporting indicates that the National Security Council actively chose to withhold this information from the public eye for days, in part so that news of the decision would not be known when President Biden delivered a speech touting support for Israel on Holocaust Remembrance Day,” read the letter led by Oversight chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).

United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan participates in the daily briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC.

“The Committee seeks a briefing, as well as documents and information related to this decision, including any legal justification for withholding essential supplies from Israel in its fight against Hamas terrorists who still have Israeli and American hostages,” added Comer and 21 GOP co-signatories.

The Oversight panel demanded the records and a briefing by May 24, chiding the White House for having declared at the start of Biden’s term that he would “bring transparency and truth back to government.”

A spokeswoman for Sullivan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Muslim and Arab American voters have threatened to withhold their votes for Biden in the 2024 election over his support for Israel during its more than seven-month-old war in Gaza.

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COMMENTS

Writing a Civilian Resume for the First Time
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.
How To Write a Military to Civilian Resume (With Example)
2. Make a list of your military duties to determine if they're relevant. Once you know what type of civilian job you want, think about all your duties as a veteran and make a comprehensive list of your accomplishments. At this step, you can use military terminology if it helps you make the list.
Military to Civilian Resume Examples & Template for Veterans
Learn how to write a military resume for a post-military career that will translate your military experience into skills and achievements civilian employers can understand. This guide will show you: A military resume example better than 9 out of 10 civilian resumes. How to write a military to civilian resume that will land you more interviews.
Building Your Federal Military Resume
Use the federal agency's online resume builder. Copy and paste sections from your master resume into the online resume builder website of the federal agency that you are applying to. You can also create a hard copy of your resume if a federal agency requires one. Choose your words carefully. Human resources staff, or a computer program, will ...
Military Resume Examples & Writing Tips (2024) · Resume.io
How to write a military resume. Writing your military resume should follow the same basic format as all other resumes. It should consist of the following sections: The resume header. The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement) The employment history section. The resume skills section. The education section.
How to List Military Experience on a Resume
1. List your military experience in your resume summary. A resume summary is a paragraph placed at the top of your resume that briefly summarizes your professional background. It's your first chance to show employers why your military experience makes you an ideal candidate for the job. Your resume summary should highlight the following ...
Military to Civilian Resume Example for Veterans [Updated 2024]
Content. Top ↑ Military to Civilian Resume Example (for Veterans) How to Write a Military Veteran Resume (8 Easy Steps) #1. Pick a Functional Resume Format #2. Include Contact Information #3. Capture the Hiring Manager's Attention with a Military Veteran Resume Summary #4.
Military-to-Civilian Resume Example & Writing Tips
Here are three tips any MOS, NEC, or AFSC should keep in mind when writing a military-to-civilian resume. Examples will be listed throughout the text to give you a rough idea of what to write about (even if your industry isn't listed). 1. Plan your career path before being discharged.
5 Military Resume Examples Made for Success in 2024
3 Tips for Writing an Experienced Military Resume. Highlight specializations. If you have specialized military skills like leadership, logistics, or intelligence analysis, show them off. Next, tailor your accomplishments and metrics to align with the specific role you're pursuing, highlighting your expertise and achievements in those areas.
How To Write a Military-to-Civilian Resume: Highlighting Your Military
Image description. 3. Include a skills section. As previously mentioned, you want to list your skills in civilian terms. You can also list the skills you had previous to your military service if they apply to the position. For example, you might have managed a team of recruits, including their training and schedules.
How to Write a Military-to-Civilian Resume
Most resumes pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS) that scans each application before it reaches an actual recruiter. If your resume doesn't have enough of the right keywords, it might get automatically screened out. Sites like JobScan can help you determine which keywords to include, depending on the posting. 6.
Military to Civilian Resume: Example, Template, and Pro Tips
When transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce, one of the most critical documents you need is a well-crafted resume. A military to civilian resume allows you to showcase your unique skills, experience, and qualifications that make you a valuable asset to any employer. Creating a military to civilian resume can be a challenging task, especially if you have spent several years ...
How To Write Military Resumes
Use these tips to write a federal military resume: 1. Include your contact information. At the top of your resume, include your full name, phone number and email address. For federal resumes, also include a mailing address. Federal hiring managers use this information during the candidate assessment process. 2.
Army Resume
Under the Army Talent Alignment Process initiative, the resume is the second most important factor considered — after the interview — when units are choosing officers.As a result, you're going to need a well-written, evidence-based resume. In the Assignment Interactive Module 2.0, the "My Resume" builder provides you with a framework to highlight your top skills and accomplishments.
5 Military Resume Examples & Guide for 2024
When crafting your military resume, it's crucial to highlight your leadership experience. Demonstrate the scale and impact of the teams or projects you have led. Showcase your ability to adapt and overcome challenging situations. Your resume should reflect your problem-solving skills and resilience. Use This Example.
Military to Civilian Resume: Examples & Templates (2024)
Use the military resume template in this guide. It uses military experience on a resume the right way. Translate military skills to your civilian resume. Kill the acronyms and show how you used skills listed in the job offer. Write a military resume objective that gets noticed. In it, put your 2-3 best assets.
Military-To-Civilian Resume Examples and Templates for 2024
A strong history of overseeing multi-million-dollar supply chains to support military operations. 2. Add a compelling section featuring your military-to-civilian experience. To grab the hiring manager's attention, you want to create compelling bullet points that showcase your strongest and most relevant accomplishments.
How to Add Military Experience on a Resume + Examples
Change some of the terms on your resume if necessary to create keyword matches. Just select your service (for example Air Force) and enter your MOS code (for example 11A4 - Airlift Pilot). Search for equivalent job titles and read a job description to match your experience.
Military Resume Examples
With the right tools and guidance, making a persuasive resume is easier than you think! In this guide, you'll find: A selection of military resume examples. Step-by-step instructions on how to write a military resume. Military resume samples for every experience level. Facts and data about the insurance industry.
Professional Military Resume Examples
Action Verbs to Include in Your Military Work Experience Section. As you draft your work experience section, choose action verbs that emphasize your most important accomplishments, but try to keep these in alignment with the demands of your targeted role. Consider verbs like these: · Organized. · Administered.
Military Resume: Complete 2022 Guide with 10+ Military ...
Framing Points: Analysis. The above-listed military resume examples present us with the following observations: Example 1 uses a long paragraph and Example 2 uses crisp one-liner points to communicate the same information. Example 1 (which uses paragraphs) is hard to read & comprehend.
Resumes: How To Effectively Market Your Military Experience
1. Translate your military job titles. The initial read-through of the resume is usually a quick scan. One of the areas that are often looked at first are your job titles to determine if your experience is relevant. The job titles listed on your resume must be free of military terminology and acronyms.
Speaking civilian: Taking military jargon off of your resume
When writing your civilian resume, focus on communicating the functional area of the job title, as opposed to rank. This is particularly helpful when it comes to leadership roles, as civilians aren't likely to know the duties that accompany rank. For example: Warrant Officer — Specialist/Department Manager. Senior NCOs — First-Line ...
How To Write A Resume In 7 Steps (With Examples)
It doesn't matter if you have the best resume in the world if the hiring manager can't contact you. Every single resume should include the following contact information: Your full name. First and last. Your phone number. Use a personal phone number, and make sure your voicemail is set up properly. Your email address.
Master Resume Writing: Tips for Crafting Your Best
Correct formatting: Keep your résumé clean, concise, and easy to read. Use bullet points to list your accomplishments, and avoid large blocks of text. Aim to keep your résumé to one page, especially if you're a recent graduate. Before submitting your résumé, be sure to proofread carefully for spelling and grammar—errors can create a ...
More than two dozen House Democrats blast Biden holding back Israel
Biden, in a CNN interview on Wednesday, announced the pause on the US-supplied arms to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war effort if his military forces moved forward with an ...
How To Craft a Veteran Resume (With Template and Example)
When writing your veteran resume, make sure you choose skills that are related to the job you're applying for according to the job description. 7. Add any training or education you earned. Regardless of the job you're pursuing, include the degrees or certificates you earned before joining the military and after.
One Page Resume Templates & Writing Guide
2. 2023. Download This Free Template. This single page resume template is packed with content and still manages to look spacious. The sidebar allows you to easily organize your information, while a vertical line splits up the page and makes your resume easy to read. 3. Clean. Download This Free Template.
Tips for writing a resume summary according to ex-Nvidia recruiter
It 'showcases what the person brings to the table'. Think of this section of your resume as a high-level illustration of your success. "I think a great summary just really showcases what the ...

Military to Civilian Resume Example for Veterans [Updated 2024]

Military to Civilian Resume Example (for Veterans)

How to Write a Military Veteran Resume (8 Easy Steps)

#1. Pick a Functional Resume Format

#2. Include Contact Information

#3. Capture the Hiring Manager’s Attention with a Military Veteran Resume Summary

#4. Summarize Your Experiences with a Key Strengths Section

Applying for a Military or Private Security Role? Do This

#5. Mention Your Education (the Right Way)

#6. Include In-Demand Skills (For the Industry You’re Applying for)

#7. Take Advantage of the Optional Resume Sections

#8. Make Sure Your Military to Civilian Cover Letter is as Impressive as Your Resume.

Essential Job-Search Resources for Veterans

Key Takeaways

5 Military Resume Examples Made for Success in 2024

Military Resume

Why this resume works

Military Veteran Resume

Retired Military Resume

Military Police Resume

Military to Civilian Resume

Related resume examples

Create a Military Resume That Fits Your Dream Job

15 best military skills

Your military work experience bullet points

9 active verbs to start your military work experience bullet points

3 Tips for Writing a Military Resume Without Much Experience

3 Tips for Writing an Experienced Military Resume

Military to Civilian Resume: Example, Template, and Pro Tips

Understanding the Transition

Identifying Transferable Skills

Military to Civilian Resume Example

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Military to Civilian Resume

Military-Friendly Language to Use in the Resume

Example of a Military to Civilian Resume

Military to Civilian Resume Template

Overview of the Template

Tips for Customizing the Template to Fit Individual Needs

Section-by-Section Breakdown of the Template

Pro Tips for Military to Civilian Resumes

Adding Accomplishments

Highlighting Leadership Skills

Emphasizing Relevant Experience

Writing Accomplishments

Relevance of Military Service

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using military lingo or jargon

Mistake 2: Focusing on duties rather than accomplishments

Mistake 3: Too much information

Mistake 4: Lengthy resumes

Mistake 5: Not tailoring the resume to the job

Cover Letter Writing for Military to Civilian Resume

Importance of a Cover Letter

Tips for Writing an Effective Cover Letter

Example of a Cover Letter for a Military to Civilian Resume

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