5 Tips for Creating a Veteran Resume

When military veterans decide to switch to the private sector and find employment with a civilian organization, they need a resume. An excellent veteran transition resume should display your commitment to your duty and how you can apply the skills you honed during your military service in a civilian work environment. 

Describing your military career in a relatable way to a civilian recruiter may present some difficulties. Using the right terminology is essential to create a convincing military resume for civilian job postings. Military veterans ought to know how to write a resume for a civilian recruiter with their military experiences and what they should add to their resume. 

1. Write Out Your Relevant Educational Background or Training

One should include details about the school you attended irrespective of the course you studied or the certification you received. For your training, don't just include any training; include the training that's relevant to the career path you've chosen. While at this, ensure that you dumb down your military courses (avoid using military terminology) so that prospective employers will relate to their significance. 

Furthermore, if the only specialized training you've received was during your time in the military, relate that training to its equivalent in a civilian setting. A good way to do this is by researching online courses similar to yours. Then, adopt some of these courses' descriptions while describing your training. 

2. Write your Security Clearances

Security clearances are a great addition to your resume, especially if you're applying for a job in defense or related sectors. They should be included in the "key skills" or "summary" section. Your security clearance is relevant because it communicates to your recruiters that you passed a thorough background verification, and you can be discreet with sensitive information. 

3. Validate and Quantify Your Military Experience

Generally, employers want to see the value of applicants and how they can contribute to the growth or success of the company once they hire you. Numbers have a way of validating your experience, making it measurable, and showing that value to your recruiters. Ensure that your resume summarizes what will make you a valuable asset using complementary metrics of your military experience. 

Several military veterans struggle to promote or market themselves in their transition resumes and are more likely to adopt a plural pronoun instead of a singular pronoun that reflects on them. Promoting yourself doesn't mean you should brag; it simply means you should write facts that describe your positive impact on the military. This will highlight how you can give value to your employer. 

4. List Your Duties and Determine Their Relevance

This should be done before the actual writing of your resume. Reflect on your duties during your military career and list everything you've accomplished. You can adopt military terminology to make this listing easier. After compiling the list, review the skills based on their relevance or significance to your chosen civilian career. 

For example, if you were in the Army and your role was as an Infantryman, this means the skills you learned included very quick assessments and decision-making. Such a skill is very relevant to a job in law enforcement, other security-related jobs, or as a supervisor.

If your role was as an intelligence officer in the military, it means your skills include being well-versed with computers and advanced electronic devices. This skill can be very relevant to jobs in the information technology sector. 

5. Determine Your Preferred Civilian Career

This is arguably the most important tip because it determines how you write your entire resume. Precisely, it helps you determine the relevant accomplishments, talents or skills, and experience that you should highlight on your resume. 

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