Create A Winning Resume
By Stacy Entis
Fall 2006
Think of your resume as a marketing tool. Think of yourself as a product, potential employers as your customers and your resume as a brochure about you. Market yourself through your resume. What are your features and benefits? What makes you unique?
Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job. You do not need to go into detail about every accomplishment. Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resume is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview.
Lead with your strengths. Since resumes are typically reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.
Customize your resume for each employer. Make sure it includes keywords that match the skills and experience requested by the employer in the job posting.
Resume Tips For Military Transition
1. Define your civilian job objective. You can't effectively market yourself for a civilian job if you don't have a clearly defined goal. Because so many service people have diverse backgrounds, they often make the mistake of creating resumes that are too general to be effective. Before writing your resume, do some soul searching, research occupations and pinpoint a specific career path.
2. Speak to the needs of employers. What types of skills and experiences are employers seeking? What aspects of your background are most relevant? As you decide which information to include, ask yourself, “Will a potential employer care about this experience?”
Any information that does not relate to your goal should be eliminated or de-emphasized, and this includes any unrelated military awards, training and distinctions. For example, that medal you won for rifle marksmanship doesn’t belong on a civilian resume. This is often the hardest step for ex-military personnel, which is why it’s so common to see military resumes span five pages or more.
3. Assume no knowledge of the military. Demilitarize your job titles, duties, accomplishments, training and awards to appeal to civilian hiring managers. Employers with no exposure to the military don’t understand the terminology and acronyms, so translate these into “civilianese.” Show your resume to several non-military friends and ask them to point out terms they don't understand. Refer to job postings for help substituting civilian keywords for military terms.
4. Showcase your accomplishments. Your military career has offered you excellent opportunities for training, practical experience and advancement. Tout your accomplishments so the average civilian understands the importance of your achievements and the measurable outcomes.
Here's an example of a demilitarized accomplishment statement: Increased employee retention rate by 16 percent by focusing on training, team building and recognition programs. Earned a reputation as one of the most progressive and innovative IT organizations in the Army's communications and IT community.
Here's an example of incorporating a military award so employers understand its value: Received Army Achievement Medal for completing 400+ medical evaluations and developing patient database using MS Access. The database improved reporting functions and tracked patient demographics, records, medication, appointments and status.
Your military experience is an asset and should be marketed as such. Many employers realize the value of bringing veterans on board. Attributes honed in the military include dedication, leadership, teamwork, positive work ethic and cross-functional skills.
But if you were in active combat, leave out the details. Defending your country and its interests is among the most admirable pursuits, but the sad truth is actual references to the horrors of combat leave many employers squeamish. While you might have worked in a short-range air defense engagement zone, this experience might not relate to your future goal. Tone down or remove references to the battlefield.
Always place yourself in the shoes of the employer, who wants to know the answer to one question above all: “What can this person do for me?”
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Stacy Entis is a 15-year professional in human resources management and a consultant to www.MilitaryConnection.com, a directory of military resources and employment information.
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Resume Dos:
- Write brief phrases. Full sentences are not necessary.
- Use power words and verbs.
- Pick a resume format and be consistent.
- Make it one page – never more than two pages.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread, and have another person proofread for you.
- Include levels of security clearance.
Resume Don’ts:
- Don’t include personal information, such as age, marital status, etc. If it is not job related, do not include it.
- Don’t list hobbies.
- Don’t list references, and it is not necessary to say “References Available Upon Request” – this is implied to all employers as part of the interview process.
- Don’t list salary requirements or past salaries.
- Don’t give reasons for leaving a job.
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