Advice: Transitioning from the Military to Civilian Employment

SFC Gary Fox — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 12:31:35 -0400

I retired from military service in 2010. For the last two years, I have assisted Veterans as they have been making the transition from their military career to a new career in the private sector. Since then, I’ve noticed some mistakes they all seem to have in common.

The resume: Every resume I have reviewed from a Veteran is written as if they are applying for a job with the military. In other words, civilians who review resumes do not understand what it is you did or accomplished because your resume contains military terms, acronyms, and jargon. To them it is written in a foreign language.

Keep in mind only 1% of the US population serves in the military at any given time. The chances of human resource professionals knowing what a Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant, Sergeant Major, Company Commander, Operations Officer or NCOIC, Battalion Commander, etc. does is highly unlikely. If you served in any of these leadership positions, you were supervisors or managers in civilian terms. Write out the responsibilities you had and your accomplishments, and then start changing them to fit the civilian world.

Let’s take a look at SFC Joe Snuffy, who is getting ready to retire. His resume says he was in charge of the maintenance of 14 M-1 Abrams tanks. The price tag on an M-1 Abrams is $4.3 million. How do I know? I looked it up online. Would it not sound better on the resume to say he was responsible for maintaining more than $60 million worth of equipment in operational order? SFC Snuffy then must explain how he accomplished that duty and what results he caused. “Received special recognition from senior executives for implementing effective work schedules, maintenance procedures, and training programs that kept $60 million of equipment operational,” sounds a lot more impressive than, “Responsible for keeping 14 tanks operational.”

Another mistake I’ve seen is Veterans expecting to start in a civilian job at the same leadership level they had in the military. If you were an E-7 in the military and you transferred to a new duty station, you were put in an E-7 position. It does not work that way leaving a military career for a civilian career. I assisted a recently retired Colonel who was sending out a lot of resumes, but not getting any interviews. There were two reasons why he was not getting invited for interviews. The first was his resume; it was all military speak. The second was the positions he was applying for. He was expecting to get a vice-president position because he retired as a Colonel. I had to give him the hard, cold fact that it was not going to happen like that. I told him if he wanted a job, he had look for and apply to middle management positions. After fixing his resume and applying for middle management positions, he started getting interviews!

Another thing transitioning Veterans need to realize is the fact that the economy is making it tough for anyone to find a good paying position. The unemployment rate is still relatively high, which has increases competition. Talk to any human resource professional and they will tell you they receive hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes for positions their companies are advertising to fill. Transitioning Veterans need to keep this in mind so they do not become continuously discouraged when they do not immediately find employment.

The increased competition brings me to another mistake Veterans are making: not marketing themselves effectively. First of all, I do not recommend wasting money and paying to have resumes professionally re-written because it is not worth it. There is no such thing as a resume that will work for any job you apply for. Looking for a job is a full-time job. When you see a job posting on Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, et al., the employer is giving you the requirements they expect an applicant to have. You need to rewrite your resume to reflect you meet at least 90% of those requirements. You need to use the same action words used in those requirements because most HR departments are using software to scan your resume based upon those words. If you are applying for “Basket Weaver Manager”, be sure the title of your resume is “Basket Weaver Manager.”

Take this: You have rewritten your resume to apply for the “Basket Weaver Manager” position with ABC Company. Now save it on your computer as, “ABC Company Resume.” When you do that, and ABC Company calls you to come in for an interview, you can review the resume before you go to the interview. Remember, it is important that you print a few copies to take with you to the interview. It never hurts to hand the interviewer another copy of your resume as they sometimes forget to bring a copy with them.

Cover letters should always accompany your resume when you apply for a job. If you are applying for the “Basket Weaver Manager” position at ABC Company, then go to their website and look for their contact information. Call the company and ask them for the name of their Human Resource Director. If they do not have one, ask for the name of the Hiring Manager. By all means, once you get that person’s name, ask for their contact info as well; telephone number and email address. When you write your cover letter, address it directly to that person. A few days after you’ve submitted your resume, call or email that person to follow up. I prefer calling - that way, if they did not receive it, then you can ask to send it to their email address rather than count on them getting it through the company website.

Another problem Veterans make regards their use of social media. If you use Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media site that can be linked to your resume, take all derogatory comments off them. Many prospective employers have been known to research potential employees before they decide to hire them. You do not want to market yourself on these sites as someone who complains a lot or someone who would not fit into the culture of their company.

While you were in the military, your career was YOUR responsibility. You had to take the initiative to do what needed to be done to advance in your career. The career fairy did not waive her magic wand and you were promoted. It is the same thing when seeking a new career in the private sector – you need to take the initiative.

Response by SGT Corey Franks made Mar 18 at 2015 12:43 PM

SGT Corey Franks — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 12:43:29 -0400

Be careful what you post online. not just now and the future, but everything you posted previous to that. Get your resume tailored for each job you apply for. YOU HAVE TO CHANGE IT FOR EACH ONE! Get with WWP or another Vet provider to help you get your resume in tact and also help you get additional skills you may need. Fix your LinkedIn account as well as your Rallypoint account. We all look at them!

Response by SFC Charles S. made Mar 18 at 2015 1:25 PM

SFC Charles S. — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 13:25:13 -0400

This is excellent Advice. I retired in 2002 and went straight into the civilian Job market. I was totally unprepared despite following all of the "expert advice" from the transition point. I did however find out most all of these things along the way and did land a very nice and stable job that has turned out to be my second Career.

This would be a must read for all soldiers expecting to exit the service.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 18 at 2015 1:28 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 13:28:30 -0400

thanks for this article. I retire in 18 months

Response by SSgt June Worden made Mar 18 at 2015 1:43 PM

SSgt June Worden — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 13:43:26 -0400

Thank you for your knowledge and commitment to those that are transitioning!

Response by Maj Chris Nelson made Mar 18 at 2015 2:36 PM

Maj Chris Nelson — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 14:36:02 -0400

Fantastic info! Do you know of any good sources to review (not write) a de-militarized resume to eval for appropriate wording vs. jargon?

Response by SSgt Brandon Sisson made Mar 18 at 2015 2:41 PM

SSgt Brandon Sisson — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 14:41:51 -0400

This is great advice! I work with veterans that are transitioning on a daily basis and the resumes are the biggest downfall.

If I can help any vet in any way please let me know.

Response by SFC Gary Fox made Mar 18 at 2015 3:04 PM

SFC Gary Fox — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 15:04:12 -0400

I am glad to see my article helped. I am currently writing another as a follow-up. One thing I would highly recommend is use your GI Bill to earn your degree or learn a skilled trade.

Right now there is a shortage of trained labor in skill trades and because of this shortage many of these jobs are paying more than what someone graduating with an engineering degree may get. Do some research in this area to find what skilled trade jobs are in high demand and what they are paying. You may find one that highly motivates you to pursue it.

Regardless of your age, you are never to old to go to school. I am 58-years old and I am in graduate school pursuing my MBA in Human Resource Management. I have proven over and over again in my classes how the private sector can learn from the military how to mentor and train their existing personnel to be promoted into management positions that will save them thousands of dollars over hiring someone from the outside. Nobody develops leaders like the military does. Like I said, I have proven that many times to my professors and classmates.

I find every opportunity I can to promote the hiring of Veterans because I know what they bring to the table.

If anyone ever wants to reach out to me for advice or to share some advice, please by all means send me a message and I'll be more than happy to give you my contact information.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 18 at 2015 3:29 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 15:29:25 -0400

All great information.

Response by SGT Joe Sabedra made Mar 19 at 2015 5:18 AM

SGT Joe Sabedra — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 05:18:40 -0400

Never lower your standards to meet some one else's expectations.

I kept my pride in all that I did and it showed.
I advanced in the civilian world exponentially compared to my non-veteran counterparts.

Response by Vikki Nicometo made Feb 10 at 2016 1:04 PM

Vikki Nicometo — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 13:04:51 -0500

Really great advice. I would add that applying online is the WORST way to find a job - get out there and network!

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 10 at 2016 3:54 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 15:54:19 -0500

Excellent tips. I like the looking for a job is a job comment because I constantly am creating a new resume or tweaking a resume to apply for a different job. It gets tiresome but needs to be done and is effective.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 10 at 2016 7:10 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 19:10:39 -0500

I agree with SGT Franks. I retire this month and I am currently a recruiter for government contracting. Look at the formatting you are using for your resumes. I see to many that look like they copied bullets from their NCOERs.

Response by TSgt Steve Waide made Jul 26 at 2016 5:41 PM

TSgt Steve Waide — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 17:41:31 -0400

This is really great advice that I am going to use. I am a transitioning Air Force E-6 with 19 yrs and I am currently applying for a law enforcement position but do not have the experience to back it up in a resume. Anyone have any good sound advice for this? I am open to all advice.

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Aug 29 at 2017 3:02 PM

SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 15:02:08 -0400

Here's my two cents on the whole thing, most of our senior enlisted and officers are coming out of the military not knowing how to draft a resume in the first place we won't go there with the cover letter. I've been talking for years about teaching this in NCOES courses but the Army wants to spend it on other crap and not work on help our transitioning veterans because I think if I gave 20 years to the ARMY they should at least give a resume or something better then a 1 week TAP class to me going to the civilian world. I'm not going say I got the best resume going, but I started early and yes my resume was really bad and I took baby steps to get where I am today and let me tell SFC and above that these types of jobs don't come over night and the civilian sector could care or less if you were a leader in combat so leave the combat stories at home and for the bar. Draft up a nice clean resume and cover letter and have some of you successful veterans friends who have made the cut in the industry world and get it pasted around before you even try to get it on line against the work force because I'm doing you a big favor because I'm telling you it's not easy ride SFC and above you might think because you were a SGM or COL you're going get that VP job but if you can write a professional resume and turn your ARMY or military leaders or experience into the langue they want to hear. you might want to start flipping burgers. But you are better then that. you're here on RALLY POINT where the best veterans and civilians can help you draft a great resume. I'm always up to help a brother or sister out there who needs help. I'm Field Artillery if I can make in in Department of the Navy and DOD you sure can.