Fellow prior enlisted officers: When creating a CV for future assignments, how much info did you include from your enlisted service?

2020-04-21T13:36:22-04:00

I am currently serving as a BDE physical therapist, which is my first assignment as a PT. When putting out “feelers” for my next assignment I was asked to put together a CV. I don’t have a lot of experience in my current job, but I was enlisted for more than a decade and I also spent a couple years on the civilian side before heading back into the Army as an officer/PT. I don’t want to put a bunch of “fluff” on my CV, but I think some of that experience is relevant. I’m also not sure what awards I should include. I can’t imagine I would include things like the Army Service Ribbon, but I’m assuming I should probably include things like MSMs, ARCOMS, etc, plus service ribbons from deployment. I’m not trying to overinflate my experience level, but I think it’s important to show that I do have a good amount of general military experience. I’m definitely open to any suggestions you all may have. LTC Charles Blake

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2020 2:30 PM

2020-04-21T14:30:10-04:00

I hate to be brutal, but no one cares (anymore) about your medals. Like, probably not even the Medal of Honor. They just want to know, “How are you going to fit in my company?” If the resume bullet doesn’t answer that—omit it. I’ve seen the wackiest horsecrap on military resumes. Swim Qual? In an office environment? Not relevant. Letter of Commendation? For an especially good base clean-up project? No one cares. Online annual courses taken? SERIOUSLY?!? My favorite: quoting (inflated) evaluation bullets in your resume. Wow.

A lot of a resume is designed to highlight either consistent work history, and/or gaps in work. Very technically, you could sum it all up with “U.S. Army 2010 - 2020” and be done with it. If there’s something SPECIFIC you’d like to highlight, sum it up in one sentence. If you had a job (“Food Service, 2 years”) which has nothing to do with helping your administrative office job, you could omit it. Ask yourself, “Will this information compel them to call me for an interview?” If no, omit it. A high rifle score? “No court-martials”? Omit. “Named ______ Of The Year”? Maybe. Depends what it is.

IF YOU HAVE ANY VOLUNTEER SERVICE—INCLUDE IT. It really tells them who you are, and might set you apart.

Obviously, any qualifications you have which would help the future employer—include. It’s just an online course? Include it anyway. It’s not like you’re lying about it.

You’d be better off having a half-resume that’s full of RELEVANT stuff, than making them weed through a full one-page resume that’s clearly padded full of meaningless crap and makes them say, “All that? To tell me you’re not qualified?”

Fill some of the space with job references. That’s possibly your saving grace. Skip the cumbersome military titles; use things like “manager” and “supervisor” rather than “assistant deputy automated platoon vice-commander.” Because no one knows what that means.

And because you’re specifically in the Army, for the love of god, please don’t use, not even once, a single MOS code!! None of the rest of us have any clue what a 78 Delta is.

Good luck to you!

Response by CWO3 Jim Grindstaff made Apr 21 at 2020 2:58 PM

2020-04-21T14:58:36-04:00

Maybe not to be quite as brutal as the Maj below...but he is mostly correct. Having been in the civilian workforce now for about 16 years and having been one to have to review resumes and make hiring decisions, I will tell you that I would look for what is relevant to the job you are applying for. Your marksmanship medals/ribbons really don't matter if you are applying for a job that doesn't include shooting.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Apr 21 at 2020 3:08 PM

2020-04-21T15:08:05-04:00

I would include any key leadership roles and major accomplishments, as well as any skills that are relevant to the assignment. I definitely wouldn't be looking to unnecessarily add bulk to the resume. You might also want to include a copy of your ORB. That will list all of your other awards, badges, ASIs, assignments, etc., but will do so in a standardized and acceptable manner.

Response by LTC Eugene Chu made Apr 21 at 2020 3:11 PM

2020-04-21T15:11:32-04:00

I did not include prior enlisted service on my resume. Most employers are concerned with past 10 years of work experience, specifically post-college. Furthermore, age discrimination can exist in civilian hiring and enlisted time mention can indicate being older than necessary.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2020 4:40 PM

2020-04-21T16:40:20-04:00

Very little-most was focused on last 5-10 years for resume. Most of my HR CO ya ya said it was less than pertinent for civilian hiring so years in service and anecdotal experiences were more discussion that in Resume. I do have a Military resume that has everything on it. It’s 12 pages and a beast. I use it more to cut and past into specified products or to reference when speaking dates times job specifics accolades etc. the only place it all went into was USA Jobs...

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2020 8:06 PM

2020-04-21T20:06:44-04:00

So a CV is different from a resume. a resume should be about 1 page and make someone beg you to complete the details.
A CV is literally a living document where you list everything... I have seen many that are 14 pages long because of medical training, peer reviewed publications, grant monies gained and continuing education classes.
Drop me an email on Outlook and I'll send you mine as a reference.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Apr 21 at 2020 8:27 PM

2020-04-21T20:27:06-04:00

CVs are the document you list more detail. The advice you’re getting on resumes is accurate. If you are doing a CV your adult life is relevant. So are awards, certs, licenses and decorations

Response by CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2020 9:00 PM

2020-04-21T21:00:06-04:00

Not prior enlisted, but found the topic interesting. When you say CV for your next assignment, are you talking about the new AIM 2.0 resume? If so, then most of the respondents aren't tracking this new facet of officer assignments. I recently extended my cycle, so delayed this process for myself. But if this is what you're referring to, remember it's on the backside of your ORB. You wouldn't need to restate that info. I would suggest sitting down with the person at your current unit who would review such things. They may be able to provide valuable insight. I think all of us are scratching our heads a little on this.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 22 at 2020 4:48 AM

2020-04-22T04:48:33-04:00

I think most of the people here missed that this is for a Military Position.

If you send me an Email in global I will send you examples I have used in the past that you can tailor for yourself.
Miller, Jason Steven

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 22 at 2020 11:35 AM

2020-04-22T11:35:11-04:00

Do not discount your achievements and qualifications. While an Army Service Ribbon may not be that big of a deal it shows you are committed. The Army Service Ribbon means something. While your weapons qualifications may not be relevant to an office job it is important to highlight details that can translate to the corporate workforce such as attention to detail, workplace safety compliance and enforcement, etc. Dont’t fluff your CV or resumé but you may need to think outside the box a bit to figure out how your military training and qualifications relate to the job for which you are applying.

Response by CPT Cornelius Gorman II made Apr 22 at 2020 1:58 PM

2020-04-22T13:58:29-04:00

I lappreciate the special attributes and benefits Mustangs have brought to our cotporate healthcare ranks! Brief EM svc reference on the CV, in my opinion is a plus.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 25 at 2020 8:47 AM

2020-04-25T08:47:46-04:00

All awards , Highest rank achieved and deployments is what I listed on my military bio

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made May 15 at 2020 11:15 PM

2020-05-15T23:15:11-04:00

Know your audience. Ask more senior PTs what they put in their CV. Shape CV to fit job(s) you are applying for. For enlisted and private sector jobs in past 10 years, show responsibilities and accomplishments. Again, tailor to prospective job. As for awards, list medals for meritorious work or valor. Skip the been-there ribbons.

Response by SSgt John Wise made Jun 12 at 2020 10:58 AM

2020-06-12T10:58:52-04:00

One of the biggest errors many military are making on their resume acronyms and things most civilian employers have no idea what they mean.

You MUST translate your military experience to civilian terms, remove non important things such as awards (not important), and would HIGHLY recommend consulting with a resume writer if you cannot translate military experience to civilian language. If you feel those acronyms are important to the position you are looking for spell it out with a language according to their ideal candidate job description.

Response by Col Tom Duquette made Jul 13 at 2020 1:50 PM

2020-07-13T13:50:44-04:00

1LT Beggs, as a prior enlisted (Army) troop who separated and obtained my degree in physical therapy then went on to serve 27 years on AD in the Air Force I'm going to comment. There seems to be some confusion regarding the difference between a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a resume (that others have noted here). Very early in my career a mentor/boss advised me to start a CV and gave me a format. There are many out there to choose from but I followed his which is very comprehensive (you can always make an abridged version to fit future civilian job opportunities).

The CV should include every CE course you've taken (even online stuff, which now during the Covid-19 crisis is all you're going to be taking anyway), duty assignments, academic history, board certification(s), licensure information, teaching experience, research, published articles, membership in professional organizations and offices held if any, chairmanship or membership of/in any medical group committees that pertain to healthcare for your population, consulting, deployments, decorations, PME schools, and even any unique qualifications you might have like a pilot's license, dive certifications, etc. This gives someone an in-depth look into your experiences and qualifications.

A resume is a brief, usually one page, summary of how you match up for a specific job based on your education, training, and experience. In the medical world this is going to be pretty straightforward in most cases. Bottom line: two very different documents.

Most likely anyone in the Army looking at you as a candidate for an assignment is not going to expect you to have a 20 page CV based on your rank and commissioned service time so don't worry if there isn't tons in it. Your prior enlisted service no doubt includes leadership experience that will be of value to any hiring authority. Good luck!

Response by CW3 Michael Clifford made Jul 20 at 2020 12:26 AM

2020-07-20T00:26:15-04:00

Overall, in all the national security reinvestigations I have completed since 1995, most of veterans and retirees acquire our positions through networking and not your resume. I would suggest you doing research on where you’d like to work and contact former peers and superiors. Most employers offer bonuses to employees who bring them good employment candidates. An updated clearance also saves your prospective employer money. For retirees, update your clearance and then retire. Cost of clearances are passed to contractors and are good for 5 years. Thus, if you go into a job interview with a clearance which is good for 4.5 years versus 1 year, you are saving your employer over $10,000. Also, if you have Tri-Care, you save your perspective employer health costs.