What have been the best resume tips you have received for transitioning to civilian jobs?

Ronnie Smithwick — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 14:51:51 -0400

Response by SFC Andrew Miller made Oct 11 at 2017 3:02 PM

SFC Andrew Miller — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 15:02:39 -0400

Create accomplishment statements. Accomplishment statements are the core to any resume regardless of it is chronological, functional, or of a hybrid format. Accomplishment statements should be written using the CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) format. The statement need not be written in that order, though. If possible you should always start with the Result. These statements will demonstrate what you actually do in a quantifiable way.

For example: Improved service call response time by 30% through the creation of response guidelines and revision of troubleshooting flowcharts.

The Challenge in this scenario is that it is taking too long for initial response to service requests. The Action was the creation of the guidelines and the revision of the flowcharts. The Result is the 30% improvement.

While I plan on staying in my current job until I retire, I continue to add to my list of accomplishment statements which is up to about 65 or so.

Response by Anastasia Penright made Oct 11 at 2017 3:16 PM

Anastasia Penright — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 15:16:12 -0400

Make sure to include technical platforms you're familiar with (MS Office, SharePoint, etc..)

Response by PO3 Donald Murphy made Oct 11 at 2017 3:49 PM

PO3 Donald Murphy — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 15:49:13 -0400

I know I'm gonna get flak, but stay away from the words "veteran" and "free." They don't exist. Well...they do, but they won't get you anywhere. Tons of places offer to do "veteran" resumes. No such thing. Pay money (minimum of $100) to a civilian resume writing firm to turn your resume into something a civilian company will read and hire you based on. I'm a retired Navy admin officer writing top secret patrol reports, evals, etc. If anyone can use big 75cent words its me, right? Wrong! Couldn't get anywhere. Within days of paying I was getting interviews.

Response by SGT Joseph Gunderson made Oct 11 at 2017 4:08 PM

SGT Joseph Gunderson — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 16:08:44 -0400

Translating the military terminology and jargon into easily understood civilian terms. For many employers, they really don't understand some of the things that may have been bullets on an NCOER or PER. It is paramount that, when writing a resume, one ensures that all of the duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments can be broken down and understood by someone who may have no knowledge whatsoever of the military. If this is not done, then there is an entire portion of great information and experience that just is not going to be able to be considered because the employer is unable to make heads or tails of what you have presented to them.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 11 at 2017 4:13 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 16:13:13 -0400

I would recommend all Veterans to get on LinkedIn and request the Premium Package. After that there are Groups you can link in with. A great group for Veterans is Veteran Mentor Network. It has a site admin that will answer all your questions and link you in with other Veterans. But this is question about resumes, right. This is where linking in and networking will help you in your job search. You will develop several resumes in this process. You may have a Master Resume and you may have a resume for the exact position you want with the company you want. Linking In with other Veterans that have transitioned that can read your resume and guide you thru the editing process is invaluable. Last tip: You will not know how to write a resume. The Federal Resume process is another topic for gnomes and unicorns lucky enough to ride the GS train. Resume Tip: Use Glass Door, Indeed, Monster and others, to look at open jobs and other people's resumes. Also, start tracking all the jargon or keywords. The resume is just phase 1 to the Interview Process which can be a 30 min phone call or an in-person interview.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Oct 11 at 2017 4:15 PM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 16:15:20 -0400

Ronnie Smithwick: Be honest. -Margaret

Response by CPT Gurinder (Gene) Rana made Oct 11 at 2017 5:18 PM

CPT Gurinder (Gene) Rana — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 17:18:23 -0400

Thanks for this post; it helps, since my Resume needs an overhaul. I doubt I will have 65 accomplishment statements on my revamped Resume, though. It is essential to pick the best 4 or 5 from your list to include in the Accomplishment Section.

Response by SFC Dennis A. made Oct 11 at 2017 5:21 PM

SFC Dennis A. — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 17:21:25 -0400

Honesty, if you add a bunch of BS it will eventually come to light and bit you.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Oct 11 at 2017 5:52 PM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 17:52:42 -0400

Take out all military jargon and convert your job titles to a civilian equivalent.

Response by SGT Tony Clifford made Oct 11 at 2017 6:30 PM

SGT Tony Clifford — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 18:30:19 -0400

When writing the experience portion of the resume, it's best to translate duty responsibilities into language that civilians can better understand. I also find that quantifying equipment you were responsible for into a dollar amount is helpful too. Quantifying a number of people you were responsible for also of use. It shows a perspective employer how much faith was put behind your abilities.

Response by SSG Alan Pelletier made Oct 12 at 2017 7:01 AM

SSG Alan Pelletier — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 07:01:37 -0400

1: Hire a professional resumé/LinkedIn writer after an experienced friend has translated the military into civilian.
2: FINISH your degree. Deployments make it difficult but “some college” is the equivalent to zero.
3: Understand your ego. Unless your working with overseas contractors nobody considers any piece of military experience as truly valuable in “their” workspace.

After that, do everything to remove military mannerisms from your toolbox. Nobody is impressed with the legendary knife-hand!

Response by Ronnie Smithwick made Oct 12 at 2017 7:09 AM

Ronnie Smithwick — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 07:09:59 -0400

Great comments! I appreciate the dialogue. Anyone looking for more specific questions about resumes feel free to inbox me!

Response by AA Joseph Moody made Oct 12 at 2017 9:34 AM

AA Joseph Moody — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 09:34:34 -0400

Don't just depend on a resume, but learn how to network.
Do you know those VOIP games you play? Those discussion groups? Each one of those is a chance to network. So take a moment and show some interest in other people and get a little intel on how their careers are progressing and find out what the employment waters are like where they live. In the civilian world they tend to hire for personality as much as they do for skills, accomplishments and qualifications. And that is something that is becoming more and more important in this world where the threshold for offence and lawsuit is getting lower and lower by the year.