Posted on Jun 2, 2014
Why is using military experience, in the civilian job market, pointless?
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In my civilian career I have found that even mentioning my military career is absolutely pointless. First the employer has no idea what you are talking about, even if you put your job description in English for them. When mentioning my military experience, the first question I get is, "Did you serve overseas in the war?" When I answer "Yes!", then the next question is, "Do you have any sort of PTSD from that?". From there my answer is, "That is none of your business." Guess what! Employers don't like to hear that at all. So as much as I love showing off that I was in the military and proudly served my country, I keep that part off of my resume. Now, I have found that military experience is definitely more accepted in the government. I am solely talking about non-government civilian jobs.
What do you all do with your military experience on resumes with these non-government civilian jobs?
What do you all do with your military experience on resumes with these non-government civilian jobs?
Resume
Experience
PTSD
Overseas
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 9
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It all depends on if your military experience is relevant to the job you happen to be applying for. I outline my military experience in resume and it's helped me get interviews and a job on the civilian side.
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MAJ (Join to see)
What SPC Edmond said - depends on your job. My military experience is 100% transferable to civilian positions and will help me dramatically.
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SGT Ben Keen
Your military experience doesn't have to line up 100% with the job you are applying for though. Some MOSs just don't line up but you still learned things that need to be covered. Leadership skills, ability to work under pressure, ability to work in small and large groups, the ability to adept to any situation, are just a few examples of what every transitioning Veteran can include with examples on their resume.
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SSG (Join to see)
I agree with SGT Keen I also emphasize during interviews my ability adapt to any situation and work effectively as a member as a team.
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Sgt Randy Hill
Keywords civilian companies use are different from our much beloved military job analysis, of which we are accustomed. Remember only 1% of the population has what it takes to do what we do. Alot of these people have never served and do not understand the language of military culture. I do think this is a sad waste of tax payer money. The military training is second to none and should be treated as such.
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You're right. Saying ""That is none of your business." is a show-stopper, even if it's true. Remember, the cover letter persuades the HR guy to look at your resume. The resume might get you the interview. Then the interview is all about seeing how well you get along with people. If they love you personally, you're hired. If they feel threatened or if you look uncomfortable, you're toast.
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Listing your military experience on your resume is never pointless. Veterans can make it pointless thought by not taking the time to really list the highlights from what he/she did while in uniform. If you just put "Served in the US Armed Forces for X years" you are making it pointless. What I did on my resume was I went through my NCOERs and awards and I put down the highlights as bullet points on my resume. I didn't list every thing I did as a Multichannel Transmission Operator though because that would make my resume drag on.
As far as PTSD is concerned, I'm very up front about it when asked. I've yet to meet an employer who stopped the interview upon hearing I was deployed and now deal with PTSD. If that was the reason they didn't call me back, well that's on them but I've been able to hold meaningful employment ever since I transitioned out and all my jobs have been non-government positions.
If you find yourself having issues with including your military experience on your resume, then reach out to one of us out here. I'm always willing to help a fellow Veteran.
As far as PTSD is concerned, I'm very up front about it when asked. I've yet to meet an employer who stopped the interview upon hearing I was deployed and now deal with PTSD. If that was the reason they didn't call me back, well that's on them but I've been able to hold meaningful employment ever since I transitioned out and all my jobs have been non-government positions.
If you find yourself having issues with including your military experience on your resume, then reach out to one of us out here. I'm always willing to help a fellow Veteran.
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