Men and women returning to civilian life after military service have a wealth of experience, training, and education to offer civilian employers. Military members are well-trained, disciplined, and in most cases able to work in multiple positions on civilian teams because they have worked as leaders and team members in the military world.
Most military members have also received specific training and have worked in a certain occupation that supports civilian careers. Unfortunately, while most separating service members enter the civilian job market with a wealth of experience, few have little experience searching for and finding civilian jobs. Even those with skills and knowledge that should make them highly desirable to many employers find it particularly difficult to translate what they did in the military into a civilian resume that is useful to them.
If you’re in the military and planning to leave, you’ll need a resume that translates the military skills you’ve learned and the assets you’ve developed into language that non-military HR people understand. The reason is that HR staff make most of the decisions about who should be removed from the applicant list and who should proceed to an interview, and they make those decisions based on the resumes they receive.
Human resources people aren’t usually technical experts, so your resume should communicate your skills and accomplishments in terms they understand. A conversion resume should show your value, what you have to offer an employer. What sets you apart from others? What will the company’s return on investment be if it hires you? What have you accomplished that will stand you in good stead when doing the job you want to be hired for?
A great conversion resume quantified what he did in the military.
Demonstrate the results you got by using details like numbers, percentages, and dollars saved. Quantifiable terms are a universal language. If you saved the government money or time, were able to reduce costs or overhead, finished a project ahead of schedule, or solved a particularly thorny problem, your resume should say so.
Consulting a professional resume writer is the smartest decision any military person about to start looking for civilian employment can make. Professional resume writers know how to convert your military skills and abilities to appeal to a civilian market. His career marketing techniques will help you focus your job search by grouping and presenting the skills you learned in the military in the most engaging format. So if you’re leaving the military soon, contact a professional resume writer well before your discharge papers appear. Once outside, you’ll be so glad you did!