- The biggest challenge for many when choosing to transition from the military to civilian workforce is creating a résumé. The goal of the military transition résumé is to summarize and highlight the skill sets that have been developed in the service in a way that translates to what civilian employers are looking for. Before beginning the résumé, the serviceman or woman needs to decide what kind of job they want. Once this decision has been made, they must decide which companies to apply to. For most military employees, their skill sets will match more than one potential career field in more than civilian company. Several career fields that are suitable for military members are: management, finance, human resources, maintenance, sales, information technology, business administration, and health care.
- The next step is deciding the type of résumé to use (functional versus chronological). Members of the military will have to translate their experience into terms that civilian employers will understand. To accomplish this, spell out military acronyms and terms and rephrase skill sets into language that is more familiar to the employer. Additionally, when referring to a military course that does not have a direct civilian translation, describe the topics in the course of study after listing the course. Some examples that are common in military résumés include Supervisory Military Position Term (Watch Captain, Petty Officer of the Watch, Officer of the Deck) to Supervisor, Manager, Coordinator; PCS Move-Relocation; and SEA (Senior Enlisted Academy)-Leadership and Management Development Course. The single most important item that service members can use to their advantage is citing their military evaluations on their résumés. Their accomplishments speak for themselves. Quantifying the achievements made over the course of a career with specific numbers and frequencies further enhances military experience. Some examples of this are: Created and implemented a comprehensive training program for more than 950 personnel; Managed a travel budget of more than $100,000 annually; Efforts resulted in $1,000,000 in savings for the fiscal year.
- The first mistake to avoid is making the résumé so heavy with military words and acronyms that any human resources department can't decide what the experience means. In addition, include email account as well as phone number for contact information. Do not include personal information such as age, marriage status and number of children. Finally, avoid making a résumé too long (it should run no longer than two pages). Civilian employers do not want to read a novel, they want to know what skill sets the prospective military member can to the company.
