Veterans have particular requirements when putting together their resume. One of the most important things is knowing your audience, which in most cases is going to be someone from the civilian sector. As such, a former serviceman or woman needs to put their service in the most easily-understandable layman’s terms. First though, you’ve got to start with a good template so your resume is easily readable and informative. Your resume is your first impression. If your resume is well-organized, it is a good reflection on you as an employee.
Resume BasicsOne of the most basic things you should do (and too many people don’t follow) is creating several different resumes. Just as in a job interview you’ve got to gauge your audience and react accordingly, you should create different resumes according to the type of job you seek. If you’ve got a very narrow field of interest, this won’t be as necessary, but usually creating several resumes that highlight different skills is a good idea. A resume shouldn’t be longer than two pages, so if you write very detailed descriptions of every skill, you’ll easily go past the maximum. Instead create different drafts of the resume that highlight skills that certain types of employers are looking for.
Most mainstream word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word, have resume templates available. You don’t have to fiddle around with templates or advanced design. Just add relevant information and the template does the work. However, you don’t want the resume to look generic so you can change color schemes, column width and other features.
If you don’t use a premade template, be sure to follow these guidelines:
- Use bulleted lists like this one to highlight skills and keep information separate.
- Use boldface and italics for specific skills as well, or for highlighting the title of each job. Keep this formatting consistent throughout the resume.
- Also, use a normal font, such as Times. You can change fonts within the resume, but not so much that it is distracting.
- For each job, write a concise, few-sentence description of activities involved. Especially highlight accomplishments, such as the percentage of increased productivity or the number of employees under supervision. Do not be overly boastful.
- Start sentences with an action word, such as “Maintained the computers for a LAN of 15 computers.”
It should go without saying that the resume is spellchecked. Sentence fragments are all right, so long as the fragment accurately conveys what you need to say. It’s a good idea to have a fresh pair of eyes look over the resume to see what stands out or what needs to be changed. Once you’re done, print the resume on good paper, though this doesn’t apply for online applications.
Military ResumesObviously, military personnel have some very unique concerns. The fact that most civilian employers will not understand complex military vocabulary means that these skills need to be effectively translated. This isn’t a case of “dumbing down” military skills so much as changing the language used to describe a particular task. Sometimes skills will need to be translated for the civilian workplace, so leading a platoon is the equivalent of managing employees.
If you’re really having trouble translating military skills or creating your resume, there are a number of professional resume writing services. It’s a good idea to choose a resume service that has some experience putting together resumes for military personnel, as even a top-flight resume service may have trouble with translating and conveying military experience. Online military skills calculators are also a good option. Once all of this is complete, you can enter into the job hunt with the confidence that you're well-represented by your resume.
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