how to write a resume for military experience

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5 Military Resume Examples [& Templates]

Best for senior and mid-level candidates

There’s plenty of room in our elegant resume template to add your professional experience while impressing recruiters with a sleek design.

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Like this template? Customize this resume and make it your own with the help of our Al-powered suggestions, accent colors, and modern fonts.

Military Resume

• Military Resumes by Experience
• Military Resumes by Role
• Write Your Military Resume

 Your multifaceted role in the military could cover anything from groundwork or combat to manufacturing or communications. With unmatched expertise, you anticipate challenges and avert conflicts proactively, making decisions under pressure with ease.

The skills you amass during your service—leadership, adaptability, and teamwork—are invaluable. Now the question is: how do you describe your courage and discipline when writing an effective cover letter or one-page resume ?

Not to worry—we’re here to help. With our military resume examples , you can transform your raw experience into a captivating application that will get you the attention and the interviews you deserve.

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• You’re pretty sure you’re the right fit for the role, but the hiring team could be on the fence. How about swaying their opinion by turning action-oriented verbs like “guided,” “trained,” and “maintained” to good account right at the beginning of your bullet points?
• Don’t overlook the power of garnishing your job descriptions with numbers like “41% decrease in criminal incidents” and “79% reduction in preventable casualties.” Such riveting metrics bring your tangible impact in past roles to light and give recruiters a taste of what you’re capable of pulling off.
• Of course, not all your skills need to make it to your resume. However, demonstrated proficiency with equipment and principles like KOCOA, DAGR, JTT, M4 carbine, and MQ-9 reaper highlights not just a strong foundation but also someone off to a flying start when it comes to technical knowledge and field readiness.
• And to put a bow on it? Review the job posting to decode the exact experience or proficiencies the hiring institution is hunting for. Then, refine your resume until it mirrors those needs. Adding a phrase like “design and implement four successful road construction projects” is a great idea.

Military Veteran  Resume

• To make such an achievement count in your military veteran resume, highlight how much you helped reduce equipment downtime to sustain uninterrupted workflows.

Retired Military Resume

• Speaking of your experience, list your missions and other roles in reverse chronological order, with your most recent positions and more impactful achievements taking precedence. Finish off this outline with side columns highlighting your military coursework, skills, and certifications.

Military Police  Resume

• For instance, “Assisted in slashing response times” could be better put as “Instituted advanced emergency protocols using NEC NeoFace, slashing response times by 44%.”

Military to Civilian Resume

• It underscores your ability to communicate effectively and ensure that all objectives are met within set timelines; attributes that make you an easy pick for joining the civilian workforce.

Related resume examples

• Officer Manager
• Operations Manager
• Office Administrator

Create a Military Resume That Fits Your Dream Job

Your military personnel resume should focus on showcasing skills vital to defense and strategic operations. Precision is paramount, so avoid vague terms like “team player.” If your role is technical, zero in on hard skills instead. 

Some of the things you could discuss include your proficiency in various weaponry, tactical strategies, and specialized equipment operation. You can also consider highlighting soft skills like leadership, communication, and crisis management. 

Ensure your skills resonate with the job’s requirements, whether it’s combat tactics or logistical coordination. Highlight the elevated level of discipline and stress management skills your service in the military has helped you develop, be it for another role within the military or a civilian job.

Looking for guidance?

15 best military skills

• Tactical Strategy
• Weapon Proficiency
• Logistical Coordination
• Military Comms 
• Cybersecurity
• Foreign Languages
• Crisis Management 
• Radio Operations
• Risk Assessment
• Joint Tactical Terminal
• Blue Force Tracker

Your military work experience bullet points

Between orchestrating strategic missions and leading successful teams, your military service showcases exceptional achievements. Rather than rehashing routine tasks, spotlight your impactful contributions. 

Your role directly influences the stability and security of operations, safeguarding national interests, and minimizing potential risks. While the nature of your experiences varies, harness this section to highlight your proudest moments, whether enhancing emergency response efficiency or mitigating adverse consequences. 

Make sure to back up your claims with quantifiable metrics to zero in on the magnitude of your successes. These could be anything from your budget optimization to the number of personnel you’ve trained—it all depends on your specific role and achievements. 

• Demonstrate your leadership and strategic skills with mission success rates.
• Showcase your ability to make quick decisions under pressure with metrics on your average response times.
• Highlight your commitment to operational readiness by presenting the percentage decrease in equipment downtimes after implementing maintenance protocols.
• Show off your adaptability by mentioning the varying shifts you’ve worked, deployments you’ve been sent on, and languages you’ve learned.

See what we mean?

• Created a comprehensive training program for recruits, resulting in a 78% reduction in onboarding time
• Conducted an employee satisfaction survey, resulting in an 88% satisfaction rate with internal communication efforts
• Maintained an 91% incident resolution rate by handling a variety of security issues and ensuring the safety of personnel and facilities
• Implemented a new internal communication system, which resulted in a 28% reduction in information gaps among employees

9 active verbs to start your military work experience bullet points

• Coordinated
• Implemented

3 Tips for Writing a Military Resume Without Much Experience

• Emphasize the significance of every role you’ve undertaken, regardless of your experience level. You can include relevant skills and accomplishments from your military service, training, and related roles. For instance, if you’re transitioning to a civilian logistics position, highlight your experience coordinating complex missions and managing supplies.
• Use your military projects to showcase your skills and flexibility. Mention specific initiatives or tasks you’ve executed during your service that align with the new position or civilian job you’re applying to. For example, discuss leading a team to establish a forward operating base, demonstrating your leadership and strategic planning abilities.
• Utilize internships, relevant coursework, or hobbies to spotlight transferable skills. Highlight leadership, teamwork, adaptability, and technical proficiencies that align with the role. For example, when applying for a communications role, discuss your experience with working in large teams and communicating under stress.

3 Tips for Writing an Experienced Military Resume

• If you have specialized military skills like leadership, logistics, or intelligence analysis, show them off. Next, tailor your accomplishments and metrics to align with the specific role you’re pursuing, highlighting your expertise and achievements in those areas.
• Adding relevant metrics really makes your achievements stand out more. Highlight your mission success rates, operational efficiency improvements, and leadership impact. This is good if you’re transitioning away from the military; for instance, in a logistics role, you can discuss how you optimized supply chain processes, reducing turnaround time by 39%.
• Include relevant military certifications that demonstrate your expertise and training. Whether it’s command certifications, technical training, or specialized courses, these credentials highlight your readiness for the civilian role or a promotion up the military ranks. 

While optional, a tailored career objective or summary can be valuable, especially if you’re switching to a whole new career. Emphasize your military experience and skills that align with the job, such as leadership, logistical coordination, or crisis management.

Make sure to use relevant keywords from the job description . Highlight your military accomplishments, skills, and specialized training that match the job requirements. ATS looks for keyword matches, so use terminology from both your military background and the civilian role you’re applying to.

Emphasize mission success rates, response times, equipment maintenance improvements, and any other quantifiable achievements. These metrics demonstrate your effectiveness in critical situations and your ability to impact operations positively.

• Career Blog

Military Resume: Examples and Writing Tips for 2024

Are you a military veteran looking to transition into the civilian job market? If so, you’re not alone. The transition can be challenging, and crafting a compelling resume is a crucial first step. This article aims to guide veterans in writing an effective military resume that highlights their skills, experience, and achievements.

Importance of a Military Resume

A military resume is essential for veterans seeking employment outside of the military. Unlike a standard resume, a military resume is structured differently and emphasizes skills and accomplishments that translate to civilian job roles. A well-crafted resume can make a significant impact in getting an interview and ultimately landing a job.

Differences Between Military and Civilian Resumes

Military resumes differ from civilian resumes in several ways. Military resumes use terminology and acronyms that may be unfamiliar to civilian hiring managers. They also include information about military-specific training, experience, and accomplishments. A civilian recruiter may not understand the significance of certain military achievements, so it’s crucial to translate the military experience into civilian language.

Overview of the Article Sections

This article will provide examples and writing tips for crafting a successful military resume. The following sections will cover:

• Formatting and structure of a military resume
• Translating military experience and achievements into civilian language
• Highlighting relevant skills and accomplishments
• Including relevant education and certifications
• Tips for tailoring the resume to specific job applications

By the end of this article, readers should have a comprehensive understanding of how to create an effective military resume that will help them transition into a civilian career.

Understanding the Military Resume Format

Military resume sections and heading.

When it comes to writing a military resume, it’s important to understand the different sections and headings that are typically included. The format of a military resume is slightly different from a civilian resume, with more emphasis placed on skills and duties over work experience.

The main sections you should include in your military resume are:

• Contact information
• Summary statement or objective
• Education and training
• Military experience
• Relevant skills and certifications
• Awards and honors
• Professional references

Be sure to use a clear and easy-to-read font and keep your formatting consistent throughout the document.

Identifying Relevant Military Skills and Duties

One of the key challenges when writing a military resume is identifying the most relevant skills and duties to include. This is especially important if you’re transitioning from the military to a civilian career, as you’ll need to show how your military experience translates into relevant skills for the job you’re applying for.

To do this effectively, start by reviewing the job description and identifying the key skills and qualifications they’re looking for. Then, look for examples from your military experience that demonstrate those same skills and use them as bullet points under your relevant military experience section.

When describing your military duties, focus on the transferable skills you gained that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. For example, if you were in the infantry, you might highlight your leadership and teamwork skills, your ability to work under pressure, and your attention to detail.

Importance of Using Keywords and Action Verbs

Finally, it’s important to use keywords and action verbs throughout your military resume to help it stand out to potential employers. Keywords are the specific skills and qualifications listed in the job posting, while action verbs are strong, active words that show what you accomplished in your previous roles.

Some examples of effective action verbs for a military resume include:

• Implemented

By using these words and phrases, you can show employers that you have the skills and experience they’re looking for and help your military resume make it past the initial screening process.

When writing a military resume, it’s important to understand the different sections and headings, identify your most relevant skills and duties, and use keywords and action verbs throughout to make a strong impression on potential employers.

Tips to Make Your Military Resume Stand Out

Creating a military resume that stands out can be challenging, but with the right guidance, it is achievable. As a copywriter and subject matter expert with years of experience, I’ve distilled some tips that will help veterans transition successfully into civilian life.

Tailoring a Resume to a Specific Position

The first step in crafting a resume that stands out is tailoring it to the specific position. Job descriptions are the starting point. Use the language and keywords that appear in the job posting to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and experience. Highlight your military work experience and other accomplishments that demonstrate your capabilities and qualifications for the job.

Remember that while your military experience is important, your resume should primarily focus on your transferable skills.

Highlighting Transferable Skills

Many veterans underestimate the value of the skills they’ve developed during their military service. These skills include leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability. Highlighting these transferable skills is crucial when transitioning into civilian work. Employers place a premium on these skills, regardless of the industry or position.

Make sure your resume reflects your transferable skills by providing examples of how you applied them in your military roles. Quantify results wherever possible. For instance, if you helped reduce downtime in a mission-critical communications system or achieved a 100% success rate during range training, be sure to mention it in your resume.

Including Accomplishments and Achievements

Including your military accomplishments and achievements is essential in making your resume stand out. These accomplishments can demonstrate your strength, leadership, and expertise. Certificates of training, decorations, awards, and other official recognitions should be included in your resume. Highlight any leadership roles you held, as well as any missions or operations you participated in.

Avoiding Military Jargon

When creating a military resume, it is essential to avoid using military jargon. Although military jargon may be familiar to you, it might not be intelligible to civilian hiring managers. Instead, use plain language that is easy to understand. Also, avoid acronyms or abbreviations if possible, or clearly explain what they mean.

Consider these tips when drafting your military resume, and tailor your resume to the specific position. Highlight your transferable skills, showcase your achievements, and avoid using military jargon. Doing so will help you get noticed by hiring managers and increase your chances of landing a civilian job.

Military Resume Examples for Different Branches

When it comes to crafting a military resume, it’s important to highlight the unique experiences and skills that come with serving in a specific branch of the armed forces. Here are examples of military resumes tailored to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, to help guide your own resume writing process.

Army Resume Example

Name:  John Doe  Rank:  Staff Sergeant  Years of Service:  8 years  Occupational Specialty:  Infantry

Summary:  Highly motivated Infantry Staff Sergeant with eight years of experience in combat operations, tactical planning, and leadership. Decorated with the Army Commendation Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. Proven ability to lead soldiers in high-stress situations and achieve mission objectives.

Key Skills:

• Tactical Planning
• Combat Operations
• Team Leadership
• Weapons Proficiency
• Risk Management

Experience:

• Led 12-soldier infantry team on multiple combat patrols and security operations in Afghanistan
• Supervised and trained platoon of 40 soldiers in marksmanship and combat skills
• Coordinated and executed training exercises with other military branches and foreign armies
• Conducted risk assessments and implemented safety protocols for training exercises and operations

Navy Resume Example

Name:  Jane Smith  Rank:  Petty Officer First Class  Years of Service:  10 years  Occupational Specialty:  Cryptologic Technician

Summary:  Dedicated Cryptologic Technician Petty Officer First Class with 10 years of experience in signal intelligence analysis and data collection. Proven track record of supporting national security missions and delivering critical intel to senior leadership. Holds an active TS/SCI security clearance.

• Signal Intelligence Analysis
• Communications Security
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Cryptography
• Security Clearance Management
• Analyzed and reported critical intelligence to senior leadership during three deployments in support of national security objectives
• Managed and secured classified information and communication systems
• Trained and mentored junior personnel in signal intelligence and security procedures
• Collaborated with interagency partners to share intel and coordinate operations

Air Force Resume Example

Name:  Robert Johnson  Rank:  Technical Sergeant  Years of Service:  12 years  Occupational Specialty:  Aircraft Maintenance

Summary: Highly skilled Aerospace Maintenance Technician with 12 years of experience in aircraft maintenance and repair. Demonstrated expertise in troubleshooting, inspecting, and maintaining various aircraft systems. Committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and professionalism. Proven ability to work efficiently in fast-paced and high-pressure environments.

Aircraft Maintenance Troubleshooting Technical Inspections Team Collaboration Safety Compliance

• Performed scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on F-16 fighter aircraft, ensuring operational readiness
• Conducted detailed inspections of aircraft components, identifying and resolving mechanical issues
• Collaborated with a team of technicians to troubleshoot complex electrical and avionics systems
• Assisted in aircraft launch and recovery operations, adhering to strict safety protocols
• Maintained accurate maintenance records and documentation in accordance with Air Force regulations

Civilian Transitions: Examples and Tips

Civilian transition resume example.

As a veteran transitioning to civilian life, it’s important to have a strong, relevant resume that will catch the attention of potential employers. Here’s a sample civilian transition resume to help guide you:

Civilian Transition

Highly motivated and disciplined military veteran with a successful track record of leadership and operational excellence. Transitioning from a distinguished career in the military to a civilian role. Strong problem-solving skills, adaptability, and a commitment to teamwork. Seeking a challenging position that allows for the application of transferable skills in a civilian setting.

Operations Manager

XYZ Military Base  October 2012 – Present

• Led a team of 50 personnel in planning, coordinating, and executing operational missions in high-pressure environments.
• Managed logistics and resources to ensure mission success and adherence to strict timelines.
• Developed and implemented standard operating procedures (SOPs) to optimize efficiency and enhance performance.
• Conducted risk assessments and implemented safety protocols to maintain a safe working environment.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to achieve mission objectives and maintain effective communication channels.

Training and Development Officer

ABC Military Training Center  January 2009 – September 2012

• Designed and delivered comprehensive training programs for military personnel, focusing on leadership development, team building, and technical skills.
• Conducted needs assessments and identified training gaps to create tailored training solutions.
• Evaluated training effectiveness and made necessary adjustments to meet performance objectives.
• Provided mentoring and guidance to junior officers and enlisted personnel, fostering professional growth and development.
• Managed training resources, including facilities, equipment, and instructional materials.
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration  University of XYZ  Graduated: May 2008
• Leadership and team management
• Strategic planning and problem-solving
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Project management and organizational abilities
• Adaptable and resilient in fast-paced environments

Certifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
• Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
• Hazardous Materials Handling Certification

Volunteer Experience

Community Outreach Volunteer

Local Veterans Organization  January 2010 – Present

• Engaged in community outreach programs to support and assist fellow veterans in their transition to civilian life.
• Provided mentorship and guidance to veterans seeking employment and educational opportunities.
• Organized and participated in fundraising events to support local veterans’ initiatives.

Professional Affiliations

• Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
• Member, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)

Available upon request

Military Spouses: Resume Tips and Examples

As a military spouse, it can be tough to build and maintain a career due to the frequent relocations and unpredictability of military life. However, with the right resume and job search strategies, military spouses can successfully navigate the challenges and seize opportunities that come their way.

Challenges and Opportunities of Military Spouses

One of the biggest hurdles military spouses face is a lack of continuity in employment due to frequent moves. This results in gaps in the resume and difficulty in building a consistent career trajectory. Additionally, military spouses may find it challenging to explain their work history and educational qualifications to civilian employers, who may not understand the unique circumstances of military life.

However, military spouses also possess a wealth of transferable skills and experiences that can be leveraged to their advantage, such as adaptability, resilience, and cultural awareness. They may have experience in diverse industries, exposure to people from different backgrounds, and demonstrated ability to work effectively in high-stress environments. These qualities make them valuable assets in today’s globalized world.

Military Spouse Resume Example

A military spouse resume should highlight key skills and experiences that are relevant to the target job or industry. It should also address any gaps in employment and explain the rationale behind them. For example:

Sarah Thompson

Military Spouse

Dedicated and adaptable military spouse with a strong work ethic and excellent organizational skills. Experienced in managing various responsibilities while accommodating the demands of a military lifestyle. Proven ability to quickly adapt to new environments and work effectively within a team. Seeking a position that offers flexibility and allows for continued professional growth.

Administrative Assistant

ABC Company  March 2018 – Present

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the executive team, including calendar management, meeting coordination, and travel arrangements.
• Prepare and edit correspondence, reports, and presentations using Microsoft Office Suite.
• Maintain confidential records and databases, ensuring accuracy and compliance with company policies.
• Act as a liaison between departments, facilitating communication and streamlining workflow.
• Assist in organizing company events and employee engagement initiatives.

Customer Service Representative

XYZ Corporation  June 2015 – February 2018

• Responded to customer inquiries and resolved issues promptly and professionally.
• Managed a high volume of incoming calls and emails, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction.
• Handled customer complaints and worked towards effective resolutions.
• Assisted in maintaining customer databases and updating customer records.
• Collaborated with team members to improve customer service processes and enhance the overall customer experience.
• Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration  University of XYZ  Graduated: May 2014
• Strong organizational and time management abilities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
• Customer service-oriented mindset
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Family Readiness Group Volunteer

ABC Military Base  June 2017 – Present

• Assisted in organizing and coordinating events to support military families during deployments and separations.
• Provided information and resources to military families, promoting a sense of community and support.
• Facilitated communication between military families and base personnel, addressing concerns and providing assistance when needed.
• Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
• Customer Service Excellence Certification
• Member, Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP)
• Member, National Military Family Association (NMFA)

Writing Tips from Veteran Experts

Here are some insights and recommendations from veteran experts to help transitioning military personnel land their dream jobs.

Benefits and Challenges of Hiring Veterans

Hiring veterans brings numerous benefits to organizations, such as their exceptional leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Vets are quick learners who can adapt to new environments and take on responsibilities with minimal supervision. They have a strong work ethic and can excel in high-stress situations. However, transitioning military personnel may face some challenges when entering the civilian job market. Some of these include translating their military experience into civilian terms, learning new communication styles, and adjusting to the differences in job expectations.

Insights and Recommendations from Veteran Experts

To overcome these challenges, veteran experts recommend seeking mentorship from other veterans, networking with industry professionals, and familiarizing yourself with the latest industry trends. It is also important to highlight your military experience on your resume and translate your skills and achievements into civilian terms. When applying for jobs, tailor your resume and cover letter to the job requirements and research the company culture to demonstrate your fit.

Do’s and Don’ts for Military Job Seekers

Here are some essential do’s and don’ts for military job seekers:

• Highlight your unique military experience and skills on your resume
• Translate military jargon into civilian language
• Emphasize specific achievements and accomplishments
• Show your flexibility and ability to adapt to new environments
• Customize your resume and cover letter to each job application
• Network with professionals in your desired field

Don’t:

• Use military jargon or acronyms that civilian employers may not understand
• Overemphasize rank or positions held in the military
• Assume that civilian employers understand what the military does or how it operates
• Rush the job application process and fail to research the company culture
• Ignore the importance of networking and building professional relationships

By following these tips and recommendations, military job seekers can create effective resumes that highlight their unique skills and experience, increase their chances of landing their dream job, and successfully transition to the civilian workforce.

Military Resume Checklist and Common Mistakes

When it comes to writing a military resume, there are certain “must-haves” that recruiters and hiring managers are looking for. Here are some essential components of a strong military resume:

• Clear and concise summary statement:  Your summary statement should clearly state your experience and skills, and make it clear that you are a strong candidate for the job.
• Quantifiable achievements:  Use specific numbers and figures to demonstrate your accomplishments and impact in your military career.
• Relevant skills and experience:  If you’re applying for a civilian job, make sure to focus on the skills and experience that are most relevant to the position.
• Education and training:  Highlight any relevant degrees or certifications you’ve earned, as well as any training or professional development courses you’ve completed.

But it’s not just about including the right information – there are also common mistakes that many job seekers make on their military resumes. Here are a few of the most common mistakes to avoid:

• Focusing too much on military jargon:  While it’s important to highlight your military experience, it’s also important to make sure that a civilian employer will be able to understand what you did and how it translates to the job you’re applying for.
• Including irrelevant information:  While it’s great to be well-rounded, including information that isn’t relevant to the job you’re applying for can actually hurt your chances of getting hired.
• Not tailoring your resume to the job:  Every job is different, and your resume should reflect that. Make sure to customize your resume for each job you apply for.
• Formatting and spelling errors:  Even the best content can be overshadowed by poor formatting and spelling mistakes. Make sure to proofread your resume carefully, or have someone else look it over for you.

So how can you make sure your military resume is error-free and ready to impress potential employers? Here are a few proofreading and editing tips:

• Read it out loud:  This can help you catch mistakes that you might miss when reading silently.
• Use a spellchecker:  While spellcheckers can’t catch everything, they can help identify some common errors.
• Get a second opinion:  Having someone else look over your resume can help you identify mistakes you may have missed.
• Take a break:  Once you’ve finished writing your resume, give yourself some time (ideally a day or two) before coming back to it with fresh eyes. This can help you catch mistakes you may have overlooked before.

By following these military resume checklist items and avoiding common mistakes, you can create a strong, impressive resume that will help you stand out to potential employers.

Cover Letters for Military Resumes

A compelling cover letter can be the difference between your military resume being considered for a job or falling to the bottom of the pile. Here we will discuss the importance of a cover letter and provide tips for writing one that catches the attention of the hiring manager.

Importance of a Cover Letter

A cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your personality, highlight your strengths and experience, and provide specific examples of why you are the best candidate for the job. It’s a chance to explain any gaps in your military service or aspects of your experience that may not be easily understood from your resume alone.

A well-written cover letter can also demonstrate your communication skills and ability to convey important information in a concise and professional manner. It shows that you are taking the time and effort to tailor your application to the specific job and employer.

Tips for Writing a Compelling Cover Letter

• Address the letter to a specific person whenever possible
• Open with a strong and attention-grabbing statement or question
• Tailor the letter to the specific job and employer, highlighting how your skills and experience align with their needs
• Use specific examples to illustrate your skills and experience
• Keep it concise and professional, ideally one page or less
• Close with a strong call to action, requesting an interview or further discussions

Remember, your cover letter should complement your resume, not repeat it. It’s an opportunity to add additional context and information to your application.

Cover Letter Example

Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],

I am writing to express my strong interest in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name]. As a decorated [Rank/Branch] with [X] years of experience in the [Military Branch], I am confident that my [Skill/Experience] make me an ideal candidate for this role.

My experience leading [X] teams on high-pressure missions has honed my ability to quickly and effectively adapt to changing situations. For example, during my deployment to [Location], I led a team of [X] personnel in ensuring the successful completion of numerous [Mission Objective] despite the challenging terrain and hostile environment.

At [Current/Previous Employer], I utilized my [Skill/Experience] to [Accomplishment] which resulted in [Outcome/Impact]. I am confident that these skills will allow me to excel in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name].

Thank you for your time and consideration of my application. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss further how my skills and experience can contribute to the success of [Company Name].

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Military to Civilian Resume Example for Veterans [Updated 2024]

Transitioning from a military lifestyle to that of a civilian is far from easy.

According to a Pew Research Center study, 95% of veterans seek employment after serving in the military.

26% of veteran respondents, however, found shifting from the military to the civilian lifestyle to be somewhat difficult.

Coincidentally, one of the biggest struggles for veterans is creating a compelling military to civilian resume that’s going to help them get a job that’s well-paid and enjoyable.

To help solve that problem, though, we wrote this guide. Read on to learn everything you need to know to create a compelling veteran resume, including:

• Military to Civilian Resume Example
• How to Write a Military Veteran Resume (8 Simple Steps)
• Free Military to Civilian Resume Template
• Essential (Free) Job-Search Resources for Veterans

In case you’re looking to brush up on the resume basics, watch the video below.

If you’re ready to get started, though, let’s start by reviewing a well-written military to civilian resume example.

Military to Civilian Resume Example (for Veterans)

Compelling, right? Here’s what the above military to civilian resume example does right: 

• Follows a functional resume format. The functional resume format focuses more on your skills and strengths rather than work experience. It helps convey how your military experience is going to help you perform well in the civilian role you’re applying for.
• Lists the contact information the right way. It includes the applicant’s full name, email, location, phone number, and even a LinkedIn URL while skipping out on a photo.
• Captures the hiring manager’s attention with a resume summary. The summary on top of the military to civilian resume example offers a brief snapshot of the candidate’s career, instantly showing the recruiter their value.
• Focuses on transferable skills instead of work experience. Instead of mentioning military buzzwords that civilians wouldn’t understand in the first place, the resume example instead focuses on how the candidate's experiences helped them develop valuable skills.
• Mentions achievements when possible. Achievements help convince the recruiter that they’re not just any candidate - you’re an overachiever who plays to win.
• Uses bullet points to make the resume easier to skim. The recruiter doesn’t have all day - they have hundreds of other resumes to review just for a single role. Making the resume easy to skim makes it more likely to be read.
• Includes educational history (in brief). The military to civilian resume example describes the candidate’s educational background, which includes taking a leadership course and basic training.
• Makes use of the optional sections. The achievements and interests sections help shed light on the candidate’s personality outside of work, as well.

Now, let’s talk about how YOU can make your resume as impressive as the example above.

How to Write a Military Veteran Resume (8 Easy Steps)

In this section, we’re going to walk you through the 8 steps to creating a powerful military veteran resume, starting with:

#1. Pick a Functional Resume Format

These are the 3 most popular resume formats out there:

• Reverse-chronological . This format focuses on your work history over education or skills.
• Functional . It focuses less on your work background and more on your skills and how they make you a qualified candidate.
• Combination . This format is a mix of the other two formats. It puts equal emphasis on skills and experiences. 

As a military veteran, you’re better off with a functional format .

As you can see above, the resume example focuses more on key strengths instead of just listing out work experiences.

This improves your odds of landing a civilian job for one important reason: 

Most recruiters aren’t really familiar with military lingo.

Your experiences in the military might be super compelling, but chances are, most recruiters won’t understand how these experiences make you a good candidate for the role.

By framing your experiences around your skills, on the other hand, your resume becomes more understandable for a civilian.

Once you’ve decided on the format, you also need to sort out your resume style, layout, font, and more. Here’s what this includes:

• Don’t go over one page . Your resume should be concise and to the point. More often than not, if you’re going over one page, you’re probably including information that isn’t relevant for the role.
• Pick the right font and font size . In terms of size, go for 11-12 pt for body text. For the font, pick something like Ubuntu, Times New Roman, etc. That way your resume will look professional AND stand out at the same time. 
• Use the military-to-civilian resume template . Want to skip the hassle of formatting a resume? Hit the link and pick from one of our free templates! Our templates are easy to use AND look much more compelling than the conventional black-and-white ones.

#2. Include Contact Information

Now that we’ve got the formatting hassle out of the way, let’s talk about resume content.

The first thing in your veteran resume is the contact information section.

Here, you need to include:

• Descriptive title. This should include your title in the military, as well as the title you’re applying for. Something like “Security Officer Seeking a Role as Customer Support Specialist.”
• Phone number.
• Professional email address. Think, [name][lastname]@gmail.com
• Location. City and state are good enough, you don’t need to include an address.
• (Optional) LinkedIn URL. If you have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, you can include a URL in the contact information section.

And finally, make sure NOT to include a photo in your military to civilian resume. In the US, employers prefer that you don’t include a picture to avoid unconscious bias during the hiring process.

Here’s what your resume contact information section should look like at the end:

Security & Customer Service Professional

[email protected]

416-821-9879

Seattle, US

linkedin.com/in/john.doe

#3. Capture the Hiring Manager’s Attention with a Military Veteran Resume Summary

When reading your resume for the first time, the recruiter will spend roughly 7 seconds skimming it to make sure that you’re qualified for the role.

If the resume catches their attention, they’ll give it a more in-depth look.

If it doesn’t, they’ll simply move on to the next one.

This is where a compelling resume summary can come in handy.

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence “summary” of your past work experience. It helps the recruiter understand your skill-set and whether you’re relevant for the role in a single glance.

Here’s what a convincing military to civilian resume summary looks like:

Dedicated professional with over 9 years of outstanding performance and results in the U.S. Military. Earned three promotions and excelled as a leader. Seeking to apply the skills I gained in the military as a Customer Support Specialist at Company X.

When writing your resume summary, make sure to include the following information:

• Your title in the military and the role you’re applying for.
• Years of experience.
• Top achievements and experiences.

#4. Summarize Your Experiences with a Key Strengths Section

This one’s arguably the most important part of your military to civilian resume.

At the end of the day, the main deciding factor in whether you get invited for an interview or not is if your resume manages to convince the recruiter that you’re capable of doing the job…

And that’s where the key strengths section comes in handy.

To create yours, start by listing out your top strengths as section headers. Then, underneath each header, list your achievements and responsibilities that prove you actually have the relevant skill.

Here’s what this looks like on a resume:

Customer Service

• Promoted within a short period by demonstrating an over-achieving dedication that maximized results for the entire team. 
• Proved internal customer service by relating to all personnel in a professional manner that facilitated the development of a diversified group. 
• Enhanced soldiers’ individual and professional growth, developing them into independent decision-makers.
• Accounted for the safety of equipment valued at over $1.3 million. 
• Secure the personal safety, training, and performance of fifteen U.S. Army soldiers.

Operations and Administration

• Organized schedules for over 45 soldiers. 
• Implemented new routes, resulting in savings in gas time and reduced work time. 
• Prevented over 10 cancellations and negotiated over 20 contract renewals with the local government.

Applying for a Military or Private Security Role? Do This

Now, in case you’re applying for a role that’s somewhat related to your experience in the military (e.g. in private security), then you can simply create a conventional Work Experience section instead of Key Strengths .

If that’s your case, here’s how you should format the section:

• Create a section header called “ Work Experience .”
• Start by listing your most recent role and go backward in time from there.
• For each entry, include your title, company name, dates employed, and 3-5 top achievements.
• For older positions, you can include fewer achievements and responsibilities.

Now, if you want your work experiences to stand out from the rest of the candidates, we recommend you to include achievements over responsibilities.

• Achieved a 99.5% average delivery rate on all assignments, resulting in no losses of materials or assets.
• Conducted deliveries of materials and assets.

The first example shows just how the candidate stands out from other applicants. The 2nd, on the other hand, does not.

#5. Mention Your Education (the Right Way)

On to the next section!

The next step to creating a convincing military to civilian resume is mentioning your educational background .

This is where you mention your higher educational degrees, as well as training (e.g. boot camps) and any personal development courses you’ve taken.

First things first, here’s how you’d go about the formatting part:

• Create a header called “Education”
• Add your latest degree right on top. Then, include older degrees underneath.
• If you have a B.A. or an M.A., you can skip your high school degree altogether.
• You can skip mentioning a GPA. These days, no one cares about your grades.

Here’s how the end result would look like:

B.A. in Communications Boston University 08/2016 - 05/2020

Now, if you don’t have the relevant experience needed for the role you’re applying for, you can use your education section to show off your knowledge or skills.

You can do this by including:

• Any honors you might have earned.
• Exact courses you’ve attended.
• Any other way you’ve excelled during your education.

#6. Include In-Demand Skills (For the Industry You’re Applying for)

Another must-have of a military to civilian resume is the skills section.

This is where you list out all of your hard and soft skills and (optionally) grade them by knowledge level.

The key here, though, is not to simply list out random skills like:

• Critical Thinking
• Microsoft Word

Rather, you want to include the skills relevant to the role . 

E.g. applying for a role in accounting? You should probably mention payroll tax accounting, cost reduction strategies, budgeting and forecasting , and so on.

You wouldn’t want to mention your Adobe Illustrator skills, for example (even if you’re an expert at it).

So, how can you know which skills are essential to your resume, and which ones aren’t?

The best way to understand this is to read the job ad you’re applying for. More often than not, they include an exact list of skills required for the role, and all you have to do is mention them in your resume (as long as you possess the said skills, of course).

#7. Take Advantage of the Optional Resume Sections

If you still have some space on your military veteran resume, you can take advantage of some optional resume sections.

While these sections won’t land you the job on their own, they can definitely help you stand out from other applicants seeking the same role.

Some optional sections you can include are:

• Projects. Any type of personal project you’ve worked on. This can be a local business you started, a side-gig, freelance work, and so on.
• Certifications. Any type of certification you might possess. If you don’t have the experience for the role you’re applying for, certifications can help show the recruiter that what you do have is the right skill-set.
• Volunteering Experience. If you’ve volunteered in the past, you should definitely include it in your resume. Employers love candidates who love to help others (even if there’s no monetary incentive for it).
• Hobbies & Interests. Including hobbies or interests in your resume helps the recruiter see more of your personal side. While your hobbies won’t land you the job, they might help you build rapport with the interviewer.

#8. Make Sure Your Military to Civilian Cover Letter is as Impressive as Your Resume.

At this point, your military veteran resume should be quite compelling…

But you’re not done just yet!

To have both a complete and compelling job application, you need to pair your resume with a cover letter that’s just as good.

Here are our top tips on how to write a quality cover letter :

• Start the cover letter by addressing the hiring manager directly. Sure, you could go with the default “Dear Sir or Madam,” but mentioning the hiring manager’s name shows that you’ve done your research and really care about working at the company.
• In your introduction, mention the most important parts of your background. E.g. years of experience, key achievements, top skills, and why you’re applying for the job in question.
• In the body section of your cover letter, expand on whatever you mentioned in the introduction. This is where you can also explain how the experiences mentioned in your resume make you a good candidate for the role.
• Conclude the cover letter with a call to action . E.g. “Looking forward to hearing more from you!” or “I’d love to discuss how I can help Company X as a Support Specialist over a call or an interview.”

Want to learn more? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Essential Job-Search Resources for Veterans

There are a lot of free job-search resources for veterans on the internet - everything from dedicated job boards to free tools, programs, and more.

Here’s a comprehensive list of some of the very best resources:

Veteran Job-Search Resources

• Job board that helps you find federal organizations that prioritize hiring veterans over other candidates.
• Lots of quality resources to help you transition into civilian life.
• If you’re not sure what kind of career you want to focus on, you can use this website to discover different occupations and learn what they’re about.
• Website for finding veteran job fairs in your area.
• Free career consulting and job search help for veterans.
• American Corporate Partners matches you with a free, year-long mentor to help you build your career.
• For group discussions for veterans on resumes and gaining employment after service. (Veterans only/ screened and weeded out by questions and profile)
• For discussing Skill Bridge opportunities and military transitions. Skill bridge is a military program for giving veterans an opportunity to learn and work at civilian companies for 6 months before leaving the military.
• LinkedIn offers its Premium program to veterans for free for a year. You can use the platform to learn new skills, kick-start your career, as well as find and apply for jobs.
• A website dedicated to helping veterans transition into a civilian lifestyle. You can use it to find jobs, discover career events, attend job fairs, and more.
• Job board for US federal jobs. While it’s not specifically made for veterans, the US government prioritizes hiring veterans over other candidates.
• Job board for veteran-friendly roles and companies.
• Job board for roles in the private security industry.
• Another veteran-only job board.

Key Takeaways

And that’s all you need to know to create a strong military veteran resume!

Before you go, though, let’s do a quick recap of the key learning points we just covered:

• For a military to civilian resume, use a functional resume format to show off your skills instead of work history.
• Use a “Key Strengths” section to explain how your military experience distills into valuable skills for a civilian role.
• Don’t include every skill under the sun on your resume. Instead, pick the ones relevant for the role you’re applying for.
• Take advantage of the optional resume sections to show the recruiter that you’re an individual and not just a resume.
• Finally, make sure that your cover letter is just as impressive as your resume by following the tips we mentioned above.

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How To Include Military Experience on a Resume

Transitioning from the military to civilian life isn’t always easy — especially when you’re looking for a job. This guide, written by an ex-veteran hiring manager, tells you everything you need to know.

3 years ago   •   6 min read

Transitioning from the military to civilian life isn’t always easy — especially when you’re looking for a job. In this guide, we’ll cover some of the best tips for including military experience on your resume, including how to translate military experience into recruiter-friendly achievements and real military resume examples.

Translating your military experience: A step-by-step guide

Here’s how to land a job by including military experience on your resume:

• Use a standard resume format. You can download one of our ready-made resume templates to get started quickly.
• Translate your military branch and job title to a civilian-friendly version (scroll down for our handy translation guide).
• Consolidate related experience under a single job heading instead of listing each posting separately.
• Stick to the highlights. Only list skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the job you’re applying for — no matter how impressive your other accomplishments may be.
• Include your military training and education — but skip the military honors and awards.
• Add a resume summary to highlight your military service and explain how your background is relevant.
• Ask a non-military friend or contact to read your resume and make sure they understand it. Alternatively, use a free resume scanner to quickly skim your resume for any military jargon you may have missed.

Here's an infographic that summarizes a few key details — we'll dive into each item in the rest of the article.

Military resume do's and don'ts

When including military service on a resume, it’s more important to be understood than to be completely accurate. This might mean leaving out details that might confuse someone who isn’t familiar with the military, or using approximate civilian-friendly terms to describe your experience.

Listing military contact details

DO: List basic contact details for your military branch ( U.S. Army , Navy, Air Force, Marines, etc.). A general address and phone number is perfectly fine. You can search the National Personnel Records Center to find the relevant contact details for your base.

DON'T: Give a direct line to your division — instead, list the general address for your military branch and a phone number for headquarters or human resources command. By listing the general contact details for your military branch, anyone performing a background or reference check can be directed to the appropriate channels, even if your supervisor has since moved on.

Resume example:

San Antonio, TX | 1-800-555-0000

Explaining how your military background is relevant

DO: If you want to highlight that you’re a veteran on your resume, consider including a resume summary above your experience section. Use your target job title in your summary, too – it may feel odd at first, but it helps.

Business development manager with 10+ years of leadership experience across Army operations, Fortune 500 companies and startups. Proven experience in [x, y, and z]. [Add 1-3 examples of your most relevant or impressive accomplishments.]

Writing a resume-friendly military work history

DO: If you moved around a lot or changed job titles but kept mostly the same responsibilities, you can list these positions under a single all-encompassing job title. If you’ve taken on higher responsibilities over time, you could even frame that as a promotion .

DON'T: List every single posting as a separate job. This may come across to civilian recruiters like job hopping, which isn't accurate. Remember that a resume isn't an official legal document — it's okay to skip the details for the sake of clarity.

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE Information Assurance Manager / Operational Analyst (2009-2013)

Find out if you have translated your military experience into recruiter-friendly accomplishments

DO: Get another pair of eyes to look over your resume before you submit it. A quick way to find out if you have translated your military experience into recruiter-friendly accomplishments is to upload your resume to the tool below — it’ll scan it and let you know if you have showcased the right military experience and skills that highlight your transferable skills.

Translating education, training, and awards

DO: Include relevant military education and training on your resume. Like your work experience, it's okay to translate this into a more generic, civilian-friendly version .

DON'T: Include details of specific military honors and awards. If you truly believe they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for, translate them in a way that demonstrates their relevance.

EDUCATION United States Military Academy, West Point, NY Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering

Avoiding military jargon

DO: Use civilian-friendly terms on your resume, even if those aren’t 100% accurate. While certain terms may appear obvious to you, they’re less likely to make sense to a hiring manager. It’s always better to explain your experience and accomplishments in plain language using simple everyday terms.

DON'T: Use military jargon. This includes military codes, acronyms, awards, and details of combat experience. If you must include acronyms, always spell out what they stand for — what’s obvious to you might not be obvious to someone outside the military.

Resume examples:

Not sure what’s too complicated for a civilian resume? Here’s a handy cheat sheet of simple changes you can make:

• Chief Petty Officer -> Team Leader
• Commander —> Director or senior manager
• Subordinates —> Employees, coworkers, or direct reports
• Regulations —> Guidance, policy, or instructions
• Commanding —> Leading or managing
• Reconnaissance —> Data collection and analysis
• Combat experience —> Operational experience
• Duty assignment or deployment —> Business travel
• Barracks and other buildings —> Facilities
• Uniforms and arms —> Resources

If you’re ready to start updating your resume, scroll down for examples of civilian-friendly job titles and accomplishments you can include.

Examples of military resumes

Here’s an example of what your resume could look like, including a civilian-friendly job title and accomplishments:

Here are some more examples you can use, covering some of the more common roles you may have held and the skills you should highlight.

Technical roles

If you previously held a technical role, you’re well-positioned to parlay your skills and experience into a civilian career. List your specific technical skills in a separate skills list and showcase how you used them in your accomplishment bullet points.

Job titles:

• Financial Operations Technician
• Engineering Specialist
• Healthcare Specialist

Bullet point examples:

• Identified and supported Information Assurance (IA) accreditation and security issues, ensuring compliance with all IA policies, guidance, and training.
• Prepared, verified, and audited transactions for over 10,000 military and civilian employees.
• Designed and improved service and maintenance routine to reduce incidence of breakdowns by 80%.
• Conducted routine maintenance and repairs for equipment valued at over $200,000 with 0% loss.

Some of the most common industries ex-military job seekers go into are government jobs, defense contracting and IT  - to get a list of hard skills for the specific job you want, you can search for jobs like computer engineer below to find relevant skills.

Leadership roles

Whether you managed an administrative team or led troops into combat, leadership experience is something well worth highlighting on your resume.

• Team Leader
• Senior Advisor
• Technical Manager
• Managed 6 pharmacy technicians and 2 staff pharmacists in daily operations, allocating resources and directing workflow to maximize efficiency while maintaining quality across processes.
• Managed distribution and registration of military shipments valued at over $1M, including updates and agent communication.
• Led team of 25 employees, including tracking performance and overseeing daily responsibilities.

Training and communication

Communication skills are relevant to pretty much any role you apply for. Use numbers and metrics to quantify your success in communicating or training others.

• Personnel Supervisor
• Communications Specialist
• Trained a total of 75+ new hires and achieved a 98% overall pass rate.
• Key player in success of high-profile joint training exercise spanning 4000+ personnel, providing critical voice and data communications and training participants in use of single channel ground and airborne radio systems.
• Assigned and organized 15 field activities to optimize resources efficiently through strong written and oral communication.

Project management

Project management in the military isn’t all that different to corporate life. Use your bullet points to highlight important soft skills like time management and organization .

• Project Manager
• Supply Manager
• Logistics Manager
• Directed complex pharmacy projects spanning 8 months, building cross-functional teams to integrate new processes, such as inventory and vendor technology integration, meeting all deadlines and budget requirements.
• Established and implemented departmental policies, goals, objectives, and procedures, conferring with board members, organization officials, and staff members as necessary.
• Collaborated with developers and product management team to assess project outcomes and prioritize future features.
• Career Changers

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Veterans, Take Note: Here's How to Translate Your Military Experience to a Civilian Resume

As a member of the United States military, you’ve cultivated valuable skills and have a lot to offer the civilian workforce. But how do you get that message across when applying for jobs? According to Colleen Deere, the executive director of American Corporate Partners —a New York City-based nonprofit that offers career counseling to veterans as they transition to the civilian workforce—the key is knowing how to transform your military experience into a resume that hiring managers and recruiters will understand.

“You only have about 30 seconds to impress the person reading your resume,” Deere says. “They aren’t going to do the work of researching your military jobs to figure out what they mean, so make sure to put the prep work in up front.”

Remember, it’s not a question of whether you have valuable transferable experience (you do!), but rather whether you’re able to explain that experience in a way that will make sense to a civilian hiring manager. Here’s how to do just that.

Focus on the Right Things

When considering how your military experience translates, “we always advise veterans to describe their accomplishments rather than simply outlining their previous job descriptions,” Deere says.

To start, make a list of everything you accomplished during your time with the military. For example, did you earn a promotion? Help execute a new initiative? Assist with training? Then, highlight the achievements that feel most relevant to the particular job you’re applying for. Being selective will also help you avoid making a mistake that Deere often sees: cramming too much onto the page. “One of the most common challenges for veterans to overcome is their desire to list every single duty assignment, which very few hiring managers will take the time to read,” she cautions.

Spotlight Your Transferable Skills

Skills like leadership, teamwork, training, communication, problem solving, and adaptability will all serve you well in a civilian workplace and should be highlighted on your resume. But determining what aspects of your military experience will show off those skills is admittedly more of an art than a science—and it’ll depend greatly on what type of job you’re pursuing. The best indicator of transferable skills can usually be found by browsing job descriptions.

Just bear in mind that you may need to zoom out a bit to find a skills match. For example, if you’re interested in customer service positions and most of your military experience was in the infantry, it might be challenging to find areas of overlap. But, if you take a step back, you’ll note that both require patience, following instructions, interacting with teammates, communication, and problem solving. A bullet point on a resume might say, “Collaborated daily with a diverse team of 25 people to resolve or complete 60 complex initiatives with a 98% success rate.”

Translate Terms Into Civilian Language

Some positions, such as those in combat, can be harder to quantify. In those cases, it’s important to put the job into terms that any lay person could understand. For example, if you were responsible for property and equipment, you might say, “proactively maintained and repaired six vital IOT-enabled pieces of equipment, ensuring operational efficiency for 300+ team members.” Or if you worked under stressful conditions, you could say “cultivated strong attention to detail under stressful conditions, successfully completing 23 initiatives while juggling multiple competing priorities.”

If you can translate your actual job titles into civilian terms, it’s worth including both on your resume. “This can work well in some cases, like Team Lead instead of Squad Leader, or Operations Manager instead of Operations NCO,” says Deere. Here’s what it might look like:

Squad Leader (Team Lead) | United States Air Force | May 2013 - July 2019

(You’re in luck if you had a position like Army medic or Navy HR officer because both the titles and responsibilities are straightforward.)

Lastly, don’t forget that the military has a language all its own and most civilians won’t understand the acronyms and jargon. So, do your best to simplify or translate whenever possible. A tank might be an “operational vehicle” or a piece of “equipment,” a mission might be better described as an “initiative” or “project,” and reconnaissance might be “data collection” or “research.”

Pick the Right Format

The most common (and recruiter-approved) resume format is the single-page chronological layout, which displays experience in descending order starting with your current or most recent job. It also generally includes a brief summary of your experience, a list of your technical skills and education or training, and your interests or volunteer work. You’ll find a fantastic guide (with an example) here .

If you’re looking to make a more substantial career pivot, a functional resume might be a better option, since these layouts allow you to more prominently feature your most relevant skills and experience separate from your work history. A functional resume does have some drawbacks, however—namely that recruiters typically prefer a chronological format. (Because functional resumes are more often favored by candidates with less conventional work histories, some recruiters may unfairly screen out applicants who use them, assuming that they don’t have the right skills for the job.) You can read up on functional resumes (and see an example) here .

Need something in the middle? Try a combination resume . This format combines the traditional appeal of a chronological layout with the flexibility of a functional version, and can be a “best of both worlds” option if you have a mix of directly transferable skills and less conventional experience.

Know the Basics

Here are a few tried-and-true fundamentals you’ll want to incorporate into your resume.

1. Write a Summary

Summaries are a great way to help a prospective employer understand where you’re coming from and what you’re hoping to do next. “It’s like an elevator pitch. If you have only 30 seconds to explain who you are, what would you say? What makes you stand out and what do you bring to the table?” Deere says. It doesn’t need to be long—just two or three lines—but it can make a big difference. Use this simple formula as you write your own:

[Relevant traits] + [former job title] eager to leverage [transferable skills/areas of expertise] to [outcome] within a [target job title] role in the [target industry] space.

Here’s what that might look like:

Adaptable, team-oriented former Army operations specialist eager to leverage strong communication skills, resilience under pressure, and enthusiasm for technology to generate viable sales leads and drive new business within a BDR role in the SaaS space.

2. Keep it to a Single Page

Recruiters often receive hundreds of resumes every day, so they simply don’t have time to read every single line. That’s why it’s important to keep your resume short, sweet, and relevant. So, if something doesn’t pertain to the job you’re applying for, leave it out. Sticking to more recent experience (within the last 10 years) is another great way to keep the length down.

3. Create Clearly Defined Sections

Recruiters love resumes that are visually scannable, and individual sections—summary, experience, education, etc.—will make your resume much more appealing. Use caps or a bold font or underline the title of each subsection to make it easier to read.

4. Write Well-Crafted Bullet Points

Bullet points are the most effective way to clearly and concisely explain your experience. They consist of a few key ingredients: a compelling verb (directed, resolved, led), a brief description of the job duty, specific metrics (team of 35, month-long, six-part), and the result (if applicable)—all contained within one to two lines of text.

For example:

Installed and maintained 100+ communication devices across six locations, connecting more than 400 team members and ensuring operational efficiency.

5. Read up on Keywords

Most resumes pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS) that scans each application before it reaches an actual recruiter. If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right keywords, it might get automatically screened out. Sites like JobScan can help you determine which keywords to include, depending on the posting.

6. Include Relevant Technical Skills

As you browse job postings, make a note of the technical skills each requires. You’ll often see Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Google Drive (Gmail, Docs, Sheets), Mac/PC, and even social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram. If you have strong experience with any of the technologies mentioned in a given description, be sure to list it on your resume.

7. List Awards, Education, and Training

Resumes are meant to showcase your abilities and accomplishments, so there’s no need to be modest here. Awards and education always translate well.

Reach Out to Your Resources

Transitioning from a military career to a civilian job can feel understandably overwhelming, but you don’t have to do this alone. “Talk to other veterans who have successfully made the transition and ask to look at their resumes,” Deere suggests.

Your civilian friends and family members are also great resources. Deere recommends talking to them (or better yet, showing them your resume if you have a rough draft ready to go!) about what you did in the military and noting down what they struggle to understand about your duties. That should be a good indicator of where a recruiter or hiring manager might be confused, and will help you to identify the areas of your resume that need to be tweaked. And don’t be shy about coming back to your support network with a new or revised version. It’ll likely take you a few tries to get it just right.

You can also partner with a career advisor or resume writer for additional support. They’ll know what hiring managers are looking for and can help you bridge the gap between military terminology and civilian workplace lingo.

• How to Put Military Experience on a Resume
• Federal Resume Guide
• Military Resume Help

Last Updated on 02/12/2024

Military service immerses people in a separate world with its terminology, codes, job titles, and acronyms. When it’s time for you to enter the civilian job world, your resume with military experience might confuse job recruiters. They often have trouble connecting military job descriptions with job requirements.

Table of Contents

• 1 How to Add Military Experience to a Resume
• 2.1 Where Do You Put Military Experience on a Resume?
• 3.1 How to Translate Military Experience to Resume
• 3.2 Highlight Your Security Clearance
• 3.3 Get Feedback
• 4.1 Translate Enlisted Military Titles
• 4.2 Attract Recruiters with Your Military Experience Summary 
• 4.3 Military Resume Summary Example: 
• 4.4 Military Expirience Resume Summary Example: 
• 4.5 Adjust Acronyms and Military Terms
• 4.6 Job Description Keywords
• 4.7 Enforce Your Military Experience on Resume with Cover Letter and Objective

How to Add Military Experience to a Resume

To fix the problem, you’ll strip away the military language and write the resume for a general audience. The effort will be worthwhile because then you can make a resume with military experience that gets you interviews.

Don’t describe yourself this way:

• MOS 12B Combat Engineer charged with establishing secure routes for HMMWV movements.

A better approach for a civilian audience would be:

• Civil Engineering Technician in charge of building roads for use by heavy vehicles.

The second strategy for successfully adding military experience to your resume involves how you present the information. Surely you’ve been asking yourself should I put military service on my resume?

You’ll naturally feel inclined to place the military at the center of your writing. But for better results, frame your work experience descriptions around the job opening. Introduce your skills in the context of the job that you’re applying for and then mention that they came from military service.

Military Experience on Resume Examples

The following Do and Don’t resume sample excerpts illustrate how to put military experience on resume.

Don’t: 

• Marine Corps Captain responsible for commanding 62 Marines during combat operations by assessing tactical data and managing daily operations.
• Guided 62 subordinates through daily operations in the role of U.S. Marine Corps Captain while achieving management’s priorities and goals.
• CW2 Officer oversaw decontamination and disposal of hazardous materials and weapons in overseas theater.
• Determined the safest methods for processing hazardous materials encountered by personnel during field operations in the role of Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army.
• O-2 U.S. Army Officer managed company during urban environment operations to locate and neutralize insurgents.
• Worked as executive officer managing 1,000-person company for 3 years to complete 59 complex missions that required coordination of information from multiple agencies while serving as First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
• Air National Guard pilot completed demanding flight schedules that resulted in 20 missions in Afghanistan over the course of 6 weeks.
• Experienced pilot rated among the top 1% of peers after flying 20 missions to transport 30 tons of equipment and 120 passengers while serving in the Air National Guard.

This is an extended description of how to include military service on a resume, example: 

• S-1 Advisor coordinated 15 joint missions between Iraqi and U.S. military personnel while managing command communications.
• Professional entrusted with personnel management duties including payroll, vacations, and communications who served as the lead coordinator with Iraqi allies while deployed as the battalion commander’s chief personnel officer with U.S. Army consulting group.

Where Do You Put Military Experience on a Resume?

You could describe your service under the heading military experience. This is appropriate if you have other work experience that you want to mention. If all of your work history comes from military service, then you can simply label the section Work History or Work Experience.

Within your Military Experience or Work History section, you can choose the:

Chronological Approach – List your jobs and describe your skills and duties. Explain to them how they will fit the employer’s goals. If you’re wondering how to list military experience on a resume, it’s acceptable to use bullet points under each job.

Skills-Based Approach – Break out the information into subsections that draw attention to your abilities. Leadership Skills or Technical Skills are typical examples. Use the requirements in the job description to help you select your strongest skills for the position.

One more option where to put your military service on resume is to add section headings like Special Training or Awards and Honors.

Doubt how to add your military experience for a job? Check out Military Transition Resume Writing Services .

How to Write Military Experience on Resume

Quantify the results of your work as much as possible. Include percentages, numbers, or other quantifiable results as you explain your accomplishments.

Don’t assume job recruiters will know things like how many people form a platoon or flight crew. Cite any awards or commendations that you received. This shows employers that you excelled in your work. You need to be precise on how to list military service on resume. If you want to mention decorations and awards, explain the details that led superiors to recognize you.

Good Military Service on Resume Example:

Supervised 6 mechanics on a crew that maintained 50 armored vehicles and reduced rate of mechanical failures in the field by 11% over 2 years.

Look over the job description and find keywords that the employer used to describe the duties and requirements. Make it your top priority to communicate your skills that match the keywords. Regardless of your resume format, your text should contain the keywords used by the employer.

How to Translate Military Experience to Resume

Use online resources to find job positions and descriptions that fit your military experience. The MOS Code to Civilian Occupation Translator and Military.com’s Skills Translator take your military job and show you applicable jobs. Study these job postings and find the terms that employers used to describe the skills that they want. You’ll also get good ideas for friendly names for your military job titles. Think of this process as reverse engineering. You find jobs in private sector  for your military experience and then harvest civilian terminology from them for your resume.

Highlight Your Security Clearance

Always mention your security clearance prominently. Security clearance communicates your trustworthiness and ability to pass a background check.

• Don’t lean on military codes like TS/SCI.
• Do state exactly that you had a security clearance that authorized your access to sensitive information.

Get Feedback

Have someone without military experience read your resume. The feedback will help you fix areas that remain difficult to understand. Read more articles on how to write a resume with military service. Study the wording on these and adapt it to your circumstances without copying the text.

Writing your military career to resume takes more effort than transferring text from the VMET to a resume builder. You need to strip military jargon and acronyms from your work military experience.

Terms like SQDN, PCS, and UAV will likely mean nothing. Because writing a resume and translating military jargon for an audience are both challenging tasks, it’s best to break them up.

To begin, set aside worries about military terms and write a master military resume. Use the military terms that you’re familiar with on this first draft.

For the First Draft, focus on:

• Placing your strongest skills and accomplishments at the forefront
• Crafting a concise objective statement about your career goals
• Choosing verbs that convey action, responsibility, and success
• Including keywords that match up with the types of jobs that you want

For the Second Draft: 

If possible, ask a nonmilitary person to read your first resume draft. The person could provide insights into which parts are the hardest to understand.

Look at that first draft yourself. Try to imagine that you have to explain it someone who knows nothing about military operations.

Circle or highlight your military titles, acronyms, equipment names, and duties to adjust the content of the resume.

Most of these will need to be adjusted or rephrased to communicate the military experience to resume effectively.

Translate Enlisted Military Titles

Enlisted service members have rank designations of E1 through E9. To make these labels meaningful for a state job recruiter, select generic terms like a team member or foreman.

Lower ranks E1 through E3 would translate into entry-level positions like technician or operator. The middle tiers of E4 to E6 would match with titles like an assistant manager or section leader. The top tiers of E7 to E9 correspond with roles like department manager or supervisor.

• Warrant Officer
• First Sergeant Manager
• Platoon Sergeant
• Personnel Specialist
• Senior Personnel and Program Manager
• Senior Technician, Technical Advisor, Chief
• Group Supervisor, Senior Advisor, Group
• First Line Supervisor, Training Instructor
• Administrative Clerk

It’s fine to mention your rank, but you should expand on the description to clarify its meaning for others.

Commissioned officers and warrant officers have similar designations with the letters O and W. Include terms that represent the greater responsibilities of these positions like a general manager or district director.

Attract Recruiters with Your Military Experience Summary 

Let’s consider a resume summary for a job by the following military experience on resume example. 

Rick Walker is a retired Quality Control Officer with 18 years of successful military aviation experience. Now he holds a position of a Operations Manager in one of the leading aviation company. 

When it comes to showoff an impressive military history, Rick can choose the first option. But what are his chances of getting a job? Will HRs’ understand encrypted information with acronyms and abbreviations? Let’s get deeper into the subject.

Military Resume Summary Example: 

Quality Control Officer Proven leader with extensive experience for providing National Guard and aviation units with proper implementation of Army aircraft and airworthiness. Responsible for maintaining and repairing both UH-60 and UH-1 aircraft. Lead financial planning, prepared options, and recommendations on aircraft combat systems. Conducted training and mentoring battalion level maintenance management techniques to aviation maintenance officers.

But what if Rick will translate his responsibilities into civilian-friendly terms? 

Military Expirience Resume Summary Example: 

Operations Manager Dedicated supervisor with 18 years of experience in coordinating program activities for maintenance and repair work, useful in quality control checks. Responsible for the safe condition of over $32 million in aircraft and equipment. Reduced aircraft maintenance up to 34% due to implementation of cost-effective programs. Developed and implemented training programs; evaluated instruction and performance outcomes for employees.

As you can see several phrases, abbreviations and words substituted by general terms as aircraft and equipment instead of UH-60 and UH-1 aircraft, employees instead of soldiers. 

Besides resume summary include exact numbers, which make it more competitive and attractive for recruiters. 

Adjust Acronyms and Military Terms

Writing out the full names represented by acronyms could improve comprehension in most cases. Replace words like soldiers or airmen with personnel. In all places, make an effort to put your jargon into simple terms using words familiar to most people.

• Suspense Date
• Conflict, emergency situations, crisis
• Function, tasks, obligations, priorities
• Confidential
• Personnel, individuals, staff

You also need to interpret military jobs to state jobs for resume. It’s helpful to include facts and figures, such as how many people you supervised or how many pieces of equipment that you maintained.

After editing your first draft, your second draft will have shifted the resume from military to civilian terms. This process of altering military resumes for jobs prepares you to tailor the content for specific job applications.

Have a doubt on how to translate military skills? Choose the Best Military Resume Writing Service .

Job Description Keywords

The words used by an employer to describe an open position are vitally important. You need to incorporate these keywords into the top half of your resume.

Among Fortune 500 companies, 98% of them use software to scan resumes before forwarding them to actual recruiters. Analyze the terms in the job description and select those that fit with your skills. Change some of the terms on your resume if necessary to create keyword matches.

Just select your service (for example Air Force) and enter your MOS code (for example 11A4 – Airlift Pilot). Search for equivalent job titles and read a job description to match your experience. 

Pick up a few keywords from the job description, and include into your ex-military resume. 

Enforce Your Military Experience on Resume with Cover Letter and Objective

Your resume should include a brief statement about your job objective after your contact information. As succinctly as possible, explain how you wish to apply your valuable military training to the job. Explain how your military experience on resume will promote the employer’s goals in the military to resume objective.

Your letter offers a place where you can expand upon your objective and how it meets an employer’s purpose. Draw upon the military experience that you liked the most during your military career. Did you feel like you were thriving when collaborating with others? Did you contribute the most when operating heavy machinery?

Use these positive experiences to communicate your enthusiasm for a chance at employment.

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How To Add Military Experience To A Resume (With Examples)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

After getting out of the military , it can be difficult to get a job because there is often a gap in your resume for the time you serve. You may be wondering how it’s possible to get a job with only your military experience under your belt. Believe it or not, you can put your military experience on your resume to help you get a job after you get back from your service. If you just got out of the military, we’ll go over how to put military experience on a resume, provide an example resume with military experience, as well as how to use the military experience as an advantage to help you get your next job. Key Takeaways: Military experience on resume can be added to the sections: Summary statement Work experience Awards or achievements Skills and certifications Have a non-military friend look over your resume because they can identify confusing aspects that someone with a military background might take for granted. Avoid using military-specific jargon when discussing military status in cv because it can confuse anyone who is not in the military. In This Article    Skip to section How to add military experience to a resume Example of resume with military experience What do employers like to see in applicants with military experience? Tips for adding military experience to your resume Military skills to include on your resume How to use military experience to your advantage during your interview Military experience on resume FAQ Final thoughts References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More How to add military experience to a resume

When adding military experience to your resume, you should include it in your resume summary statement or include it in your work experience section. Here are more ways to how to list military service on resume:

Include it in your resume summary statement. If your military experience is fairly recent, it’s a good idea to include it in your resume summary statement . Recruiters and hiring managers often read this part first to gain a quick understanding of who you are and what you’re all about.

In about four sentences, talk about your military background in the context of the job you’re applying for. Focus on the key skills and qualities that your military experience instilled in you and how those prepared you for a career in your chosen civilian field.

Include it in your work experience section. You had a job in the military and, just like any other job, it should be included in your professional history . Name your position, the dates you were in that position, and add a few bullet points of your most impressive responsibilities and accomplishments.

Read the job description carefully and mirror the keywords you find there. Whenever you can apply a keyword to your military experience naturally, do so.

Clearly separate your former civilian and military roles. For both categories, though, quantify achievements when you can; numbers help recruiters and hiring managers understand the tangible impact you made.

Include it in your achievements or awards section. If you received any military honors during your service, definitely include those on your resume.

While you can put them in your work experience in a bullet point, you can make them stand out more in their own accomplishments section . Medals, awards, or any other honors you received are fair game.

Include it in your skills and certifications sections. The military likely certified you to perform certain tasks, and those certifications might carry a lot of weight depending on your industry.

Language skills , certifications for machinery or processes, and other technical skills that transfer to the job you’re applying for can all be impressive.

Example of resume with military experience

John Peterson Fort Campbell North, KY 24698 | 555-555-5555 | www.linkedin.com/in/john-peterson SUMMARY Proven leader with 8 years of experience training, supervising, and leading over 200 personnel. Expert operations manager with a track record of lower costs, higher efficiency, and optimizing workflows and processes. Managed over $1M in hardware, reduced overhead by 14%, and reduced safety incidents by 21%. WORK EXPERIENCE United States Army Staff Sergeant | 03/2016-01/2021 Managed distribution and registration of military shipments valued at over $1M, including updates and agent communication Trained 100+ US Army soldiers in 15 training rotations in combat environments in Iraq and Afghanistan, including maintaining electronic aerial surveillance Accessed Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) with authority to initiate and update security clearances Developed and led the risk management committee overseeing over 2,000 service members in hostile environments Sergeant | 01/2013-03/2016 Assisted in 18 security operations and planned interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational counter-terrorism objectives Managed a fire team of 6 soldiers, overseeing daily responsibilities, tracking performance, and awarding commendations Trained a total of 75+ army personnel and achieved a 98% pass rate for recruits Home Depot Warehouse Manager | 08/2011-12/2013 Onboarded, trained, and supervised the warehouse with 15-20 employees Reduced accident rate by 13% in first 3 months; received a safety award in August 2012 Oversaw reception and stocking of over 200 packages with a weight of over 2 tons daily AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS Completed Hazmat and CLS Training Awarded National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Army Achievement Medal Honorable Discharge — January 2021 Microsoft Certified Professional EDUCATION Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry | 07/2011 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL GPA 3.7 SKILLS Process Improvement Proficient with Microsoft Office and Google Suite Inventory Management Safety Protocols Risk Management Training, Supervising, and Mentoring Operations Optimization

What do employers like to see in applicants with military experience?

More than anything, someone with military experience understands how a chain of command works and knows how to follow through with pretty much any set of marching orders they’re given. Military experience can bring desirable qualities that employers are looking for such as:

Strong work ethic

Reliability

The ability to work with a team

Even if serving in the military came with no additional experience or other benefits , this would still be massively valuable to employers.

And people who have spent years in the military don’t always know the best way to describe the things that they’re capable of doing in less military-specific terms.

Tips for adding military experience to your resume

When adding military experience to your resume you should avoid using any military-specific jargon and include keywords from the job description to match your skills and qualifications. Here are some more tips to keep in mind when adding military experience to your resume.

Avoid acronyms and military-specific jargon. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it can be tough to remember which terms you’re familiar with because you’re a human who’s been alive as long as you have, and which ones you only know because of your service. Take care to exclude the latter ones where possible.

Leave out irrelevant certifications. If you trained as an electrical engineer while you were in the service, that’s probably a good thing to bring up. Weapons training is probably not quite as relevant .

List it the same way that you would any other work experience. Even if the truth is a bit more complicated, anyone reading your resume should be able to understand the short version of your experience at a glance. Stick to a few short bullet points, and make sure to list dates.

Describe non-obvious items from your resume. Lastly, make sure that any training or certifications you have that aren’t totally self-explanatory gets at least a cursory description — and remember that you might have a different perspective of what is or isn’t self-explanatory.

Proofread. It’s important to take the extra couple of minutes and look at your resume again. This helps find any spelling errors or grammar mistakes that could come off as unprofessional. Have someone else take a look at your resume to see if they can catch something you might have missed.

Use keywords. This is a great way to employers that you are a good fit for the position. Reread the job description and pick out any keywords that they have included that match your skills or qualifications.

Get a second opinion. Now that you’ve included your military experience throughout your resume, have a civilian give your resume a look. They can identify confusing aspects that someone with a military background might take for granted.

Military skills to include on your resume

When you’re in the military, you can learn valuable soft and hard skills that will help you when applying for jobs when you’re no longer serving. Here are some transferable skills that you may have gained in the military that are useful in civilian careers:

Communication. When you’re in the military, communication is essential. You have to communicate with your team members and supervisors to complete objectives and missions. Those skills will be useful in almost any civilian job. Communication is essential for any successful team and employers are looking for this skill on your resume.

Flexibility. Oftentimes when you’re in the military, you learn how to be flexible and adapt to new changes. You may have to adapt to a new location, team, or new job. This skill will help you in many civilian jobs to help you stay productive and successful. Flexibility will also help you work with coworkers who may have different opinions or work styles.

Problem-solving. Problem-solving is a skill that you can learn pretty quickly in the military because there may be times when you have limited resources and you have to find a way to complete the job with the limited resources. This skill is useful in civilian jobs and is a skill most employers are looking for.

Teamwork. Teamwork is an essential skill whether you’re working with your team in the military or your team in an office. Having teamwork skills allows you to achieve goals and meet deadlines and is a useful skill most employers are looking for.

Leadership. There are different levels of the hierarchy structure in the military and the military teaches excellent leadership and management skills no matter what level you are. Leadership skills allow you to branch out into management or supervisor positions and is a skill employers are looking for on resumes.

How to use military experience to your advantage during your interview

When you are in an interview, you should keep the conversation on the topic if an employer asks too many questions regarding your military experience. Here are some other ways to use your military experience during the interview:

Keep the conversation on the topic. An employer might spend far too much time grilling you on your military experience, which can sometimes paint you in a light you’re not comfortable with. On the other hand, some civilian employers might be hesitant to bring up your military background out of nervousness.

In either case, a balance is necessary — make sure it gets brought up, but don’t let it take things over.

Keep things relevant. If you have a decade or more of military experience, remember that the rules are the same as with civilian job experience — talk about the most relevant thing first. It’s not super useful to talk about your early training if you’ve been in the Armed Forces for a dozen or so years.

Decline inappropriate questions. If the questions someone is asking regarding your service are inappropriate or too personal, don’t be afraid to shut them down. Your military experience is your own, and not for them to dissect — bring up what’s relevant, and make sure they respect your privacy about the rest.

Military experience on resume FAQ

What is considered military experience?

Military experience consists of any relevant job experience obtained while enlisted in a branch of the military. Your military experience could consist of your year in the military or if you served 20 years.

Is military service good on a resume?

Yes, your military service is good for your resume. Your military experience is good for your resume because there are many skills that you learn in the military that are useful for many civilian jobs. However, if the experience is not relevant to the job you are applying for, you can leave it off your resume.

Should I disclose my military service on my resume?

Yes, you should disclose your military service on your resume if you plan on using the experience for career progression. While you can leave the military affiliation section blank on your job application, not disclosing any affiliation could potentially result in legal employment termination if the military affiliation conflicts with employment requirements.

Final thoughts

That’s all for this one! Just keep in mind: When talking about your experience, framing it as a story is the most important thing.

Regardless of whether you really “learned anything” in a big cosmic sense from your military experience, people are going to expect you to be able to codify the experience into some kind of employment-related fable.

That means becoming comfortable saying things like “Doing [this particular thing I did] in the military really taught me about [responsibility or respect or something like that].”

It’s possible you really feel that you have some sort of major, easily digestible takeaway from your experience — in which case, congratulations!

But life is messy, and often what an experience means to you can be tough to parse out.

So whatever you do, make sure you think about what your own service means to you beforehand, because — fair or not — people are going to expect you to have an answer on that count .

Military One Source – How to Write a Civilian Resume

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Ryan Morris was a writer for the Zippia Advice blog who tried to make the job process a little more entertaining for all those involved. He obtained his BA and Masters from Appalachian State University.

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.

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• Military Experience Resume

• • Led a team of 8 in deploying cutting-edge network security solutions for large corporate clients, increasing overall security compliance by 25%
• • Implemented a strategic data recovery plan for high-risk clients, effectively reducing data loss incidents by 40% annually
• • Facilitated the migration of 500+ workstations to a cloud-based platform ahead of schedule, enhancing operational efficiency
• • Developed a custom automation script that streamlined system updates for clients, saving an average of 15 hours of manual work per project
• • Negotiated with vendors for better pricing on enterprise software, resulting in a cost saving of $20,000 per annum
• • Conducted regular IT audits, identifying and addressing potential vulnerabilities, leading to the prevention of potential data breaches
• • Oversaw the successful integration of a new ERP system across the company, improving data management and resource planning
• • Initiated a company-wide cybersecurity training program, enhancing staff awareness of best practices in digital security
• • Coordinated the upgrade of network infrastructure which supported a 50% increase in company data traffic
• • Authored a monthly IT performance report highlighting key tech stats, leading to better informed strategic decisions
• • Managed a cross-functional project team resulting in the timely resolution of critical IT incidents, reducing downtime by 30%
• • Maintained a 99.9% network uptime by monitoring and optimizing network performance across the organization
• • Implemented robust network security policies which decreased vulnerability to attacks by 20%
• • Assisted in the rollout of a new VoIP communication system, which reduced company telecommunication costs by 15%
• • Provided technical support and training for staff, significantly improving company-wide tech literacy rates

10 Military Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

The military plays a crucial role in ensuring national security and maintaining peace. When crafting your resume, consider highlighting your leadership experiences, teamwork capabilities, and any specialized training you've received. Emphasize your proficiency in problem-solving, adaptability, and strong communication skills. Additionally, mentioning your ability to work under pressure and your commitment to continuous improvement will effectively demonstrate your unique contributions.

All resume examples in this guide

Single Column

Resume Guide

Resume Format Tips

Resume Experience

Skills on Resume

Education & Certifications

Resume Summary Tips

Additional Resume Sections

Key Takeaways

One challenge you may encounter as a military veteran is effectively translating your military experience into civilian terms that resonate with potential employers. Our comprehensive guide can provide you with tailored strategies and examples to bridge this gap, aligning your unique skills with the needs of the civilian job market.

• Get inspired from our military resume samples with industry-leading skills, certifications, and more.
• Show how you can impact the organization with your resume summary and experience.
• Introducing your unique military expertise with a focus on tangible results and achievements.

If the military resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:

• Federal Resume Example
• Regulatory Affairs Resume Example
• Policy Analyst Resume Example
• Canvasser Resume Example
• Grant Writer Resume Example
• Government Resume Example

Enhancing your military resume: format and layout tips

Four popular formatting rules (and an additional tip) are here to optimize your military resume:

• Listing experience in reverse chronological order - start with your most recent job experiences. This layout helps recruiters see your career progression and emphasizes your most relevant roles.
• Including contact details in the header - make sure your contact information is easily accessible at the top of your resume. In the header, you might also include a professional photo.
• Aligning your expertise with the job requirements - this involves adding essential sections such as experience, skills, and education that match the job you're applying for.
• Curating your expertise on a single page - if your experience spans over a decade, a two-page resume is also acceptable.

Bonus tip: Ensure your military resume is in PDF format when submitting. This format maintains the integrity of images, icons, and layout, making your resume easier to share.

Finally, concerning your resume format and the Applicant Tracker System (ATS):

• Use simple yet modern fonts like Rubik, Lato, Montserrat, etc.
• All serif and sans-serif fonts are friendly to ATS systems. Avoid script fonts that look like handwriting, however.
• Fonts such as Ariel and Times New Roman are suitable, though commonly used.
• Both single and double-column resumes can perform well with the ATS.

Upload & Check Your Resume

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Always remember that your military certifications can be quantified across different resume sections, like your experience, summary, or objective. For example, you could include concise details within the expertise bullets of how the specific certificate has improved your on-the-job performance.

Traditional sections, appreciated by recruiters, for your military resume:

• Clear and concise header with relevant links and contact details
• Summary or objective with precise snapshot of our career highlights and why you're a suitable candidate for the military role
• Experience that goes into the nuts and bolts of your professional qualifications and success
• Skills section(-s) for more in-depth talent-alignment between job keywords and your own profile
• Education and certifications sections to further show your commitment for growth in the specific niche

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

• Proven leadership experience and ability to lead teams in high-pressure situations
• Demonstrated excellence in tactical planning, strategy development, and mission execution
• Expertise in handling sensitive information with the utmost discretion and adherence to security protocols
• Strong understanding of military protocols, chain of command, and experience working within a military structure
• Physical fitness and the capacity to meet the rigorous demands of military operations

Essential tips for crafting your military resume experience section

The experience section is indeed the core of your military resume . It's where you present your past and current job roles. But how should you approach this crucial part?

A common error is treating the experience section as merely a list of job duties. Many candidates fall into the trap of detailing what they did without illustrating the impact of their actions.

To effectively write your military resume experience section, consider these guidelines:

• Emphasize your achievements, supported by concrete metrics such as percentages, revenue increases, or customer satisfaction rates;
• Avoid using generic buzzwords like communication, hard work, or leadership. Instead, demonstrate how these skills added value in your previous roles;
• Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb, followed by a skill, and then the result of your actions;
• Tailor your resume for each job application by selecting the most relevant experiences, responsibilities, and successes.

We have an array of resume examples that illustrate how to optimally curate your military resume experience section.

• Directed a team of 12 in executing strategic patrol operations resulting in a 30% reduction in security incidents within our area of responsibility.
• Implemented an advanced technology update for communication systems, resulting in enhanced coordination and a 40% decrease in equipment failure rate.
• Designed and supervised rigorous training programs for new recruits, improving overall unit readiness and performance metrics by 25%.
• Conducted over 150 reconnaissance and surveillance missions, providing critical intelligence that informed the strategic decisions of high-level commanders.
• Oversaw the integration of unmanned aerial systems into the unit’s operations, which improved the surveillance coverage by 50% and reduced risk to personnel.
• Managed a budget of $2 million for equipment procurement and maintenance, ensuring optimal resource allocation and zero over-expenditure.
• Led an armored vehicle crew through 100+ successful missions with a keen focus on safety procedures and threat assessment, minimizing risks during high-tension scenarios.
• Mentored and evaluated 20+ personnel, developing goal-oriented training plans that enhanced their tactical skills and operational performance.
• Organized cross-functional training with allied military units, which resulted in improved collaboration and mission success rates for multinational operations.
• Efficiently processed and analyzed over 500 intelligence reports, creating actionable strategies that preemptively neutralized threats and safeguarded troops.
• Developed a comprehensive intelligence-sharing network with regional partners that bolstered collective security efforts and reduced intelligence gaps by 40%.
• Spearheaded the modernization of the unit's intelligence database systems, which shortened report processing time by 20% and improved data reliability.
• Orchestrated the logistics for deploying 400 personnel and equipment to overseas locations, ensuring 100% accountability and zero loss of assets.
• Served as a primary advisor for sustainment operations, optimizing supply chain management and reducing logistical costs by 15% without compromising operational readiness.
• Coordinated with multiple service branches to support joint exercises, achieving seamless integration of logistical support across diverse military units.
• Piloted multiple aircraft models in a variety of weather conditions, accumulating over 1000 flight hours and maintaining an impeccable safety record.
• Developed and executed air support plans that provided critical cover for ground operations, enhancing the offensive capabilities of the unit in hostile environments.
• Trained 30+ new pilots, emphasizing aerial combat techniques and effective mission planning, which resulted in these pilots exceeding the squadron's average readiness scores.
• Deployed as part of an elite Special Operations unit, contributing to high-risk missions that disrupted enemy supply chains and reduced hostile activities by 60%.
• Initiated a comprehensive cyber-security protocol for the unit, vastly improving the security of communication channels and sensitive data.
• Led a joint humanitarian operation that provided medical and disaster relief assistance to over 10,000 affected civilians, earning a commendation for outstanding service and leadership.
• Supervised the operation and maintenance of complex radar and electronic warfare systems, ensuring peak performance during critical surveillance operations.
• Led an initiative to train personnel in advanced signal processing techniques, which improved detection capabilities and reduced false alarm rates by 20%.
• Collaborated with engineering teams to upgrade electronic defense infrastructure, greatly enhancing the operational lifespan and effectiveness of the systems.

Quantifying impact on your resume

• Quantify your leadership experience by stating the number of personnel you've managed or trained.
• Highlight the size of the budget you were responsible for to demonstrate financial acumen.
• Mention the number of missions or operations you've planned and executed to indicate organizational skills.
• Specify the percentage of efficiency improvement or cost reduction you achieved in your role.
• Detail the number of countries or regions you operated in to show your adaptability.
• Include the quantities of equipment or assets you were accountable for to showcase responsibility.
• State the number of reports or briefings you've produced to underline your communication skills.
• List the measurable improvements in performance indicators under your command or guidance.

Action verbs for your military resume

No relevant experience - what to feature instead

Suppose you're new to the job market or considering a switch in industry or niche. In such cases, it's common to have limited standard professional experience . However, this isn't a cause for concern. You can still craft an impressive military resume by emphasizing other sections, showing why you're a great fit for the role:

• Emphasize your educational background and extracurricular activities to demonstrate your industry knowledge;
• Replace the typical experience section with internships or temporary jobs where you've gained relevant skills and expertise;
• Highlight your unique skill set, encompassing both technological and personal abilities;
• Showcase transferable skills acquired throughout your life and work experiences so far.

Recommended reads:

• How To List Certifications On A Resume (Examples Included)
• How to List Expected Graduation Date on Your Resume

If you failed to obtain one of the certificates, as listed in the requirements, but decide to include it on your resume, make sure to include a note somewhere that you have the "relevant training, but are planning to re-take the exams". Support this statement with the actual date you're planning to be re-examined. Always be honest on your resume.

Featuring your hard skills and soft skills on your military resume

The skills section of your military resume needs to your various capabilities that align with the job requirements. List hard skills (or technical skills) to showcase to potential employers that you're perfectly apt at dealing with technological innovations and niche software. Meanwhile, your soft skills need to detail how you'd thrive within your new, potential environment with personal skills (e.g. resilience, negotiation, organization, etc.) Your military resume skills section needs to include both types of skills to promote how you're both technical and cultural fit. Here's how to create your bespoke military skills section to help you stand out:

• Focus on skill requirements that are listed toward the top of the job advert.
• Include niche skills that you've worked hard to obtain.
• Select specific soft skills that match the company (or the department) culture.
• Cover some of the basic job requirements by including important skills for the military role - ones you haven't been able to list through the rest of your resume.

Get inspired with our military sample skill list to list some of the most prominent hard and soft skills across the field.

Top skills for your Military resume:

Weapons Proficiency

Tactical Communication Systems

Surveillance and Reconnaissance Technology

Combat Medical Skills

Drone Operation and Maintenance

Navigation Systems (GPS, Land Navigation)

Logistics Management Software

Simulated Training Environments

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Techniques

Cybersecurity Protocols

Adaptability

Critical Thinking

Stress Management

Problem Solving

Situational Awareness

Communication

Decision Making

The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.

What are the best certificates to add to your military resume + how to curate your education section

The education and certification resume sections are the underdogs of your military resume.

They showcase to recruiters that you've invested plenty of time to gain valuable and specific know-how, vital for growth.

As far as the resume education section is concerned:

• Detail only advanced education, specifying the institution and timeframe.
• Indicate your forthcoming graduation date if you're in the midst of your studies.
• Consider omitting degrees that don't align with the job's requirements.
• Offer a description of your academic journey if it underscores your notable achievements.

When curating your degrees and certificates on your military resume:

• Select only accreditation that matters to the role
• Niche knowledge that could help you stand out as a candidate (as is within the past few years), should be listed towards the top of your resume
• Include any pertinent data for credibility (e.g. institute name, graduation dates, etc.)
• Irrelevant degrees and certifications shouldn't make it on your resume. Those include your high school diploma and any specializations that have nothing to do with the technical or soft skills that are required for the job

As a final note, if you feel tempted to exclude your education or certification from your resume, don't.

These two sections could help you have a better competitive edge over other candidates - hinting that your professional journey in the industry may be for a longer period of time.

Recruiters find all of these military credentials impressive:

The top 5 certifications for your military resume:

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - (ISC)²
• Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Certified Protection Professional (CPP) - ASIS International
• Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Civil Engineer Certifications - U.S. Air Force
• Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Certifications - U.S. Department of Defense

Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.

• Perfecting the Education Section on Your Resume

Professional summary or objective for your military resume

military candidates sometimes get confused between the difference of a resume summary and a resume objective.

Which one should you be using?

Remember that the:

• Resume objective has more to do with your dreams and goals for your career. Within it, you have the opportunity to showcase to recruiters why your application is an important one and, at the same time, help them imagine what your impact on the role, team, and company would be.
• Resume summary should recount key achievements, tailored for the role, through your career. Allowing recruiters to quickly scan and understand the breadth of your military expertise.

The resume objectives are always an excellent choice for candidates starting off their career, while the resume summary is more fitting for experienced candidates.

No matter if you chose a summary or objective, get some extra inspiration from real-world professional military resumes:

Resume summaries for a military job

• Decorated U.S. Army Captain with over 12 years of experience leading high-stakes operations in challenging environments. Expert in strategic planning and cross-functional team leadership. Notable career achievement includes orchestrating the evacuation of a besieged embassy, ensuring zero casualties under volatile conditions.
• Seasoned Marine Corps Officer with 15 years of proven experience in logistical coordination, personnel management, and process improvement. Spearheaded the development of critical supply chain streamlined strategies, cutting operational costs by 25% without compromising mission-critical capabilities.
• Highly skilled cybersecurity professional eager to apply a decade of experience in IT infrastructure protection to safeguard national security interests. Advanced proficiency in network defense strategies, with a significant triumph in detecting and mitigating a complex, multi-vector cyber-attack against government systems.
• Driven financial analyst, transitioning from a successful 8-year tenure with major Wall Street firms to bolster fiscal efficiency within defense budgeting. Exceptional track record in portfolio management and predictive analytics, resulting in a 20% reduction in risk exposure for multimillion-dollar investment accounts.
• Aspiring to utilize my leadership skills and unwavering commitment to national service, cultivated through 4 years as Student Government President and extensive volunteer work, to embolden team dynamics and drive mission success in a challenging military environment.
• With a passion for technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, my objective is to leverage my software development skills, in-depth understanding of machine learning, and collaborative spirit to contribute to the cutting-edge advancements in military defense systems.

Taking your military resume to the next level with these four additional resume sections

Your military resume can feature a variety of skills (both hard and soft) in diverse sections . Choose those that align best with the job requirements and reflect your suitability for the company culture.

Consider these four additional resume sections recommended by our experts:

• Languages - State any languages you are proficient in and your level of proficiency. This demonstrates your commitment to communication and potential for international growth.
• Projects - Highlight up to three significant projects you've completed outside of work, showcasing skill development. Include a link to your project portfolio in the military resume header, if applicable.
• My Time - How you allocate your time outside work can indicate your organizational skills and cultural fit within the company.
• Volunteering - Detail causes you're passionate about, roles you've held, and achievements in volunteering. Such experiences likely have honed a range of soft skills crucial for your dream job.

Key takeaways

• The logic of your resume presentation should follow your career highlights and alignment with the role;
• Curate information within different sections (e.g. summary, experience, etc.) that helps highlight your strengths;
• Exclude from your resume irrelevant experience items - that way you'd ensure it stays no longer than two pages and is easy to read;
• Dedicate space within the summary, experience, and/or achievements to highlight precisely why you're the best candidate for the role via your previous success;
• Both your technical and people capabilities should also play a crucial role in building up your military application. Prove your skill set in various resume sections.

Looking to build your own Military resume?

• Resume Examples

Personal Details on CV (Contact Info, Phone Number & More)

Product manager interview questions and answers (most recent trends), portfolio on resume, the best ats-friendly cv examples (+ ats-compliant template), cv d'une page : 3 exemples pour en illustrer l'impact, everything about reference letters – writing or requesting.

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Military-To-Civilian Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

• Resume Examples
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• How To Write a Military-to-Civilian Resume
• Entry-Level
• Senior-Level

Military-to-Civilian Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

Hideo Araki (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio 123 Abrahms Blvd, West Hartford, CT 12345

A Security Guard with five years of military experience in the United States National Guard, specializing in conflict resolution and crisis management. A proven track record of managing security for high-risk personnel.

Professional Experience

Security Guard, United States National Guard, West Hartford, CT October 2019 – Present

• Manage security operations for VIPs and special military events, prepare accident and incident reports, and identify potential security threats to high-risk personnel
• Lead a tactical unit of five military police officers for surveillance operations, provide training, assign responsibilities, and ensure compliance with military security protocols
• Provide support for civil and criminal investigations

Security Guard, Connecticut Army National Guard, Groton, CT September 2017 – October 2019

• Monitored designated parameters to identify any security threats, created weekly security reports, and verified security clearances for access control
• Operated and managed complex security systems with multiple CCTV cameras and monitoring equipment, which included performing routine maintenance
• Security Operations
• Crisis Response
• Threat Mitigation
• Access Management
• Team Leadership

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Criminology University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT September 2010 – June 2014

Raymond Ortiz (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio 123 Abbington Lane, Athens, GA 12345

A Network Security Analyst with over eight years of experience identifying threats and identifying innovative solutions. A proven track record of mitigating cybersecurity threats and providing technical support to military personnel and civilians.

Cyber Security Officer, United States Army, Fort Gordon, GA October 2017 – Present

• Triage phones, password resets, and VPN and internet connectivity, identify cyber security threats, and oversee access management to ensure data integrity
• Configure, install, and maintain edge routers, firewalls, laptops, and LAN switches
• Manage a team of 25 civilian and military employees and coordinate the delivery of tactical and technical support to subordinates and superior officers

Information Technology Specialist, United States Army, Fort Gordon, GA September 2015 – October 2017

• Installed, operated, and maintained computer systems and local area networks
• Troubleshot computer systems and hardware to support military operations, which included debugging and testing new software
• Provided technical support to military personnel for a wide range of IT-related issues
• System Administration
• Information Technology
• LAN and WAN
• Network Administration
• Cyber Security

Certifications

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Coursera, 2017
• CCNA Security, Cisco, 2016
• CompTIA Security+, CompTIA, 2015

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Computer Science University of Georgia , Athens, GA September 2011 – June 2015

Jasmine Brown (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio 123 Aberdeen Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 12345

A Supply Chain Coordinator with 10+ years of military experience, specializing in logistics, fleet management, and procurement. A strong history of overseeing multi-million-dollar supply chains to support military operations.

Senior Logistics Officer, United States Army, Fort Bragg, NC September 2016 – Present

• Coordinate logistics for multi-million-dollar supply chains supporting domestic and international operations for the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard
• Oversee the procurement, transport, and distribution of supplies to troops for military operations, including food, medical supplies, ammunition, and fuel
• Lead a team of 10+ army personnel to manage inventory and logistics, assign responsibilities, evaluate performance, and ensure adherence to army standards

Logistics Officer, United States Army, Fort Bragg, NC September 2013 – September 2016

• Created inventory reports, analyzed supply chain operations, and provided support to commanding officers to deliver supplies for domestic military operations
• Identified opportunities to improve delivery times and reduce fuel consumption by optimizing route planning and resource management processes
• Supply Chain Management
• Cross-functional Leadership
• Procurement
• Inventory Management
• APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), 2017
• APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), 2015

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Supply Chain Management University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC September 2011 – June 2015

How To Write a Military-To-Civilian Resume

Transitioning from a military career to a new industry as a civilian can be challenging for many veterans. Reframing your military accomplishments to align with jobs on the open market is often difficult. You’ll want to create an accomplishment-driven resume that leverages your leadership experience and technical skills to propel your job search forward during this career transition.

Rather than overwhelming the reader with complex military terminology, you’ll want to present your achievements in a way that hiring managers can easily understand. Throughout our military resume builder guide, we’ll provide expert tips to help you translate your military experience into a strong, professional resume.

1. Create a profile by summarizing your military-to-civilian qualifications

Your professional profile should open with your title, years of experience, and three to four specializations to align with the position you’re applying for. This is especially important for military-to-civilian resumes, as you must show hiring managers you have key qualifications the organization is looking for in place of industry experience.

Example 1 - Military Resume Professional Profile

Example 2 - military resume professional profile, 2. add a compelling section featuring your military-to-civilian experience.

To grab the hiring manager’s attention, you want to create compelling bullet points that showcase your strongest and most relevant accomplishments. It’s important to remember that most readers will be unfamiliar with military terminology, so you’ll need to translate your experience into language that the hiring manager can understand.

You should also quantify your career achievements using hard numbers and metrics. For instance, if you provide logistical support for a military supply chain, you should include a monetary figure to establish a sense of scope. It’s also important to keep your audience in mind when deciding what information to include. For example, mentioning that you were supporting a $38M supply chain may grab the interest of a medium-sized or large organization but could be intimidating if you’re applying to a smaller company.

Example 1 - Military Resume Professional Experience Section

Cyber Security Officer, Fort Gordon, Augusta, GA October 2017 – Present

Example 2 - Military Resume Professional Experience Section

Senior Logistics Officer, Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, NC September 2016 – October 2017

• Coordinated logistics for multi-million-dollar supply chains supporting domestic and international operations for the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard
• Oversaw the procurement, transport, and distribution of supplies to troops for military operations, including food, medical supplies, ammunition, and fuel
• Led a team of 10+ army personnel to manage inventory and logistics, assigned responsibilities, evaluated performance, and ensured adherence to army standards

3. Add military-to-civilian education and certifications

Acquiring industry certifications can be a powerful asset during your career change. Many of your skill sets and accomplishments from your time in the military are readily translatable to civilian jobs, but obtaining additional certifications goes a step further in bridging the gap. For instance, even if you have extensive experience in security from your military career, you may want to consider pursuing a cybersecurity or network security certification. This strategy can help bolster your odds of landing the interview.

• [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
• [Degree Name]
• [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] [Dates Enrolled]
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Computer Science
• WIDENER UNIVERSITY, Chester, PA September 2019 – May 2023

4. Include a list of skills and proficiencies related to military-to-civilian experience

It’s important to feature a variety of skills and keywords that match the job description as you craft your military resume. One of the most prominent challenges veterans face during the job search is showing hiring managers that their army experience is translatable to their target industry. Incorporating a strong mix of keywords throughout your resume will ensure compliance with applicant tracking systems (ATS) and show prospective employers that you’re a qualified candidate.

5. Additional military resume builder tips

Before writing your military resume, you’ll want to take some time to identify your target industry. This part is one of the more challenging aspects of the career change process. As you review your military experience and accomplishments, think about how these might translate to a civilian career. Are your skill sets more of a technical nature? Are you better suited for an operations management role? Analyzing job postings before crafting your resume will help you to identify the relevant aspects of your experience and translate them into effective bullet points for the hiring manager. Read our Veteran’s Resume and Job Hunting Guide for more military resume-builder tips.

How to Pick the Best Military-to-Civilian Resume Template

When selecting your military-to-civilian resume template, choose a straightforward and well-organized format. A limited amount of color is acceptable, but it’s better to avoid flashy graphics that may distract the reader. The top-down approach is also recommended in most instances since arranging your sections in a manner that splits the page may make reading difficult. Remember, hiring managers are focused on learning more about your qualifications and professional achievements, so you’ll want your template to support that objective rather than draw attention elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions: Military-to-Civilian Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for military resumes -.

It’s easy to find yourself running short on action verbs as you build your military resume. In many instances, you can use only a limited number of verbs to convey your professional achievements accurately. Differentiating your usage of action verbs can enhance the reading experience of your document. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of verbs you can use to keep your content fresh and compelling:

How do you align your military resume with a job description? -

Although many challenges are associated with transitioning from a military career to civilian employment, your experience as a veteran also has several unique advantages. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the average employment rate of all veterans was 2.8 in 2022, which was lower than the 3.6 rate for non-veterans.

To effectively market your military experience for civilian jobs, you’ll need to align your resume with the job description carefully. As you craft your bullet points, you want to focus on reframing your military achievements to show why you’re uniquely qualified. This means limiting your usage of complex military terminology and instead highlighting aspects of your army experience that are explicitly relevant to the job you’re pursuing.

What is the best military resume format? -

You’ll often want to use a reverse chronological format for military resumes. This format will feature your most relevant experience at the top of your resume. However, if you feel that your military achievements are readily translatable to the industry you’re pursuing, you may consider placing your education, skills, and certifications towards the top. For instance, if you completed a computer science degree but weren’t employed as an IT officer, it may be beneficial to place relevant technical skills and certifications higher up on the document.

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Providing a cover letter can bolster the strength of your application during the military-to-civilian transition. The cover letter offers another opportunity to showcase how your military experience is relevant to your target industry. When building your cover letter, you should mention something about the organization’s reputation or work culture in the middle paragraphs of the document. This strategy will show hiring managers that you’ve researched before applying, which reflects positively on you as a candidate. For more insights, read our military-to-civilian cover letter guide .

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

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• A Veteran’s Resume and Job-Hunting Guide Learn More
• Military-to-Civilian Cover Letter Guide Learn More
• How to Build a Resume Learn More
• How to Organize Your Job Search Learn More

Essential Guides for Your Job Search

• How to Write a Resume Learn More
• How to Write a Cover Letter Learn More
• Thank You Note Examples Learn More
• Resignation Letter Examples Learn More

Military-to-Civilian Resume: How to Translate Your Service Experience

Customers Interviewed by:

How to write a military-to-civilian resume

• Get started by creating a master military resume
• Consult your VMET and fitness evaluations for ideas and resume content
• Translate your military titles and skills for civilian readers
• Focus on experience that is relevant to the job for which you’re applying
• Top-load your resume with targeted keywords and accomplishments
• Don’t separate your military experience from your other work experience

Get help if you need it

Military veterans transition into the corporate job market with a broad skill set and experience shouldering unimaginable responsibility. Unfortunately, most civilians have no idea what’s going on in the military or how to decipher military terminology. To succeed in a post-military job search, it’s up to a transitioning veteran to create a military-to-civilian resume that describes their experience in a way that makes sense to civilian recruiters and hiring managers.

To gain some insight, I spoke with three military resume experts:

• Jen St. Pierre , Warriors to Work Specialist at Wounded Warrior Project
• David Madden , Veterans Representative at Worksource King County
• Clif Cooper , Former Army Transition Manager

The military speaks its own languages. Each service has its own way of communicating things. “Even between the different services within the military, I can’t read some of their lingo,” said Cooper. If the Army has trouble understanding the Navy or Air Force, you can bet that a civilian recruiter will be confused by all of it.

“If the veteran went straight from school into the military and hasn’t had any type of civilian employment, when they come out, everything they speak is military language,” said Madden. “How do you go to an employer, who really knows nothing about the military, and answer when they ask, ‘What was your job description?'”

The first step in creating a strong military-to-civilian resume is to, as St. Pierre put it, “demilitarize the language.”

“What I mean by that is avoiding military terms and acronyms that civilian recruiters and hiring managers aren’t going to understand.”

Translate your titles, acronyms, equipment, skills, and anything else that could go over the head of a civilian decision-maker.

Start with a master military resume using the terms you know best

When you’re looking at a blank resume template , translating your military experience on the fly makes it a more difficult process than it needs to be. “It’d be like me applying for a job in the Hague and trying to write it in Dutch in my first draft,” explained Cooper. “I would write it in English and then translate it to Dutch.”

For veterans struggling to get started, creating a master military resume can be an effective first step. “I tell people when they write their resume , use military lingo on your first draft because that’s what you know,” said Cooper.

“In this master resume, we can speak to everything,” said Madden. “They have that opportunity to get it out of their system.”

Consult your documentation and fitness evaluations

There are records and resources available to all veterans that can provide a starting point or fill in some gaps.

“VMET stands for Vocational and Military Employment Training,” explained St. Pierre. “That is a document that every single [service member] receives when they transfer out. They don’t really realize that they have access to it. It’s basically their military resume. It contains every MOS [military occupational specialty] they were in with a description. Not only that, but every single course and certification they took.”

“A lot of information is available on your fitness reports or evaluations and quarterly counselings,” added Cooper.

“It’s different in every branch of the service,” continued St. Pierre. “It could be a ‘fit eval,’ or a ‘fit rep.’ These are performance reviews. … These contain such valuable information for a resume. They contain measurable results, number one. And number two, real specifics about their accomplishments , spoken from their leader’s point of view.”

Digging up these documents can make a world of difference when it comes to creating a strong resume foundation.

Translate your military ranks, titles, and duties

Civilians do not understand the hierarchy or responsibilities of military titles. One of the most helpful things you can do on your military-to-civilian resume is to change your titles into something a civilian reader will find familiar.

“Most corporate and profitable environments aren’t going to have any idea how to translate E1, E2, first sergeant,” warned St. Pierre. “Instead of taking the time to research it, they’re going to count the candidate out of the lot because they don’t understand.”

St. Pierre shared these examples:

“For instance, E7 to E9 … the civilian equivalent could be director, supervisor, department manager, senior advisor. Below that is an E4 to an E6, which depending on what service they’re in [would be a] corporal, specialist, petty officer, or sergeant. That translates over to assistant manager, line supervisor, section leader, task leader, foreman. Same things with the lower ranks, like E1 to E3. Maybe they were private or a seaman recruit or a seaman apprentice. That could be a production worker, an assembler, a technician, an apprentice, or a team member. So even when they’re lower ranks, you can still give it a strong civilian title.”

This practice also extends beyond official titles to roles and duties.

“If I was a main battle tank crew member, in the civilian world, we would translate that to ‘heavy equipment operator,'” explained St. Pierre. “We’re taking those titles and we’re civilianizing them.”

This can be a tough pill for veterans to swallow. It’s not just heavy equipment, after all. The responsibility of human safety or millions of dollars in equipment that comes with performing any number of military duties won’t be found in your average civilian job description. “The military gives you an immense amount of responsibility that you will never be responsible for again,” said Cooper, but making your military resume accessible for civilian hiring personnel will make a big difference in your job search.

Perhaps the most powerful tool for this type of translation is O*NET’s Military Crosswalk search .

Enter your service branch and classification code or title to receive a detailed report including all the tasks, skills, technology, and knowledge associated with the position, as well as a list of civilian-equivalent job titles.

“A lot of times, individuals do not even know Military Crosswalk exists,” said Madden.

Translate everything you can on your resume. St. Pierre suggested spelling out any necessary acronyms and even replacing the word “soldiers” with “personnel.”

Tailor your resume to the job description

“A veteran thinks, and rightfully so, they can do human resources, operations, logistics– kind of the whole gamut,” said Cooper. “While that’s true, and there’s nothing wrong with that mindset, it actually hurts them in the search.”

Veterans are trusted with a great deal of responsibility and can serve in a wide variety of roles throughout their military career. It’s tricky to narrow all that experience down. Referring to some of the resumes she receives from her clients, St. Pierre jokingly said they’re “like eight pages long.”

Once a transitioning veteran decides which direction to take their career, they benefit from removing as much unrelated experience as possible . A targeted resume is not a list of everything you’ve done. Rather, it answers the questions asked in the job description. Tailoring your resume to the job description makes it fast and easy for the recruiter to see how you’ll make an impact.

“Look at the things that are important to the employer [in the job description],” said Madden. “It’s great that you’ve done these things [in the military], but the employer is looking for XYZ.”

“We really want to focus on speaking the language of the employer,” added St. Pierre.

Both St. Pierre and Madden advocate for using Jobscan to home in on what the employer wants to see. Jobscan analyzes your resume against the job description to see which skills and requirements you’re missing.

“That’s what we’ve been able to help them do time and again [by] using Jobscan,” said Madden. “We’ve been able to really take the game to another level because we’re speaking the language and we’re showing [the veterans] live, this is what it looks like.”

“I bring up the Jobscan report and I walk them through it,” said St. Pierre. “Every single section, what it means, how to incorporate those keywords into the resume. It makes sense to them.”

Include your military measurable results

Accomplishments and achievements are a great way for anyone to make their resume stand out. A military veteran’s experience is full of opportunities to include these measurable results.

“Usually what I do is talk [veterans] through stories and really figure out, what are the results?” said Cooper. “It needs to have a number … whether it’s man hours, reduction in steps, or additional steps for compliance.”

For some veterans, aspects of their roles might overshadow seemingly mundane results, making it difficult for them to see the value. “Nobody [in the corporate world] cares that you were a fighter pilot,” pleaded Cooper. “How much money did you save by buying doors or surfboards or windshields last year?”

“We all deal with money because [the military] a global force now,” continued Cooper. “Simple things like government travel cards, saving money, coming up with better ways to save money” can make for quality measurable results on a military-to-civilian resume.

“There’s so much project management within the military,” St. Pierre used as an example. “A strong action verb would be, ‘C ollaborated with a team of six senior leaders to develop a security action plan that resulted in zero incidents within the command for the year of 2017.'”

As previously mentioned, some of these results can be found in the VMET or fit evals. “Sometimes I take exact sentences from them because their leaders did a great job of quantifying and explaining [the veteran’s] accomplishments,” said St. Pierre.

Measurable results should be sprinkled throughout your resume, from your summary section down through your work experience.

Military-to-civilian resume formatting tips

Formatting your military resume presents a unique challenge. You might have served through a series of diverse roles with increasing responsibility all around the world. How do you sum that up on a resume in a way that makes sense?

“The first top half of the resume is the most important,” said St. Pierre. “That is what a recruiter will spend their six-to-seven seconds on.”

After your name and contact information, St. Pierre recommends having a strong summary statement that introduces that you’re a veteran as well as your areas of expertise. She also recommends including a skills section “so that the recruiter can easily find those resume keywords that they need.”

If you went back to school after leaving the military and you’re not far removed from earning a degree, your education section can come next.

When it comes to your experience section, “I wouldn’t separate it out, military and civilian,” advised St. Pierre. “I would just put ‘Work Experience.'”

St. Pierre recommends breaking up your different roles within the military, but underneath a single heading for the service branch, resulting in something like this:

This format helps keep the resume in a format familiar to the recruiter, and should help to minimize confusion.

“Seek out assistance,” concluded St. Pierre. “[Veterans] aren’t expert resume writers and that’s okay. Seek out subject matter experts and mentors. Like the Wounded Warrior Project Warriors to Work program, there are many, many VSOs out there that help .”

There are also people online willing to help. Create a LinkedIn profile and follow or reach out to veteran career coaches and advocates like Michael Quinn , Leslie Coffey , Daniel Savage , Maggie Cutler , Tom Cal , Jacqueline Contreras , and others for tips, resources, and mentorship during your transition.

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Your ambition to serve the country is attainable

[ Click here to directly go to the complete military resume sample ]

With an industry-relevant military resume.

Have you optimized your resume just yet?

If you haven't, don't panic. This blog has got you covered.

This blog holds the promise of elevating your military resume to the realms of industry perfection.

The 10+ military resume examples & military resume samples that we have embedded in this blog are designed to help you curate a resume that gets you shortlisted.

All you have to do is follow the guidelines in this blog and your perfect industry-relevant military resume is good to go.

Here’s a summary of our Military Resume Blog:

• Use the month & year format to illustrate relevant dates in your army resume (enrolment & graduation dates, D.O.J, and D.O.L dates, etc).
• Keep your email ID strictly professional. Avoid using childish email IDs as it attracts unwanted attention.
• Don't use paragraphs to compose your military to civilian resume. Instead, use one-liner points to communicate your roles & responsibilities and begin each point with an action verb (Led, Directed, Consolidated, Optimized, etc).

That's not all.

In this blog, we have also gone the extra mile to help you illustrate your military experience on resume with perfection.

The military to civilian resume examples that comes with this blog will also give you a better idea of what each section of your resume should look like once you have inculcated the rules of resume writing to frame your resume.

By the end of this blog, you will be able to write a job-winning resume while simultaneously learning:

• How to optimize each section of your military to civilian resume.
• How to add military experience to a resume.
• Whether to add military resume summary or military resume objective.
• What your US army address for resume should look like and which details to include and not include.

. . . All so you can get the job that you want!

With this blog, you will transform into impeccable military resume writers and you will be able to write professional-looking military resumes in no time.

Optimize your shortlist chances by perfecting your military to civilian resume by making the most of the 10+ military resume examples that we have mentioned in this blog.

On the contrary, if you're looking for a quick solution to your problems, use Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

The military resume template that comes with it is designed for ATS compatibility. It also has pre-filled sections which will help you craft an impeccable resume in no time.

Moving on, here’s a list of all that you will learn in this blog:

What is a Military Resume & why do you need it?

A military resume or army resume is a resume for army professionals and aspiring citizens who want to join the US army.

It consists of important details regarding your educational and professional life.

To get shortlisted for the military job of your dreams, you need to optimize your resume by making it ATS-compatible.

So let's get started! There's a lot of learning left to do!

In the meanwhile, get your existing military to civilian resume professionally reviewed by Hiration’s Resume Review Service.

With us, your existing military to civilian resume will be reviewed based on the following parameters:

• Resume Length
• Resume Keywords
• Core Section
• Resume Name
• Bullet points
• Contact Information
• ATS Compatibility

Does this seem exciting? If it does, keep an eye out on the bottom left corner of this page to get an in-depth review of your military to civilian resume within minutes!

Military Sample Resume

[ Back to Table of Content ]

Before we begin, here's a sample military resume showcasing the ideal army resume. We have made this using Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

• Administered disciplinary actions in the team to cut incidents by 30% in a time span of 3 months
• Rendered daily surveillance & security for headquarters and oversaw safety inspections & security checks
• Negotiated with vendors to acquire food supplies & inventory for the army headquarter at a 15% subsidized rate
• Oversaw the upkeep of army equipment and researched market trends to assess the need to procure new weapons
• Coordinated with first-class sergeants to achieve 100% team goals before the stipulated deadline
• Trained 5 new sergeants on individual and collective security tasks to bolster overall team performance
• Mentored a team of 30 operations & security sergeants on the correct usage of latest equipment & weapons
• Received " Most Diligent Staff Sergeant Award " twice in Jun '18 and Jun '17
• Communicated with the management and supervised accountability of 30+ trainees
• Directed surveillance & security for headquarters and provided external security for internment corrections
• Promoted from a position of Security Specialist to Security Forces Staff Sergeant in just 2 years due to 5 star performance
• Among the top 2 % of the class
• CPR/First Aid Certification | ECC | Jun '13
• Weapon Certification
• M240b Machine Gun
• M780 Shotgun
• Received National Defense Service Medal | Jun '18
• Secured National War on Terrorism Service Medal | Jun '17
• Won Joint Meritorious Award | Jun '16

How to write a Military Resume

Most people tend to write their military resumes just to re-write them all over again. Following the right approach to resume writing helps you write your army resume while optimizing the time it takes you to curate it.

Mentioned below are the 3 stages of resume writing that you should follow:

• Stage 1: Master Military Resume
• Stage 2: First Draft of Military Resume
• Stage 2: Final Draft of Military Resume

Master Military Resume

The first stage of resume writing involves making the master resume.

In this stage, your only job is to compile information. Doing this has the added benefit of helping you write your military to civilian resume in the present and future timeline.

Having a library of information with you, the need to explicitly look for information gets eliminated. Thus, writing your resume in the present and making any updates to it in the future becomes an easy process.

First Draft of Military Resume

In the second stage of drafting your military resume, compose the following sections:

• Personal Information
• Profile Title
• Professional Experience
• Certifications (if any)
• Awards & Recognition (if any)
• Additional Information (if any)

Final Draft of Military Resume

In the final stage, compose the sections we have mentioned below:

Summary/Objective : In this section, you have to impactfully summarize your military experience on resume. Composing your resume summary/objective towards the end helps you identify the best highlights of your career, thereby helping you make a well-informed summary/objective for your resume.

Key Skills : Right before composing your military resume summary/objective, draft the key skills section. Composing this section second-to-last helps you write an impeccable military resume skills section.

Military Resume Sections

The key to a perfect ATS-compliant army resume lies in information presentation. How you present important information in your resume matters.

This is why resume sections are important. It helps you organize information and present it impactfully.

Attached below are the must-have sections of your resume:

• Summary/Objective

You can also put your information under the sections that we have mentioned below:

For a better understanding of resume sections, read Hiration's 2022 Guide to sections in a resume .

Additionally, you can use Hiration’s Online Resume Builder to stand a better chance of getting shortlisted for the job of your dreams.

It comes with a huge library of pre-filled military resume templates that you can personalize to suit your professional needs and work history.

Read on and look out for the military veteran resume examples that we have attached in this guide to learn what each section should ideally look like.

Military Resume: Professional Experience

The hallmark of a great veteran resume is perfect readability and relevant information. You can meet these criteria by following the below-mentioned points to communicate your roles & responsibilities:

• Frame points
• Use the STAR format
• Use Bucketing & Bolding

Framing Points

It is a common consensus that you should not use paragraphs to compose the details of your work experience. Instead, one-liner points have been commonly suggested by resume experts globally to present your work-centric information in your military to civilian resume.

Using one-liner points radically enhances the readability of your resume too.

Don't believe us?

Take a look at the military veteran resume examples given below to decide if one-liner points are a better alternative to using paragraphs.

Military Resume Example 1

"As part of my roles & responsibilities as a security forces staff agent, I was responsible for researching logistics operations, engineering and technical evaluations for defense projects. I also advised senior agents on important aspects like safety, disposal, and decontamination procedures. Part of my daily responsibilities included constantly cooperating with sergeants to achieve the team goals of the security forces within the assigned deadline. Additionally, I have also played a key role in coaching a team of approximately 29 operations & security sergeants on how weapons & latest equipment should be used".

Military Resume Example 2

• Collaborated with first-class sergeants to achieve 100% team goals before the stipulated deadline
• Advised senior agents on safety, disposal, and decontamination procedures involving chemical weapons
• Researched the logistics operations, engineering, and technical evaluations for defense projects

Framing Points: Analysis

The above-listed military resume examples present us with the following observations:

• Example 1 uses a long paragraph and Example 2 uses crisp one-liner points to communicate the same information.
• Example 1 (which uses paragraphs) is hard to read & comprehend. Thus, it fails to satisfy the bare-minimum requirement of great readability that is needed in any ideal military to civilian resume.
• On the contrary, Example 2 (which uses one-liner bulleted points) has aced the readability test due to its reader-friendly nature. Moreover, it uses action verbs to begin each point which gives your resume a confident tone of professionalism.
• Using one-liner points is an easier alternative to using paragraphs. It is thus highly recommended.

STAR Format

Now that you know how to enhance the readability of your work experience, let us now optimize it using the STAR format.

STAR stands for the following:

Situation : The situation/backdrop/context of your contributions Task : The actual task that was assigned to you Action : The strategy you used to execute the assigned task Result : The result/outcome of your action in the form of an achievement figure

STAR format encourages the use of numbers to quantify your achievement under each one-liner point. Thus, it enhances the effectiveness and relevance of your roles & responsibilities.

Our recommendation: Use the STAR format to optimize each one-liner point.

Bucketing & Bolding

By now, you have a highly reader-friendly and effective resume. But what's the point if it still goes unnoticed?

Nothing. Your hard work goes to ground zero.

This is why bucketing & bolding is important.

Observe the military to civilian resume examples given below to understand the merit behind our argument:

• Received "Most Diligent Staff Sergeant Award" in Apr '17
• Managed safety inspections & security checks to ensure daily surveillance & security in headquarters
• Facilitated the upkeep of army equipment and researched market trends to assess the need to procure new weapons
• Negotiated with vendors to acquire food supplies & inventory for the army headquarter at a 25% subsidized rate
• Enforced disciplinary actions to cut incidents by 50% within 6 months
• Trained 10+ sergeants on individual and collective security tasks to bolster overall team performance

Surveillance & Inventory Management

Discipline Enforcement & Training

Key Achievements

• Received " Most Diligent Staff Sergeant Award " in Apr '17

Bucketing & Bolding : Analysis

• Example 1 uses simple one-liner points and Example 2 uses bucketing & bolding to organize each point.
• By grouping similar points under unique subheadings (bucketing) and marking the important elements in each point in bold (bolding), Example 2 succeeds at enhancing the visibility of your work experience. It diverts the recruiter's attention to an applicant's key responsibilities & achievements in one go.
• Thus, you should use bucketing & bolding alongside one-liner points to illustrate your military experience on resume.

Military Resume Sample for Professional Experience

Learn how to add military experience to a resume with Hiration's Blog on how to compose the work experience in your resume . It is a detailed explanation of this section and contains the best tips to perfect it.

In the meanwhile, look out for our military to civilian resume examples to get a better grip of resumes and what they should ideally look like.

Here's a military experience on resume example illustrating a perfectly composed professional experience section:

Military Resume: Key Skills

Are your skills good enough to land you a job as an army personnel in the US army?

If it is, put them down in the 'key skills' section of your resume.

If it isn't, get skilled.

As a rule of thumb, your key skills section should be crisp and to the point as doing this helps a recruiter quickly identify your functional skills & proficiency.

Do not use phrases like 'experienced in' or 'expertise in' to endorse your resume skills. Instead, summarize your skills into 1-3 words of action. Eg: 'Surveillance & Security', 'Weapons Training', 'Discipline Enforcement', etc.

Read Hiration's 2022 Guide on what skills to put on a resume to get a better understanding of how to efficiently curate this section.

Here's a sample military resume showcasing the perfect key skills section:

Military Resume Summary or Military Resume Objective?

Should you write a military resume summary? Or should you write a military resume objective?

Read on to find out:

• Write a military resume summary if you have over 3 years of work experience.
• Write a military resume objective if you have no work experience or less than 3 years of active work experience.

Now that you have identified which one to write, follow the guidelines we have outlined below:

• Write your summary/objective at the end: Doing this saves you both times and effort as you wouldn't need to revisit these sections all over again.
• Pick the best highlights of your career from the work experience section of your army resume and talk about your unique strengths & skills that make you fit for the military job you are after.
• Keep the length of your resume/summary limited to a 3-5 line paragraph.

For a better understanding of both resume summaries and resume objectives, refer to Hiration's Resume Summary Guide and Hiration's 2022 Guide to Resume Objectives .

Attached below is a sample military resume illustrating the ideal summary for your veteran resume:

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have compiled with the pre-designed & pre-arranged military resume template on Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

Military Resume: Header

Next up, we will discuss the resume header.

Here are some steps you should follow to perfect your army resume header:

• Position it at the topmost part of your resume.
• Write it in the largest font size of 16-20 points .
• Give a single space between your first name and last name.
• If you have a middle name, initialize it. Eg: "Mary L. Baxter".

For a better understanding of this section, read Hiration’s 2022 Guide To Writing The Perfect Resume Header to learn the art of curating the perfect header for your army resume.

Here's a military experience on resume example illustrating the ideal resume header:

This is a snapshot of an army resume that we have composed using Hiration’s Online Resume Builder . The ideal resume header should ideally look like this.

Make use of our military to civilian resume builder now!

Military Resume: Personal Information

The personal information section of your military to civilian resume is a compendium of important contact-centric details such as:

• Updated mobile number
• Professional email ID

Current Location

Hiration Protip : Don't flood this section with extremely personal details such as your passport details, date of birth, sexual preference, religious beliefs etc. (unless explicitly asked to do so) as it may lead to unbiased hiring and you don't want to be on the receiving end of THAT.

Updated Mobile Number

Most recruitment-centric activities such as an interview or a shortlist announcement happen over the phone. A minor typo can keep you from a potential shortlist. Thus, the details of your mobile number must be presented accurately.

Here are some few tips that you should follow to document your contact details:

• Use your country’s ISD code as a prefix before your phone number.
• Put a plus sign (+) before the ISD code.
• Eg: +1 37648 21511.

Professional E-mail Address

Your email ID is the official communication channel between you and the recruiter and is thus extremely important.

Make sure that it is professionally presented. Do not use fancy email IDs as it would look extremely unprofessional (and you don't want that).

A simple way to go about composing your email ID is by using your name followed by your domain name. Example: '[email protected].

In the language of writing resumes, location is indicative of an applicant's city & state of residence.

Here are some points that you should remember to compose your location correctly in your military to civilian resume:

• Follow the city/state code format to showcase location in your army resume.
• DO NOT INCLUDE your house number, street number, and your locality name as part of your location.
• For job applications in the country of your residence, use the city/state code format . Example: If you live in Albany, New York; your location should be written as 'Albany, NY'
• For job applications in other countries, use the city/country code format to showcase your location. Example: If you live in Newark, New Jersey; your location should be written as 'Newark, US'.

Military Resume Sample for Personal Information

For a better understanding of this section, read Hiration's 2022 Guide to composing your contact information .

Our military to civilian resume examples visually communicates what each section of your resume should ideally look like.

The sample military resume we have mentioned below showcases the ideal personal information for your military to civilian resume:

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have built using Hiration’s Online Resume Builder .

Use our Online Resume Builder to explore the pre-designed & pre-filled military resume template that comes with our military resume builder.

Read on to learn about the rest of the resume sections for your veteran resume from the 10+ military to civilian resume examples that are attached in this blog.

Military Resume: Profile Title

Another important section of your veteran resume is the profile title. It communicates the following career-specific information about you:

• Your current designation.
• Your functional industry.
• Your level of seniority in your line of work.

Use the second-largest font size ranging 14-16 points to compose your profile title. This enhances the visibility of your profile title which helps a recruiter identify the above-mentioned information about you in one glance.

Here's a military experience on resume example showcasing the perfect profile title for your veteran resume:

In the meanwhile, give your army resume the touch of professionalism. Use our AI-powered Resume Review Service today.

Military Resume: Education

Textbook knowledge is just as important as practical knowledge, especially if there is a minimum educational criteria for a given job position. As such, you should always include your educational details in your veteran resume.

Making an 'education' section with the following mentioned details is a must:

• Name of the school/university you have attended.
• Name of the courses you have pursued.
• The location of your school/university.
• Enrolment and graduation dates in month & year format .

Refer to Hiration's 2022 Guide on how to list education on your resume to read an exhaustive guide on how to correctly curate the education section.

Here's a resume sample showcasing the ideal education section for your resume.

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have made with Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

Our military to civilian resume builder has an optimized military resume template that you can easily modify to suit your professional needs & requirements.

Military Resume: Certifications

As an aspiring army man, being certified in weapon certifications such as the following will give you an advantage over other applicants:

If you have done these certifications (and more), don't shy away from putting them in your military to civilian resume.

Once you do, make sure that you give the following details regarding your certifications in your veteran resume:

• Certification course name.
• Name of the institute of affiliation.
• Location of the institute of affiliation.
• Enrolment and completion date of the course in month & year format .

Arrange these points in the below format:

{Name of Certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (month & year format)

For a better understanding of this section, refer to Hiration's Guide to listing certifications on a resume .

Here's a military resume sample showcasing the ideal certification section for your resume:

This is a snapshot of a veteran resume that we have composed using Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

The military resume builder is embedded with an ATS-optimized and pre-filled military resume template which shows you what each section of your resume, and the content in these sections should ideally look like in your resume.

Military Resume: Awards & Recognition

Are you an awardee of the National Defense Service Medal?

Or have you been recognized for a job well done?

If the answer is yes, make a separate "Awards & Recognition" section in your army resume and put this information here.

Here's an example of what the perfect sample military resume should look like:

In the meanwhile, write a stellar resume to boost your chances of a shortlist with Hiration's Online Resume Builder :

Military Resume: Additional Information

Perhaps you speak multiple languages?

If you do, putting this information in your veteran resume is a great idea.

When you work for the US army, you can always be deployed to other countries, and if you are sent away for service abroad, knowing the local language would prove to be a big asset in your hands.

Bottom line is, being multilingual is a plus point. So make sure that you mention this skill in your resume but only if you think it will help advance your job application.

Here's a military resume sample showcasing what your additional information would ideally look like in your army resume (must you choose to include this section):

In the meanwhile, boost your chances at getting shortlisted with Hiration's Online Resume Builder .

Resume Review & Free Military Resume Templates

Get your military resume professionally reviewed by our resume experts at Hiration for a constructive analysis of your military resume.

Evaluate how well your veteran resume is performing based on the below-mentioned parameters:

• Compliance with industry norms
• Content Relevance
• Recruiter Friendliness
• Design Compatibility
• Conversion Scope
• ATS Compliance
• Global Compatibility
• Performance Assessment
• Resume Formatting (font, margins, the order of sections, etc.)

Here's the kicker:

You will get 2 resume templates for free!!

Online Resume Builder for Military Resume

Hiration's Online Resume Builder is designed to help you write an ATS-compatible veteran resume.

Alongside this, you will also get these resources with our Resume Builder :

• Option to save unlimited resumes
• 25+ resume designs
• Full rich-text editor
• Unlimited PDF downloads
• 100+ resume templates
• 1-click design change
• A sharable link
• Live resume editor

Key Takeaways

• Follow the 3 stages of resume-writing to optimize the time you take to curate your resume.
• Stick to a one-page veteran resume if you have less than 10 years of relevant work experience. If you don't, write a two-page resume. Make sure that you adhere to the two-page limit.
• As a rule of thumb, always use your name as your resume header and position it at the top-most part of your military resume.
• Your resume header should be composed in the largest font size of 16-20 points and your profile title should be composed in the second-largest font size of 14-16 points . Doing this enhances the visibility of these components in your resume.
• Knowing what to put in your resume is not enough. Knowing how to organize them is important too. So make sure that you compile your information under the relevant sections that we have mapped out in this guide.
• The professional experience is an integral component of your veteran resume. Make sure that you do justice to this section by communicating your roles & responsibilities using crisp one-liner points.
• Use action verbs to begin each one-liner point. Doing this gives your resume a tone of assertiveness and professionalism.
• Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Doing this helps you endorse the feasibility & utility of your skills.

With this, you have reached the end of this blog.

For a better understanding of each section, go back and evaluate the military to civilian resume examples that we have endorsed at the end of each section in this blog.

Go to Hiration resume builder and create a professional resume for yourself. Additionally, reach out to us at [email protected] and you can get 24/7 professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries.

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• Which Matters More: Your Resume or LinkedIn Profile?

Question : I don't have a lot of time to prepare for my exit from the military. Which should I focus on: a resume or building a LinkedIn profile?

Answer : Hmmm, is that like asking, "I have two hungry children. Who do I give the food to?"

All kidding aside, transitioning from the military to civilian sector requires time, attention and focus. There are no shortcuts, quick fixes or ways to fake it. To have a meaningful and successful transition into the next chapter of your life will take work -- work you'll have to put in.

Let's look at the two transition tools you mentioned: a professional resume and your LinkedIn profile. While very different pieces of your career, they serve a similar purpose. They tell others about your skills, experience and interests.

Your resume offers a look backward at everything you've done professionally. From your schooling, training and certifications to your successes, milestones and professional accomplishments, this document highlights your fit for an open position.

Hiring professionals use resumes to assess a candidate's qualifications and potential competency for the job they're hiring. There are requirements and preferences the hiring professional is looking to see on your resume to determine whether you move further in consideration. They want to see whether you have enough training and experience, the right certifications and credentials, and they may evaluate your writing style and ability to communicate your personal brand.

What most resumes fail to do, however, is project who you are and what you can offer in the future. Most resumes simply look backward, offering a catalog of bulleted lists of achievements in the hope that the reader (or applicant tracking system) is intuitive enough to extrapolate the value you can offer the company, if selected for the position.

The LinkedIn Profile

On the other hand, a profile on LinkedIn is like a mini-website for you to promote and position yourself for your career. LinkedIn gives you tremendous real estate on the site to highlight your accomplishments, goals, interests and talents.  On your LinkedIn profile, you can explain why you chose your career path, describing your passion for your career, including military service. And you can clarify a career pivot. If, for example, you're leaving the military as a medic and are pursuing your Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. On a resume, you're limited on space. Your LinkedIn profile has ample room for explanation.

Hiring professionals love to view LinkedIn profiles. As the data supports (and many have shared with me personally), they view LinkedIn as a place to learn more about a candidate beyond what's bulleted out on a resume. For instance, they can see how you write about yourself, the ways you interact and engage with others (in your comments, shares and posts), how you describe your skills in more narrative form and what other people say about you (in endorsing your skills or offering you recommendations on your profile).

While a resume is a necessary piece of the job-change toolkit, LinkedIn is a living story of who you are, what you care about and where you're heading. If you're just looking for a job, focus on a resume. Want to build a career? Make sure you have a well-thought-out LinkedIn profile and share knowledge, insights, interests and engage with others regularly.

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Lida Citroën

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