Tips and strategies for developing a resume by translating military experience into civilian terms in order to more successfully transition into the civilian workforce.

1. Key Strategies for Writing a
Military-to-Civilian Resume
How to make your resume more competitive when
transitioning into the civilian workforce
Dream. Plan. Achieve.
SVC 2088 813-974-2171 Mon-Fri: 8-5 www.career.usf.edu

2. Common problems with
military-to-civilian resumes
identified by employers
• Overuse of military jargon and abbreviations
• Tendency to downplay achievements because of team-
orientation
• Group training & deployments separated on resume –
gives off a “job hopper” feel
• Lack of focus/direction, unorganized
(Mian, 2012)

3. Employer misconceptions about
Veteran applicants
• Veterans are inflexible, unable to adapt
• Lack innovation/creativity
• Lack of openness to other cultures; appreciation of diversity
Need to address these misconceptions:
• Need for flexibility/adaptation crucial; situation, assignments,
training could change with short notice
• Military personnel are trained to be problem solvers, ability to
perform under pressure
• Deployments to various locations in the world provide more
exposure to other cultures than the average citizen; Military
has history of inclusion and diversity appreciation
(Mian, 2012)

4. Know who you are and how
you want to be perceived
• Explore who you are
• Identify your career interests, goals and objectives
• USF Career Center offers self-assessments and career counseling
activities to help identify these
• Review your professional development during your military
career: Job titles, duties, tasks.
• What did you do in the military? Review your performance
evaluations, training records, award and decoration nominations
• Use online military-to-civilian translators to identify transferable
skills
• Tie in what you have done to your career objectives
• Highlight relevant skills and experiences to showcase your
qualifications for the position you are seeking
• Use civilian terms to describe skills and experiences
• Identifying your qualifications with your career interests will
help give your resume clear direction and focus
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)

5. Sell it, Don’t tell it
Telling It
• Describes features
• Tells what and how
• Details activities
• Focuses on past activities
without any context on
impact of activities
“Managed personnel and equipment
during 6-month overseas deployment”
Selling It
• Describes benefits
• States why the “what” and “how”
are important
• Includes results, details
• Explains benefits of what you did
and how they impact country,
branch of service, unit,
community, etc.
“Directed a team of 45 electricians,
machinists, and mechanics and maintained
more than $30 million in equipment
throughout an arduous 6-month overseas
deployment. Achieved/maintained 100%
inventory accuracy”
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010, p. 7)

6. Key Words
• Identify key words and phrases that are specific to the civilian
career/job you are seeking
• Recruiters will understand the language and recognize your
knowledge in the field
• Integrate these keywords and phrases in describing your
experiences, to relate your qualifications to your career goals
• Try online military-to-civilian translators to ensure you are using
terms used in the civilian workforce, rather than military
language: “Led Troops” = “Managed people”
• Review job postings to which you are applying to find out what
key words are being used in their job descriptions; incorporate
these into your resume if applicable
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)

7. Example of Military to Civilian
Occupation Translator

8. Examples of Keywords
• Operations Management:
• Production planning; scheduling; materials management; inventory control;
quality; process engineering; robotics; systems automation; integrated
logistics; product specifications; project management
• Training:
• Needs assessment; instructional programming; training program design;
testing and evaluation; public speaking; instructional materials design;
seminar planning; resource selection
• Aircraft Maintenance:
• Aircraft electronic systems; fuel handling; hydraulics and braking systems;
fixed-wing and rotary; airframe; pyrotechnical equipment; preventive
maintenance
• Law Enforcement:
• Homeland security; emergency response; interrogation; investigation;
patrol; criminal justice; search and rescue; suspect apprehension; security
procedures; inspections
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010, p. 7)

9. Sample of Job Posting Key Words
← Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are listed
← Action Verbs used to describe requirements
← Technical Skills listed in requirements
Examplesofwhattolookforinajobpostingthatyoucanutilizeinyourresume

10. Focus on the big things
• Program implementation, special projects, cost savings, efficiency
and productivity evaluation, team performance
• Save smaller tasks/responsibilities for the interview
• Demonstrate your job function describing achievements. Example:
“Responsible for all aspects of housing and welfare at the base level”
Change to:
“Led a team of 35 responsible for all aspects of housing and welfare for
2,000 soldiers and more than 4,000 family members at Fort Dix, New
Jersey. Fully accountable for more than $30 million in assets, a $10
million annual operating budget, and a series of innovative programs
to enhance soldier/family morale and retention within the Armed
Forces. Achieved retention rates 12% higher than the nationwide norm
during a period of massive reduction in force”
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010, p. 11)

11. Purpose of the Resume
• To get you the interview; From there it can guide/direct the
interviewer’s questions
• Feature your key accomplishments and qualifiers
prominently
• Focus on skills needed for new profession
• Keep it organized and readable
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)

12. Structured resumes reduce confusion
• Recruiters scan through resumes quickly,
wanting to pick up important facts in a short
amount of time
• Stay consistent with placement of job titles,
organization names and dates of employment
• Use clearly defined sections with headings and
subheadings
• Watch for grammar and redundancies!
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)

13. Be Realistic
• Marketing your experiences is one thing, embellishing them to
the point of falsehood is another
• Stay honest with your experience utilizing real facts to support
them, and describing them with strong, descriptive terms
• The truth is in the details.
Think about:
- The challenge/problem you faced
- What steps you took to solve the problem(s) or overcome
challenges?
- What was the outcome/results of your actions?
- Why is this outcome valuable?
Don’t stretch the truth too far and result in a fabricated resume
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)
(Lord, 2012)

14. Be Confident
• You have a vast amount of valuable experiences; the key is learning
how to market those experiences to potential employers
• Keep aware of resources available to you, such as the many
workshops available from the Career Center on resume writing,
interview tips, networking strategies
• Research resources on services targeted to veterans: military-to-
civilian transition assistance programs, job search engines, military
friendly companies
(Enelow & Kursmark, 2010)

15. Resources
• USF Veteran Services: http://www.veterans.usf.edu/index.asp
• USF Career Center: http://www.career.usf.edu/
• USF Libraries Job Shop: http://lib.usf.edu/job-shop/
• Military to Civilian Occupation Translator: http://www.acinet.org/moc/
• Skills Profiler: http://www.careerinfonet.org/skills/default.aspx
• My Next Move (from the Occupation Information Network):
http://www.mynextmove.org/vets/
• US Department of Labor – Employment and Training Administration:
http://www.doleta.gov/
• Real Warriors Campaign: http://www.realwarriors.net/
• Department of Veteran Affairs Vet Center: http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/
• Student Veterans of America: http://www.studentveterans.org
• Careers for the Transitioning Military: http://www.taonline.com/
• GI Jobs: http://www.gijobs.com/
• TurboTAP – Transition Assistance Program: http://www.turbotap.org/register.tpp
• Vetjobs: http://www.vetjobs.com/
• Hire Heroes USA: http://www.hireheroesusa.org/
• Military.com Job Search: http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs
• USA Jobs (Government Jobs): https://www.usajobs.gov/
• Hire Patriots: http://www.hirepatriots.com/
• Civilian Jobs: http://www.civilianjobs.com/

16. References
• Enelow, W.S. & Kursmark, L.M. (2010). Expert Resumes for Military to
Civilian Transitions. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works
• Lord, J.U. (2012). Your Military to Civilian Career Change Resume,
EzineArticles.com. Retrieved from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-
Military-to-Civilian-Career-Change-Resume&id=7110737
• Hay, M.T., Rorrer, L.H., Rivera, J.R., Krannich, R. & Krannich, C. (2006).
Military Transition to Civilian Success. Manassas Park, VA: Impact
Publications
• Mian, M. Z. (2011). Hiring Heroes: Employer perceptions, preferences,
and hiring practices related to U.S. Military Personnel, Apollo Research
Institute. Retrieved from:
http://apolloresearchinstitute.com/sites/default/files/hiring_heroes_re
port_final.pdf
• Real Warriors Campaign (2012). Translating Military Experience to
Civilian Employment, Real Warriors Campaign. Retrieved from:
http://www.realwarriors.net/veterans/treatment/civilianresume.php