I know you are proud of your military experiences and accomplishments. But these often do not belong on the resume. Not because they are not important but because civilians unfamiliar with the military do not understand what those words or acronyms mean. Do not let your resume end up in the trash because the hiring manager did not understand why or how you were the best person for the job. My five Do’s and Don’ts below will help you prepare a resume for a civilian employer who does not know anything about the military. The one resume fits all or generic resume does not exist if you want to get hired. You will have several resumes that you use as the basis for tailoring each of your resumes for each job you are applying. When you research the company, research the hiring manager, know how your skills translate, and follow my tips on what not to include you will have a resume that gets you hired. For more information contact me jaynine@coachjaynine.com or 910-539-2810

1. The 5 Do’s and Don’ts in Preparing
Your Resume for Civilian Jobs When
You Have a Military Background

2. Your military experiences
I know you are proud of your military
experiences and accomplishments. But
these often do not belong on the resume.
Not because they are not important but
because civilians unfamiliar with the
military do not understand what those
words or acronyms mean.

3. The best person for the job
Do not let your resume end up in the trash
because the hiring manager did not
understand why or how you were the best
person for the job.
My five Do’s and Don’ts below will help
you prepare a resume for a civilian
employer who does not know anything
about the military.

4. The Five Do’s - Number 1
Research the Company
Research the company to see if publically
identifies with being a company that hires
military. Look for a logo on the website.
If you see a logo or identifier that the
company hires military you will have
some flexibility on how you prepare your
resume.

5. The Five Do’s - Number 1
Some military friendly companies will
have a page devoted to helping you
translate your skills into jobs that they
offer.
The railroad industry is just one of them.
Find the corresponding job and use the
words listed on that website in your
resume.

6. The Five Do’s - Number 2
Research the Hiring Manager
Use LinkedIn to find the hiring manager
for the company. Review his or her
background.
If the hiring manager is former military
and the company is one that fills military
contracts you will again have some
leeway on how you write your resume.

7. The Five Do’s - Number 2
But, you will want to pay attention to item
number four.
Look for buzz words or keywords and use
these keywords in your resume.

8. The Five Do’s - Number 3
Convert your military experiences
to civilian language.
You must write each resume for each job
you are applying.
You must know how what you did in the
military converts to the civilian world.

9. The Five Do’s - Number 4
Keep it relevant. the person reading your
resume is only interested in skills you
have that pertain to the job you are
applying.
Do not list everything you ever did in the
military. Do not list every military school
or military correspondence course you
took. Only list the ones that pertain to the
job.

10. The Five Do’s - Number 5
Please use spell-check
Every computer I know of comes with the
spell-check feature.
Use it. Do not let typos cause your image
to be tarnished.

11. The Five Don’ts – Number 1
Do not lie, mislead, or embellish
Be honest about your skills. An admin
person in the military often knows nothing
about civilian human resource rules or
laws.
Do not say you are qualified as a human
resource specialist or human resource
manager if you do not possess the civilian
qualifications.

12. The Five Don’ts – Number 1
You must know how your skills translate
and be honest about your managerial and
leadership capabilities.
Leading morning physical training or
supervising weekly field day does not
make you qualified to be a middle
manager or executive level manager.

13. The Five Don’ts – Number 2
Don’t be in a hurry.
Do not rush when preparing your resume.
Let it sit overnight so you can view it with
fresh eyes in the morning.
Proof read, proof read, proof read.

14. The Five Don’ts – Number 2
If the job requires you to provide KSA’s or
answer assessment questions you need
to plan on several days to type, edit, and
review your answers.
Do not assume the person will know what
you did based on your resume. They want
you to explain in detail and give
examples.

15. The Five Don’ts – Number 3
• Don’t make it generic. . Do not be lazy
and assume the hiring manager will know
that the wording in your resume means
you are qualified for the job they
advertised.
• If the job is a psychologist then use the
word psychologist not psychotherapist. If
the job is seeking a heavy equipment
mechanic ensure you use that language a
not diesel mechanic.

16. The Five Don’ts – Number 4
Do not put your rank, the fact you
retired, combat tours, or awards
on your resume.
These items can cause someone to make
judgments based on what you can do,
your age, possible disability status or
expected pay. Avoid being stereotyped.

17. The Five Don’ts – Number 5
Do not provide your social
security number, date of birth, or
marital status on your resume.
Your date of birth and marital status may
cause someone to discriminate against
you.

18. The Five Don’ts – Number 5
In the civilian world you must protect your
identity and know what the information
will be used for before providing.
Some applications may require this
information for a background check but
you will be asked for after you have
uploaded your resume and are
completing the online assessment.

19. The one resume fits all?
The one resume fits all or generic
resume does not exist if you want to
get hired.
You will have several resumes that you
use as the basis for tailoring each of your
resumes for each job you are applying.

20. Research the company
When you research the company,
research the hiring manager,
know how your skills translate,
and follow my tips on what not to
include you will have a resume
that gets you hired.

21. Thank you for viewing this presentation. If
you enjoyed it please share and connect
with me online
About Me
• I’m your host Coach Jaynine
• I am a Retired United States Marine
• www.writetherightresume.com
• 910-539-2810
• Jaynine@coachjaynine.com
• Facebook Fan Page – Coach for the Military
• Twitter – uneedaresume
• Pinterest – CoachJaynine
• LinkedIn – Jaynine Ray-Howard