Applying Your Military Career in a Civilian CV

June 18, 2007 on 9:43 am | In Resume |

Your career in the military is about to end and you are planning to look for a job in the civilian society.  You may have achieve a lot of great things in the military, many skills that you can apply once you become a civilian worker.  However, how do you write a work resume as a military person trying out a civilian job?  Here are some tips that you can follow:

Make sure your resume is focused – Your personal profile defines what career path you would like to follow, and your CV should not be a generic type of document that you can submit into any company.  You have to focus on a particular objective in order for your resume to be effective.  Do some research on what job you would like to do.  Ask for help from your local job center or transition office.  If you would like to keep your options open, write several civilian CVs that focus on the different options you are considering.

Define the job’s requirements – What are the skills needed to perform the tasks in this job?  You could do research in the job vacancies on newspapers and scan the requirements of job positions you are interested in over a period of time.  List all the skills associated with the career you have chosen.

Limit your military achievements – Your military achievements and awards are very impressive as they are signs of determination and self-sacrifice.  However, it should not be the main focus of your civilian CV.  You can mention that you received a purple heart or medal of honor, but your tank driving skills can be omitted (unless if you are applying for a driving job).  Remember to concentrate on your skills list and make sure that the most relevant information is at the top of your resume.

Avoid using military jargon – Not everyone understands words and terminologies that military people use.  Make sure your CV is legible by those who are never in uniform.  Rewrite all the titles you had in your military career using terms that are more comprehensible to civilians.  Ask a civilian friend’s opinion on your resume to check it.

Describe achievements in civilian manner – Incorporate impressive military achievements that are applicable to your job prospect and describe them in such a way that a civilian could understand it.  Employers can identify achievements you mentioned and how they can solve their problems with you around.

Use an appropriate format – Writing your CV either in a functional (based on skills and accomplishments) or chronological (based on the date of employment) format can be a little tricky.  Your career in the military is an asset, and your resume format would depend on the job you are eying for.  Careers involving police, security, fireman, paramedic, and other jobs where your military skills would be of much use should write a chronological job resume.  Meanwhile, other careers that you still need to have job experience should use a combination of functional and chronological CV.  Just make sure that your CV communicates all the qualities that you are bringing on board:  cross-functional skills, positive work ethic, leadership, teamwork, and dedication.

Edit out your active combat missions – Although most civilians find military people admirable, a lot of them are not prepared hearing about your combats in a real battle field.  Unless you are applying for a job that would involve active combat, leave those details out of your resume.

Monitor your CV’s progress – Check the response rate from your new civilian CV.  If your resume is getting a low or negative response rate, then rewrite the sections that you think are detrimental.  Try reviewing your resume with your family, friends, or your career coach to see where you can implement improvements.