Military Resume Writing

If you are a military officer who is transitioning from active duty to the private sector, know before you read this that I was once in your shoes.   The advice in this posting may go counter to that which you have received from others or from some books on the market.  It comes from over a decade of experience as an executive recruiter and two decades of experience in the corporate world in the field of corporate staffing, organization development and HR.

One of the most common things I see in military resumes is an attempt to transform military titles into civilian terms.  For example, company or battalion commander becomes something like "general manager" or "director of operations."   "comptrollers" become "chief financial officers."  Another common observance is the absence of accomplishments.  Instead, what is often written are job descriptions that simply state what you were responsible for.  If you have not started doing so already, and you still have a few years to go in your military career, take note of your accomplishments and keep a record of them.  You will need to do this from now own, whether a military professional or a civilian.

So my advice here is short and sweet.  If you were a company, battalion, ship or wing commander, say so.  Tell a little bit about the scope of responsibility and then isolate some key accomplishments.   Go back through your career and think hard about what you accomplished in each of your past positions.  Two or three cited accomplishments per job is a sufficient number.  State them clearly and succinctly.  In the case of staff roles, use terms that do relate to the private sector.  For example, if you were a battalion S-3, state that you were the chief of plans, operations and training.  If you were a battalion S-4, say you were the chief of logistics.  If an S-1, you were the chief of personnel and administration.  You get the idea.  While many civilians can relate to what a company commander might do, they would hardly ever relate to what an S-3 or G-3 would do, so you will have to spell that out a bit.  Instructor positions speak for themselves.  You could say you were a faculty member or department chief at XYZ school or service academy, and briefly state the subject matter for which you were responsible.  

In summary, resist the temptation to try and make your resume look like a civilian manager's of comparable level.  It's not.  Stress leadership wherever appropriate. The experience you have gained in the military has a unique value, and it is more and more appreciated and understood in the past decade than it was previously. Once you make the transition to the private sector you will be able to use civilian terms, but when you do, resist the urge to go back in time and do the same for your military experience on your resume.  Stick with the military titles.  http://www.esiassoc.com/     http://www.michaelkburroughs.com/