Have you just come out of the U.S. Military and need a job? You've figured out what type of civilian work you want, and now you're set to write your resume. But wait. Do you know what type of resume format you should use for your military-to-civilian resume?
It's a Brave New World
Getting a civilian job after two or more years of service in the military is a big transition. Even though you may have spent years growing up in the civilian world, your time in the military was so intense that civilian life is going to take some getting used to. Things are more than a little different out here. For example: How to get a job!
In the military, your superiors told you what your occupation would be (your MOS). Now, in the civilian world you're on your own. You have to figure out what you want, find what jobs are out there, and then make a sales pitch for at least one -- probably a bunch -- of those jobs. And that's where writing your military-to-civilian resume comes in, starting with the resume format.
So, What Type of Resume Format is for You?
The best type of resume format arranges your info so that it's easy for a civilian employer to value your military experience. It should highlight the relevant skills and talents you bring from your time in the military and show how those skills are a good fit for the civilian job you want.
You see, a lot of hiring managers have never been in the military, don't understand military terms, and may not realize the value you bring to the civilian table. That is, unless you make it crystal clear on your resume. And that's where the right resume format plays its role.
Let's start with a brief look at two formats:
- Chronological Resume Format
- Combination Resume Format
When to Use the Chronological Resume Format
The chronological resume format is very straight-forward. It lists your jobs in the reverse order they happened (so your most recent "job" in the military is first) with bullet point statements under each job title. (Look at this free chronological resume template to see what I mean.)
Use the chronological resume format in either of these two cases:
- You want a job that's like the job you did in the military. For example, your MOS was medical assistant and you want a civilian job as a medical assistant.
- You want to return to the line of work you were in before entering the military. This is often the case for those in the National Guard or Reserves. For example, you were an account and left your job to serve a tour of duty in the National Guard. Now you're looking for a new job in accounting.
When to Use the Combination Resume Format
The combination resume format is basically the chronological format with skill headings under the job titles. (Check out this free combination resume template to see what I mean.) Putting skill headings under your military "job title" is a great way to translate your military experience into civilian-speak.
Use a combination format if:
- Your civilian job objective is not the same as what you did in the military. For example, maybe you were a rifleman in the Army and you now want to be a human resources specialist. In that case, use a combination resume format to highlight the relevant skills from your rifleman MOS. (Perhaps "Training" and "Teamwork" would be the two skill headings under your military title.)
Get Started on Your Military-to-Civilian Resume
If you're good a MS Word, you can open a blank document and type away. You can browse the free resume examples on my site to help you know what sections to type, what to make bold, and how to lay out the page.
If you don't want to fool around with all the formatting in Word, check out my Ready-Made Resumes. It's a low-cost online resume builder that has a strong military-to-civilian set of resume templates. All the formatting is done, and you can choose between the chronological and combination formats.
Thank you for serving your country. Welcome home! I hope this post helps with your transition into the civilian world of work.
2 Comments
I often wondered how people from the military cope with the civilian job search, considering that their career paths were so well paved for them in the service.
Military-to-civilian is about as big a career change as you can make, at least for most exiting military folks. The culture change alone is drastic. And then with the job hunt being as tough as it is these days, it’s very very difficult, indeed.