Military to Civilian Resume Examples & Template for Veterans

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Here’s the Main Problem with Your Military Resume

Ex military veteran resumes contain terminology and acronyms that some recruiters might not understand.

Phrases like, “Assistant G-3 Training Officer” and “Battery Commander” might be impressive in the service, but don’t mean much for potential employers.

Here is a military resume sample—

This military resume example comes for a management job from Washington’s government career portal.

What does the job experience above have to do with management? It’s hard to tell without speaking to the applicant.

The applicant won’t have a chance to explain her side of the story unless her army resume wows the recruiter.

That’s why you need to know how to write a military resume.

Need to refresh your general knowledge about how to write a resume? Not sure what to include or what’s the best military resume format? Read our guide: How to Create an Effective Resume

In writing a military to civilian resume, it is your mission to meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrate the civilian applications of your hard-earned military skills, accomplishments, and experiences.
• Entice recruiters and HR managers to call you for an interview.
• Serve as a guide for future job interviews.
• Prevent recruiters from doubting your ability to transition into civilian employment.
• Bridge the gap between who you were in the service, and who you want to be as a civilian employee.

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It’s hard to figure out what military skills to put on a resume for a civilian job if you don’t have a career path in mind. Strategize first before you start writing a military resume.

Research occupations closest to the jobs you held while on duty. Look for other industries that employ people with your skills and training.

And if you can’t decide on one career path, that’s okay. Start by creating a military resume template for yourself that you can use as a basis for different versions of your resume.

Make a master list of your professional merits. Which of your skills, training, military awards, and education are useful for the job you’re targeting?

If you’re applying to be an accountant, the award you won in marksmanship won’t do you any good. Same goes for information about the bases where you’ve worked.

It’s hard to accept that the skills it took you years to learn aren’t going to help land your next job.

But you have to realize that everyone who moves to a new industry has this experience. A graphic designer who decides it’s time to become an Air Traffic Controller doesn’t need to put her Photoshop skills on her civilian resume. Right?

You will find it necessary to eliminate some of your experience and military skills for a resume. Focus on what’s transferable to your new role.

Not sure what skills are valued most in your new industry? Used LinkedIn to find out and to network with civilian professionals. Not sure how? Read our guide: How To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile To Get More Jobs

Here’s the thing. You could be using language on your military veteran resume that civilian employers don’t understand. It’s normal after spending years in the military.

Recruiters and interviewers, who have no background in the military, can’t understand the lingo used in the corps.

That’s why you’ll need to translate military to civilian terms, so whoever reviews your veteran resume sees your potential.

Michael Richards retired after a stellar 15-year stretch of military service during which he specialized in workforce management and deployment. He’s now pursuing an executive position in HR and Talent Development.

Michael has two options when it comes to writing a resume career summary for his military transition resume. He can focus on who he was in the military or who he wants to become as a civilian.

Since your ex army resume summary is the first thing hiring managers look at, whatever Michael picks will affect his chances of landing the job.

Option A: Michael Focuses on his Military Background—

Don’t limit your army experience to the core functions of your role. Think about other experiences and skills you gained as part of the job.

Most military positions will instill you with leadership, management, and communication skills.

Attention to details and the ability to work under duress are part of the package too. You just need to emphasize them.

Below is a sample navy resume, from Timothy Stergiou-Allen, Veteran Naval Officer from the UK.

You’ll notice it’s stripped of military jargon. If “Royal Navy warship” and “NATO deployment” wasn’t mentioned, this military resume example could be mistaken for the resume of a civilian PR professional.

Aside from specific accomplishments (highlighted in yellow), the sample military resume also explains Stergiou-Allen’s transferable skills as a PR officer and COO (highlighted in red).

Adding peer development and training coordination suggests he knows how to mentor others and conduct training sessions. Releasing stories via digital and social media channels means he’s familiar with the tools used for digital marketing.

Want to know how to put skills on your veteran resume? Not sure which skills recruiters find the most valuable? Read our guide: +30 Best Skills to Put On a Resume

Below are two versions of how to present your experience:

What’s the difference?

Hierarchy is different in the civilian setting. "My team" and "superiors" is better suited than "subordinates" and "commanding officers."

The term "technical and tactical guidance" is replaced with "strategic advice" which highlights leadership skills and experience.

"Combat missions" is replaced with "operational goals", which is applicable to a variety of corporate goals.

These changes prevent hiring managers from thinking your mentorship and leadership skills are limited to battle plans and military exercises.

Your choice of words can affect the way potential employers see you.

It’s up to you to make your image positive.

Writing an effective military resume isn’t all about avoiding jargon. Want to know what action words will give your resume a boost? Read our guide: +80 Examples of Resume Action Words for Every Profession

Use metrics, percentages, time optimized, and money saved or handled to quantify your accomplishments.

Military training can be transferable to civilian employment. All you have to do is list the training events and courses you attended followed by a short description.

Not sure how to describe your training?

Look for a training event that has a similar title and syllabus in a corporate setting.

For example, a Google search for aviation leadership courses led to this training course from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Harvard Business Publishing.

Just compare the examples you find to the training you had in the military. What skills do both training courses have in common?

In the example above, leadership, collaboration, setting high standards, and building relationships are themes that match the following Airman Leadership School example.

You don’t have to write the description verbatim. Choose a couple of common keywords and summarize the course description.

Security clearances, even for non-sensitive and not so top-secret access, show proof of your accountability and responsibility to employers.

A Top Secret (TS) clearance can cost thousands of dollars, so companies would rather look for someone who’s already undergone the background investigation and training required to get it.

Justin Thomas says,

If you’re applying for Boeing or Lockheed Martin, and similar companies, put your security clearance at the top of your resume. It helps recruiters decide whether they want to take a chance on you.

Do you have licenses, awards, or publications that should go on your military resume? Do you know where to put them? Read our guide: What To Put On A Resume To Make It Perfect [Tips & Examples]

“Most frontline troops look into private security or law enforcement. In this case, combat experience is incredibly relevant,” says Allen.

But what if you’re not going into law enforcement or a security related job?

In that situation, adding details about your active combat experience is a bit of a coin toss.

Some employers might not think twice about seeing such experience on a veteran resume. On the other hand, Thomas says:

Some might think you’ll have mental problems like PTSD because of your experience.

Defending your country and its people is an admirable career.

The unfortunate reality is that many returning troops suffer from depression, PTSD, and other mental illnesses.

These ailments, while obviously not applicable to everyone with combat experience, may make some employers hesitate to hire you.

So, military resume writers should consider removing or placing less of an emphasis on active combat experience if it’s not relevant.

Yes, you need a cover letter. Hiring managers often scan resumes for information to decide if you’re documents are relevant.

After, they’ll check your cover letter to get a fuller image of you. Don’t repeat what you’ve written on your military resume.

Instead, use your cover letter to complement the information you’ve provided.

Your cover letter is the place for providing explanations and fleshing out information you kept brief on your veteran resume.

Not sure how to write a military resume cover letter? Need advice on what to include? Read our guide: How to Write a Professional Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Let’s recap. To write a military resume that get's you a civilian job you have to:

• Choose a career path before putting your military experience on a resume.
• Translate your military skills, accomplishments, and work history into layman’s terms.
• Include relevant training and education.
• Emphasize your security clearances.
• Be careful about including information about active combat.

Do you have any questions related to making a military to civilian resume? Give us a shout in the comments section!