Have you spent a few years working in the military? If so, it’s likely you will have gained some valuable skills during your time there. As you are reading this, I will assume that you won’t be enlisting again and wish to establish a civilian life once again.
The only trouble is some former servicemen and women find it hard to get a job. But, did you know that it’s not their skills that aren’t getting them into good jobs? It’s the fact that they can’t translate those skills into a resume that employers can understand!
The following will help you to show off your skills as something civilians will understand. You will also learn some handy tips to improve your chances of getting invited for job interviews. Here is what you need to know:
What Skills is the Employer Looking For?
OK, so let’s say that you’ve seen a job ad in your local newspaper, and you want to apply for it. You know that you possess the skills needed to carry out the work and that you will need little to no training for the job.
But, how can you showcase those skills on your resume? It’s likely most civilian employers will never have worked in the military. That means they aren’t going to understand the military terminology used in your resume.
You need to think about the skills you needed to complete your work while on active duty. Next, you also need to work out how you can apply those skills to the job you want. Quite often, there will be several ways to describe the same skill.
For instance, a battlefield comms engineer might also be referred to as a network administrator or technician. Crude example I know, but it illustrates how you can use different terms to describe the same thing!
When an employer looks at a resume, they are looking for specific keywords and phrases. They don’t have time to think about what you mean when you mention military terms. Especially if they receive hundreds of resumes from applicants.
Should You Relocate?
Being in the military means that you will have had to move around a lot. You might not want to do the same thing in your civilian life, but sometimes circumstances dictate otherwise. For example, if you live in a rural area, all the jobs you like might be in the city.
The good news is that you can take some time to live elsewhere without giving up your home. Places like Ultris Arrow Canyon let you rent an apartment for a short-term basis. So you can have a temporary base to see how fast you can get a job before deciding on more permanent arrangements.
Are there Any Tips for Formatting the Resume?
As you know, employers have precious little time to read resumes. That’s why you need to make yours as simple and straight to the point as possible. Use bullet points to illustrate your main skills and strengths. Keep details of former employers to a minimum.
If they want to contact people you’ve worked for before, you can use that occasion to supply full name and address details. Finally, don’t use a silly-sounding email address. Instead, opt for one that is in the format of [email protected].