Military to Civilian Resume Sample

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

Whether or not you're planning to look for a new job, it's best to keep your resume updated. Get into the habit of updating your accomplishments and skills so that your resume is always ready.

Here are some tips:

- Group your top skill sets into a summary.
- Create a professional email address (using your name - no nicknames) to include with your contact information.
- Use past tense - even when describing your current job.
- If you're posting your resume online, don't encourage identity theft by including too much personal information.
- Gear you resume towards the job you want, not the one you have now.
- List your most recent job first.
- Check spelling and grammar - don't depend on your spelling errors being caught by spell check.

Your resume should not include every task you've performed in every position; instead it should only include your strongest accomplishments. Though it's tempting to all the details about every job you've had, your resume is only a starting point. Use it to get your foot in the door so that you can get an interview. Once you have an opportunity to speak with the hiring manager, then you can go into more detail.

Since you have to catch the attention of the reader right away, stay away from passive-sounding words when describing your accomplishments and responsibilities. Passive sentences are indirect and don't make much of an impression.

Look at this example of a passive sentence: "Participated on product development team." Compare that with this example of an active sentence: "Created scripts and tested new product."

In addition to using active words and sentences in your descriptions, you also have to show results. Which description would appeal to you as a hiring manager?

"Arranged new product development meetings," or "Facilitated meetings for new product development team which led to cost savings due to reduced miscommunication between departments."

If you are a freelancer or temp worker, you'll probably work for various companies and hold different positions. Even if you had different titles, the skills and accomplishments will show your versatility in different industries and company cultures.

Keep track of the projects you've worked on, articles and documentation you've written, etc. Set aside samples of your work so that you can include them with your resume, if requested.

When you're changing careers playing up your skills is very important. You may not have direct experience in the area you're changing to, but you can show how the skills you've acquired in the old career can be carried over to the new one. Pick accomplishments that show that you are versatile and can think out of the box. Play up training and learning experiences to show that you can adapt to new environments. The person reading your resume is focused on finding the right person for the job. They won't have the time to think about how to fit your skills into their requirements.

Not sure how to show that your skills can be transferred to a new profession? For instance, if you're a project manager and you want to become an event planner, you could play up your organization skills or your communications skills. You could also play up your ability to simultaneously manage different tasks. Look at the work you've done, then find ways to highlight your strongest accomplishments. The person reading your resume should see right away that you can perform the duties the position requires.

Of course if you know what type of job you want, it'll be easier to create your resume. However, if you're not sure what you want to do next -or how to update your resume to reflect your varied skills - consider hiring a professional to help. These days you can't take a chance that your resume will be overlooked. If you present yourself to your best advantage, you'll have a better chance of being hired for the job you want.

Deborah A. Bailey is a professional coach, writer and founder of Deb Bailey Coaching. She specializes in working with individuals as they move through transitions and experience a life beyond their expectations. Learn more at http://www.dbaileycoach.com.

MORE ARTICLES:

Maximize Earning Potential with a Strong Resume
A good resume can make a world of difference when it comes to negotiating salary with a new employer.

Online Resume Formats
There are several types of online resume formats that can be used when contacting potential employers. When you search for job openings online, some companies will have on their websites which online resume format is acceptable.

Do You Have a Hotsy-Totsy Resume?
I begin this article with a bit of slang description. What do I mean by a "hotsy totsy" resume? I mean one that does the following for you, the job seeker and a possible employer.

RecruitMilitary Acquires Landmark Destiny Group, Will Merge Military-to-Civilian Recruiting Operations
The military-to-civilian recruiting firm RecruitMilitary, LLC, has purchased competitor Landmark Destiny Group (LDG) from Landmark Military Media, Inc. (LMM). The acquisition brings together two of the strongest companies in the industry.

What A Former Stay At Home Mom Knows About Creating A Stunning Resume That You Dont
Recently I was asked to touch up a friend's resume. Her challenge was simple.

Do I Need a Resume to Find An At-Home Job?
Depending on the type of at-home job you want to find, you might still need to have a resume, especially if you are going to be providing a business-profession-type service. For at-home businesses that involve providing other non-professional services, you probably need only a business brochure or other printed information materials.

Why Use a Resume Writer or Resume-writing Service?
Here are some of the questions we have been asked by our clients or potential clients in the past, together with our answers to them. We hope you find them useful, and that they help you to make an informed decision.

Finally, a Solution to Resume Writing Stress That Will Eliminate Hassle and Have You Writing Winning Resumes With Ease
Resume writing is a skill that often stumps even the smartest of people. While people may have a knowledge of what resume writing is, it is an art that is used by every person in the workforce but isn't really taught at school. Finally there is a solution to make it stress free.

Auto-Disqualification - When Your Resume Never Reaches the Decision Maker
How would you know if your resume did or didn't reach the appropriate decision maker? You can truly never know for certain. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that your resume does not get "auto-disqualified", or provide obvious reasons not to be hired.

Update Your Resume Today
A friend was just promoted to a position of vice-president of a company. I am happy for him and the first thing I told him after congratulations was "update your resume".

FutureResume.com Hires Nationwide Sales Team With Job Seekers Showcased in Video Resume Introductions
FutureResume.com, the unique new job board that uses video resume, the Internet and videoconferencing to let job seekers stand out from the crowd and employers experience a candidate?s personality and professionalism before the interview, today announced that it is using its own technology to hire a national sales team as well as other select positions. Interested candidates only have to go to FutureResume.com, click on the ?FutureResume.com is hiring? link, and follow steps to prepare their one- to two-minute video resume introductions. Company executives will review the job seeker videos and resumes and select finalists based on the personality and purpose expressed by the candidate.

Writing That Resume
When preparing your resume make sure the skills you list are accurately conveying your experience and knowledge in each area. It is also recommended that time be spent reviewing the skills the company is looking for in order to highlight these skills in a job interview or cover letter. The cover letter should briefly outline any skills or achievements that you might have and explain why you are a suitable candidate for the position.

Writing A Great Resume, Part 2
TIP: Update your resume often. Be sure to add details of any training course, new interests and areas of responsibility.

Rewriting Your Resume? 7 Easy Ways To Give Yourself An Upgrade
In today's competitive job market, a first class resume is an essential tool for winning an interview. The way in which you present your skills, achievements and experience on paper will profoundly affect the way in which a hiring company considers your application.