…so where are the phone calls?

The scenario is more common that you’d imagine–man (or woman) is discharged from the military, man has major life experiences under his belt, man gets no calls about jobs. It’s frustrating and makes the military transition to civilian life even harder than it already is! However, what many people fail to realize is that there’s a huge difference between having the experience for a good resume and actually having a good resume. Here are a few points to consider:

• Your resume is your first impression. If it’s wrinkled or smudged, what does that say about your character? It’s like having a dirty uniform. Beyond that, your resume needs to be organized in an easy-to-read fashion that highlights you best assets. If it’s not, your military resume might as well scream “This person doesn’t know what he/she’s doing!”

• Sometimes, you need to translate. Of course, having all of your military accomplishments on your resume is a great idea, but remember that most civilians don’t know abbreviations that are commonly used in the military and don’t want to wait for you to explain them. Make sure that your information is clear! If you won a medal, explain what that medal indicates. If you had certain duties, spell them out. Before you take your resume to potential employers, have a civilian friend or family member read it and fix anything they do not understand.

• You actually have to go on job interviews to get the job. When you’re discharged, the mayor isn’t going to call you and offer you a position (well, in most cases–some people get lucky). You have to hit the pavement! Finding a job is hard work, and you may have to submit your resume to 100 different companies to even get 5 callbacks for interviews.

• Focus on what you do have, not what you don’t have. Many people who join the military have not gone to college. Often, they’d never held jobs outside of the military. You are not alone. However, if you focus on these things, your potential employer will fixate on them. Don’t use phrases like “I don’t have a college degree, but…” on your military resume, because people will never get past the “but.” Be confident in presenting the skills you do have.

• Tailor your resume with each application. It’s a great idea to have one basic resume. Hiring a professional for this job is a great idea as well. However, with each application, consider tweaking your resume. For example, if you’re applying to a job with many technical duties, list the technical experiences you’ve had in the military first on your military resume. On the other hand, if you’re apply for a teaching job, list your military teaching experiences first.

Don’t get too frustrated. You can and will find a job! Make sure that you carry resumes with you wherever you go, and don’t be afraid to hand them out to your superiors before you leave–they might know a department that is hiring and would be perfect for you. Having a good military resume is the basis to getting a good job, so make sure that yours shines so that you get to the interview pile instead of the rejection pile!

This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2007 at 1:38 pm and is filed under Resumes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.