Main Hall 201, 255-3340, jobhelp@uccs.edu, www.uccs.edu/career
Civilianize Your Military Résumé in 10 Easy Steps
Source: “10 Ways to Civilianize Your Résumé” in G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com)
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The “Six Second Test” - How long should your résumé be? As a general rule, target one page for every
10 years of service, with a two-page maximum. Regardless of the length, here is the most important
question: will it pass the “Six Seconds Test?” A civilian employer will go through hundreds of résumés
to find a manageable number of qualified candidates. Your résumé must survive the culling process.
Assume each résumé will get six seconds of the reader’s attention. During those six seconds the reader
has to find the key information. If you must have more than one page, make sure all of the good stuff is
on the first page! If this information grabs their attention, they might take a look at the second page.
Think Accomplishments - Companies hire people for their experience, their potential, or a combination
of both. If your military specialty has a direct civilian equivalent and you want to continue in that
occupation, then highlight that information on your résumé: operating or maintaining gas turbines
does not need much translation. If you are not continuing in your current specialty you are then selling
your “potential” more than your experience. In either case, how well you do a job is more important
than your job description. Why? Because your accomplishments sell your potential, your experience
sells your past.
Translate - Much of what you do in the military will make perfect sense to civilians, but there are some
functions that have little or no civilian equivalent (e.g. ammunition handler). The significance of being
assigned as your detachment’s Classified Material Systems (CMS) custodian will probably be lost on a
potential civilian employer. You don’t need to eliminate these duties from your résumé. They are
important positions with a significant amount of responsibility. But, you should translate the position
into a language a civilian reader can understand. Therefore, CMS might read “selected by the
Commanding Officer to be the controller of the detachment’s classified material.”
Punt the Acronyms and the Alphabet Soup - Where would the military be without acronyms and
abbreviations? Every OP ORDER, MOVEREP, SITREP, and MUC would double in length without them.
Unless you are certain that the acronym has common civilian usage, forget it! Spell it out or paraphrase
it in civilian terms. However, one acronym you should not punt when writing a résumé is “K.I.S.S.”
Loved by civilians and the military alike, “Keep It Simple, Stupid” is an excellent rule-of-thumb. Too
much information will make your résumé overly long, time consuming and probably boring.
Save Your Ammunition - Although most of you will no longer have any use for that ammunition belt,
you are not quite through with bullets yet. Think of the information appearing on your résumé as
ammunition. There is a tendency to present this information in paragraph form, but this makes the
good stuff harder to find. If we consider the importance of the six seconds test, then we have a new
use for those bullets. Concise phrasing of your duties and responsibilities in terms of specific
accomplishments and itemizing them as bullets on your résumé will enhance the chances of the
desired impact.
Veteran Handouts – fall 2013
Civilianize Your Military Résumé in 10 Easy Steps – Page 2
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No Job-Hoppers Here - Most military personnel have multiple jobs and multiple duty stations during
their contract, enlistment or career. The list gets even longer if schools and training are included.
Listing every job on your résumé may make you look like a job hopper. Combine similar experiences
without paying strict attention to the timeline. Perhaps the easiest way is to use an all-inclusive
timeline statement at the beginning of your experience section. Show the reader that you may have
had six different jobs in three different locations in the last six years, but they were all with the same
employer! For example, the phrase “Machinist’s Mate, U.S. Navy (1998-2004)” is the first line in the
“experience” section, followed by an outline of the actual assignments during that timeframe.
The “M” Word - Guess which word appears the most often on the typical military performance
evaluation or fitness report? “Manage” and all of its forms: management, manager, manages,
managing, managed. Not surprisingly, the same is true with résumés written by separating military
personnel. It is a wonderful word, because it says so much. But for that same reason, it also says too
little. What do you really mean when you use that word? Be careful – civilians do not use it with the
same frequency or generality that you do. When writing your résumé, force yourself to say what you
really mean. Perhaps words like control, coordinate, lead or supervise would be more descriptive. If
you have to use it, then use it with a modifier (financial management, logistics management or
personnel management). In the corporate sector, you are technically not a manager unless you have
both people working directly for you and profit and loss responsibility for your unit. It would be the
rare individual who would be handed both of these on his or her first day on the job. Accordingly, use
the “M” word as specifically and sparingly as possible.
Move Your Rank or Rating But Don’t Hide It - You are seeking a civilian job. It is time to start thinking
and looking like a civilian. You may think of yourself as “MM3 Michael S. Ortiz, USN,” but do not open
with that statement. On your résumé, you are now just plain Michael S. “Mike” Ortiz. Why? Many
civilians have a negative stereotype regarding military personnel when it comes to formality and rank
structure. Beginning your résumé with your rank or rating will just reinforce that perception. On the
other hand, there is much about your military experience that works in your favor. Some military
service members are under the impression that they should completely “sanitize” their résumés, and
remove all things military. Going to this extreme is a mistake. There are hundreds of civilian employers
that want to hire you because of that military experience.
Training and Education: Front and Center - One of the reasons so many civilian companies like to hire
military personnel is the built-in training and education. Many service members have college degrees,
and those that do not will often have a significant amount of technical or specialty training courtesy of
Uncle Sam. Whether or not this training and education is directly relevant to the civilian sector,
companies like to hire educated people, especially those who have done well in that environment.
Accordingly, put this information on your résumé where they can easily find it. Remember the six
seconds test!
Make Yourself Easy to Find - Your résumé must include your contact information. Assuming the
résumé does its job, a potential employer will contact you to obtain further information and set up an
interview. When it comes to finding you, many military personnel are at a disadvantage. Where are
you stationed? CONUS? Overseas? Deployed? On a ship? Under the ocean? Not allowed to say? Unless
the answer is CONUS, you are probably at either a geographic or a time zone disadvantage. However,
unlike a civilian employer that may terminate employment if they know you were on a job search, the
military assists service members in its transition to a new career. If you are permitted to do so, make
sure your cell phone number, work phone number and e-mail address are on your résumé. If not,
perhaps there is a reliable person with access to your personal phone number and/or e-mail account
who can act as a relay for you.
Veteran Handouts – fall 2013
Main Hall 201, 255-3340, jobhelp@uccs.edu, www.uccs.edu/career
Common Military-to-Civilian Translations
Source: “Common Military-to-Civilian Translations” in ClearanceJobs (www.clearancejobs.com)
Love it or hate it, the résumé is still the expected job search instrument of choice used to showcase past work
experiences, marketable skills, obvious superpower abilities and applicable shiny credentials. Don’t get caught up in
making sure your positional military title translates. Focus more on communicating the functional (skill) area of your
job title. That said, here are some common translations that may be helpful.
You know it as:
Civilian employers will understand it as:
NCOIC, Watch Captain,Petty Officer of the Watch
Commander, Chief
Executive Officer (XO)
Action Officer (AO)
TDY/TAD
PCS
OER/NCOER
MOS/MOC
Commanded
Battalion, Unit, Platoon
Mission
Combat/War
Headquarters
Subordinates
Service members
Security Clearance
Military Personnel Office (MILPO); Personnel Action Center (PAC)
Regulations
Reconnaissance
TDA/MTOE
Supervisor, Manager, Coordinator
Division Head, Director, Senior Manager
Deputy Director, Assistant Manager
Analyst (or Senior Analyst if applicable)
Business travel
Relocation
Performance Appraisal
Career Field
Supervised, Directed
Organization, Agency, Department
Responsibility, Task, Objective, Job
Hazardous Conditions, Conflict
Headquarters, Corporate Office
Employees, Co-Workers
Employees, Co-Workers, Colleagues, Personnel, Individuals
Security Clearance
Personnel Office
Guidance, Policy, Instructions
Data Collection, Survey, Analysis
Organizational Structure, Material Resources, Manpower
Additional Tips You Can Use
Awards: You might have a laundry list of ARCOMs, MSMs, and AAMs and that is a good thing. Clearly, you did your job well.
Don’t, however, fill your resume with each and every one of them. Simply mention, where appropriate, that you received awards
for outstanding job performance. If there is something critical to mention about a certain award that propels your case for the job
further, then it is fine to elaborate on that particular award.
Job Titles: Don’t get caught up in making sure your positional military title (Captain, Major, Sergeant) translates. Focus more on
communicating the functional area of your job title (Communications Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Nurse).
Training: Make your classroom achievements easy to understand. Remember, it is not necessary to list all the training you’ve
completed; Stick to mentioning the most recent and relative ones.
Veteran Handouts – fall 2013
Main Hall 201, 255-3340, jobhelp@uccs.edu, www.uccs.edu/career
Resources to Help Military/Veterans Transition to Civilian Life
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G.I. Jobs – Your Guide to Post-Military Success: www.gijobs.com
Clearance Jobs – The Undisputed Leader in Defense Industry Careers: www.clearancejobs.com
USAJOBS – Official one-stop source for Federal jobs: www.usajobs.gov
Military.com Network – Largest Military and Veteran Membership Organization: www.military.com
Transition Assistance Online (TAOnline) – Top Leader in Providing Veteran Jobs: www.taonline.com
Career One Stop – Sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Labor: www.acinet.org
Veteran Recruiting Services (VRS) – Reliable means to bring employers & veterans together:
www.veteranrecruiting.com
Military One Source – Department of Defense funded program providing comprehensive information on every
aspect of military life: www.militaryonesource.mil/transition
Make the Connection – Public Awareness Campaign by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs:
www.maketheconnection.net
Moving Forward: Overcoming Life’s Challenges – Free online educational and life coaching program that teaches
problem solving skills: www.startmovingforward.org
After Deployment – Resources for making the transition to civilian life: www.afterdeployment.org/topicswork-adjustment
UCCS Office of Veteran and Military Student Affairs – Provides transition assistance to veteran and military
service members and their families: www.uccs.edu/military
Veteran Handouts – fall 2013