Top 5 Things GovCIO Recruiters Look for in Transitioning Military Resumes
Tips to Succeed in Your Job Search
Our recruiters look for specific attributes in transitioning military resumes that help them identify strong candidates. By focusing on key areas like transferable skills, leadership experience, and clearance levels, you can set yourself apart and make your resume stand out. Here are five essential things our recruiters look for when reviewing transitioning military resumes, along with tips to help you succeed in your job search.
As you prepare to transition out of the military into civilian work, our recruiting team recommends reviewing your resume for five essential attributes to set yourself apart and demonstrate how your military experience correlates to the civilian work in which you’re interested.
1. Translate Military Experience into Civilian Terms:
Update the verbiage in your resume to reflect civilian terminology, such as providing more context on the role(s) you held beyond the military title and level. Focus on describing key areas of expertise along with transferable skills, such as project management, team management, and problem-solving, in ways that align with the civilian workplace. Some experience may be specific to your military role and doesn’t need to be included in the civilian resume you’re applying with.
2. Highlight Measurable Accomplishments
Highlight quantifiable results to demonstrate your impact. For example, include metrics such the size of team(s) you directly managed, budget oversight, or quantifiable efficiency improvements achieved during your service.
3. Clearly Align Skills and Certifications
Be sure to include your skills and certifications that align with the job qualifications listed. This could include technical expertise (e.g., cybersecurity, IT systems), soft skills (e.g., communication, adaptability), and industry-recognized credentials like PMP, CISSP, or Lean Six Sigma. You may not need to include all military-specific training or skills. Consider whether the information is military-specific and whether it’s relevant to the civilian opportunities you’re seeking.
4. Showcase Your Security Clearance
List active/current security clearance level (e.g., Secret, Top Secret, TS/SCI) prominently on your resume, especially if the job lists a clearance as a requirement.
5. Tailor Your Resume to the Job Posting
A clean, professional, and easy-to-read resume format is critical. Structure your resume with clear sections, bullet points for accomplishments, and concise language that makes your qualifications stand out to hiring managers. You may need to remove content that is no longer relevant in the civilian space to ensure a simpler resume to read while also ensuring your resume focuses on the types of skills and experience required based on the job description.
Register for Our Virtual Resume Reviews
GovCIO’s talent team will be hosting an informal resume review session March 24-27 for all transitioning military, Veterans and military spouses.
