How to Translate Military Jobs for Resumes?

I'm planning to transition from the military to a civilian job after high school. How can I effectively translate military job experiences and skills into language that will impress civilian employers on my resume?

The key to translating military experiences and skills for civilian resumes is understanding your target job’s requirements and finding the intersection between those qualifications and your military training.

Step 1: Identify Job Requirements – Start by examining job postings that interest you. Note the specific skills and qualifications they are looking for. Often civilian jobs don't just look for technical skills but also value soft skills such problem-solving, leadership, and communication.

Step 2: Analyze Your Military Experience – Try to think about your military training from a different perspective. Break down each of your roles and responsibilities into specific tasks and identify the skills you used or learned to perform those tasks successfully.

Step 3: Translate Military Lingo – This is a crucial step! Civilian managers might not be familiar with military jargon, so you should avoid using military terminology and acronyms. Translating your skills and experiences into civilian language will make your resume easier to understand and will emphasize the applicability of your experiences. For instance, instead of mentioning that you were a rifle platoon leader, you could say you were in charge of leading and managing a team of individuals.

Step 4: Highlight Universal Skills – Nearly every role in the military develops strong leadership, teamwork, accountability, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities among other highly valued soft skills. Be sure to highlight these universal skills and provide examples of how they were utilized in your military career.

An example in action: If you had a position that required organizing and deploying personnel, you could translate that to demonstrate project management, organizational, and strategic planning skills. In that case, you might present it on your resume as 'Coordinated and executed strategic deployments involving over 200 personnel in high-stakes environments, leading to successful completion of objectives.'

Remember, your aim is to make your experiences as relatable and understandable as possible to the civilian employer. You want to emphasize the relevance and value of your skills within the context of the job you're applying for. Good luck with your transition!