Marketing Military Skills on an Application

Those who haven’t been in the military don’t always understand how much training that people in the military get. While you may not have a degree or formal education, you will have gained extensive knowledge and skills related to your field. On your application, you may not be able to list a college degree, but you can list the different positions you held and the duties you performed while in the military. Ensure that you are not using military jargon and are speaking in civilian terms. Otherwise, your resume will not be readable to potential employers. Don’t feel like you don’t have options because you were in the military. On the contrary, your experience in the military has qualified you to work in a variety of fields in both the public and the private sectors.

If you are not sure about how to best communicate in your resume, there are online resources to help you learn the civilian “language”. Also, if you have a civilian friend check and proof your resume, it will help you out a lot. Additionally, you may not even know what positions you’re qualified to apply for, but there are online resources that tell you what your skills will translate to in the real world. Don’t allow your military experience to hold you back; it should actually help you become more successful, not less. You just have to make sure that all of the experiences you’ve had are clear to the person who is reading your resume.

When you are working on your resume or on an application, you’ll also need to discuss accolades you’ve earned and accomplishments you had while in the military. That way, you are demonstrating your proficiency and your skill set, not just what you are capable of doing. The tiered system in the military allows for many to hold leadership positions or to train others, so if you did that, those are excellent things to list on your application. Also, many in the military will conduct many projects and perform operations. Any experience with that will demonstrate your leadership abilities and accomplishments, so list those as well. Make sure that these accomplishments and operations you performed are clear to your potential employer, as he or she may be unfamiliar with these ideas.

The Internet is full of incredibly helpful resources. If filling out a resume is new to you, you can search for quality resumes that others have made for similar job positions. That way, you can see just how to fill your own out. There will surely be a sample resume available of someone applying for the same or a similar job. You’ll also be able to see the kind of language and wording that civilians use. Potential employers want to see readability in a resume.  No matter how impressive it might be, if it isn’t readable, it’s going to go in the trash. Anyone you know who has been in the civilian world can help you look over your resume or application and let you know if it’s readable or not.

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