Resume Advice for Veterans Who Are Job Seekers

I agree with this resume advice for military veterans who are in job search. It's also good advice for all job seekers.

Top 10 IT Certifications for Security Cleared IT Professionals

As an Information Technology professional exiting the military, you might want to consider applying for an IT job with the U.S. Government, especially if you have Security Clearance.

This video by ClearanceJobs.com discusses the top 10 IT certifications that could give you an advantage over your IT competition.

What Resume Format Should I Use For My Military-to-Civilian Transition?

Entering the civilian workforce after two or more years of service in the military is a daunting transition. In addition to adjusting to your "new" civilian culture, you'll need to learn how to market yourself in a very tough job market. Continue reading...

Military Personnel, Veterans, Counselors -- Please Take This Survey!

If you are currently in the U.S. Military or you have exited the military in the last five years, please take this:

Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Survey

The results of this survey will be presented at the Career Management Alliance Conference on April 7, 2011. At the conference Susan Joyce, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and owner of Job-Hunt.org, and I will be co-presenting:

New Rules, New Tools for a Successful Military-to-Civilian Career Transition

We need your input prior to the presentation. Your survey responses will influence our conversation and help improve the job search support provided to you and soon-to-be-discharged personnel.

We also invite any career development professionals who work with exiting military folks to participate in the survey, as your perspective is extremely valuable. And we'd love to see you at the April event. Did I mention it's in Las Vegas!!!

Free Resume Help for Military Personnel Looking for a Job in the Civilian Job Market

Are you currently in the U.S Military and scheduled to exit in 2011? Or, did you exit the U.S. Military anytime since January 2010 and are still looking for a civilian job? If so, I want to help with your resume!

If you qualify for my Free Military-to-Civilian Resume Help, I'll give you a free one-month membership to Susan Ireland's Ready-Made Resumes. This online resume builder has a special section with resume templates and advice specifically for job seekers making a military-to-civilian transition.

Once you complete your resume, I'll personally review it.

My Free Military-to-Civilian Resume Help is for a limited time only, and conditions apply, including:

• You use one of my military-to-civilian resume templates to create your resume.
• You agree to allow me to review your finished resume.
• You allow me to make your resume anonymous and publish it on my website or in hardcopy tutorials or books.

What do I get out of it?

• Firsthand feedback on Susan Ireland's Ready-Made Resumes for military personnel re-entering the civilian job market.
• Excellent sample resumes for my website and to use in my presentations to career development professionals, especial those working with personnel and officers leaving the military.
• The honor of helping those who have served my country.

Sorry, this offer expired on January 1, 2012.

How to Translate Your Military Experience for a Civilian Job Search

Transitioning from the military to the civilian world is a little like moving to a new country where a different language is spoken. Most civilian employers don't understand military terminology. That means you have to do some translating if you're making a military-to-civilian career change.

How to Translate Military Terminology to Civilian Speak

On your resume and in job interviews, it's your job to convey the value you offer a civilian employer -- and you need to do that in civilian-speak, not military lingo.



In this video, Patra Frame suggests four ways to learn job-related civilian terminology. Notice these activities are also excellent ways to find a civilian job!

1. Search for common civilian terminology. Read through 10-20 job posts in your line of work to see what terms are commonly used.
2. Read industry-specific articles, both in print and online, to get up to date on what's happening and how to articulate it.
3. Attend professional events such as job fairs and civilian classes in your line of work. Listen to how others are describing their civilian work functions. Join in the conversation using those terms.
4. Participate in social networking sites such as LinkedIn where you can discuss work-related topics with civilian professionals.

This job search homework will help you learn your civilian terms and give you practice talking and writing about your professional achievements. And it just might help you land a job!

How to Translate Military Rank / MOS to Civilian Job Title for a Military-to-Civilian Resume

Military job titles are not always easy to understand, especially for civilian employers. If you're an exiting military personnel who's putting together a resume, or you're a professional resume writer with a client who's exiting the military, check out About.com: US Military.

Written by Rod Powers, this section of about.com is generous with information for exiting military men and women. I especially like the following pages for understanding military job titles and their responsibilities:

- Army Enlisted Job Descriptions and Qualification Factors
- Navy Enlisted Rating (Job) Descriptions and Qualification Factors
- Air Force Enlisted Job Descriptions and Qualification Factors
- United States Marine Corps Enlisted Job Descriptions and Qualification Factors
- Coast Guard Enlisted Job Descriptions

Once on a page with a specific job title and description, you'll see the Indeed Job Search function. Insert one or more keywords from the military job description into the Indeed search box to find applicable jobs. By comparing the military job description to the civilian job posting, you'll get a sense of how to translate military lingo into civilian-speak.

Exiting Military Job Transition

Transitioning from military to civilian life is tricky. Most who exit the military need to find jobs, either in the civilian or governmental workforce. If this is the case for you, you'll need to create a resume for that job search. Here are some useful resources:

Military-to-Private Sector Transition
Writing a resume for the private sector takes an extra step -- translating military-speak into civilian-speak. The Military to Civilian Occupation Translator is a handy tool for understanding how military positions translate into civilian jobs. This may help you figure out what type of job to look for and how to write about your military experience in terms the civilian employer will understand.

Military-to-Federal Government Transition
Military-to-Federal Resumes and How are Federal Resumes Different? are two excellent posts by Kathryn Troutman.

I'm currently working on resume templates for exiting military personnel for the new version of my Ready-Made Resumes program. Do you have a good military-civilian resume you'd like to share? Email it to me!

Employment Gap on Returning Vet’s Resume

Question
I have a veteran employment question for you. How would a veteran, who either had an illness or disability, regain employment after a gap in employment? Continue reading...

Four Months to Retirement!

Question
I am retiring from the military and would like to know what the best approach is to stating my available start date on my applications/resumes. I won't be able to start working for about 4 months. – Dan

Answer
The best place to say this is in your cover letter. Following are some ideas Continue reading...