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Your resume should be broken down into separate, easy to navigate functional areas. Depending on your experience these functional areas will differ. Please refer to our Sample Resumes below for recommendations. All resumes, however, should follow these rules of thumb:
Name
We recommend that your contact information be at the top of your resume and centered. Your Name should include your nickname if you preferred to be addressed by such. This way, potential interviewers will not question your voicemail greeting should the name not match what is listed on your resume.
Address
List your current address complete with unit or apartment number, city, state, and zip code. Do not list current and home of record address as this will confuse a non-military interviewer.
Phone
List a home and cell number if you have both. Be sure to check you messages daily and return all calls within 24 hours. Make sure your voice message is professional (see example in our Interview Guide) and energetic.
E-Mail
We suggest that you create a separate e-mail account that you will use solely for your career search. There are numerous free services but we recommend Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo as they are the most popular and least likely to be mistyped by the person attempting to contact you. Do not have any slang or inappropriate handles in your email address as it will be viewed as unprofessional by the interviewer. Keep it simple and tied to your name (i.e. jdoe77@isp.com or billsmith12@isp.com).
Security Clearance
It is acceptable to list your clearance if it is active, capable of becoming active, and ABOVE SECRET.
What NOT to put on your Resume
We are aware of a resume format that is popular among some transitioning military members that encourages listing the information below on your resume. We highly recommend against listing this info as it is confidential; some of these items are also not allowed for discussion during an interview unless brought up or disclosed by the candidate. Do not open a can of worms by including it on your resume.
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- Spouse's and Children's Names and Ages
- Age
- Rank
- Desired Salary
- Type of Discharge
- Height/Weight & Health Status
- Race
- Social Security Number
- Date of Availability
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT
99.9% of the time an Objective Statement will not help you. Unless it is so specific and tailored not only to the job, but also the interviewer's style, it may actually hurt you. Solution - leave it out!
References
Another common trend is to list References Available Upon Request. This is understood and not necessary. You should, however, have a Reference List prepared and with you during all interviews. A sample format showing Personal and Professional References is listed below.
List your school, degree type, and graduation year
- You only need to list the graduation year, not all years attended. This is because anything more that 4 years could open the door for the interviewer to ping you on why it took you longer than average to graduate.
- List any clubs, organizations, or teams you were a member of. If you held a leadership position within the group be sure to list it as well (President, XYZ Fraternity; defensive Captain, Varsity Football, Etc...)
- If you personally financed any or all of your education or if you were awarded any scholarship funds (ROTC, Academic, Athletic, Etc...) be sure to list them Only list your GPA if it is a 3.0 or better. Do not list your Major GPA unless your overall is above 3.0
- List any additional significant accomplishments (Study Abroad, Graduated in less than 4 years, Etc...)
Additional Info on your Education:
- If you have an advanced degree list it first
- There is no need to list your high school, unless that is your highest level attained
- You do not need to list your Associates Degree if you have a 4 year degree
Your resume should follow Reverse Chronological Order – most recent or present role at the top and then work backwards. Avoid using too much technical and/or industry jargon. For each major job held you should provide a 2-3 sentence description of your duties and responsibilities and 2-3 bulleted accomplishments.
Documenting Experiences
Description - Your description is a brief overview of the tasks and responsibilities associated with your position. You should not write in the 3rd person and should limit each description to general duties and responsibilities.
Bullets - These are quantifiable results that you (not your unit) accomplished.
- Format
- Do not use periods
- Capitalize the first letter of each bullet
- Indent slightly from the Description
- Quantify - The use of numbers and percentages validates your accomplishments and shows that you are results and goal oriented
- Individual Results - Avoid unit accomplishments unless you were the main driving factor behind your unit's recognition. If you are citing an award do not just list it but briefly state why you were honored for your actions
- Action Words - Always start your bullets off with an impactful Action Word to catch the reviewer's attention. Please refer to the list below for examples:
Reduced |
Increased |
Spearheaded |
Shortened |
Exceeded |
Awarded |
Adapted |
Selected |
Led |
Introduced |
Achieved |
Constructed |
Created |
Founded |
Spear-Headed |
Decreased |
Advanced |
Simplified |
Solved |
Projected |
Marketed |
Applied |
Redesigned |
Reengineered |
Implemented |
Developed |
Streamlined |
Overcame |
Accomplished |
Earned |
Improved |
Scheduled |
Revised |
Organized |
Attained |
Undertook |
Recognized |
Successfully |
Safely |
Qualified |
Keep up to date - Know what bullet points you listed and be prepared to relay a story on each
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