Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
by Lou Huskey, CPRW, ResumeEdge.com Editor
Transitioning from the military world can be a challenge, but many candidates find great success in job searches when they are able to target specific companies that search for employees with this type expertise. Most individuals coming out of the military have valuable experience in leading teams and making strategic business decisions that greatly affect the projects they have been involved in. Accentuate strong leadership backgrounds to show how you can easily move into management positions. In the corporate world, employers look for people who can work independently without lots of direction, so focusing on being a self-motivated, disciplined individual is important. Be sure to highlight the demanding work schedules that the military typically imposes. Being able to work in fast-paced environments and handle highly stressful situations typically creates an outstanding level of integrity and gives you an above average work ethic that many others don’t offer.
Emphasize communications skills by showcasing knowledge of various languages and the ability to work with individuals with varied cultural backgrounds. Highlight your computer proficiencies and technical strengths, eliminating technical jargon that simply does not apply outside of the military world unless it pertains to the job you are applying for.
Many companies specializing in defense, homeland security, and other government markets seek out experienced employees for job opportunities throughout the world, so indicate that you are able to relocate and travel. When contracts are lost, employees can be required to move as well, so being open to these situations will help a company see that you are the best selection. Defense companies search for applicants with security clearances and many times individuals aren’t even admitted to job fairs geared towards these industries without one.
Closely analyze the job advertisements you find interesting. It is so important to show how your capabilities clearly parallel their job requirements by bringing out the matching skills to indicate your expertise is what an organization is searching for. This can be achieved not only within your professionally prepared resume, but also in a cover letter. These documents should highlight the most important aspects of your career and be crafted in a concise, yet informative manner. A long document that is jam-packed with too much detail simply won’t be read in this tight market.
To conclude, candidates with military backgrounds have so much to offer commercial employers, even those who are not involved in government-related ventures. By researching potential positions and marketing your most important abilities, you will be able to utilize the best of what you have learned while serving in the military and find an exciting, rewarding career opportunity.
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Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
by Jennifer Stiglic, BA, ME, CPRW, ResumeEdge.com Editor
There is a big difference between, “Provide mission critical technical services to the battalion for the tracking of all cargo material in a combat zone” and “Direct IT services to support a 150-person operation, tracking all cargo materials in a demanding work environment.”
Job responsibilities in the military can easily translate to corporate positions; you just need to overcome the language barrier and jargon. The process of translating military jargon into civilian language is essentially the same as translating a resume from Spanish into English…it is a different language. For example, common words in military resumes include command, battalion/soldiers, and mission. These can translate into civilian terminology as supervised, team, and organizational goal. Hiring managers may not understand the significance of your experience when they read resumes with military jargon stating leadership of defensive techniques, combat readiness, weapons storage or combat zone operations.
In order to increase your marketability for a civilian job, break down your experiences and re-word the content to match the language of your target position.
The first step is to break down job duties into individual tasks to identify key strengths. To accomplish this task, read job postings, company job descriptions, and industry resumes located on job boards and industry association websites to match your experiences to civilian jobs. A great resource is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook located online at: www.bls.gov/OCO. This site provides overviews of job positions with detailed information on the nature of the work, language used, and education needed. The second step is to go through your experience and transition your resume using civilian language found in the job postings and company descriptions. Some responsibilities could relate to equipment maintenance, international relations, budget management, team training and leadership, personnel management, and logistics management.
Accomplishments are critical to the resume whether they are for the military or corporate/civilian positions. Be sure to highlight your accomplishments in the resume and quantify the results based on impact to the organization.
In the end, one easy way to test your resume is to have a non-military person review the resume and let you know the verbiage or wording they do not understand.
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW, SME
Because resumes are sent electronically or by regular mail, it’s not often that you can use your networking savvy until – or unless – you’re called in for an interview. However, by listing memberships in professional and academic societies, your resume is a silent partner in networking your skills to hiring managers who are also members of these groups. Additionally, affiliations quickly and effortlessly indicate your professional industry or academic status.
When to Emphasize Professional Affiliations
Mention membership in Professional Affiliations within the Qualifications Summary when:
1. You’ve held a leadership position within the organization (eg: President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer)
2. The organization is recognized as the leader in your specific industry (eg: AMA – American Medical Association – for a physician; SPHR for human resource professionals; The Writers Guild for authors)
3. Membership is required in your career field.
A Word About Maximizing Your Professional Affiliation Data
If you are in possession of the hiring manager’s name and background (through research on company websites), it’s a good idea to research professional membership files (eg: college alumni associations) to see if that person is affiliated with the organization to which you belong. If so, make mention of your membership in your cover letter. Networking in this manner may give you an edge in being granted an interview.
When to Emphasize Academic Affiliations
1. If you are a recent college graduate
2. If you have little to no professional experience
In the above scenarios, showcasing academic affiliations, especially honor societies, will impress upon a hiring manager your dedication to the chosen field and your potential as an employee.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. My only memberships are with the PTA and similar organizations since I’ve spent the last few years raising my children. Should I include this information on my resume?
If you held leadership positions within these organizations that would indicate to a hiring manager your potential for a management role. Even if you did not hold such a position, if you served on committees, that would indicate your teamwork capabilities and commitment to your community. This information should be included.
2. I’ve been out of college for nearly 20 years. Do I still include alumni membership information on my resume?
It never hurts to include this information as the HR professional viewing your resume may very well be an alumnus of the same school. That data, alone, may very well capture the hiring manager’s interest so that added attention is granted the information on your resume.
3. What is preferred by hiring managers – national associations or local chapters?
It would depend upon your role in each. If you are simply a member of a national association, but are president of a local chapter, the leadership position should be emphasized.
4. One of the professional associations to which I belong is fairly new and not widely recognized, should I include it on my resume?
If it enhances your candidacy, and if you provide the hiring manager with additional data regarding its importance. For example:
Member, Culinary Specialists Guild, founded in 2002 to promote the culinary profession and to provide beginning chefs with worthwhile information to master the craft.
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW, SME
Temporary (contract) employees are the wave of the future. Companies no longer have to worry about benefits or keeping someone on who doesn’t fit in with the corporate culture. Of course, that leaves many individuals with ten or more short-termed positions to detail on a resume. Although it seems daunting and impossible to attract a hiring manager’s attention with that kind of data, it can be done.
1. IF YOU’VE WORKED SIX JOBS THROUGH ONE TEMPORARY AGENCY, LIST THE AGENCY’S NAME AS THE EMPLOYER:
Technically speaking, the agency – not the company where you actually do the work – is the employer and should be listed as such. If you’re like most contract workers, you do the same job for a number of companies, and you should detail those duties one time only beneath your job title, which will also include the employer list. For example:
FIRST STAFFING AGENCY, White Plains, New York, 2001 – Present
Administrative Assistant
(XYZ Company, RRT Company, ABC Company, & CDF Company)
* Generate correspondence for staff and senior executives.
* Answer telephone inquiries.
* Maintain inventory of office supplies.
The above is organized and provides relevant data without repetition.
2. USE THE OPENING SUMMARY TO PROMOTE THE SKILLS IT TAKES
TO SUCCEED AS A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE:
Showcase your time management skills (especially if you’ve been asked – at the last moment – to accept a position because of an emergency staff shortage), how you thrive on change and meeting new people, what a quick learner you are (every company has its own policies and procedures that new staff must adhere to), and the range of your skills, which have to be comprehensive in order to move from company to company on short notice. In other words, show the hiring manager that you can make a quick, seamless transition from your contract job into a more permanent position at the targeted company.
3. SHOWCASE ANY CONTRACT JOBS IN WHICH THE CONTRACT WAS EXTENDED OR YOU WERE ASKED TO STAY ON:
Detail why you were offered a permanent position, and where it led – either to a promotion or to increased responsibility. The key is to show the new hiring manager that you have what it takes to get the job done.
