Posted on May 15, 2020
What traits must a Veteran use on his or her resume to wow the recruiters and hiring managers?
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We know Veterans are organized, timely and efficient managers, who lead by example and who have the mindset to lead from the from; however, is this attractive enough to sway the deal in your favor?
We understand that managing large and spread out teams of >100 reports is common in the IT industry; my wife is a Delivery Partner with in excess of 1000 reports, both offshore and onsite. What military assignments come up to par with such business leaders?
Obviously; honesty is the best policy. However, in all honesty, as a Company Commander, the responsibility is for 80 to 150 troops. The XO is only responsible for Administration and Logistics, which means 40 - 75 troops.
We understand that managing large and spread out teams of >100 reports is common in the IT industry; my wife is a Delivery Partner with in excess of 1000 reports, both offshore and onsite. What military assignments come up to par with such business leaders?
Obviously; honesty is the best policy. However, in all honesty, as a Company Commander, the responsibility is for 80 to 150 troops. The XO is only responsible for Administration and Logistics, which means 40 - 75 troops.
Professional Development
Resume
Green to Gold
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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Start with attending a workshop on resume writing from your local employment services office, then be sure to place in chronological order any accomplishments / awards which show your abilities.
Look at the company you want to work at and compare what they do to what you have done in your cover letter.
Look at the company you want to work at and compare what they do to what you have done in your cover letter.
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It always really depends on the job. By the time I actually retired, I had 6 different resumes. I would build several in different types: functional, chronological, government, etc. Then I could tailor the most appropriate to the particular job I was applying for. In VERY general terms, most employers seem to be looking for the same qualities that make a good leader. Self-motivated, respected, engaged, attention to detail, reliable, self-reliant. My advice would be to look back at your NCOERs/OERs and modify some of the phrases from that. You also probably want to emphasize the positive impacts, space permitting (I always sucked at this).
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In my working career I was a private sector and public sector hiring manager. What wowed me was an applicant whose resume showed they met or exceeded the education and experience requirements in the position advertisement (private sector) or job announcement (public sector). After a few rounds of trying to find the right employee, I learned to spot a generic resume quickly. They most often went into the "no thanks" pile.
Here's my advice.
Tailor your resume to the job requirements. Don't lie, but put your best accomplishments forward. If the job says you need, "5 years of management experience in Information Technology or related field," then shape your resume to meet that requirement. Use key words from the job announcement to describe your responsibility and accomplishments. For example and Wing A6 might say, "Chief Information Officer (CIO) for action-oriented independent unit of over 1,000 employees for 3 years. Responsible for [blah, blah, blah]. Achieved highest possible rating on effectiveness and efficiency from corporate CIO on annual evaluation. [list more accomplishments]. Also, information security branch chief for 3 years for . . ." I always looked for "accomplishments" in the experience section of the resume. I wanted applicants to tell me how well they carried out the responsibilities they were assigned. Also, any innovations or extra accomplishments. Being an Air Force guy, I understand that the opportunity to lead large groups of people may come late in ones career or not at all. That doesn't mean the level of responsibility and accomplishments are not important. Leading 500 people at the Squadron level or 25 people at the major command headquarters level may require equal amounts of leadership ability and management skill.
Clearly show education, certificates, licenses, and training that is relevant to the job announcement. Again, don't stretch the truth. If you have military training that is equivalent to a civilian training or education requirement, then shape the training description to match the requirement. Example: job announcement says you need a bachelors degree in "information technology or related field." You don't exactly have that, but you can offer something close.
Example: Bachelor of Business, University of Some State, 2005, Major: Business Administration, Minor: Information Technology Management
Masters of Business Administration, University of Someplace, 2015, Major: Accounting, Minor: Operational Research (emphasis on computer-based modeling)
Relevant volunteer work, although somewhat rare in the resumes I reviewed, was something I paid attention to. Sometimes applicants demonstrated management and leadership in their volunteer work better than their regular jobs. If you're stuck in a dead-end job working for a poor manager, then sometimes your work for a Church, Social Club, Charity, or Fraternal Organization may be important to your resume.
Stuff I seldom paid attention to in resumes:
-Awards and decorations. Sometimes people listed military awards and decorations. I was familiar with most of the awards they listed, but somewhat cynical about how important they were. If you received an Air Force Achievement Medal 10 years ago, I may not really care. A really big award, such as the Mckay Trophy, would be well worth mentioning.
-Military schools and training courses. A long list of all of your training isn't very helpful. A short list of schools and training directly related to the job announcement is fine.
-References. Don't include references in your resume unless the job announcement specifically asks for the information. Most employers will ask for references separately.
-Letters of Recommendation: same as references.
Here's my advice.
Tailor your resume to the job requirements. Don't lie, but put your best accomplishments forward. If the job says you need, "5 years of management experience in Information Technology or related field," then shape your resume to meet that requirement. Use key words from the job announcement to describe your responsibility and accomplishments. For example and Wing A6 might say, "Chief Information Officer (CIO) for action-oriented independent unit of over 1,000 employees for 3 years. Responsible for [blah, blah, blah]. Achieved highest possible rating on effectiveness and efficiency from corporate CIO on annual evaluation. [list more accomplishments]. Also, information security branch chief for 3 years for . . ." I always looked for "accomplishments" in the experience section of the resume. I wanted applicants to tell me how well they carried out the responsibilities they were assigned. Also, any innovations or extra accomplishments. Being an Air Force guy, I understand that the opportunity to lead large groups of people may come late in ones career or not at all. That doesn't mean the level of responsibility and accomplishments are not important. Leading 500 people at the Squadron level or 25 people at the major command headquarters level may require equal amounts of leadership ability and management skill.
Clearly show education, certificates, licenses, and training that is relevant to the job announcement. Again, don't stretch the truth. If you have military training that is equivalent to a civilian training or education requirement, then shape the training description to match the requirement. Example: job announcement says you need a bachelors degree in "information technology or related field." You don't exactly have that, but you can offer something close.
Example: Bachelor of Business, University of Some State, 2005, Major: Business Administration, Minor: Information Technology Management
Masters of Business Administration, University of Someplace, 2015, Major: Accounting, Minor: Operational Research (emphasis on computer-based modeling)
Relevant volunteer work, although somewhat rare in the resumes I reviewed, was something I paid attention to. Sometimes applicants demonstrated management and leadership in their volunteer work better than their regular jobs. If you're stuck in a dead-end job working for a poor manager, then sometimes your work for a Church, Social Club, Charity, or Fraternal Organization may be important to your resume.
Stuff I seldom paid attention to in resumes:
-Awards and decorations. Sometimes people listed military awards and decorations. I was familiar with most of the awards they listed, but somewhat cynical about how important they were. If you received an Air Force Achievement Medal 10 years ago, I may not really care. A really big award, such as the Mckay Trophy, would be well worth mentioning.
-Military schools and training courses. A long list of all of your training isn't very helpful. A short list of schools and training directly related to the job announcement is fine.
-References. Don't include references in your resume unless the job announcement specifically asks for the information. Most employers will ask for references separately.
-Letters of Recommendation: same as references.
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