3.10 Create An Effective Resume

What to Know

Many people think that a resume is only for white collar jobs. On the contrary, in our changing job market almost everyone will need a resume, including most blue collar workers.

The resume is a selling tool that outlines your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer's workplace. More to the point, what we are actually doing is applying for an interview. Only in the rarest of cases will a resume in and of itself directly secure a job offer. The goal of an effective resume is to highlight and summarize a person's qualifications.

What to Do

The first step in creating your resume is to determine which jobs you are both qualified for and interested in. In today's job market it is crucial to be as specific as possible. Your experience in the military has probably given you a wide variety of skills that you can apply in several career fields. Make a determination of what you want to do. To clarify your skills selection refer back to transferable skills, section 1.4. Use the statements you wrote to help you decide.

Once you have identified the types of positions you want to pursue, you need to select the resume format that best introduces you to the job market. This is a marketing decision based on the message you want to send to a potential employer. Target your skills to fit the job you are applying for.

Resume Formats—Which One is Best?

Resume Format	Advantages	Disadvantages	Best Used By
Chronological	Widely used format Logical flow, easy to read Showcases growth in skills and responsibility Easy to prepare	Emphasizes gaps in employment Not suitable if you have no work history Highlights frequent job changes Emphasizes employment but not skill development Emphasizes lack of related experience and career changes	Individuals with steady work record
Functional	Emphasizes skills rather than employment Organizes a variety of experience (paid and unpaid work, other activities) Disguises gaps in work record or a series of short-term jobs	Viewed with suspicion by employers due to lack of information about specific employers and dates	Individuals with no previous employment Individuals with gaps in employment Frequent job changers Individuals who have developed skills from other than documented employment
Combination	Highlights most relevant skills and accomplishments De-emphasizes employment history in less relevant jobs Combines skills developed in a variety of jobs or other activities Minimizes drawbacks such as employment gaps and absence of directly related experience	Confusing if not well organized De-emphasizes job tasks, responsibilities Requires more effort and creativity to prepare	Career changers or those in transition Individuals reentering the job market after some absence Individuals who have grown in skills and responsibility Individuals pursuing the same or similar work as they've had in the past
Target (should be used in all resumes)	Personalized to company/position Shows research More impressive to employer Written specifically to employer's needs	Time-consuming to prepare Confusing if not well organized Should be revised for each employer	Everyone - because any of the other formats can be made into a targeted resume

Translate Your Military Experience Into Civilian Terms

As you create your resume, avoid military jargon and military terms. Most civilian employers will not understand military jargon, abbreviations and acronyms. Therefore, use the following guidelines to prevent this problem:

• Write out terms and, when necessary, explain what they mean.
• For specialized military training, list the names and number of hours of professional and technical training you have taken. Only include training if it relates to the job.
• Briefly explain any course that may be pertinent to the job. For example, write, "Management and Supervision" as a course title. Then add the course content: equal opportunity law; giving and receiving positive and negative feedback; and giving directions.
• Use civilian equivalent phrases and titles. Civilian recruiters will not take the time to translate your resume into civilian terms, and therefore may not see you as qualified for the position. Below are some military terms with recommended civilian equivalents.

Military Terms	Civilian Equivalent
NCOIC	Supervisor, Manager, Coordinator
TDY/TAD	Business Related Travel
PCS	Relocation
NCO Academy	Leadership or Management Training
War College	Executive Military Leadership School
Command and Staff College	Senior Military Leadership School
Basic Officers Course	Entry Level Officer Leadership Course
Basic Training	Introductory Military Training
O7 and above	President, Senior Director, Chairman of the Board, Managing Director
O5 and O6	Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Program Director
O4	Senior Administrator, Department Head, Program Manager
O1 to O3	Executive, Administrator, Manager, Project Officer
WO1 to WO5	Director, Specialist, Facilitator, Technical Manager, Technical Specialist
E7 to E9	Director, Supervisor, Department Manager, Operations Manager, Senior Advisor
E4 to E6	Assistant Manager, Line Supervisor, Section Leader, Task Leader, Supervisor, Foreman
E1 to E3	Production Worker, Assembler, Technician, Assistant, Apprentice, Team Member

Follow These Resume Guidelines

1. Write your resume to show employers three things:
   • The amount and kind of responsibility you have handled.
   • The results you have achieved.
   • The relevancy of your past responsibilities and accomplishments.
2. List your achievements and how you solve problems, not simply your responsibilities. In other words, explain how you increased operational efficiency, the amount of money you saved or raised, the number of people who used the service or product, the action that came about as a result of your efforts, etc. Write these items in phrases that identify the problem, note the solution, and describe the result.
3. Use statistics or numbers when you can, to show the results of what you did (i.e., size of organization, number of people supervised, length of report, time involved, size of budget, amount of money raised, etc.). Identify types of people, services, products, and programs with which you worked.
4. Write your own resume. Seek all the advice you can, but since you'll be the one at the interview, you'll make the best author. If you decide to use a resume writing service, work closely with the writer to make sure that the resume reflects your experience and personality.
5. Keep your resume brief, clean and easy to read with lots of white space on the page. Use the minimum number of words to convey what you wish to say. Be able to defend every word.
6. Be specific about your job and accomplishments; leave nothing to the imagination.
7. Be selective in the information that you include in your resume. Choose only information that relates to the jobs you seek.
8. Include volunteer experience relevant to the position sought. Also, include data on travel, languages, hobbies, certificates, if relevant to the target job.
9. Match the style of your resume to the style of the company. Avoid the slick look that many resume services offer. Print your resume and cover letter on matching bond paper (white, bone, or ivory). Do not print on the back side of your resume. Use a standard typeface and black ink.
10. Avoid gimmicks. Be creative, but always professional.
11. If possible, keep an electronic copy of your resume so you can easily make changes. Check with your transition office, public library, State Workforce Agency employment office or community college career center to see if they have computers available that you can use. Alternatively, you can write your resume by hand and pay a service to type it and save it electronically.
12. Be impressive in describing your experiences, but always be 100% honest. Never exaggerate or misrepresent yourself.
13. Make several drafts of your resume—boil it down to essential information and have it critiqued before it is copied. Recognize that you may need to write several different resumes in order to customize it for specific jobs.
14. Always send a cover letter to accompany your resume.
15. Do not include names of references on your resume.
16. Do not mention salary on your resume.
17. Keep everything positive in what you say about yourself—stress your strengths, not your weaknesses.
18. Use feedback from friends, relatives, and interviewers as to how your resume is coming across and modify where necessary.
19. Your resume should not be longer than two pages. One page is usually enough, especially if you have limited work experience. When mailing resumes, do not staple any documents together.
20. Include a Special Skills section where you can note languages you speak, read or write; computer hardware and software you can use; and machinery or equipment you can operate, build or repair. Do not use military terminology!
21. Emphasize credentials (licenses or certifications) obtained if they relate to the job that you are seeking. They can either be included in the "Highlights of Qualifications" section or in the "Education and Training" section.
22. Information you should not include on your resume:
    • marital status
    • names, ages, and number of children
    • spouse's job
    • age
    • race
    • photograph of yourself
    • religious and political affiliations
    • height and weight
    • salary for each previous job
23. Be Dynamic. Use the action verbs on page 74 to begin each sentence in your resume. Avoid using the phrase "responsible for... ." Most interviewers interpret that phrase to mean you did not complete the action yourself. It is recommended that you use present tense for current jobs and past tense for jobs you have previously held.

Resume Worksheet

Building a good resume takes a lot of time and thought. You will not be able to do this quickly or in one sitting. Try to see it as a process taking one step at a time, so that it will not seem so overwhelming. You will discover just how well the time was spent when you have a good resume.

As you prepare your resume for each application, make sure you know how the employer wants to receive it. Do they want it mailed via U.S. Postal Service? Do they want it e-mailed? Submitted online? If a resume is submitted in a form that does not meet their expectations, it may not even be considered.

Once you feel the resume looks and reads well, have a professional review it for ease of reading, spelling and grammar. Make sure you use terminology that is common to the industry in which you are applying. Do not use military terms and acronyms. For example, do not make employers guess what a M1A1 Tank Crewman is and how that position relates to the job applied for. Your responsibility is to interpret for the employer the skills you have to match their needs.

Format has to do with organization of information. This manual provides you with examples of how to organize the same information using the three resume format styles. Refer to the example resumes further along in this section to see which best fits you and the position you seek.

Name:	Use your complete name, not a nickname, as it appears in your normal signature.
Address:	Make certain it is complete and spell out Street, Avenue, etc.
E-mail:	Make sure that it is a professional address i.e. MarySmith@email.com versus MaryLovesBubbleGum@email.com
Phone:	Include area codes and use numbers where you can be reached personally, by voice mail, or by a professional message on an answering machine. Never leave a number for a machine that has something "cute" or "funny" as a greeting.

Employment/Job Objective: The most effective, well-written job objective is a targeted job objective that is for a specific job (bookkeeper, medical transcriber, diesel mechanic, etc.) with a specific company (for General Motors, Johnston automotive, etc.). Since you may need a different resume for each opening you locate, you will also need to change the job objective and especially the specific company for each resume. Be sure that you know the actual title of the job when you apply. If you put down that you are seeking a position that is not open, then you may not be considered. For example, if a line position is open and you are asking for a management job, then you may never get the interview that you want. Your objective can also be repeated in the body of the cover letter. Make the objective short and to the point. Consider this the title of your resume. The rest of the resume must convince the hiring authority that you have the background and skills to do the job and are well worth an interview.

Do not assume that any job objective is better than no objective. If your objective is vague and unfocused, you appear indecisive and unable to make decisions and set goals. This is not a description of duties or a vague description of a job. Avoid statements such as "a position that will utilize my broad talents and allow me to grow." If this is your objective, better to leave it off your resume.

Using a job objective has been an optional issue on a resume in the past, but in recent years it has become more important. There are times when you absolutely need a job objective, such as:

• When applying online. Often jobs are sorted by objectives and directed to the correct department for review.
• When applying to large companies, to avoid the human resources department deciding the position you should fill.
• Posting resumes on job search sites, such as America's Job Bank (AJB). Employers decide whether to review your resume based on the job objective.
• Resumes for scanning. The objective becomes a key word in the screening process.

Targeted Job Objective: When you know the name of the company, it is always good to mention it in the objective.

Examples of Good Targeted Job Objectives

• Seeking a position as a Licensed Vocational Nurse for St. Mary's Hospital
• A position as a Bookkeeper for M&M tax consultants
• Position as a Security Guard for Brinks International

General Job Objective: Occasionally you do not know the actual company you are sending your resume to and a general job objective is most effective in these circumstances. When you do not know the name of the actual company or are going to a job fair and will hand out resumes to several companies, then the objective needs to be more generic. Often jobs that are posted on the Internet are blinds ads from head hunters and you will not be able to find the company name.

• Entry level position in multi-image production company
• Position as a Health Educator
• Project management position in Marketing

Summary of Qualifications: Write a summary that highlights your professional background as it relates to the needs of the company. This normally appears at the top of your resume and is intended to draw attention to specific personal qualities and skills you possess that make you a unique and qualified candidate. Hiring managers need to see immediately you have the skills and experience they need. If an employer has to figure out what you can do for him, the odds are you won't get an interview. Do not repeat the same statements used in your resume, but you may summarize some information. Your company research will be invaluable here to help you relate your qualifications to the needs of the company. This can be in the form of a paragraph or a short list, with 4-5 one line bullet statements. Remember a resume is a sales tool and this is a good place to catch someone's interest and to "brag" about your best qualities.

If, for example, you are applying for a position as an Administrative Assistant, you might want to list things such as:

• Five years experience in customer service
• Organized and efficient
• Ability to relate detailed information to the overall project for improved customer service

Some other examples include:

• Over 15 years of diverse and challenging experience, combined with powerful presentation skills, a disciplined approach to the task at hand and the innate ability to anticipate potential obstacles are attributes that contribute to a strong record of excellence and acknowledgment for "getting the job done." Over three years experience ordering and maintaining a complex four million dollar inventory of parts. Filled orders in a timely fashion with 100% accuracy. Skilled at operating inventory control software.
• Five years experience in heavy equipment operation. Knowledgeable of related OSHA regulations with a perfect safety record. Experience in both commercial building and road construction.
• Over 12 years of technical sales and marketing experience including:
  • electronic component sales
  • knowledge of Unix, Pascal, Sun work station, Fortran
  • new software business start-up and market presentation
  • international marketing penetration

Employment History: This portion of the resume is probably the most important.

• Depending on the style you select, it will dictate where and how you will organize the information. To make this process easier to understand, there are several examples of each format in the TAP manual.
• There are many books that provide example resumes. See the transition website for specific recommendations.
• To begin exploring your employment history, write down everything you can about what you did in a specific job. Include:
  • skills
  • accomplishments
  • machines you can operate;
  • computer software you can run
  • improvements you suggested or made in a process or system.
• Try to include specific and quantifiable data. Refer back to section 1.4 and look at the skill statements you made and incorporate them.

Once you have written a paragraph or pages of information, find qualifications relating to the job you are seeking. If the job you are seeking is an entirely new field, but uses a lot of the specific skills from your past experience, consider putting information into categories. An example would be if you have been a Military Police Officer and want to go into private investigation, you could group bullet statements under categories such as investigation, case management, and security to create a combination resume. Or, if you were an electronics technician for the past four years in the military plus worked in the same field for two years prior to joining, and want to go into the same field of work, then you would write a chronological resume to show stability and progressive job responsibilities.

Quantify your Experience, Responsibilities and Accomplishments: The next step is the basics of every resume. List all results/achievements you have produced that relate to the position desired. Results sell, job descriptions don't! Refer back to the skills section and expand on these to use when writing your resume. Employers need to see accomplishments they can relate to with regard to the open position. The question that must be answered is, "What is this individual going to do for me?" Achievements that relate to the specific position will answer that question.

Describe what you accomplished with numbers, percentages, etc. Explain how many times annually, what percentage of increase or decrease you produced, how large a group you supervised or trained, etc.:

• Supervised 14 member staff to complete $5.4 million project three months ahead of estimated date.
• Produced 150 percent of quota for eight consecutive months resulting in $400,000 additional savings for the department.
• Administered travel budget of $15 million dollars.
• Reduced inventory loss by 20 percent over six month time period resulting in first ever decrease in inventory loss.
• Developed training program for a 600 person organization.

Education: Make sure you include education that is relevant to the job you are applying and start with the most recent.

• List colleges, trade schools, military training schools (if you are applying for a job as a security guard, then your specific firearms training would apply, but if you want to work as a supervisor in a pre-school, this would not fit), correspondence courses, etc.
• List the location of the school but you do not need to include dates attended, especially if your knowledge of the technology is not current. Normally you do not list grades or specific classes; however, if you want a job where you have little experience and have a specific course that would directly relate, then you may want to point this out somewhere in the education section.

If you have recently graduated and took classes at night while working full-time, then the fact you graduated Magna cum Laude might be important to some employers. Always relate the information on the resume to the job.

Action Verbs to Describe Accomplishments

The following verbs can be used to help you describe your skills and experience.

People	Things	Ideas
Accomplished	Built	Adapted
Activated	Calculated	Analyzed
Adapted	Changed	Coordinated
Adjusted	Compiled	Created
Administered	Completed	Defined
Advertised	Constructed	Devised
Advised	Created	Educated
Analyzed	Designed	Established
Arranged	Drafted	Executed
Assembled	Edited	Explained
Assisted	Enlarged	Illustrated
Calculated	Established	Implemented
Catalogued	Evaluated	Initiated
Chaired	Examined	Innovated
Coached	Expanded	Integrated
Conceptualized	Expedited	Interviewed
Conciliated	Facilitated	Investigated
Conducted	Familiarized	Maintained
Consulted	Formulated	Marketed
Contracted	Generated	Modified
Coordinated	Governed	Monitored
Delegated	Guided	Negotiated
Demonstrated	Hired	Obtained
Devised	Identified	Organized
Directed	Improved	Presented
Distributed	Increased	Presided
Effected	Indexed	Processed
Explained	Informed	Proposed
Indoctrinated	Inspected	Publicized
Managed	Installed	Recommended
Motivated	Invented	Recorded
Organized	Prepared	Recruited
Programmed	Programmed	Related
Promoted	Revised	Surveyed
Stimulated	Specified	Synthesized
Supervised	Used	Transmitted
Taught	Wrote

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