Once you know what type of civilian job you want, think about all your duties as a veteran and make a comprehensive list of your accomplishments. At this step, you can use military terminology if it helps you make the list. Once you have the list, evaluate which skills to highlight on your resume based on how relevant they are to your next career. Many services offer assistance with identifying skills for members transitioning out of the services. You can also think of how you used your training to illustrate similarities in your experience and roles you want.
For example, if you were an infantry soldier in the Army, you may have learned how to assess situations and make quick decisions. These skills are closely related to jobs in security, law enforcement, or supervisory roles.
If you received training as an information officer, you may know about systems or networks closely related to civilian networks and servers. Additionally, you may have experience with specific types of IT equipment.
If you were an aircraft mechanic, you might know how to troubleshoot issues and find solutions. You may also have experience with needs assessment, project management and technical repair.

While you were in the military, you may have developed and honed your soft skills like communication, leadership, management skills and attention to detail. List these skills in your skills section and incorporate them throughout the accomplishments in your work experience section to showcase yourself as a well-rounded candidate. You can also add industry-specific skills that may help you secure a specialized position. For example, if you have a background as a medic in the military, you might add skills like wound care and first aid to your resume.

After discussing your previous job duties and showcasing how they relate to the career you're pursuing, add information about the college you attended. If you want to list specialized training, make sure it's relevant to the career path you're pursuing. Be sure to translate your military training courses so employers understand their relevance and value. If you only received specialized training while in the military, try to relate that experience to a civilian equivalent.
After discussing your previous job duties and showcasing how they relate to the career you're pursuing, add information about the college you attended. If you want to list specialized training, make sure it's relevant to the career path you're pursuing. Be sure to translate your military training courses so employers understand their relevance and value.

Security clearances are extremely relevant to jobs in the defense sector and can be important to other roles, so include that information when appropriate. You can add this information to your professional summary or certification section. Your security clearance can sometimes be impressive to hiring managers because it shows that you went through an extensive background check and can work with sensitive information. Additionally, it shows that you can review confidential information and understand the importance of keeping it confidential.

You may be versed with military acronyms, codes and jargon, but a civilian hiring manager may only be familiar with a minimal amount of military terms. When creating your resume, you can incorporate as many non-military terms as possible. After highlighting the germane parts of your military career in your resume, find items that you have described with military terminology and replace them with plain language.
Here are a few examples of translations you can use to translate military jargon and codes to plain language for your military resume:
• Instead of saying that you “commanded” other people, say that you “supervised” or “directed” a group of people to achieve a general result.
• Replace the terms EPR/OPR, NCOER/OER or Fitness Report, with “performance appraisal.”
• Instead of referring to a battalion, command or squadron refer to an “organization.”
• Refer to your “subordinates” as “employees” or “team members.”

As you write, take note of the resume keywords you find in the job descriptions you review. You can then put those keywords in your resume because they're specifically what the hiring manager is looking for in their candidates. This serves a dual purpose of allowing you to use more civilian terms in your document.

When applying for jobs, employers often want to see how you can help the company once you're hired. This means your Resume can be most effective when it discusses what can make you a cost-effective employee using positive metrics from your time in the military in your work experience section. For example, find ways to show how you made a positive impact on the military to highlight how you can add value to your employer.
• Result: What was the measurable impact on the situation or task? (Show your value)
• Action: What was the demonstrable skill being used? (Highlight transferable skills)
• Task: What was the goal or objective of what was being done? (Define the scope of your accomplishment)
• Situation: What was the context or scenario in which you were operating? (Translate the impact or stakes)