Resume Help for Veterans

Jessica Rareshide, CPC CSP, LLC, a career coach with her own company, Rare Insight, will lead a seminar on resume writing specifically geared for veterans, at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 1, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This event is free of charge and open to the public. Registration is not required.

“Transitioning from a military career to a civilian one requires more than just translating military jargon into civilian language,” Rareshide says. “The structure and content of a military resume differ significantly from that of a civilian resume.”

The main differences are: 

• Length: A military resume is detailed, including important military career information such as unit, locations, ranks, branches served, duties, award and achievements. This information alone and lengthen the resume. A civilian resume is one to two pages long, focusing only on job-relevant qualifications.
• Skills:   A military resume must highlight military job duties and responsibilities. A civilian resume will be focused on the job-relevant skills the candidate brings to the table, not their entire skill set.
• Terminology: The armed forces have their own language. The Department of Defense even created a dictionary, including acronyms. A military resume can use these terms, but a civilian resume simply uses professional English language.
• Formatting:   Military resumes tend to be more uniform and structured, while civilian resumes allow for more creativity and flexibility in terms of format and layout. In both instances, the resume must adhere to a professional layout.

Understanding these differences can be a critical step in achieving your career goals and in preparing your military to civilian transition resume. 

For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.