Top Gun Resume Writing

When it comes down to your job search mission, your résumé is one of the most critical tools in your flight kit. Not only is it a quick and efficient way for a potential employer to assess your experience, but it also gives them an opportunity to assess your personality and character. A résumé that is “on time and on target” can give you a competitive advantage over your civilian counterparts and help you land the interview and hopefully the job you’ve been waiting for.

There are hundreds of books, websites, and articles that provide useful tools and techniques on how to build a resume. No one technique will work in all cases. As such, you must be flexible and adapt your resume to the type of position you apply for.

Here are eight powerful wingtips that you should consider when putting together a résumé that will catch the eye of a potential employer and get you on their radar:

Short and Powerful — Make your resume one to one and a half pages max. Most hiring managers are too busy or too lazy. Don’t make your résumé a novel! Avoid long paragraphs explaining everything in detail. Let them be teasers that spark interest and perhaps a question of the employer. They should think to themselves, “Hmm…I would like to find out more about ‘X.’”
Mission Objective — Make it powerful and concise. It must be focused on the industry/position you want. Be specific and avoid generalities. Rather than state, “Seeking a management position that will allow me to use my excellent interpersonal and leadership skills,” consider, “Combat-tested leader and technology expert seeking a mid-level software sales management position in information technology.”
Job Qualifications — While you may not have the civilian job experience of your counterparts, you must emphasize your “value-adds.” Your ability to work under stress, technical skills, real world leadership training, ability to adapt to change, and your experience working with teams are some ways you can stand out from your civilian counterparts. Consider a “Highlights” or “Qualifications” section with a bulleted list of your unique skills and expertise.
Use numbers, dollars, and percentages — This is absolutely critical. How many people did you supervise? What was the budget in dollars you were responsible for? How much money did you save your squadron or company? Put the info as early in the bullet statement as possible (remember, people read and scan left to right.) For example: “Hand-picked to lead 20 software specialists in the $10 million implementation of a new inventory tracking software system.”
Avoid Military Jargon and Acronyms — Make sure you translate your military experience to a language that civilians can understand and apply to the specific position or organization. Research the job requirements. See how your language can be changed to accommodate their phrases. For example, Procurement = Purchasing.
Scan-friendly content — Most resumes are scanned into a portal and can be searched by employers or headhunters. Saturate your resume with these keywords related to the industry you are marketing to (but don’t over-do it or be unethical.) It will help in search engines. Also make sure the font is consistent throughout the resume. Simple fonts such as Ariel, Times New Roman, and Calibri will work. Keep the font large enough to be easily readable. Judiciously use bold and italics. Be creative and unique with the format but don’t get overly artsy or fancy.
Education — This should be at the bottom of your resume and bulleted with most relevant at the top. Do not put high school info or your GPA in college. It screams “I’m inexperienced.” If you have no college, then add technical certificates, technical programs, or advanced training programs.
Achievements and Awards — Only list the unique awards and decorations that show you stand out from the crowd. Make sure you add numbers and give context if able. For example, “Non commissioned officer of the year: Selected No.1 of 300 Soldiers on base.”

Remember, a resume is only a door opener and a teaser. If you’re solely depending on it to get you a job and are not out their networking and leveraging your current relationships, you’ll be disappointed. Nothing will ever replace a live interview and how professional you come across in person.

Join me next month when I’ll discuss some great Top Gun interview tactics that you can use to wow your interviewer and get them to say “you’re hired!”