In a recent article, entitled “What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume,” posted on CBS’s moneywatch.com, Hilary Chura discusses the 7 deadly sins of resume writing which, if committed, could send your military resume straight to the “circular file”.  While I’ve discussed nearly all of these “sins” in the past, it never hurts to reiterate sage advice. Here are the 7 military resume examples of what to do , or not to do, when presenting your experience according to Chura:

1. Avoid applying for a job for which you are not remotely qualified for.

2. Avoid a lofty mission statement. Instead, convey to the reader that you understand his or her hiring needs and can best meet those needs.

3. Do not use a generic resume for every job listing.

4. Don’t make recruiters or hiring managers guess how exactly you can help their client.

5. Explain how past experience translates to a new experience.

6. Include a cover letter.

7. Do not be careless with the details (i.e. no typos)!

Because #1 (do not apply for a job for which you are not remotely qualified) and #5 (explain how past experience translates to a new experience) seem slightly contradictory, I’d like to include the following excerpt:

*Though candidates should avoid jobs where they have no experience, they absolutely should pursue new areas and positions if they can position their experience effectively. A high school English teacher applying for new jobs, for example, can cite expertise in human resource management, people skills, recordkeeping, writing, and training, says Anthony Pensabene, a professional writer who works with executives.

“Titles are just semantics; candidates need to relate their ‘actual’ skills and experiences to the job they’re applying for in their resume,” Pensabene says. An applicant who cannot be bothered to identify the parallels between the two likely won’t be bothered with interviews, either.

In this competitive job market, hiring managers can count on an influx of resumes unlike anything they have seen before. However, chances are the majority of those resumes will commit one or more of the 7 resume sins. Capitalize on this fact. Take this advice to heart or hire a professional military resume writer. The professionals at Military Resumes can create or edit your military resume to free you of transgressions and make you stand out from the crowd.

Filed under: Military Resumes