Nestlé Information Technology

A long-time theory and written rule exists that one-page résumés are a best practice, but times have changed. The real rule to effective résumé writing is about being strategic with what you include, not how much.

If you have several years of military or civilian experience behind you, we expect that will come with a longer, more detailed résumé. In fact, it is perfectly acceptable, if not suggested, to have different versions of your résumé—each tailored to the civilian jobs in which you apply for.

In other words, you may qualify for different types of jobs, like an IT Project Manager and also a Systems Analyst, but that doesn't mean you would share details about your experience or skills in the same way for each of these roles. For the jobs in which you choose to apply for, read the job posting carefully to fully understand the responsibilities and skills needed. Read between the lines when viewing a job posting—what are the different listed responsibilities suggesting you need in terms of aptitude and skill set? This will also help you think through how to detail examples and key wins within your résumé that relate directly to the posting.

Your vast military experience gives you a uniquely diverse background that we're excited to learn more about. However, your ranking and responsibilities may not clearly indicate what your civilian career aspirations are. Including a concise objective statement can help summarize what you hope to do next, how your skills might make you a strong fit for the job, and suggest where (geographically) you plan to work. As a large percentage of transitioning service members consider moving geographies to begin a civilian lifestyle, it is important to consider ways in which you can show localization. For example, list your intention within the objective statement to relocate cities/states by a particular date so recruiters and hiring managers have a better understanding of your availability and proximity.

As recruiters and talent sourcers, we do our homework so we're prepared to review résumés with military experience and conduct interviews with service members/veterans like you. It's important to us that we can understand and relate to you. However, we certainly won't know everything. Without compromising the content of your résumé, think about how you can translate military vocabulary into civilian-speak so we can further discover how your accomplishments can translate to the job. Skills translators, like Résumé Engine, can serve as an effective tool to assist in this process.

You would never think to enter combat without making sure you have all of your equipment, and that everything functions how it should. While not nearly as risky, this is no different. Double-check your résumé for these key components before submitting it with an online job application:

• Is your contact information up to date?
• Is the content formatted in a consistent way throughout?
• Have you spell checked?
• Are all dates and timeframes accurate?
• Are your experiences, skills, and accomplishments listed in a way that relates to the job posting?
• Are all acronyms spelled out as a first reference?
• Do the contents of your résumé match what is listed on your LinkedIn profile (if applicable)?