Customer Reviews

Expert Resumes for Military-To-Civilian Transitions

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As a soon-to-be retiring senior military officer, I have read dozens of books on transitioning and most focus on theories and platitudes. Whereas many books are written at such a basic level describing how to prepare a resume and how to dress for an interview, this one simply skips the fluff and gets right down to the basics of sample resumes. This is THE book I would recommend for transitioning senior military officers. I could have saved myself a bit of time and money in skipping the other 20-or-so that I read before finding this one.

Another "must have" book for those of you separating or retiring from the military. This book will help you to easily convert those military job descriptions into civilian terminology. Also has some great examples and suggested resume formats.

This book is excellent for any branch or any rank of veterans. The sample resumes include many years of experience and detailed information on accomplishments but that doesn't mean an enlisted Marine or a young Airman can't write a similar resume. You do not have to be an officer or have managerial experience to write a solid, attractive resume. It is the same as someone without a college degree, but can still market themselves as a valuable, difference maker candidate. (sigh) I wish I knew about this book earlier. The biggest mistake on my resume was that I "listed" my duties instead of "selling" my accomplishments. The HR manager isn't so interested in what you did but how you helped or made a difference in your work. This book is excellent for beginner resume writer.

The first chapter, "Resume Writing Strategies" is worth the price of this book already. Don't settle for less and apply for jobs at retail, grocery, or cell phone stores. If you have the military experience, shoot for jobs that help you excel. Don't sell yourself short just because you don't have the relevant experience to the one you're applying for. The work that you do in the military are transferable so if you have 5, 10, or 20 years of military experience, focus on your accomplishments in your resume. How you benefited your branch of service is more valuable to the HR than what you did. Look at it this way, would you want a basketball player who can run up and down the court, has the ability to shoot, pass and slam dunk with experience in shooting free throws? OR, would you want a 6'3, averages 21 points per game, with an average of 11 rebounds a game and has a 95% free-throw percentage? See the difference? Employers want to see results

Now of course, the big chunk still relies on your previous job title. 20 years of aircraft mechanic management isn't going to land you a job in nursing or accounting even if you were a 4-star General. However, your management role can open many doors in a wide variety of careers.

Again, this book is not for everyone, only those who are new to writing resumes. If you have read many resume-writing books, you might not find anything new here. With the cost of this book currently being under $1, (used) and gas price around $4, (CA) I say it's cheaper to buy a copy than drive to your local library and borrow/return it.

If you have no clue how to write a resume, you HAVE to get this book. I'm not saying this is the best military-to-civilian book, but it certainly has enough tools to help you write an appealing resume. (you can trust me on this, I've had no success in getting interviews before I reamped my resume).

Downloaded this book hoping for a good example of military to teaching resume. Example provided was for the rather unique postition of a University Chair. How about the thousands of openings for public elementary/secondary teachers. My spouse's career was as an enlisted AF Aircraft Maintainer. In retirement he finished his teaching certification, so we need to translate military into secondary education speak. I saw "teaching" in the table of contents. Not so much. Phooey!

I was amazed at how this resume book differs from the rest. Many military service-members when retiring have much more than one resume; management, trainer/training, teacher, human resources, etc. This resume book covers the spectrum of how to not only relate military experience to the civilian sector, while also focusing on presenting many different formats of the resume for the military member to choose from. Examples of resumes are not the only thing in this book. Many tips are included coupled with cover letters, resume writing strategies, along with details of the different kinds of resumes (civilian, government, online, etc).

Great Book! If you buy one book, this is the one!

This book was compiled by two of the most important and knowledgeable resume writers/career coaches in the country. Their "9 Expert Resume Strategies" on the inside cover alone are worth the price. Those strategies apply to virtually all ranks and career fields in the military.

The resumes in the book are examples of work from dozens of resume professionals who work in both the civilian sector and for the Department of Defense in the Transition Assistance Programs all over the country. There are examples for junior enlisted to senior managers, for Admin Assistants to C-level executives.

This book is invaluable to those who are leaving the military and also to any professional who is helping them in that process. I have 16 years experience as a resume writer for the Department of Defense, specializing in military conversions, and I frequently use this book as a reference.

Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI) commends Ms. Enelow and Ms. Kursmark for endeavoring to assist transitioning military. As the largest military to civilian placement firm, we have found that the most successful military job seekers who utilize our free services are the ones who have put some time and energy into preparation, including constructing a good resume, doing some basic research on the companies that they are interviewing with, as well as all-important practice interviews. Being able to discuss their military experience in terms that a civilian hiring authority will understand is key.

Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI) - Delivering Military-Experienced Talent to America's Top Companies