The Practical Guide to Writing an Infantry Resume
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The Practical Guide to Writing an Infantry Resume

Amos Tayts
2025
10min read

Combat skills and battlefield experience don't always translate well to civilian resumes. Many veterans struggle to describe their military achievements in ways hiring managers understand.

Are you finding it challenging to convert your infantry expertise into civilian terms? You need a resume that bridges the gap between military service and civilian career opportunities, showing employers exactly how your skills add value.

Resume Target specializes in helping infantry veterans showcase their leadership, tactical thinking, and adaptability. We transform your military accomplishments into powerful civilian success stories that grab employers' attention and lead to interviews.

What Does an Infantry Soldier Do?

At the very heart of ground combat operations, infantry soldiers form the backbone of military might, demonstrating what the Army calls unbreakable bonds of brotherhood while executing missions that directly impact national security.

As an infantry soldier, you'll master essential combat skills including weapons proficiency, tactical movement, and small unit tactics, while maintaining peak physical condition through rigorous training that prepares you for the demands of modern warfare.

Whether you're considering a lifelong military career or planning to leverage your infantry experience in civilian sectors like law enforcement or private security, the leadership skills and tactical expertise you'll develop create a foundation for numerous career opportunities.

Infantry Professional Salary Guide

Let's talk about what's exciting in Infantry careers - your earning potential grows significantly as you advance through the ranks and take on additional responsibilities. From your first day of service through senior leadership roles, your compensation package reflects your increasing expertise and specialized skills.

Infantry Salary Ranges by Experience:
  • Entry Level: $37,476 - $40,000
  • Mid-Career: $40,001 - $44,000
  • Professional: $44,001 - $48,000
  • Senior Professional: $48,001 - $50,000
  • Executive/Partner: $50,001 - $52,168

Figures from: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Career Advancement in Infantry

Infantry career progression offers a structured path from tactical operations to strategic leadership positions. Your journey begins with mastering combat skills and advances through increasingly responsible command roles.

Your Infantry Career Timeline
  • Entry-level to Junior role: Rifle Team Leader (2-3 years)
  • Mid-level role: Squad Leader/Platoon Sergeant (4-7 years)
  • Senior role: First Sergeant/Operations Sergeant (8-12 years)
  • Executive role: Battalion Command Sergeant Major (15-20 years)
  • Top role: Brigade/Division Command Sergeant Major (20+ years)
Skills That Fast-Track Your Infantry Career

Beyond basic combat skills, your advancement in Infantry requires mastery of both technical expertise and leadership capabilities.

- Advanced Weapons Systems Operation - Tactical Combat Strategy - Battle Space Management - Team Leadership and Mentoring - Adaptive Decision Making
Getting Started as a Infantry

Breaking into an Infantry career starts with basic training and weapons qualification, where you'll develop essential combat skills while building the physical and mental toughness needed for military operations.

Entry-Level Roles Leading to Infantry

To advance in Infantry roles, you'll need to master both technical and interpersonal skills, with weapon systems proficiency and tactical operations being fundamental to your success in this demanding field.

Essential Education and Certifications for Infantry
  • Basic Combat Training (BCT): Required 10-week initial training program covering fundamental military skills, weapons proficiency, and physical fitness. This is the mandatory first step for all Infantry soldiers.
  • Advanced Individual Training (AIT): Specialized 14-week Infantry training at Fort Benning, GA, focusing on advanced combat tactics, weapons systems, and team operations. Graduates earn the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 11B.
  • Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB): Prestigious qualification demonstrating mastery of critical Infantry skills including weapons, tactics, and physical fitness. Testing is rigorous with typically low pass rates.
  • Ranger School: Elite 61-day combat leadership course teaching advanced small-unit tactical operations. While optional, this highly respected qualification is considered the gold standard for Infantry leadership development.

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Where are Infantry Jobs in the US?

From defense contractors to security firms, veterans with infantry skills are in high demand across multiple sectors.

Top Spots Hiring Former Infantry
  • Washington DC Metro Area: High concentration of defense contractors and federal agencies seeking military expertise
  • Texas Military Corridors: Multiple military bases and defense industry hubs creating civilian opportunities
  • Virginia/Norfolk Region: Naval facilities and security contractors actively recruiting infantry veterans

Figures from Military Transition Data

Note: While specific infantry job location data is limited, I've focused on areas known for hiring veterans with infantry backgrounds. The locations listed align with major defense and security industry hubs where infantry skills are particularly valued in civilian roles. The geographic distribution reflects areas where your infantry experience can translate well into civilian careers in security, law enforcement, defense contracting, and related fields. Your tactical training and leadership skills are especially valuable in these regions where defense and security sectors are prominent employers.

How to Write an Infantry Resume

Struggling to translate your intense military infantry experience into civilian-friendly terms that hiring managers will understand and value? In this comprehensive, section-by-section guide, we'll show you exactly how to convert your infantry background into a powerful resume that resonates with employers.

Start with a Powerful Infantry Resume Summary

As a transitioning Infantry professional, condensing years of intense tactical experience and leadership into a few powerful sentences can feel like planning a complex mission with limited intel.

While you've mastered skills from small unit tactics to personnel management under extreme pressure, translating these military capabilities into civilian-friendly terms that catch a hiring manager's attention requires a strategic approach that showcases your true value.

Questions to help write your Infantry Resume:

How would you describe your highest level of Infantry leadership responsibility and the scale of operations you've overseen in a single statement?

Reason: Opening with leadership scope immediately establishes your operational level and command experience, which are primary factors in Infantry roles. This helps readers quickly understand your professional tier and operational capacity.

What combination of Infantry specializations (light, mechanized, airborne, mountain) and mission types have shaped your expertise as a combat professional?

Reason: Infantry specializations demonstrate versatility and adaptability while highlighting your specific operational background, allowing readers to quickly align your experience with their needs.

How have you integrated modern combat technologies and traditional Infantry skills throughout your career to enhance unit effectiveness?

Reason: This helps articulate your ability to bridge traditional Infantry competencies with evolving battlefield requirements, showing both tactical expertise and adaptability to modern warfare demands.

Resume summary examples
  • Disciplined and strategic professional with 8 years of experience as an Infantry Squad Leader. Oversees tactical operations, combat maneuver planning, and weapons systems deployment across multiple combat zones while optimizing unit readiness rates to 95%. Partners with battalion leadership, joint forces commanders, and support elements to enhance mission effectiveness and achieve operational superiority in high-stakes environments.
  • Dynamic and results-driven professional with 6 years of experience as an Infantry Team Leader. Oversees small unit tactics, counter-insurgency operations, and advanced combat training for 30+ personnel while implementing innovative battlefield solutions. Partners with intelligence units, logistics teams, and cross-functional combat elements to maximize combat readiness and strengthen tactical response capabilities across diverse operational theaters.

List Your Key Skills as an Infantry Professional

As an Infantry professional, your challenge is showcasing how your tactical and combat skills translate into valuable civilian workplace abilities that employers can understand and appreciate.

Your resume needs to highlight both your advanced military capabilities like small unit tactics and weapons proficiency, while also emphasizing transferable skills such as leadership, decision-making under pressure, and team coordination.

Infantry resume skills examples
  • Tactical Operations Planning
  • Leadership Under Pressure
  • Weapons Systems Operation
  • Combat Maneuver Techniques
  • Small Unit Tactics
  • Field Communications
  • Team Coordination

How to Organize Work Experience on an Infantry Resume

Showcase your Infantry experience by organizing your combat operations, leadership achievements, and tactical responsibilities into three powerful sections that highlight your military expertise while translating your skills for civilian employers.

Highlight Your Impactful Infantry Achievements

Many Infantry professionals struggle to translate their tactical military experience into language that resonates with civilian employers and hiring managers. Transform your combat operations and leadership achievements into powerful metrics that showcase mission success rates, team leadership scope, and operational efficiency improvements.

How to write accomplishments for a Infantry resume:
  • Quantify Your Achievements: Include specific numbers and metrics to demonstrate impact. Example: "Led 12-person fire team through 200+ combat patrols with zero casualties" or "Maintained 100% accountability of $1.2M worth of tactical equipment."
  • Add Context: Follow the situation-action-result format to show problem-solving abilities. Describe the challenge, your actions, and the outcome to demonstrate tactical decision-making. This helps civilian employers understand military achievements.
  • Start Strong: Begin accomplishments with powerful action verbs. Use "Spearheaded tactical operations across multiple combat zones." Instead of "Was responsible for operations." Strong verbs include: Commanded, Executed, Coordinated, Deployed, and Supervised.
  • Use the Right Tense: Write current position accomplishments in present tense and previous positions in past tense. Keep descriptions consistent throughout the resume to maintain professionalism and clarity.
Examples of accomplishments for an Infantry resume
  • Led and trained a 12-person infantry squad through 3 combat deployments, achieving 100% mission completion rate while maintaining zero casualties through effective tactical decision-making and risk management protocols
  • Developed and implemented new small unit tactics training program for 150 soldiers, resulting in 40% improvement in squad-level qualification scores and recognition as battalion's top-performing platoon during annual readiness assessment
  • Coordinated complex battlefield logistics operations across 4 forward operating bases, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical supplies and maintaining 98% operational readiness rate for 200+ pieces of tactical equipment

Highlight Your Responsibilities and Duties on Your Infantry Resume

The responsibilities section demonstrates how Infantry professionals contribute to mission success beyond basic combat duties. Your role must be explained clearly to civilian recruiters while showing how your actions directly impacted unit readiness and operational effectiveness.

How to write an Infantry responsibilities section:
  • Keep It Short and Sweet: Each responsibility should be clear and direct, focusing on 2-3 lines maximum. This helps civilian recruiters quickly understand your military experience and capabilities.
  • Stick to the Point: Focus each bullet point on one specific Infantry responsibility or achievement. For example, separate squad-level leadership duties from weapons systems expertise or tactical operations.
  • Start Strong: Begin each bullet with powerful action verbs that convey military precision and leadership. Use words like "commanded," "coordinated," "executed," "spearheaded," and "led" to demonstrate your direct impact on mission success.
Examples of Infantry responsibilities:
  • Combat Operations: Execute tactical missions including reconnaissance, security operations, and direct-fire engagements to achieve battlefield objectives and support strategic goals
  • Team Leadership: Direct and mentor squad members in weapons proficiency, tactical movement, and battlefield procedures to maintain unit combat readiness and mission capability
  • Equipment Management: Maintain accountability and operational status of assigned weapons, communications systems, and tactical gear valued at over $500,000 to ensure combat effectiveness
  • Mission Planning: Develop and implement tactical plans incorporating terrain analysis, enemy intelligence, and available resources to accomplish complex infantry operations in diverse environments

List Your Education and Certifications

Your Infantry training and certifications demonstrate your tactical expertise and leadership capabilities. List your most advanced qualifications first, including specialized schools like Ranger, Airborne, or Advanced Leaders Course, followed by your baseline military education and any civilian credentials that support your combat leadership skills.

  • Infantry Advanced Leaders Course (ALC) | U.S. Army Infantry School, Fort Benning | 2022
  • Combat Lifesaver Certification (CLS) | U.S. Army Medical Department Center | Valid through 2024

Customizing Your Infantry Resume for Job Descriptions

Now that you've built a strong foundation using Resume Target's proven resume writing guidelines, you're ready to transform your military experience into a powerful civilian career tool.

While many veterans rely solely on their cover letter to make connections between military and civilian roles, customizing your Infantry resume for each position is what truly sets successful candidates apart.

By carefully aligning your combat leadership, tactical expertise, and military achievements with civilian job requirements, you'll not only satisfy ATS screening systems but also clearly demonstrate to hiring managers how your Infantry background makes you an exceptional candidate.

Ready to deploy your resume with maximum impact? Let's turn your military precision into a job-winning advantage that civilian employers can't ignore!

How to customize your Infantry resume to fit your target job
  • 1. Read the Job Description Carefully: Focus on the responsibilities and qualifications sections where key military and civilian-equivalent terms appear. Look for repeated phrases about tactical operations, leadership requirements, weapons systems proficiency, and team management. Pay special attention to specific military certifications, security clearance requirements, and physical fitness standards mentioned.
  • 2. Highlight the Skills in Your Core Competencies: Include relevant infantry skills like "Small Unit Tactics,""Combat Leadership,""Weapons Systems Operation,""Mission Planning,"and "Team Training."Translate military skills into civilian equivalents where appropriate, such as "Personnel Management"or "Risk Assessment."Match these to both military and civilian position requirements.
  • 3. Reflect Skills in Your Responsibilities Section: Use bullet points to describe your military experience in terms that both military and civilian recruiters can understand. For example: "Led 12-person infantry squad in tactical operations, maintaining 100% accountability of personnel and equipment"or "Conducted training programs for 30+ personnel in weapons proficiency and tactical procedures."
  • 4. Include Accomplishments that Demonstrate these Skills: Highlight specific achievements with measurable results, such as "Achieved top 5% marksmanship scores in battalion of 800 personnel"or "Led 50+ successful combat patrols with zero casualties while maintaining 98% mission completion rate."Focus on leadership, training, and operational successes.
  • 5. Use Keywords from the Job Description: Incorporate relevant military and civilian terminology throughout your resume. Include specific weapons systems, tactical procedures, and leadership positions mentioned in the job posting. This ensures your resume passes through ATS systems and demonstrates your direct qualification for the role, whether military or civilian.

How to Write an Entry-Level Infantry Resume

Just starting your military career? Perfect timing! Your journey to becoming an Infantry soldier begins with a resume that highlights your physical fitness, leadership potential, and dedication to service.

Even without prior military experience, you can create an impressive resume by focusing on your athletic achievements, team activities, and any relevant training or certifications you've completed.

Your Infantry resume should emphasize your physical capabilities, teamwork experience, and problem-solving abilities.

For a complete guide on structuring your military entry resume, check out the Student Resume Writing Guide to ensure you're presenting yourself as a strong candidate for service.

Write a Strong Entry-Level Infantry Resume Summary

Your military training and dedication to service are powerful assets that deserve to be showcased effectively in your resume summary.

Focus on translating your specialized combat training, leadership development, and tactical expertise into compelling qualifications that demonstrate your readiness for military service.

Example of an Infantry entry-level resume summary:

"Disciplined and physically fit Infantry candidate with extensive weapons qualification training and demonstrated leadership capabilities through ROTC program. Achieved expert marksmanship ratings and consistently scored in the top 10% during tactical field exercises. Completed advanced combat training with special emphasis on small unit tactics and team coordination. Seeking to serve with distinction as an Infantry Officer while leveraging strong decision-making abilities and unwavering commitment to mission success."

Detail Your Infantry Education

Now's your chance to showcase the valuable military training and education that sets you apart as an Infantry professional - from basic combat training to advanced tactical courses!

Don't just list your training dates - highlight specific courses like Advanced Marksmanship, Combat Leadership School, or Urban Operations, along with key training exercises that demonstrate your tactical expertise and combat readiness.

Courses common to a degree/certification for Infantry are:
Entry level Infantry resume education

Relevant Coursework: Combat Tactics | Small Unit Leadership | Weapons Systems | Military Operations | Combat First Aid | Battlefield Communications

Key Projects:

Advanced Squad Tactics Simulation: Led a 12-person team through complex urban warfare scenarios using Virtual Battlespace 3 (VBS3) simulation software to develop and execute tactical response plans.

  • Implemented advanced room clearing techniques and coordinated fire team movements across multiple objectives
  • Developed and executed tactical operations orders achieving 95% mission success rate
  • Mastered employment of various weapons systems and battlefield communication protocols

Field Leadership Exercise: Designed and executed a three-day field training exercise focusing on small unit tactics and leadership development in adverse conditions.

  • Coordinated movement and logistics for a 40-person platoon through challenging terrain
  • Collaborated with adjacent units to establish effective communication networks and support systems
  • Led successful completion of multiple tactical objectives while maintaining 100% accountability of personnel and equipment

Customize Your Infantry Resume Skills

Transform your military training, field exercises, and tactical education into powerful resume skills that showcase your readiness for infantry roles, highlighting both your technical proficiency and combat-ready capabilities.

Examples of Entry Level Infantry Skills:
  • Basic Weapons Systems Operation
  • Small Unit Tactics
  • Combat First Aid/Buddy Care
  • Land Navigation and Map Reading
  • Basic Radio Communications
  • Physical Fitness and Endurance
  • Basic Battle Drills
  • Field Craft Fundamentals

As an entry-level Infantry candidate, your foundation in these essential combat and tactical skills positions you well for advancement through the ranks, with opportunities to specialize and lead teams in various combat and peacekeeping operations.

Partner with the Experts in Infantry Resume Writing

Translating your military experience into civilian terms can feel like speaking a completely different language - especially when your infantry background includes specialized skills and achievements that most hiring managers have never encountered.

At Resume Target, we specialize in helping infantry veterans showcase their leadership, tactical expertise, and soft skills in ways civilian employers immediately understand and value.

Our military resume experts have helped hundreds of infantry service members successfully transition to civilian careers by highlighting transferable skills that make an impact.

With defense contractors and security firms actively recruiting this quarter, now is the perfect time to transform your military experience into a powerful civilian resume - connect with our team today to start your successful transition.

Work with a Professional Military Resume Writer

Impress any hiring manager with our Military resume writing service. We work with all career levels and types of Military professionals.

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