The Insider's Guide to Writing a Veteran Resume: Get Noticed and Land Your Dream Job!

Translating military experience into civilian terms can feel like speaking a foreign language. Your service taught you invaluable skills, but employers often miss their true worth.

Are you struggling to make hiring managers understand your military background? You need a resume that bridges the gap between your service achievements and civilian job requirements. A well-crafted resume can transform your military accomplishments into powerful business assets.

Resume Target specializes in helping veterans showcase their leadership, adaptability, and technical expertise. We know how to translate your military achievements into language that civilian employers understand and value, helping you land more interviews in your target field.

What Does a Veteran Do?

Veterans are former service members who bring an exceptional combination of leadership skills, risk assessment abilities, and collaborative mindsets that transform civilian workplaces into more effective, mission-driven environments.

During their military service, these professionals master complex skills across diverse fields - from logistics and technology to healthcare and engineering - while developing the discipline, adaptability, and strategic thinking that civilian employers highly value.

Whether you're transitioning from active duty or looking to advance your civilian career, understanding the unique pathways available to veterans can help you leverage your military experience into rewarding professional opportunities across numerous industries.

Veteran Professional Salary Outlook

Let's talk about the exciting earning potential for Veterans transitioning to civilian careers! Your military experience opens doors to diverse professional paths, from consulting to cybersecurity, with compensation packages that can range from entry-level to executive earnings.

Veteran Salary Ranges by Experience:

• Entry Level: $53,000 - $65,000
• Mid-Career: $65,000 - $91,000
• Professional: $91,000 - $120,000
• Senior Professional: $120,000 - $142,000
• Executive/Partner: $142,000 - $160,000

Figures from: Hiring America

Career Advancement in Veteran

Veterans bring exceptional leadership and tactical skills to civilian careers, making them valuable assets across industries. Your military experience provides a strong foundation for professional growth through strategic career planning.

Your Veteran Career Timeline

• Entry-level to Junior role: Entry-Level Operations Specialist (1-2 years)
• Mid-level role: Project Manager or Team Lead (2-4 years)
• Senior role: Operations Director or Department Head (4-7 years)
• Executive role: Chief Operations Officer or Regional Director (7-10 years)
• Top role: Executive Vice President or CEO (10+ years)

Skills That Fast-Track Your Veteran Career

Beyond your military training, developing these civilian-focused skills will accelerate your professional growth and open doors to leadership opportunities.

- Strategic Planning and Risk Management - Cross-functional Team Leadership - Project Management Certification (PMP) - Emotional Intelligence and Adaptability

Getting Started as a Veteran

From entry-level positions like Medical Support Assistant to Program Support Assistant, the VA offers multiple pathways to launch your career serving fellow veterans while gaining valuable healthcare and administrative experience.

Entry-Level Roles Leading to Veteran

To excel in veteran services, you'll need to develop key soft skills including adaptability and emotional intelligence, which will help you navigate diverse situations while supporting other veterans effectively.

Essential Education and Certifications for Veterans

• Project Management Professional (PMP): This gold-standard certification requires leading projects and passing a comprehensive exam. With a median salary over $120,000, it's perfect for veterans who managed military operations and want to transition those skills to civilian project management.
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): A premier cybersecurity certification requiring 5 years of IT security experience and passing a rigorous exam. Veterans with security clearances and IT experience can leverage this certification for roles paying $150,000+.
• CompTIA Network+ and Security+: These entry-level IT certifications provide a solid foundation in networking and cybersecurity fundamentals. Perfect for veterans starting their IT careers, with entry-level positions starting at $65,000+.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect: This certification validates expertise in cloud computing and architecture on the AWS platform. Veterans can qualify by gaining cloud experience and passing the certification exam, opening doors to roles paying $130,000+.

Requirements from SkillMil

Where are Veteran Jobs in the US?

From manufacturing to tech, Veterans are finding diverse career paths across the US, with Florida and Illinois leading in hiring.

Top Spots Hiring Veterans

• Florida: Strong military presence and veteran-friendly employers create abundant opportunities with 764 veterans recently hired
• Illinois: Manufacturing sector and corporate headquarters drive veteran employment with 651 positions filled
• Virginia: Defense contractors and government agencies make this a prime location with 458 veteran hires

Figures from Bureau of Labor Statistics

How to Write a Veteran Resume

Struggling to translate your military experience into civilian terms that hiring managers will understand and value? This comprehensive, section-by-section guide will help you create a powerful veteran resume that effectively communicates your leadership, skills, and achievements to civilian employers.

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Start with a Veteran's Powerful Resume Summary

Translating your military experience into civilian terms can feel like speaking a completely different language, especially when trying to capture years of service in just a few powerful lines.

While you've mastered complex missions, led diverse teams, and handled million-dollar equipment, showcasing these invaluable skills to civilian hiring managers requires a strategic approach that bridges the gap between military excellence and corporate value.

Questions to help write your Veteran Resume:

How would you describe your military leadership experience and command responsibilities in a way that resonates with civilian employers?

Reason: Translating military leadership into civilian terms helps employers immediately understand your level of responsibility and management capabilities without getting lost in military jargon.

What unique combination of cross-functional skills did you develop through your military service that sets you apart from civilian candidates?

Reason: Veterans often possess a distinctive blend of technical, leadership, and crisis management abilities that civilian candidates may lack. Highlighting this combination creates a compelling value proposition.

How has your military experience prepared you to drive results and adapt to changing environments in the civilian workforce?

Reason: This helps frame your military background in terms of universal business values like adaptability, results-orientation, and performance under pressure - qualities highly valued by civilian employers.

Resume summary examples

• Disciplined and strategic professional with 8 years of experience as a Veteran Infantry Team Leader. Oversees tactical operations planning, personnel training programs, and mission-critical logistics across 3 combat deployments while streamlining field communication protocols by 40%. Partners with cross-functional military units, civilian contractors, and foreign allied forces to enhance operational readiness and achieve mission success rates exceeding 95% under high-pressure conditions.
• Results-driven and adaptable professional with 12 years of experience as a Veteran Military Intelligence Specialist. Oversees data analysis operations, cybersecurity protocols, and intelligence gathering systems across multiple theaters while implementing advanced threat detection methodologies. Partners with joint service commands, intelligence agencies, and strategic leadership teams to strengthen national security initiatives and reduce security vulnerabilities by 65% through innovative counter-intelligence measures.

List Your Key Skills as a Veteran

Translating military experience into civilian-friendly terms can be challenging, but your service has equipped you with an impressive array of transferable skills that employers value highly.

From high-level abilities like leadership and strategic planning to practical skills like project management and logistics coordination, your military background has given you a unique skill set that sets you apart in the civilian workforce.

Examples of Veteran resume skills: Leadership & Team Management Strategic Planning Project Management Risk Assessment & Mitigation Crisis Management Personnel Training & Development Cross-functional Team Coordination Resource Allocation Security Operations Logistics Management Communication & Reporting Problem Solving Adaptability Time Management Technical Skills (specific to your military role) Certifications & Clearances (if applicable) Emergency Response Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Quality Control Performance Evaluation

Veteran resume skills examples

• Military Operations Planning
• Leadership Development
• Security Protocol Management
• Combat Training
• Risk Assessment
• Weapons Systems Operation
• Cross-Functional Team Coordination

How to Organize Work Experience on a Veteran Resume

Translate your military experience into civilian success by organizing your service record into three powerful sections: a clear role overview that civilian employers can understand, quantifiable achievements that showcase your leadership and expertise, and core responsibilities that highlight your transferable skills.

Highlight Your Impactful Veteran Achievements

Many veterans struggle to translate their military accomplishments into civilian terms that hiring managers can understand and value. Transform your service experience into powerful business metrics by connecting military leadership, operational excellence, and mission success to bottom-line results that employers seek.

How to write accomplishments for a Veteran resume:

• Quantify Your Achievements: Include specific numbers, percentages, and metrics that demonstrate impact. Example: "Supervised tactical operations for 45-person platoon, maintaining 100% accountability of $3.5M in equipment"or "Achieved 98% mission completion rate while leading 200+ combat missions."
• Add Context: Follow the situation-action-result formula to provide clear understanding of your contributions. Describe the challenge faced, actions taken, and measurable outcomes to demonstrate leadership and problem-solving capabilities in military operations.
• Start Strong: Begin accomplishments with powerful military-relevant action verbs. Examples: "Spearheaded cross-functional training initiatives that increased unit readiness by 40%,""Orchestrated logistics operations supporting 500+ personnel,""Executed strategic planning for multi-million dollar projects,""Commanded joint service operations across multiple theaters."
• Use the Right Tense: Write current position accomplishments in present tense and previous positions in past tense. Maintain consistent tense usage throughout each role's description to ensure clarity and professionalism.

Examples of accomplishments for a Veteran resume

• Led and trained a 12-person combat unit through 150+ tactical missions in Afghanistan, achieving 100% mission completion rate while maintaining zero casualties through effective risk management and decision-making protocols
• Managed and maintained accountability for $3.5M worth of military equipment and vehicles, implementing a new digital tracking system that reduced inventory processing time by 45% and eliminated loss incidents
• Developed and executed training programs for 200+ personnel in combat medical care and emergency response, resulting in a 30% improvement in field assessment scores and successful treatment of 75+ battlefield casualties

Highlight Your Responsibilities and Duties on Your Veteran Resume

Your responsibilities section demonstrates how your military experience translates to civilian workplace value. Focus on explaining your duties in terms that civilian recruiters and hiring managers can understand, showing how your military service connects to business operations and leadership.

How to write a Veteran responsibilities section:

• Keep It Short and Sweet: Each responsibility should be clear and concise, limited to 2-3 lines. Focus on translating military achievements into civilian-friendly language that demonstrates your capabilities.
• Stick to the Point: Each bullet point should focus on one key responsibility or accomplishment. Highlight specific skills like team leadership, logistics management, or strategic planning that transfer to civilian roles.
• Start Strong: Begin each bullet with powerful action verbs that showcase your military experience. Use verbs like "commanded,""coordinated,""supervised,""trained,"or "managed"to demonstrate leadership and responsibility. This approach helps civilian employers understand your capabilities.

Examples of Veteran responsibilities:

• Mission Leadership: Directed tactical operations for 12-person combat unit, executing strategic objectives while maintaining 100% personnel accountability in high-stress environments
• Equipment Management: Maintained and accounted for military assets valued at $2.5M, ensuring optimal readiness and achieving 98% operational availability rate
• Team Development: Trained and mentored 25+ junior personnel in combat tactics, weapons systems, and standard operating procedures, resulting in unit certification excellence
• Security Operations: Implemented comprehensive security protocols and risk mitigation strategies across multiple locations, protecting personnel and sensitive materials with zero security breaches

List Your Education and Certifications

Your military training and civilian credentials both carry significant weight with employers, so list them strategically with most recent and relevant first. Make sure to include any GI Bill-funded education, military occupational specialty (MOS) schools, and civilian certifications that translate your military expertise into corporate terms.

• Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity | American Military University | May 2022
• Security+ Certification | CompTIA | Valid through December 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.

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