Resume Rescue: How Do I Prepare My Military Resume for a Federal Job?

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Robert Davis was completing his military tour of duty in Afghanistan and he needed a resume to help him transition to a federal job. As a computer engineer and security manager, he supported covert activities for the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps.

Because the nature of his work was top secret, it was particularly challenging to translate relevant information without breaching security. He turned to federal resume writer Camille Carboneau Roberts of CC Career Services for help.

Roberts crafted the resume around a particular federal job posting for a systems engineer position that Davis was interested in applying for. Roberts used language that positioned Davis as a good fit for the job and design strategies that made it easy for the reader to find key information about Davis quickly. Here's how Roberts helped Davis make a positive impression on the hiring manager for this position.

Keywords. Roberts created a section on the resume called Immediate Transferable Skills and pulled words directly from the responsibilities section of the job posting to make the match between Davis' skills and the needs of the job.

Differentiators. Having a top-secret security clearance was a requirement for the job. Having a specialized engineering certification was preferred. Roberts highlighted that Davis had both in the opening paragraph of the resume.

Testimonial. Roberts included an endorsement from Davis' superior to further prove and solidify his engineering expertise. Roberts placed the testimonial in a highlighted text box to make it easy to find.

Color. Roberts also helped Davis' multiple military service awards stand out by listing them in a different color to make them easy to see and memorable.

Check out the job posting and award-winning resume Roberts created.