As you transition to a civilian career, it is important to create your narrative and brand. Being able to identify your talents and skills will help you target the right position. Create your narrative, and be ready to share and articulate it to hiring professionals. Below are some helpful resources.

Career Resources

Resume and Cover Letter

Building a Resume: One of the biggest challenges transitioning service members face is translating their military experience into language hiring managers can understand. There are many tools available online that you can use to create a civilian resume.

Writing Your Cover Letter: The cover letter is a great place to highlight both your accomplishments in your career and your interest in the position for which you are applying.

Visit the External Resources page for tools that can help you create a resume and cover letter and translate your military skills to civilian equivalents.

Other Tips: Have civilian friends or family review your materials to make sure there is not any military jargon and acronyms. If they do not understand something, change it. Be sure to proofread for typos, formatting and other errors.

Creating a LinkedIn Profile

Enhance your online presence with a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a business and employment oriented social networking service used mainly for professional networking, connecting more than 300 million users. You can post your resume for potential employers to see, build online connections with your military contacts, who can give you recommendations or information on opportunities they know about in your field, and develop your brand.

Visit the LinkedIn Veterans page to view an introductory video, explore career resources and sign up for a free 1-year Premium Subscription.

This Lynda.com e-Course can help you get started on building your profile.

Interviewing Tips

Do your research and know your audience. When preparing for your interview, put your best foot forward. This may mean being a bit overdressed for the position you are seeking, but it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Feel free to ask the recruiter what the dress code and norms are for that position.

On the day of the interview, bring a couple extra copies of your resume and cover letter. Having a notebook and preplanned questions will help you be prepared. An interview is a two-way exchange, be engaging, enthusiastic, and ask questions.

Come prepared to articulate your skills from your military experience. Talk about specific skills that you have developed, whether in IT, logistics or engineering. Speak in terms of being a problem solver and be ready with some good examples. Highlight attributes such as leadership, teamwork and working with diverse groups of people. These are all qualities that you have cultivated in your service and are valued in the civilian world.