What is the best resume format for a veteran or spouse during military transition? Undoubtedly, this is the checklist resume format.
What is the resume checklist format?
A checklist resume is one that comes in two parts. The first part is a checklist that includes contact information, as well as a list of your job skills as mentioned in the job description.
This is where it differs from your current CV. Instead of a list of your current areas of expertise or a list of all the job skills you’ve ever had, the checklist section of a flipped resume only includes a list of skills that the recruiter particularly research.
The checklist section itself changes with each job, but it only takes 20 minutes to put together, tops. It’s a time saver for everyone.
The second part of the checklist resume is for your work history and education sections, which stay pretty much the same from application to application, so you don’t have to rewrite it. Everytime. Boom.
FREE VEP Checklist Resume Template
To make it easier for you, I have provided free checklist resume templates for veterans in the summary section of the Reverse Resume 2.0 master class. You can also find free checklist resume templates in the spousal resume master class summary section.
Why make a CV checklist?
Not only do the military love a checklist, but recruiters and hiring managers love a checklist too.
Not convinced? Think about it: recruiters and hiring managers are busy. They have too many jobs to fill in too little time, with too many applicants in front of them at once. They don’t have time to fully read a text from their lover/cardiologist/grandmother-on-her-deathbed, let alone sort out the 10-point guy on your resume.
Cut them a break and write the checklist resume for them. After all, they are the target audience. You’re not writing this thing for yourself, a random stranger, or your friends deemed on active duty.
You write your resume for this busy talent acquisition professional so they can quickly compare your resume to the job listing and see that you’re the best candidate to present for an interview. Check. Check. CHECK.
The CV checklist also helps you in many ways. For example, it reminds you of skills and experiences you had in your military career that you forgot to include on your resume. It also gives you space to include skills you used 10+ years ago that are still relevant, but don’t belong on your current resume.
There are so many benefits to the Checklist Resume Format that I cannot include here, but I do list all the benefits in each of our FREE Veteran Employment Project Master Classes.
If you are a veteran or are on active duty in the midst of a military transition, you can watch our FREE Master Class Reverse Resume 2.0 instructional video. I also offered a spouse-only version in our Master Class Spouse Reverse Resume.
When you are looking for a job, the CV is just one of the tools you need. With the best resume format for veterans, you’ll be able to include all the skills recruiters are looking for and get your name on the list of people who need to be interviewed.
Jacey Eckhart is Military.com’s Lead Transition Coach. She is a Certified Professional Career Coach and Military Sociologist who helps military members get their first civilian job by providing Master classes through our Veterans Employment Project and on its website, SeniorMilitaryTransition.com. Contact her at [email protected].
Learn more about the Veterans Employment Project
For more tips on how to make a successful military transition, enroll in one of our FREE military transition masterclasses today. You can view previous courses in our video library. Questions for Jacey? Visit our Facebook page.
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