JAMESON JOHNSON

Your resume is your first impression. Make it count with a clean, targeted, one-page document that speaks the language of the hiring manager. Follow the tips below to stand out.

Keep It to One Page

Unless you have 15+ years of highly relevant experience, your resume should be one page. Recruiters and hiring managers spend an average of 6–7 seconds on an initial resume scan. A tight, focused single page forces you to prioritize what actually matters and signals that you can communicate concisely — a skill every employer values.

If you can't fit it on one page, you're probably including things that don't belong. Cut the fat ruthlessly.

Use a Standard, Clean Format

Stick with a traditional resume layout. No graphics, no columns, no fancy icons, no photos. Use a professional font (Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial) in 10–12pt, with clear section headers and consistent formatting throughout.

Why? Most large companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that parse your resume automatically. Creative layouts, text boxes, and unusual formatting often break these systems, meaning your resume never even reaches a human. Keep it simple:

• Name and contact info at the top (phone, email, LinkedIn URL)
• Education section with school name, degree, graduation year, and relevant honors
• Experience in reverse chronological order
• Additional section at the bottom for languages, clearances, and personal interests

Don't Overtranslate Your Military Experience

One of the biggest mistakes veterans make is trying to scrub every trace of military language from their resume. You don't need to pretend you weren't in the military — you need to make your experience accessible to someone who wasn't.

Keep the job titles recognizable. "Platoon Leader" is fine — most people get it. But don't call yourself a "Mid-Level Cross-Functional Team Manager of 40 Direct Reports." That sounds like you're hiding something.

Good: Led detachment of 50 personnel and four unmanned aircraft, managing relationships with multiple US and international organizations

Bad: Supervised warfighters in execution of ISR ops in support of CJTF-HOA OPLAN taskers

The test: if your civilian friend can read your bullet and understand what you did, you're in good shape. If they need a glossary, rewrite it.

Quantify Everything You Can

Numbers are the single most powerful tool on your resume. They give hiring managers something concrete to evaluate and make your accomplishments tangible.

Every bullet point should ideally include at least one number. Think about:

• People: How many did you lead, train, or manage?
• Money: What was the budget, cost savings, or revenue impact?
• Scale: How many deployments, projects, systems, or operations?
• Results: What percentage improvement? What ranking did you earn?
• Time: How quickly did you deliver? What deadlines did you hit?

Weak: Responsible for managing intelligence equipment

Strong: Managed operations of IT facility with $10 million of classified analytical and communications equipment used by 50 people

If you don't have exact numbers, estimate conservatively and use them anyway. "Approximately 200" is infinitely better than no number at all.

Tailor Your Resume to Every Job

Sending the same generic resume to every job posting is a guaranteed way to get ignored. Each application should get a version of your resume tailored to that specific role.

Here's how:

1. Read the job description carefully. Highlight the key skills, qualifications, and responsibilities they mention.
2. Mirror their language. If they say "project management," use "project management" — not "mission planning." If they say "stakeholder engagement," use that phrase in your bullets.
3. Reorder your bullets. Put the most relevant experience for that specific role at the top of each job entry.
4. Adjust your skill emphasis. Applying for a leadership role? Lead with people management. Applying for an analytical role? Lead with data and problem-solving.

This doesn't mean lying or fabricating experience. It means presenting your real experience through the lens of what that particular employer is looking for. Think of it as speaking their language.

Skip the Meaningless Certifications

Not every certificate belongs on your resume. If it doesn't directly support the role you're applying for, leave it off.

Include certifications that matter:

• PMP (for project management roles)
• CFA (for finance roles)
• AWS/Azure/GCP certs (for tech roles)
• Security clearances (if relevant to the employer)
• Industry-specific licenses required for the job

Leave off:

• Generic military training courses that every service member completes
• Outdated certifications from 10+ years ago
• Online course completion badges that aren't industry-recognized
• Anything the hiring manager won't recognize or care about

Every line on your resume is valuable real estate. If a certification doesn't make a hiring manager think "this person is qualified," it's taking space away from something that would.

Lead with Action Verbs and Impact

Every bullet point should start with a strong action verb and end with a result. The formula is simple: Action + What You Did + Measurable Result.

Strong action verbs: Led, managed, negotiated, built, improved, reduced, increased, coordinated, developed, launched, implemented, streamlined, established, analyzed, delivered

Avoid: Responsible for, assisted with, helped, participated in, was involved in

Example:

• Negotiated aviation agreement between US, Niger, and Ethiopia to allow operation of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft across international borders to reach targets in previously restricted airspace

Notice how that bullet tells you exactly what the person did, the scope of it, and the outcome — all in one sentence.

The "Additional" Section Matters More Than You Think

The bottom of your resume is where you add the human touch. This is where hiring managers look to find conversation starters and cultural fit signals.

Include:

• Security clearance level (if applicable)
• Languages and proficiency levels
• Genuine personal interests that reveal personality

The sample resume above ends with: "Enjoys trying to keep up with my dog on long runs, imitating Anthony Bourdain in the kitchen, and 70s-era prog rock." That line is memorable, relatable, and gives an interviewer something to ask about beyond your job history.

Don't be generic here. "Enjoys travel, reading, and fitness" tells a hiring manager nothing. Be specific and authentic.

Final Checklist Before You Submit

Before sending your resume anywhere, run through this list:

• Is it one page?
• Can a civilian understand every bullet point?
• Does every bullet start with an action verb?
• Have you included numbers in most bullet points?
• Is it tailored to this specific job posting?
• Have you removed certifications that don't support this application?
• Is the formatting clean, consistent, and ATS-friendly?
• Have you proofread for typos and grammatical errors?
• Does someone else agree it's ready?

Get at least two people to review your resume — ideally one veteran who has successfully transitioned and one civilian in your target industry.