On average, hiring managers dedicate just 10 to 15 seconds to glance over a resume before deciding its fate. Questions race through their minds: Does this candidate match the position’s qualifications? Is this resume worth a deeper dive? Does it highlight the most pertinent skills and achievements? Our Military to Civilian Resume Samples not only captivate at first sight but also come optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). If you’re aiming for a resume that sets you apart, fill out our contact form. We promise to get back to you within one business day.
Contact Us
Military to Civilian Operations Executive Resume
A two-column resume format can be visually appealing to employers while remaining scannable by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Here’s a description of how you can design a two-column resume that looks great for both an ATS and to a human being:
To the Employer/Human:Visual Balance: The two-column design breaks the monotony of traditional resumes. The layout looks organized and presents information in a digestible manner, making it easier for hiring managers to quickly spot key information.
Highlight Soft Key Skills & Qualifications: The left column can be used to highlight skills, qualifications, certifications, or even a personal profile, ensuring that these key points are immediately visible.
Comprehensive Detail: The right column, typically broader, provides ample space for detailing work experiences, responsibilities, achievements, and education. This gives an employer a deeper understanding of a candidate’s professional journey.
Modern Design: A two-column format often feels fresher and more modern compared to traditional designs, indicating that the candidate is up-to-date with current trends.
To the ATS System:Simple Formatting: Two-column resumes are easy on the eyes and make your content more readable. We keep the formatting simple to ensure ATS can read it.
Standard Fonts: We use ATS-friendly fonts like Garamond and Book Antique. These are easier for the system to scan and recognize.
Keyword Optimization: We use clear distinction between skills/qualifications and work experiences to allow for effective keyword placement, which is crucial for ATS.
Consistent Section Headings: We ensure consistent section headings like “Skills,” “Experience,” and “Education” helps ATS correctly categorize information.
Tables and Graphics: We never use tables because the ATS systems can’t parse them, however we strategically use graphics in a two-column format, and ensure that information is strategically repeated in text and graphic formats.
View Our Military Resume Writing Services
Military to Civilian Project Manager Resume-ATS Friendly
The ATS-Friendly Nature of a One-Column Resume Format
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software tool used by many employers to sift through large volumes of resumes, helping them identify the most relevant candidates. In this digital age, ensuring your resume is ATS-friendly is vital. A one-column resume format offers several advantages in this regard:
Simplicity and Readability: ATS systems function best with straightforward and clean layouts. A one-column format, with its linear presentation of information, reduces the chances of sections or details being overlooked or misinterpreted by the software.
Consistent Formatting: In a one-column format, each section of the resume – from contact information to work experience and skills – follows consecutively, ensuring consistent spacing and alignment. This reduces the risk of the ATS misreading or jumbling data.
No Complex Tables or Graphics: Multiple columns often employ tables, text boxes, or other complex formatting. These can cause issues with ATS systems, leading to critical information being missed or parsed incorrectly. A one-column resume generally avoids these complications.
Optimal Keyword Parsing: With a clear and straightforward layout, keywords relevant to the job application are more easily detected and matched by the ATS, increasing the chances of the resume ranking higher in search results.
Universal Compatibility: Not all ATS systems are the same, but a one-column format, with its universal and uncomplicated design, ensures a wider range of compatibility across various software platforms.
Enhanced Mobile Readability: Many modern professionals review documents, including resumes, on mobile devices. A one-column format, being naturally linear, displays better on smaller screens, ensuring that if a recruiter or hiring manager opens the resume on a mobile device, it remains easy to read.
A one-column resume format aligns well with the technical specifications and scanning algorithms of ATS systems. For job seekers, adopting this layout increases the chances of their resume being accurately parsed and, subsequently, seen by human eyes.
Learn More About Military Resume Writing Services
Military to Civilian Resume Sample-ATS Friendly & Modernize Your Resume Award Winner
Resumes with graphic elements can offer a unique presentation and provide various advantages, especially for certain professions and industries. Here are the benefits of using graphic elements in a resume:
Visual Appeal: Graphic elements can make a resume stand out from the crowd, grabbing the attention of recruiters or hiring managers in a sea of text-heavy documents.
Data Visualization: Infographics, charts, and graphs can represent complex data in an easily digestible format. For instance, a graph might show a salesperson’s monthly performance or a project’s success rate over time.
Showcases Creativity: For roles in design, advertising, marketing, or other creative fields, a resume with graphic elements can serve as a mini-portfolio, showcasing the applicant’s design skills.
Quick Highlighting of Skills: Icons can be used to quickly highlight specific skills, making it easier for recruiters to identify key competencies at a glance.
Efficient Use of Space: Graphic elements can help organize information, allowing candidates to include more details without making the document feel cluttered.
Branding Consistency: Customized graphics, such as logos or specific color schemes, can be incorporated for those who have a personal brand, ensuring consistency across all professional materials.
Increased Engagement: A visually appealing resume can keep a reader engaged longer, giving them more time to absorb the content and details about the candidate.
Industry Relevance: In some industries, especially creative ones, graphic resumes are not only appreciated but expected. They demonstrate that the applicant is up-to-date with current design trends and industry standards.
ATS Systems: Many Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have difficulty parsing resumes with heavy graphic elements. We ensure that your valuable information is presented both in graphics, and text.
Learn More About Military Resume Services
When writing a resume I use the “Modernize Your Resume Techniques” which include, starting with the WOW!—How many years of experience? How many employees have you managed? What size budgets? How about $ value of assets?
I also use headers to instantly tell the hiring manager that you fit the position they are hiring form. By tailoring this section to the exact job title you apply for, employers immediately
associate you to the position they are advertising. Plus, it’s a bonus to have the exact job title from the job description for applicant tracking systems (ATS) purposes.
I also apply Write with Meaning & Power by starting each sentence with a “power verb” that enhances the strength of a resume.
As with all resumes, I tried to Write Tight, Lean & Clean. Instead of listing out job duties I focused 100% on measurable achievements. I love working with military clients because their performance reports are full of great quantifiable information, especially at the leadership level.
To Integrate Critical Keywords, I listed 8 primary keywords/phrases based on his targeted operations positions. However, I didn’t overload the keyword list because I wanted the primary focus to be on his accomplishments.
Modernize Your Resume Format
To best Showcase the Client’s Career with the Right Resume Structure, I chose a 2-column format, which I know is a little risky because some ATS systems can confuse information on the right versus the left side. However, because I advise clients to use these resumes to directly reach out to specific contracts. I chose to appeal to a human more so than a robot. To help ensure Contact Information PPS, I used infographics that help the reader process information rapidly.
In general, having adequate white space was my primary goal to Follow the Rules of Good Formatting and Page Design. I applied sufficient white space both in the overall page format and in between bullets. I think this helps relax the reader, so they don’t feel overwhelmed with information being jam-packed onto a page.
To Improve Readability & Skimmability, I bolded quantifiable statements to help draw the reader’s eye. Numbers that include $ amounts and % already draw the eye, and bolding key parts of the sentence enhanced that effect further. In order to Choose a Font that Fits, I applied Book Antiqua, which isn’t typically a recommended resume font but has a surprisingly elevated quality that stands out and is very readable.
To help Prepare for the Complexities of Online Search, I captured the information both in an infographic for quick readability for a human combined with the same information in bullet points to ensure ATS conformance.
Modernize Your Resume Design Because most of my clients are targeting a leadership position, I Embraced Color & Graphics by using the psychology behind royal blue, which represents leadership and loyalty, attributes this client has in spades. I balanced the royal blue bold
headers with more subtle sub-headers in a lighter blue. I want my clients to stand out and Be Distinctive.
