If you’re applying to every job with the same resume – the same one for a job in the energy industry as in the tech sector or a health care field – you’re not making it easy for employers to see your fit.
A recent Rand research report, “Translating Military Skills into Energy and Infrastructure Careers,” highlights how valuable military training and experience are to the energy sector along with the importance for transitioning veterans to focus their resumes to the needs of the specific employer.
The report emphasizes the ease of adapting certain skills and training to jobs in the energy industry, including how “the technical, mechanical, construction, and logistics skills taught in military jobs are highly valued in renewable energy, grid modernization, building retrofits, transportation, and other sustainable energy and infrastructure roles.”
At the same time: “Wages for sustainable energy and infrastructure occupations tend to be higher than the overall economy,” notes the Rand report, offering veterans a viable and sustainable career post-military duty.
To ensure you align your skills to jobs in the energy sector, remember:
Describe Your Skills in Their Terms
This isn’t about demilitarizing what you did before or “dumbing it down,” as I’ve heard said. Instead, translate what you did in the military in terms, keywords and language that someone hiring in another sector can understand and value. If the process of decoding your military resume and experience is too cumbersome, recruiters tend to move along. Make it easy for them by using their industry-specific terms to describe the same abilities and training you gained in the military.
Thoroughly Tout Your Expertise
Avoid underselling the importance of the skills and training you bring. Read job descriptions carefully. Speak to others who work in the industry or company you’re targeting. Ask what is most important and what are the “nice to haves” on your resume. Be sure to call out certifications, credentials and specific results you’ve achieved based on your military work as it relates to the job description.
Be Open-Minded About Job Labeling
The energy sector, like other civilian industries, might choose different terminology and labels for jobs and skills. Read accompanying descriptions to ensure that what you’re qualified to do meets the minimum and preferred job requirements.
Spell Out Your Accomplishments
Don’t leave it up to the job screener, or recruiter, to make sense of your accomplishments. Spell out for them how your training and experience created value for your previous employer (the U.S. military), and draw parallels for the kind of results they can expect if you’re hired on.
Close Any Skills Gaps
As the report mentions, in cases in which veterans lack a skill to work in the energy sector, these are typically not huge and easily remedied. “While many military-acquired skills are highly transferable, some aligned civilian jobs may require additional certifications, licenses or formal education.”
Of all the market segments veterans typically pursue (technology, health care, entertainment, finance) the energy sector seems rightly postured to receive and reward the training and character traits of military veterans.
Customizing your resume, conducting informational interviews with people in the industry, and networking with sector leaders and influencers will certainly aid your transition from the military to a civilian career in the energy sector.
Find the Right Veteran Job
Whether you want to polish your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. Subscribe to Military.com to have job postings, guides, advice and more delivered directly to your inbox.
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