The Career Coach: Soldier Awards on Resume

Question:

I recently read your response on Military.com in reference to a top secret security clearance and how to sell the benefits of this clearance. It was very helpful to me and I incorporated these benefits into my resume. 

Would you be able to suggest how I succinctly describe my “Post Soldier of the Month” award on my resume to a civilian.

Sincere thanks,
Tracy French

—

Dear Tracy, 

Happy to hear that you found that guidance to be valuable. Congrats on POST SOLDIER OF THE MONTH!

That award will make a fine bullet on your resume. As I often stress in my book, when making the transition from military to civilian employment the HOW WELL you do your job is frequently more important than  WHAT you do in your job. However, I also notice that you are a certified supply management professional. If that is part of your military experience and if you want to do something similar in the civilian sector, then your WHAT and HOW WELL may have equal importance.

In order to get value from the bullet that highlights your award, you need to provide some context. For example, how many people were eligible? How many were nominated? Who made the selection? That information is important because you can use it to convert:

• Received Post Soldier of the Month Award

Into:

• Selected by the post commander from among 300 eligible nominees and 10 finalists as the Fort XXXXX Soldier of the Month

Or even:

• Based in part of the implementation of a new inventory control system, selected by the post commander from among 300 eligible nominees and 10 finalists as the Fort XXXXX Soldier of the Month

That should get you started.

Thanks for your service!

Tom Wolfe

Author, Columnist, Career Coach, Veteran

OUT OF UNIFORM: Your Guide to a Successful Military-to-Civilian Career Transition