Writing a Navy resume is very similar to writing a resume for any other military branch. In most cases, the individual has just been discharged from the Navy and they are looking for a job in the civilian sector. These individuals must remember that it is important to market themselves for their specific civilian job position. This starts with an effective resume that a civilian employer will be able to understand.

The first step is to write an effective decision for your prospective civilian job position. You must clearly define your goal and it is not uncommon to write your resume for a specific type of job position. This will help you to focus in on your goal and what you hope to convey to your future employer. Research the occupation that you are interested in and develop your resume accordingly.

Once you have been able to define your objective, you will begin to write your resume. A great way to begin writing you resume is to look at your prospective job position and see what how your skills you have learned while in the Navy will help you. Be sure to employ those skills that pertain to the job. For example, if you are interested in an engineering position, look at your skills and define the skills that you believe will help you land the job. Leave out any information that doesn’t pertain to the position. If you received awards that do pertain to the position, feel free to include those as well.

Explain your accomplishments so that the employer easily understands them. Explain the accomplishments in civilian terms rather than military jargon. This means leaving out any acronyms or abbreviations that may be commonly used by the military, but not by the regular civilian employer. You are better off assuming that the employer has absolutely no knowledge of the military to ensure that you are clear and precise in your resume.

If you have learned a foreign language while you were in the Navy, you should stress this fact. As a foreign language linguist, you may have learned many of the same skills that you may require to be a marketing communications professional. You will want to state your qualification so that they are less military and show how they would help you in a civilian marketing position, for example. Another example of how to transform your military skills into civilian skills is if you were a military mechanic. Use these skills and information to show that you also have the skills that are necessary to be an auto mechanic in a civilian workshop. Speak of your skills in a more civilian manner, leaving out the military jargon that the employer will not be able to understand.

Don’t be afraid of having a resume that is longer than one page. You may need more space in your resume to lie out all of the skills that you have learned in the military into a civilian format. The military has devised a form of communication that allows a person to explain their numerous duties in one phrase, while in the civilian realm; you will have to use many terms and explanations. You do not want your resume to be five pages long, but rather focused on a specific job and use as many pages as necessary to be effective.

Your one resume may not cover all the bases for different positions that you may be qualified for. Don’t be afraid to have several different types of resumes that are focused on different positions that you are interested in. Navy individuals are very diverse people and they often have numerous skills sets, use these to your advantage when writing your resume and do your best to sell yourself for the future. Don’t dwell on your Navy past, but focus on how you can help the employer with the skills you have learned in the future.