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You Must Tailor Your Resume for Each Job
You Must Tailor Your Resume for Each Job
Employers are looking for candidates whose experience clearly matches their needs. A general resume can make strong experience harder to recognize.
Tailoring your resume means adjusting how you describe your experience so it aligns with the job you’re applying for.
Often, the first person reviewing your resume is not an expert in the role. They are looking for clear matches between the job description and your experience. They won’t fill in the gaps or make assumptions.
You need to connect the dots directly, so it’s immediately clear how your experience meets the qualifications. If that connection isn’t obvious, your resume may be filtered out before it reaches the hiring manager.
The Big Picture
The Big Picture
A resume and an interview are not about listing everything you’ve done. They are designed to help an employer quickly understand why you are a strong fit for a specific role. For many veterans, the challenge is not a lack of experience. It’s making that experience clear and easy to understand for someone outside the military.
Your goal is to connect the dots between what you’ve done and what the employer needs.
RESUME
RESUME
Your resume is a tool to get you the interview.
It shows your experience in a way that highlights your skills, impact, and relevance.
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
Your interview is your opportunity to bring that experience to life.
It allows you to explain how you think, how you work, and how your background applies to the role.
Creating a resume that gets interviews
Creating a resume that gets interviews
Building a Strong Resume
Building a Strong Resume
Your resume is often your first impression. It should clearly show what you’ve done and why it matters.
Key Principles
Focus on results, not just duties
Avoid military jargon and acronyms
Translate rank into responsibility
Highlight leadership, coordination, and problem-solving
Strong Resume Bullet Examples
Led a team of 10+ personnel in daily operations and task execution
Coordinated logistics for an inventory of ten aircraft and 30 personnel across four locations
Trained and mentored 10+ team members, increasing readiness and improving overall team performance in mission-critical environments
Directed operations for teams of up to 12 personnel in high-pressure environments, making rapid decisions and maintaining performance under changing conditions
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using acronyms that employers don’t understand
Listing responsibilities without outcomes
Underselling leadership experience
Copying military job descriptions without translation
Quick Tip: Tailor Your Resume for Each Job
Whoever reviews your resume first is often scanning for clear alignment, not interpreting your background in depth. They are looking for direct connections between your experience and the job description.
Highlight the most relevant parts of your experience and use language that mirrors the job description/role you're applying for so the fit is immediately clear.
Tool to Help: Big Interview (Free for Pima Students)
Tool to Help: Big Interview (Free for Pima Students)
Pima students have free access to Big Interview, an online platform that can help you:
Build and improve your resume
See examples of strong resume language
Practice describing your experience clearly
Use AI to ensure you are putting your best foot forward with every word on your resume
It’s a great way to refine how you present your background before applying.
Check out Big Interview by going to pima.biginterview.com
Interview with confidence
Interview with confidence
Interviews are your opportunity to connect your experience to the role you want.
Employers are trying to understand:
How you think
How you solve problems
How your experience applies to their organization
A Simple Way to Structure Your Answers (STAR)
Situation – What was happening?
Task – What was your responsibility?
Action – What did you do?
Result – What was the outcome?
Example Answer
“I led a team responsible for maintaining operational readiness. We were facing tight timelines and equipment challenges. I coordinated schedules, prioritized tasks, and worked directly with team members to resolve issues. As a result, we met all deadlines and improved overall efficiency.”
Tips for Strong Interviews
Use clear, civilian-friendly language
Focus on your role and contributions
Highlight leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving
Be specific about outcomes when possible
Common Interview Challenges (and How to Handle Them)
Challenge: Explaining military experience
→ Focus on skills and impact, not titles
Challenge: Translating technical or tactical work
→ Use simple, clear language and avoid jargon
Challenge: “Tell me about yourself”
→ Connect your experience directly to the role you’re applying for
Practice with Big Interview
Practice with Big Interview
You can use Big Interview to build confidence before a real interview.
Practice answering common interview questions
Record yourself and review your responses
Get feedback on clarity, tone, and content
Learn how to clearly explain your experience in civilian terms
This is one of the best ways to prepare and feel more confident going into interviews.
Check out Big Interview by going to pima.biginterview.com
Final Thought
Final Thought
You don’t need a “perfect” civilian background. You need to clearly communicate the value you already bring.
Your experience has already built the skills employers are looking for. The key is making those skills visible, relevant, and easy to understand.
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