Ask five people for their best résumé tips and you’ll get five different responses. While there is no “best” résumé format, yours will be effective if it tells a coherent story — your unique and compelling story. And MOAA can help.

No one gets a job simply because of the résumé, but it is an important tool for your career transition and as such deserves specific focus. And while your résumé is about you, it must be written with the reader in mind. That reader may spend about seven seconds on your résumé … unless something catches their attention.

Keys to an Award-Winning Résumé

Any résumé must include all the standard contact information – name, up-to-date email address, customized LinkedIn URL, your area/location, and a good phone number. But a standout résumé moves from answering “Who?” to answering “So what?”: Why the reader should care about what you’ve written, and how it aligns with a potential employer’s job need.

[RELATED: More Résumé Help From MOAA]

How do you get that message across? Start with these key points:

• Do your homework: Understand the job, the company, and the people.
• Don’t ignore the basics: Be sure your materials are targeted, tailored, and focused.
• Build a stellar summary: It should make two key points: What you want to do, and why you’re qualified to do it.
• Include metrics: Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible.
• Know your limits: Keep private-sector materials to about two pages. Federal résumés should be about five pages. MOAA Life members should consider our personalized federal résumé review.
• Format smart: Ensure readability by avoiding small fonts, avoiding graphics, and incorporating enough white space.
• Be yourself: Be mindful of AI-generated résumé builders. Your application should sound like you.
• Proofread. Then proofread again: Worried you’ll miss something? Ask a friend to check it over, or start at the bottom of the page and read up.

Watch Your Words

Before you craft your résumé, you need to know and understand the dynamics of your desired workplace environment and begin using terms that are both reflective of that workplace and easily understood by those in it. That means translating your service-earned skills and accomplishments into corporate, civilian language.

When possible, use common word-for-word translations. For example:

• Instead of “25 years of service,” use “extensive experience.”
• Instead of “Commander/Commanding” use “Director/Senior Manager.”
• Be sure you translate correctly. A commanding officer (CO) is not a chief executive officer (CEO).

[RELATED: Beyond Jargon: Learning ‘Civilianese’ Is Key to a Successful Job Search]

Showcase your transferable skills that are applicable in any industry or profession – problem solving, communication, decisiveness, critical and creative thought, leadership, digital literacy, business acumen are just a few of them. These skills allow you to exceed expectations; be sure to incorporate these into your overarching strategy, relying on what you know and what you’re good at.

You have a proven success track record – trust it, and take the time to build a résumé that tells your story.

Want more? Check out MOAA’s transition and career resources at MOAA.org/Careers.