How to Convert Military Skills on Your Resumé

Transitioning from military to civilian work isn’t about starting over, it’s about making your strengths easy to see. Your service already proves reliability, leadership, safety awareness, and calm problem-solving under pressure. The challenge is translation: a hiring manager (and their applicant-tracking system) needs to understand your value in seconds, without decoding acronyms or military job names.

This short guide shows you how to turn military experience into clear, civilian-ready resume language for manufacturing and industrial roles. You’ll pick a target job and pull the right keywords, translate titles and duties, write results-focused bullets with simple metrics, drop jargon (while keeping the terms employers expect), and highlight training and certifications that transfer. No fluff, just copy-ready lines and quick examples so you can update your resume today and get to interviews faster.

1.) Start with a target job (and grab the keywords)

Pick the role you want (ex. Operations Coordinator, Maintenance Tech, Logistics Specialist, Safety Coordinator). Review 2–3 postings; take the repeating skills/tools and use those as your keywords by working them into your Summary, Skills, and Experience.

Examples by track:

• Ops/Leadership: scheduling, KPIs, SOPs, training, 5S

• Maintenance: PMs, CMMS, troubleshooting, schematics, root cause

• Logistics: inventory control, RF scanners, cycle counts, ERP

• Quality/Safety: audits, ISO/AS, corrective actions, OSHA/LOTO

2.) Translate the title and the work

List your military title and a civilian equivalent for instant clarity.

Quick swaps:

• Infantry Team Leader → Team Lead / Shift Lead

• Platoon Sergeant → Operations/Team Supervisor

• Logistics Specialist (92Y) → Logistics Coordinator

• Aviation Electrician’s Mate → Industrial Maintenance Tech

• Combat Medic/Corpsman → EMT / Medical Tech

• Operations Specialist → Project/Operations Coordinator

Format example: Platoon Sergeant (Team Supervisor), U.S. Army

3.) Write result-focused bullets (use this formula)

Action verb + what you did + how + result/metric

• Led a 12-person team, standardized shift handoffs, cut rework 18% in 90 days.

• Implemented PM routes in CMMS, reduced unplanned downtime 22% across 3 lines.

• Trained 25 new hires on SOPs/LOTO, 0 recordables for 12 months.

No exact numbers? Use outcomes like on-time, fewer defects, faster, safer, less downtime.

4.) Drop jargon but keep the right terms

ATS rarely parses military acronyms. Spell out once; switch to plain language.

• Use Team Supervisor / Operations instead of only “Platoon Sergeant.”

• Replace TOC/UCMJ/SMEAC with operations center, policy compliance, planning process.

• Keep industry terms the job expects: CMMS, OSHA, ERP, root cause, ISO, 5S.

5.) Highlight training & certs that transfer

Put recognizable items high on the page, especially for manufacturing/industrial roles.

Examples: OSHA-10/30 • Forklift • First Aid/CPR • HAZMAT awareness • CMMS •
Lean/5S • Basic PLC exposure • LOTO • NCCER/NIMS/MSSC (CPT) • IPC (electronics)

If you earned awards tied to safety/quality/leadership, translate to impact (ex., “recognized for leading a 0-incident year across 3 shifts”).

Mini resume snippet (copy/paste starter)

SUMMARY
Operations-minded leader with 6+ years in high-reliability environments. Strengths in team supervision, safety, logistics, and process improvement.

SKILLS
Team Leadership • Scheduling/KPIs • SOPs & 5S • Root-Cause • Inventory/ERP • CMMS • Safety: LOTO, PPE, OSHA-10

EXPERIENCE
Team Supervisor (Platoon Sergeant), U.S. Army — 2021–2025

• Led 12 across rotating shifts; standardized handoffs, +18% first-pass quality.

• Coordinated maintenance/readiness for 30+ assets; 98% availability.

Logistics Coordinator (92Y), U.S. Army — 2019–2021

• Managed 500+ SKUs; cycle counts cut discrepancies 25%.

• Trained on RF scanning/SOPs; pick accuracy to 99%.

CERTIFICATIONS
OSHA-10 • Forklift (Sit-Down/Stand-Up) • First Aid/CPR • CMMS user training • Lean/5S

Checklist

• Target job chosen; keywords added

• Military titles translated + official titles shown

• Bullets = results (metrics or clear outcomes)

• Jargon removed; acronyms spelled once

• Relevant certs/training up top

• One page (early career) or two (senior)

You already bring what employers need: reliability, safety, teamwork, ownership. Say it plainly, show the impact, and you’ll stand out.

Want help tailoring it to an opening? Our recruiters can translate your experience and align it to real roles.