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
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.
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.
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.