Army resume examples
Three Army resumes, translated so a civilian hiring manager can read them.
The problem with most military resumes is not the experience, which is usually stronger than the civilian competition. The problem is that the reader cannot decode it. "Squad leader, 11B, responsible for 9 soldiers and $1.2M in equipment" is a strong line to a veteran and a blank to a recruiter at a logistics company.
These three examples show the translation: the same role written once in Army terms and once in the words civilian postings use, with rank, MOS, awards and clearance placed where they help and nowhere else.
Free account for PDF and Word downloads. No credit card, no watermark.
The translation table
Use the civilian term on the resume and keep the Army term in parentheses the first time, so both a veteran and a civilian reader understand.
| Army term | Civilian term | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| Squad leader, team leader, section chief | Team lead, supervisor, shift supervisor | Number of people, what they did, results |
| Platoon sergeant, first sergeant | Operations manager, senior manager | Headcount, equipment value, programs run |
| MOS 92A, 92Y | Logistics specialist, supply chain coordinator, inventory manager | Dollar value of inventory, systems (GCSS-Army), accuracy rates |
| MOS 25B, 25U | IT support specialist, network technician, systems administrator | Users supported, systems, certifications (Security+) |
| MOS 88M | Commercial driver, fleet operator, logistics driver | Vehicle classes, miles, safety record, CDL status |
| MOS 68W | Emergency medical technician, healthcare technician | Patients treated, certifications (NREMT), clinic or field |
| MOS 31B | Security officer, law enforcement, access control specialist | Post types, incidents handled, certifications |
| NCOER, counseling | Performance reviews, staff development | Number of people developed, promotions |
| Property book, hand receipt | Asset management, inventory accountability | Dollar value, audit results |
| Deployed, OCONUS | Worked overseas on extended assignments | Locations only if relevant; focus on what you ran |
Example 1: Infantry team leader to operations supervisor
Sergeant, 11B, six years, applying for an operations supervisor role at a distribution company.
Operations supervisor with six years in the U.S. Army leading teams of up to 12 people in high-pressure environments, accountable for $1.4M in equipment with zero losses, and experienced in scheduling, training and safety programs. Secret clearance (active through 2027). Transitioning June 2026.
Team Leader and Squad Leader (Sergeant, Infantry), U.S. Army, Fort Cavazos, TX, 2020 to 2026
- Led and scheduled a 9-person team (12 at peak) across training cycles and two overseas rotations; responsible for their performance reviews, development plans and readiness.
- Accountable for $1.4M in vehicles, weapons and equipment; passed 6 consecutive inventory audits with zero losses.
- Planned and ran 40+ training events a year for 30 to 120 people, including risk assessments and safety briefs; zero serious injuries under my supervision.
- Selected as the company's training lead for new arrivals, onboarding 35 soldiers in 2025; 3 of my team members promoted early.
Awards and training: Army Commendation Medal (2), Basic Leader Course, Combat Lifesaver, OSHA 30 (2026)
Every line answers a civilian question: how many people, how much equipment, what outcomes, any safety record. The MOS stays in parentheses.
Example 2: Logistics specialist (92A) to supply chain coordinator
Specialist to sergeant, 92A, four years, applying for a warehouse or supply chain coordinator role.
Supply chain coordinator with four years in Army logistics managing inventory worth $9M across 1,100 line items in GCSS-Army, with 99.6% inventory accuracy on quarterly audits and experience receiving, issuing and shipping equipment for a 600-person organization. Forklift certified.
Automated Logistical Specialist (92A), U.S. Army, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, 2022 to 2026
- Managed receiving, storage and issue of parts and equipment for a 600-person battalion: about 1,100 line items and $9M in inventory tracked in GCSS-Army (SAP-based).
- Maintained 99.6% inventory accuracy across 8 quarterly audits; reduced overdue requisitions from 140 to 22 by rebuilding the follow-up process.
- Coordinated 30 to 50 shipments a month with transportation and vendors, including hazardous materials documentation.
- Trained 6 junior specialists on the system and the warehouse layout; forklift and pallet jack certified.
Certifications: Forklift (2023), HAZMAT handling, Secret clearance
GCSS-Army is explained as SAP-based, because civilian warehouses run SAP and the reader will recognize it.
Example 3: IT specialist (25B) to help desk and systems support
Specialist, 25B, four years, Security+ in hand, applying for tier 2 support.
IT support specialist with four years in the U.S. Army supporting 450 users across Windows, Active Directory and network equipment, CompTIA Security+ and Network+ certified, with an active Secret clearance. Seeking a tier 2 support or junior systems administrator role.
Information Technology Specialist (25B), U.S. Army, Fort Liberty, NC, 2022 to 2026
- Provided tier 1 and tier 2 support for 450 users: account management in Active Directory, imaging and deploying about 200 laptops a year, and troubleshooting Windows, Office and VPN issues; about 25 tickets a day in the unit's ticketing system.
- Administered network switches and routers for 3 buildings, including VLAN changes and cable runs; kept a documented 99.8% network availability across 2025.
- Ran quarterly security compliance scans and patching for 300 endpoints under DoD standards.
- Trained 4 new specialists and wrote the unit's 20-page help desk procedures guide.
Certifications: CompTIA Security+ (2023), Network+ (2024), Secret clearance (active)
DoD compliance work translates directly to civilian security roles. The clearance is a hiring advantage for contractors and goes in the summary.
What to include, and where
- Clearance level and status, in the summary line. Active clearances are worth real money to contractors and government employers. State the level and the expiry or last investigation year.
- Rank and MOS, once, in the job title line. "Sergeant, Infantry (11B)". After that, use civilian titles.
- Awards that signal performance, in one line. Commendation and achievement medals, soldier or NCO of the quarter. Skip service ribbons everyone receives.
- Training and schools as certifications. Basic Leader Course as leadership training; technical schools by their subject; civilian certifications you earned in service.
- Veterans preference for federal applications. On a federal resume, state the preference claimed; on a civilian resume, "veteran" in the summary is enough.
- Transition date if you are still serving. "Available June 2026" removes a question.
What postings that welcome veterans ask for
Counted from live postings that mention veterans or military experience. We read 30 current postings for "veteran" on the SmoothApply job search on 2026-09-13, out of 1,155 matching listings, and counted how many mention each requirement.
| Mentioned in postings | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations | 19 of 30 | 63% | |
| Safety | 16 of 30 | 53% | |
| Veteran preferred or encouraged | 14 of 30 | 47% | |
| Security | 12 of 30 | 40% | |
| Maintenance | 9 of 30 | 30% | |
| Leadership | 7 of 30 | 23% | |
| Project management | 1 of 30 | 3% | |
| Supervision | 1 of 30 | 3% |
General requirements in the same postings:
- Driver's license: 7 of 30 postings
- Weekend or shift work: 6 of 30 postings
- Drug screen: 1 of 30 postings
- Lifting requirement: 1 of 30 postings
Operations, maintenance, safety and supervision language dominates. Those are the four words to translate your service into, with the numbers.
Counts are how many of the 30 sampled postings contain the term at least once. Sample titles included Software Development Engineer - Military Veterans; Area Manager - Military Veterans Encouraged to Apply; Network Development Engineer Apprentice - Military Veteran. A posting mentioning a skill does not mean it is required, only that employers name it. Source: SmoothApply job search, 2026-09-13.
What loses a civilian reader
What veteran-friendly postings advertise
Listings in our database that state pay and mention veterans or military experience.
Salary figures are from job listings that state pay, collected in the SmoothApply salary database, and reflect what employers advertise, not what people are paid. Read on 2026-09-13.
More questions from Army job seekers
What resume bullets work for an 11B infantry background?
Translate the job, not the title. Lead with leadership and operations: "Led a 9-soldier team on 40+ missions with zero safety incidents", "Maintained and accounted for $1.2M in weapons and equipment", "Trained 30 new soldiers on procedures and qualified 100 percent on schedule". Employers outside the military read team size, budgets, training and results, not MOS codes.
How do I write a resume when all my skills and education came from the Army?
Treat Army schools as education and Army jobs as work history. List your MOS in civilian terms in the title line, for example "Signal Support Systems Specialist (25B), equivalent to IT Support Technician". Put Army training such as BLC, ALC or technical courses under Education and Training with dates. Certifications earned in service, like Security+ or a CDL, go in their own section.
Should I list duty stations on an Army resume?
List the installation and location the way you would list an employer city, for example "Fort Liberty, NC", and keep the focus on what you did there. Duty stations matter to the reader only when they explain scope, such as a deployment, a joint assignment, or a post that ran a large operation.
Questions people ask
Should I use a federal or a civilian resume format?
How do I list a clearance that is expired or inactive?
Where do I get help translating my MOS?
Do I include my education if I only have a high school diploma?
Sources
- Army COOL, credentialing opportunities by MOS
- O*NET Military Crosswalk
- USAJOBS Help Center, veterans
- SmoothApply job search and salary database, sampled 2026-09-13
Last reviewed 2026-09-13. Job posting and salary counts are refreshed when this page is rebuilt and are dated in the text.
Build it in the free builder
Start from this example or a blank template, edit on the page, and download PDF or Word with no watermark. 93 templates, all on the free plan.
Open the example