The 7 Biggest Mistakes on Veteran Resumes (And the Fix for Each)
An editor list of the most common veteran resume mistakes that quietly kill applications — with the exact fix for each.
1. Acronyms
Fix: Spell out every acronym on first use. Better — replace it with the civilian equivalent.
2. Job titles like "SSG, U.S. Army"
Fix: Use the civilian function: "Operations Supervisor — U.S. Army."
3. No numbers
Fix: Every bullet needs a quantity: dollars, people, percent, time, volume.
4. Combat narratives
Fix: Translate to leadership and decision-making outcomes.
5. Listing every award and ribbon
Fix: Keep only the top 2 most prestigious and most relevant.
6. Two-column or graphic-heavy templates
Fix: Single column, plain text, ATS-safe.
7. The objective statement
Fix: Replace with a 3-line summary that leads with results.
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