The main difference between a CV and a Resume is brevity. If you are applying for jobs in the US, recruiters will scan your CV for less than thirty seconds. US recruiters do not like lengthy job descriptions and personal profiles. If you have a 10 page CV you need to re write it.

In the US, more than in other countries, time is money and recruiters do not have the time to spend 11 minutes reading your life history. Your resume should be: a teaser, the hook, pass on the essential information. Do not go into lengthy descriptions of how you saved your previous employer from bankruptcy. Just say "Implemented x : In order to achieve : y" style.

So how do you go about turning your CV to a Resume? More than before you should have the list of tasks associated with a job. Read this article Achievements in your CV on how to focus on or better write about your achievements.

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This kind of interview is often the first contact with an employer. A phone interview is also used when candidates reside in other countries. The most important thing to remember in phone interviewing is that you are working towards a face to face discussion. Phone interviewing techniques.

• Show enthusiasm. Remember that you do not have the advantage of interview body language.
• Hold the receiver well. The mouthpiece should be 5 cm from your lips. Speak normally or a notch slower.
• Make sure there is no background music.
• Switch your mobile phone off.
• Switch your computer speaker off.
• Switch the front bell off (if you can).
• Lock your pets away.
• Avoid being too cheerful or overly concern.
• Make a list of things to say and of your strengths and keep them handy.
• Practice a phone interview with a friend.
• Always be positive even if this job change has not been your choice.
• Do not smoke, chew gum or drink tea during the interview.
• Avoid salary discussions in a phone interview.
• Ask when it is convenient to meet for a face to face interview.

Overview of phone interviews

Show interest and enthusiasm. Keep the receiver in front of your lips and speak clearly and slowly. Do not use slang and try to minimize accents. Write notes and do Job Interview Preparation and Wage Research. Concentrate on your positive in the phone interview. At the close of the phone interview ask for a face to face interview.

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Various career coaches will tell you to use a functional job CV or resume, others a chronological job CV or resume. Your military career is an asset. It depends on the job your are applying for, how much emphasis you put on it. All jobs related to the military, police, security, fireman, paramedic and the like should use a chronological job resume. For others, where you still need to have get the job experience , a combo resume or CV should be used. Make sure that your CV communicates all the qualities that you are bringing on board : cross-functional skills, positive work ethic, leadership, teamwork and dedication.

Active combat

Civilians want to live the cozy life, without knowing what the details of what the honorable country man do, in order for that cozy life to exist. Most people are not ready for the details of the real battle field. (unless you are applying for a job that will include active combat) Leave details active combat details out of your CV.

Your CV is an ongoing process

Monitor the response rate from your new civilian CV. If your CV is getting a low response rate. It is back to the drawing board. Review it with your family, friends or your career coach to see where you can implement improvements.

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What can I do for my employer ?

Your military achievements and awards are all a sign of determination and self sacrifice these should be included but should not be focal point in your civilian CV. While a medal of honor or purple heart is worth mentioning, your tank driving skills should not be mentioned (unless you would like to be a driver). You should concentrate on the skills list you have created. Make sure that the most relevant information is at the top of your CV. The important thing you understand is that your CV shows you are cable of doing the skills associated with a particular job.

Military Jargon

Not all people in the world are familiar with military jargon. Your CV should be legible by those who were never in uniform. Make sure that all the titles you had in your military career are comprehensible to civilians, if you need to change them to make them clearer than do so. Ask a civilian friend's opinion on your CV to check it.

Achievements and Accomplishments

Your achievements are all worth mentioning. How to describe achievements in your CV is a good article on how to describe achievements in your CV. Describe your accomplishments in a civilian manner. Where an employer can identify that the achievements your are mentioning apply to this job.

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How to write a CV for the Civilian world.
How to write a Resume for the Civilian world.

Your military career is coming to an end and you have started looking for a job in the civilian world. In your military career you have achieved more accomplishments than you might think of. A lot of skills are directly transferable into the civilian world. Following are some tips on how to change your military CV to a civilian CV.

What do you want to do as a civilian?

What to write in your personal profile?

Your personal profile in your CV defines what career path you would like to follow. A CV cannot be a general one; you have to focus on a particular objective in order for your CV to be effective. Before you put pen to paper and start writing a resume, do some research on what job you would like to do. Your local job center or transition office can help with this. If you would like to keep your options open, write several civilian CVs which focus on the different options you are considering.

The next step would be to define the requirements of the job you see yourself doing. What are the skills needed to perform the tasks in this job. There are a lot of ways of doing research, your local paper is a mine of information. The job vacancies will have a list of requirements, scan the job positions you are interested in over a period of time. Make a list of all the skills associated with the career you have chosen. This will be a good reference When writing your CV or resume.

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