As a military veteran, I felt that the military had prepared me for almost anything. However, the one area that needed improvement was how my résumé was written. I found that my bullet point statements and qualifications came across just like my annual performance report. Statements such as "Trained 25 people on safety techniques to avoid hazards" might sound good to someone in uniform. However, a hiring manager without military experience would probably read that and say "So, what?" The statement does not reflect what I could really do or what I could bring to my potential employers. In a resume, a statement like this is bland and lifeless.

After I found a job, the time had come for me to try and apply for different positions within the company. My manager offered to review and critique résumé. He suggested that I put everything on PAR (Problem-Action- Results). The point of PAR is to tell a potential employer of a situation where you needed to take action, the action that you took and the results of your action. When possible, quantify your results (i.e. increased efficiency by 10%, saved 20 man hours of work on a task). These accomplishments can only strengthen your résumé.

Examples of PAR
A) Old statement: Shift Leader, in charge of 50 military members and 20 civilians on my shift

PAR statement- Monitored attendance, appointments, and vacations for military and civilian personnel; ensured no manning shortfalls occurred.

The PAR statement shows a potential employer that I have planning and coordination skills.

B) Old Statement: Trained flight line personnel on Fire Extinguisher operational use.

PAR statement: Discovered flight line personnel unfamiliar with using fire extinguishers, organized several short notice classes; percentage of qualified personnel rose from 18% to 84% within two weeks.

After I rewrote my résumé to include my accomplishments, I was under consideration for more positions and found a job that was better suited for me.

Pay it Forward
One of my neighbors was having a terrible time trying to find a job. I asked to review her résumé and advised her to bring her résumé to life with PAR statements. Two weeks later, she was hired as a senior level chemist, bringing an end to her nearly yearlong job search.

You may not be able to translate all of your bullets and qualifications into PAR statements, and that is okay. Use PAR statements as often as you can and it will help bring your resume back to life.

Good luck!