Writing a resume can be tough for anyone, but as a veteran, it can be particularly challenging trying to translate your military experience into civilian vocabulary. To position yourself in the best way possible to recruiters, incorporate these five quick and easy tips:

• If you are still using an objective, ditch it. Today’s modern resume doesn’t contain an objective and most recruiters wouldn’t read it anyway. Instead of using that space to talk about what you want, use it to express what you bring to the table - your best attributes. As a recruiter, I want to read (quickly) what you do best. This section, which should be at the top of the resume, should be short; I like to see bullet points of your top three accomplishments.

• Re-read your resume every time you apply for a job and embed keywords you see in the job description that relate to your skills and experience. Keywords are found in the job title, in minimum requirements, and in the responsibilities. Examples are words like “supply chain,” “logistics,” and “project management.” If you have that skill and can speak to it with a recruiter, then you can “tailor” your resume – and you should each and every time you apply for a job.

• Be brief. Keep bullet points short and to the point (one line if you can) and make sure there is a nice amount of white space. Recruiters don’t want to read a lot of dense paragraphs and will move on quickly if resumes are too wordy. Keep in mind we are all reading everything on our phones or tablets, so test your resume on your own phone to see how it looks.

• Make sure you always read the minimum requirements in each job description. Even more importantly, make sure it’s clear that your resume, without a doubt, meets those minimum requirements. If recruiters have to guess, they will move on.

• You have great experiences; the key is to put them in terms that recruiters will understand. If you were a platoon leader, then you have supervisory skills. If you counseled others, then you have human resources skills. Instead of focusing on your title, think about the skills you have and describe the skill within the context of each job. You simply need to think about it the way a recruiter would. Again, look at the job description and use those words in your resume.

Always be concise in your communications and look online for examples of resumes. You’ve obtained great experiences, leadership skills, and training; it’s now time to get that down on paper in a way that makes YOU stand out!