Hi,
I'm preparing for the investment bank recruiting season; my prep has included several mock interviews and resume reviews by current bankers and traders. While I think my efforts are progressing, the one feedback item I've received consistently is that my current (and topmost) employment position is completely unrelated to banking, and therefore creates a confusing portrayal.
Since my military service has included both active and reserve duty, the dates span from 2002 to 2012. My civilian work experience occurs within that period, up until the present. In order to make the resume easier to understand, would it be OK to separate and list first my military experience, then follow with civilian experience under a separate heading?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Answers
Thanks, Dan. I attended the VOWS conference last June, and was fortunate to meet some great people who have helped me. I'll keep an eye out.
Daniel -
Check out our post about preparing for a career in the financial services industry:
http://switchstarter.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/veterans-the-financial-services-industry-wants-you/
Also, we'll post about Informational Interviews early next week, so stay tuned.
Bottom line - reach out to your network. Do you know any vets in the financial services industry? They speak both languages (military and finance), and will be able to provide great suggestions for the resume and interview preps. If you don't know any vets, please use the Veterans on Wall Street general email in our blog post.
Daniel - A resume consultant suggested I separate my Civilian and Military experience, and I took her advice. If you send me your email address and I'll send a copy of my resume. - Tom
Thanks for the feedback Aaron. I think your suggestion to frame my transition as a return to the field is spot on.
Daniel,
You face a common difficulty that I bet other people face in your position. Do you actually have serious, relevant, investment banking experience (like you were an analyst before, etc)? If so, what you can do is the following:
Put something like:
Goal:
To transition back into the financial services industry from my most recent military deployment.
Finance Experience:
XYZ company…..
Military Experience:
ABC…..
This being said…you are a special case, and it would help if you had an internal advocate who could speak your story and resume to potential hiring managers.
Best of luck and I hope I was helpful.
-Aaron
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