Your master resume

A master resume can be many pages long, and can list every single job, internship, apprenticeship and volunteer position that you have ever had. It includes all of your training, degrees, and certifications, as well as any awards you have earned.

A well-written master resume will be an all-in-one document which sums up the length and breadth of your career. It highlights your STAR statements for all the different types of work that you have done.

Writing a master resume can be time consuming, but it is worth the effort and time upfront because of the long-term return on your investment.

A well-written master resume will:

• Make it much easier to create targeted resumes to use when applying for specific jobs. If you use your master resume as a resource, you can just cut and paste STAR statements, add/change a few keywords – and you are on your way!
• Make it easier on your memory. It is hard to recreate your work history time and time again. Time passes, and you may forget certain aspects of your work. If you have a master resume, you have your chronological work history and skills listed all in one place.
• Allow you to figure out effective ways to group your military “jobs” so as to best position yourself for a specific employer or opportunity. You may have had very diverse work experiences in the military, and creating a master resume lets you see underlying themes in your work experience. It can be much easier to write a combination or functional resume if you begin with a master resume.
• Allow you to AVOID writing a generic resume. Sometimes writing a targeted resume is difficult – and you may decide to write a generic resume which is “one-size-fits-all.” The problem with this approach is that you are leaving the employer to do the work of figuring out if you can and will fit in to the organization. If you have a well-written master resume, half the work is done. You can cut, paste and then tailor your resume to produce a job and organization specific, targeted resume.