4 ms·
Ask HN: Should I leave my military service off of my resume?
I am currently a junior in college and applying for internships in a software engineering role, for my senior year. With the current political climate, should I leave my military service off of my resume?
- jim-jim-jim 6y agoHalf the companies you're applying to are probably tied to the military industrial complex in one way or another.
- BRedSox 6y agoI think my concerns are more on a lower level - such as the individual reviewing my resume.
- Gibbon1 6y agoThe vast majority of companies it is neutral to a positive.
- wiml 6y agoAnecdotal, but I wouldn't expect it to count against you. I live in a traditionally lefty city (one of those "anarchist jurisdictions", heh), company culture skews left, etc., and I haven't observed any animus towards my ex-military coworkers, nor do they act like they expect any. Being in the military isn't in itself political. Your haircut or your accent will probably get you more unconscious biases (positive or negative, who knows) than that.
- BRedSox 6y agoI appreciate the response. Thank you.
- garmaine 6y agoAny competent hiring manager would see it as a plus. A military job, no matter the rank or role, involves discipline, good work ethic, and dealing with abrasive personalities (boot camp drill instructor if nothing else). If your hiring manager doesn’t see that and instead inserts some dumb personal bias, congrats! You just dodged a bullet by filtering out a job you really don’t want.
- Peroni 6y agoThis is the best answer. If your military service would count against you, is it really going to be a healthy environment for you to work in?
- seotut2 6y agoI see this kind of answer frequently. In many places and situations, people are not so fortunate as to have a choice between healthy and non-healthy workplaces. "If they reject you for that, you don't want to work there in the first place". Except if the alternatives are no job at all, or a minimum wage workplace with significantly worse conditions. That kind of answer assumes a certain privileged position.
- garmaine 6y agoTrue, but this is HN. We’re all privileged here.
- sarcasmatwork 6y ago>should I leave my military service off of my resume? Did you do any software dev in your military service? Yes? Add it, if not then there is no need.
- BRedSox 6y agoI do not. I added it a it explains a major gap which I was thinking was necessary. Thank you for the response.
- muzani 6y agoMany places do want to know about the gap. So I'd put it in. I've always been either questioned about gaps on my resumes in interviews or had it used against me. Some will discriminate over it but they'll assume the worst if it's unexplained.
- matt_s 6y agoAbsolutely not. It clearly shows you can take direction, be able to get things done and put up with various personalities.
- jfengel 6y agoNo, but I'm curious about why you would think that the current political climate would disfavor people with military service. There are always those who loudly support the military and those who loudly oppose it, but as far as I can tell the current political climate isn't really about the military one way or the other.
- giantg2 6y agoI agree with most of this. I would say leave it off the resume when applying to companies or areas suspected of having a negative bias. Add it to your resume for all other companies/areas.
- frompdx 6y agoI think maybe you are worried about subconscious bias, but it is a crime to discriminate against you for your status as a service member or veteran. https://www.worker.gov/concerns/veteran-or-service-member-rights/#:~:text=Two%20Federal%20laws%20prohibit%20discrimination,to%20join%20the%20uniformed%20services https://www.worker.gov/concerns/veteran-or-service-member-ri....
- giantg2 6y agoIt doesn't have to be subconscious. The perpetrators just need to be smart enough not to admit their discrimination.
- dyingkneepad 6y agoIf I saw that on a resume I'd totally ask about it in the interview and would decide if it's a positive or negative thing based on your comments about it. Also remember that a lot of times the person responsible for hiring you is not originally from the USA, so they will likely have a very different view on military things compared do Americans.
- p0d 6y agoThank you for your service. I was at a school careers convention with my daughter and she was impressed with what soldiers earned. She had no idea me and my co-workers earn two or three times the salary of the Sergeant salary she was reading. The most dangerous thing that happened in my workplace was a colleague leaning back and falling off his chair. Put it in your resume.