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12 G.I. JOBS | SEPTEMBER 2017 | GIJOBS.COM TRANSITION GI RÉSUMÉ ARE YOU A WHIZ KID OR STEADY EDDIE ? "WHIZ KIDS" have tons of potential. They're career- oriented. They have a presence. They light up a room. But since they're typically heavy on promise and shy on experi- ence, they also come with some risk. "Steady Eddies" are plug- gers. They're content. They'll give you an honest day's work. They're reliable, but they'll never change the company's stock price. Companies want both. In real numbers, companies need many more "Steady Eddies" than "Whiz Kids." The ratio differs by industry and by com- pany. The National Basketball Association drafts for potential, which is evident in their pref- erence for high school players with huge promise over proven college players whose potential has mostly been realized. NBA teams want the next LeBron James, knowing that he may single-handedly turn a fran- chise around. In an industry that longs for stars, NBA teams are willing to take the risk. By contrast, insurance companies are risk-averse and likely will hire more Steady Eddies. Frame your résumé to match the civilian job you want. BY SHANE CHRISTOPHER Whiz Kids must be challenged and given opportunities for upward mobility. If a company has more Whiz Kids than promotion opportunities, it will lose them. What's more, Whiz Kids thrown into one group tend to succumb to in- fighting and lead to team inefficiency. So all companies need both. Even the NBA has role players, and they probably outnumber the stars five to one. SO WHICH ONE ARE YOU? You may have characteristics of both. And that's why the type of position you seek and the company's appetite for risk can determine how you frame your résumé. Say you're a successful military re- cruiter, which has a lot of sales relevance. Consider two big companies that sell widgets to FORTUNE 500 ® companies. They want to hire sales people. Company "A" is looking for Whiz Kids. Company "A" could look at your résumé and note how well you performed relative to your recruiting peers and envision success selling anything. Company "B" wants a Steady Eddie. They could look at the same résumé and determine that selling jobs to high school students does not translate into selling widgets to sophisticated FORTUNE 500 ® buyers. Company "A" may make you an offer. Company "B" may opt to hire some- one with more widget sales experience. You cannot hide lack of civilian job experience on your résumé, but you can certainly improve your chances by highlighting your potential and by showing superior performance relative to your peers. Framing it correctly will help you land that job.