Boeing hires thousands of veterans every year. They run one of the largest military hiring programs in the defense industry. But knowing Boeing wants veterans and actually getting an interview are two different things.

I see this pattern every week through BMR. A veteran with 10 years of maintenance experience applies to Boeing. Perfect fit on paper. Then nothing. No call. No email. No interview. The resume had the right experience but the wrong words.

Boeing uses Workday as their applicant tracking system. Every resume that comes in gets scored against the job posting. If your resume uses military terms that Workday does not recognize, it ranks lower. The hiring manager never scrolls down far enough to see it. Your experience is real. But without the right boeing resume keywords, it stays invisible.

This guide gives you the exact keywords Boeing looks for by job category. You will learn how to pull them from real job postings and place them in your resume so both the ATS and the hiring manager can see your value.

Why Do Veterans Struggle with Boeing Applications?

Boeing loves military experience. They say it publicly. They attend military career fairs. They have a dedicated veterans hiring page. So why do qualified veterans still get passed over?

The answer is language. Military resumes use terms that Boeing's ATS does not match to their job descriptions. Your resume says "Aviation Structural Mechanic." Boeing's posting says "Composite Fabrication Technician." You have the same skills. But you used different words. The ATS does not know they match.

This is not a Boeing problem. Every large employer uses ATS software to manage applications. Boeing gets hundreds of thousands of applications per year. No human reads all of them from top to bottom. The ATS ranks them based on keyword matches. The hiring team reviews the ones at the top of that list.

The fix is straightforward. You need to match your resume language to Boeing's language. That means pulling keywords directly from their job postings and weaving them into your resume. Not stuffing. Matching.

What Keywords Does Boeing Actually Look For?

Boeing keywords fall into four groups. Each one matters for a different reason.

Technical skills: These are the hard skills listed in the "Required Qualifications" section. They include things like "AS9100 quality standards," "composite layup," "GD&T" (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing), "CNC machining," "Model-Based Systems Engineering," and "SAP." If the posting says "AS9100" and your resume says "quality assurance," the ATS does not make that connection on its own.

Software and tools: Boeing posts almost always name specific tools. Look for "CATIA V5," "SolidWorks," "DOORS," "Windchill," "Jira," "Teamcenter," "Python," "MATLAB," or "Power BI." Military systems have civilian equivalents. If you used GCSS-Army, that experience maps to "SAP" and "ERP systems." If you used IETMS, that maps to "technical documentation systems."

Certifications and clearances: Boeing posts frequently require "Secret clearance," "Top Secret/SCI," "FAA A&P license," "Six Sigma Green Belt," "PMP," "IASSC," or "AWS Certified." Your clearance alone makes you valuable. Boeing spends significant money per employee to sponsor new clearances. Having one already saves them time and money.

Process and methodology terms: Boeing uses Lean manufacturing across their production lines. Look for "Lean Six Sigma," "root cause analysis," "FMEA" (failure mode and effects analysis), "5S," "Kaizen," "DMAIC," "continuous improvement," and "first-time quality." Many veterans have done all of this under different names.

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How Do You Find Keywords in a Boeing Job Posting?

Every Boeing job posting is a keyword map. You just need to know how to read it. Here is the process I teach through BMR.

Step 1: Go to Boeing's careers page. Search jobs at boeing.com/careers. Filter by location and job category. Pick a real posting you want to apply for.

Step 2: Read the "Basic Qualifications" section first. These are the non-negotiable requirements. Every keyword in this section must appear somewhere in your resume. If it says "5+ years of experience in avionics systems," your resume needs the phrase "avionics systems" word-for-word.

Step 3: Read the "Preferred Qualifications" section. These are the tiebreakers. When two candidates both meet the basic qualifications, the person who also matches the preferred keywords ranks higher. Include as many of these as you honestly can.

Step 4: Check the job title and summary. Boeing uses specific job titles like "Manufacturing Engineer," "Supply Chain Analyst," or "Cybersecurity Engineer." If your resume says "Supply NCO" and the posting says "Supply Chain Analyst," you need to translate. Use the job title language from the posting in your professional summary.

Step 5: Look at "Typical Education/Experience" for clues. This section often reveals what level they are hiring at. If it says "Bachelor's and 6+ years," that tells you they want mid-career keywords. If it says "Master's and 10+ years," they want senior leadership language.

BMR's resume builder does this matching for you. Paste the Boeing job posting in and it pulls the keywords, matches them to your military experience, and builds a tailored resume. You can do it manually too. But the builder saves about two hours per application.

Boeing Resume Keywords by Job Category

Boeing has four main business units. Each one uses different keyword sets. Here are the most common keywords for roles veterans typically apply to.

Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS)

This is where many veterans land first. BDS builds military aircraft, satellites, and weapons systems. You already know the product.

• Engineering roles: systems engineering, requirements management, Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML, digital thread, configuration management, verification and validation (V&V), technical data packages
• Program management: Earned Value Management (EVM), Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), risk management, milestone tracking, cost account management
• Cybersecurity: RMF (Risk Management Framework), NIST 800-53, STIG compliance, Authority to Operate (ATO), vulnerability assessment, incident response, DISA standards
• Supply chain: material requirements planning (MRP), SAP, procurement, supplier quality, source inspection, FAR/DFAR compliance

Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA)

If you worked on aircraft in the military, BCA roles are a natural fit. These are the 737, 787, and 777 production lines.

• Manufacturing: composite fabrication, autoclave operations, sealant application, fastener installation, blueprint reading, tool calibration, first article inspection
• Quality: AS9100, first-time quality (FTQ), nonconformance reporting, corrective action (CAPA), statistical process control (SPC), audit readiness
• Maintenance and repair: MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul), aircraft structural repair, NDT (non-destructive testing), eddy current, ultrasonic inspection
• Engineering: structural analysis, stress engineering, fatigue and damage tolerance, finite element analysis (FEA), CATIA V5, SolidWorks

Boeing Global Services (BGS)

BGS handles sustainment, training, and logistics. Veterans with supply, logistics, or training backgrounds fit here.

• Logistics: supply chain management, warehouse management systems (WMS), demand forecasting, fleet sustainment, parts distribution, inventory optimization
• Training: instructional systems design (ISD), curriculum development, Learning Management System (LMS), simulation-based training, ADDIE model
• IT and data: cloud computing, AWS, Azure, data analytics, Power BI, Tableau, ServiceNow, ITSM, agile development
• Program management: integrated master schedule (IMS), performance metrics, contract management, milestone tracking, earned value management (EVM)

How Should You Format a Boeing Resume for ATS?

Boeing's Workday system reads resumes like a database. The cleaner your format, the better it reads your content. Here is what works.

Use a simple layout. One column. Standard fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman at 10 to 12 point. No graphics, tables, text boxes, or headers/footers. Workday struggles to parse content inside tables and text boxes.

Keep it to two pages. Boeing hiring managers review hundreds of resumes per opening. Two pages gives you enough space to show experience without losing their attention. If you have 20 years of military service, focus on the last 10 to 15 years and cut the early career entries down to one or two lines each.

Use standard section headings. Workday looks for "Professional Summary," "Work Experience," "Education," and "Skills." Creative headings like "Career Highlights" or "Areas of Expertise" can confuse the parser. Keep it standard and let your content do the talking.

Both .docx and PDF work for Boeing submissions through Workday. Either format is fine. Just avoid sending a scanned image or a file with the text embedded as graphics.

Put keywords in context. Do not just dump a list of keywords at the bottom of your resume. Workday and the hiring managers both spot keyword stuffing. Use each keyword inside a real sentence that shows how you applied that skill. "Managed a $1.8M supply chain using SAP" is better than listing "SAP" in a skills block with no context.

If you need help deciding which military courses to include, check our guide on military training on your resume. And if you want to see how other veterans have structured their resumes for defense contractor roles like Boeing, check the before-and-after examples. The difference between a military resume and a Boeing-ready resume is usually 15 to 20 keyword swaps.

What Military Skills Translate to Boeing Roles?

Almost every military occupational specialty has a Boeing equivalent. The trick is knowing which Boeing words to use. Here are the most common translations.

Leadership: If you led a platoon, section, or division, Boeing calls that "team leadership," "cross-functional coordination," and "people management." If you ran a program or project, use "program management" and "stakeholder communication." The military rank to civilian title guide can help you figure out the right level to claim.

Maintenance and repair: Military maintainers should use "preventive maintenance," "corrective maintenance," "technical order compliance," "aircraft structural repair," and "MRO operations." If you held a 2A AFSC or AM rating, you likely performed work Boeing calls "composite fabrication," "sheet metal repair," or "avionics troubleshooting."

Supply and logistics: "GCSS-Army" becomes "SAP/ERP." "Property book" becomes "asset management." "Class IX bench stock" becomes "spare parts inventory." "PLL" becomes "parts demand forecasting." The military skills translation list has hundreds more of these.

Cybersecurity and IT: If you worked in 25-series, 17C, or Navy CT ratings, Boeing's defense cyber jobs use the same frameworks you already know. Translate "ACAS" to "vulnerability scanning." Translate "IA compliance" to "RMF/NIST 800-53 compliance." Translate "SIPR/NIPR" to "classified and unclassified network environments."

Quality and safety: Military quality control maps directly to Boeing's AS9100 system. "TQM" becomes "Total Quality Management." "Safety inspections per AR 385-10" becomes "OSHA compliance audits." "Zero defect maintenance" becomes "first-time quality." Use quantified results when you can. "Maintained 98.7% first-time quality rate across 1,200 inspections" tells Boeing you can do the job.

Common Boeing Resume Mistakes Veterans Make

After helping 17,500+ veterans through BMR, I see the same Boeing resume mistakes over and over. Here are the ones that cost interviews.

Using military acronyms without translation. "Maintained TMDE per TB 43-180" will not match anything in Boeing's Workday system. The ATS cannot match "TMDE" to "test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment." Write both. "Maintained test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment (TMDE) across a 50-item calibration program." Now the ATS catches the full phrase and the acronym.

Submitting one generic resume to every Boeing job. Boeing posts hundreds of different roles. A manufacturing engineer job and a supply chain analyst job use completely different keyword sets. If you send the same resume to both, at least one will rank low. Tailor your resume for each specific posting. Yes, every single one.

Skipping the professional summary. Many veteran resumes jump straight into work history. Boeing recruiters scan your summary first. That is where your highest-value keywords need to be. "Systems Engineer with 8 years of DoD experience in requirements management, MBSE, and verification and validation" tells them immediately whether to keep reading.

Listing duties without results. "Responsible for vehicle maintenance" does not impress anyone at Boeing. "Led preventive maintenance program for 45-vehicle fleet, achieving 97% operational readiness rate and reducing unscheduled downtime by 32%" gives Boeing proof you deliver results. Numbers make your keywords believable. The military jargon decoder can help you find the civilian equivalents for every term.

Putting all keywords in a skills section at the bottom. Some veterans dump 30 keywords into a "Technical Skills" block and call it done. That is keyword stuffing. Workday can detect it. The hiring manager will notice it too. Spread keywords throughout your work experience bullets where they appear naturally.

For more on what hiring managers notice first, see our guide on what recruiters see first on a military resume.

Where to Find Boeing Jobs and How to Apply

Boeing posts all open positions at boeing.com/careers. You can filter by location, job category, and clearance requirement. Set up job alerts for your target roles so you see new postings the day they go live.

Boeing also posts on LinkedIn, Indeed, and cleared job boards for defense positions. But apply directly through Boeing's Workday portal. That is where the ATS scoring happens. Third-party applications sometimes lose formatting or metadata.

Boeing has a dedicated Veterans Hiring page and participates in military career fairs at major installations. Their military skills matcher tool on the careers page lets you enter your MOS, rating, or AFSC and see matching Boeing roles. BMR's military-to-civilian job finder does something similar but covers all employers.

If you are still on active duty, Boeing runs SkillBridge internships at several locations. These are 12-week rotations where you work at Boeing while still drawing military pay. Many SkillBridge participants get hired full-time before the program ends.

For a broader view of your options, compare USAJobs vs private job boards to see which path makes more sense for your goals. Boeing is private sector. But many Boeing roles have federal equivalents at agencies like the FAA, NAVAIR, or the Air Force Sustainment Center.

What to Do Next

You have the keyword lists. You know how to pull keywords from a real Boeing posting. You understand how Workday scores your resume. Now it is time to put it all together.

Pick one Boeing job you want. Copy the full posting. Pull out every keyword from the basic and preferred qualifications. Then go through your resume line by line and swap military terms for Boeing terms. Keep the same meaning. Change the words.

If you want to skip the manual keyword matching, BMR's resume builder does it automatically. Paste the Boeing job posting in, and it builds a tailored resume with the right keywords in the right places. You get two free tailored resumes. No credit card needed.

Boeing is one of the best employers for veterans. But they hire through the same ATS as everyone else. The veterans who get interviews are the ones who speak Boeing's language on paper. Your experience already qualifies you. Your resume just needs to prove it in words Workday can read.