You separated from the military. Now you are building a resume. And somewhere in the back of your mind, one question keeps circling: do I have to put my discharge type on this thing?

The short answer is no. You are never required to list your discharge type on a resume. Not for civilian jobs. Not for federal jobs. Not ever.

But the longer answer depends on your situation. An Honorable Discharge works in your favor. A General Under Honorable Conditions discharge raises questions only if you bring it up wrong. An Other Than Honorable discharge needs careful handling. And a Bad Conduct or Dishonorable discharge changes the job search in ways you need to plan for.

I spent 1.5 years after separating from the Navy with zero callbacks. I know what it feels like to stare at a resume and wonder what to include and what to leave off. After building BMR and helping 17,500+ veterans with their resumes, I have seen every discharge type come through. This guide covers each one and tells you exactly how to handle it.

What Are the Five Military Discharge Types?

The military issues five types of discharges. Each one appears on your DD-214 in Block 24 (Character of Service). Here is what they mean in plain terms.

• Honorable Discharge: You met or went beyond the standards. This is the most common discharge type. It means full access to VA benefits, GI Bill, and veterans preference for federal jobs.
• General Discharge (Under Honorable Conditions): Your service was satisfactory but did not fully meet all standards. You keep many VA benefits. You still qualify for some veterans preference. GI Bill eligibility depends on your situation.
• Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge: This is the most serious administrative discharge. You may lose VA healthcare, GI Bill, and veterans preference. But OTH does not come from a court-martial.
• Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD): This comes from a Special or General Court-Martial. It carries serious consequences for benefits and employment.
• Dishonorable Discharge: This comes only from a General Court-Martial. It is the most severe discharge. You lose all VA benefits and many civil rights including the right to own firearms in many states.

Your discharge type affects your benefits. It does not define your worth. And it does not have to appear on your resume.

Do You Have to Put Your Discharge Type on a Resume?

No. There is no law or rule that says you must list your discharge type on a resume. Not for private sector jobs. Not for government jobs. Not for contractor positions.

Your resume is a marketing document. It sells your skills, experience, and results. It is not a legal filing. You pick what goes on it.

Many veterans assume they need to include their discharge status because they saw it on a template or someone told them to. That advice is wrong. Your DD-214 is a document you submit for benefits verification. It is not a section of your resume.

There is one exception. Some federal job applications on USAJOBS ask you to self-report your discharge status. That happens on the application form. It does not go on the resume itself. The application form and the resume are two separate things.

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How to Handle an Honorable Discharge on Your Resume

If you received an Honorable Discharge, you have the easiest path. You can mention it or leave it off. Either way works.

When to Include It

Adding "Honorable Discharge" to your military experience section is fine. It signals clean service and full benefits eligibility. Many hiring managers see it as a positive. It takes one line and adds credibility.

Put it at the end of your military service entry. Right after your dates of service. Keep it simple.

When to Leave It Off

If you are 10+ years out from service, your discharge matters less. Your civilian career speaks for itself at that point. Save the resume space for results and skills that match the job you want.

For a deeper look at how to format your full military background, check out the complete veteran resume guide.

How to Handle a General Discharge (Under Honorable Conditions)

A General Discharge means your service was satisfactory. You did not meet every standard, but you served. Many veterans with General Discharges went on to have strong careers.

Here is the honest advice: do not put "General Discharge" on your resume.

It is not Dishonorable. It is not a criminal record. But listing it on a resume invites questions you do not need to answer at the resume stage. A hiring manager who sees "General Discharge" will likely Google it. They might wonder what happened. And now you are explaining instead of selling your qualifications.

What to Do

• Leave discharge type off the resume completely. List your branch, rank, dates, and job duties. That is all.
• Focus on what you did. Your accomplishments still count. Your training still counts. The skills you built still count.
• Prepare for the interview. If an employer asks about your discharge, give a short honest answer. "I received a General Under Honorable Conditions discharge. I learned from the experience and have been focused on my career since then." Then move on.

A General Discharge does not disqualify you from civilian jobs. It does not show up on background checks unless the employer specifically requests military records. And they rarely do.

How to Handle an Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge

An OTH discharge is the toughest administrative discharge. It can affect VA benefits, GI Bill access, and veterans preference. But it is not a criminal conviction. And it does not have to end your career.

I have seen veterans with OTH discharges land solid jobs. The key is handling the resume correctly and being ready for the conversation when it comes up.

Resume Strategy for OTH Discharges

Do not list your discharge type anywhere on the resume. List your branch, your rank, your dates of service, and your accomplishments. That is it.

Your military experience still happened. The skills you built and the job titles you held still translate to civilian roles. A logistics NCO who managed a $2M supply chain still managed a $2M supply chain regardless of how they separated.

Do not lie. If an application asks directly about your discharge status, answer honestly. But a resume is not an application form. It is a highlight reel.

The Interview Conversation

If your discharge comes up in an interview, keep your answer short. Do not over-explain. Do not get emotional. Do not blame the military.

Try something like: "I separated under conditions that were not ideal. I took responsibility, learned from it, and I have been building my career since then." Then redirect to your qualifications and what you bring to the role.

Hiring managers care about what you can do for them today. A clean work history after separation carries more weight than a discharge code from years ago.

Upgrading Your Discharge

You can apply to have your discharge upgraded through the Discharge Review Board (DRB) or the Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR). The DRB reviews discharges within 15 years of separation. The BCMR can review at any time.

The process takes months. Sometimes over a year. But a successful upgrade changes your discharge on record and can restore VA benefits. If you believe your discharge was unjust, especially related to PTSD, TBI, MST, or other service-connected conditions, file the application.

Legal aid organizations like the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) offer free help with discharge upgrade applications.

How to Handle a Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD)

A Bad Conduct Discharge comes from a court-martial. It is a serious mark. But it does not mean you cannot find work.

Many employers in construction, trades, trucking, warehousing, and small businesses do not ask about military discharge status at all. They care about whether you can show up and do the job.

Resume Approach

You have two choices with a BCD.

Option 1: List your military service without discharge details. Include your branch, dates, and the skills you gained. Leave discharge type off. If the employer does not ask, you do not have to volunteer it.

Option 2: Leave military service off entirely. If your military service was short or your civilian work history is strong enough to stand alone, you can skip the military section. A resume is not a complete record of your life. It is a tool to get an interview.

If you have gaps in your employment history, you may need to include your military time to cover them. In that case, list the service without the discharge type and prepare for potential questions.

Background Checks

Standard civilian background checks look at criminal history, credit, and employment verification. They do not pull your DD-214 or military discharge records unless you authorize it.

Government and defense contractor jobs are different. Security clearance investigations will look at your full military record. If you have a BCD and want to work in defense, talk to a veterans service organization about your options first.

How to Handle a Dishonorable Discharge

A Dishonorable Discharge is the most severe. It comes from a General Court-Martial for serious offenses. It carries legal consequences beyond employment.

This is the hardest situation. But people with Dishonorable Discharges still find work, build careers, and support their families.

Resume Strategy

Do not list your military service on the resume if your discharge was Dishonorable. The risk of it surfacing during the hiring process outweighs the benefit of showing military experience.

Focus your resume on civilian experience, education, training, certifications, and volunteer work. Build your story forward. Many trade programs, community colleges, and workforce development programs work with people in your situation regardless of military background.

Jobs That Work

Many industries hire based on skills and reliability, not military records. Consider these paths:

• Skilled trades: Welding, HVAC, electrical, plumbing. Unions and apprenticeship programs focus on aptitude and commitment.
• Trucking and CDL jobs: Commercial driving companies need drivers. Many do not check military discharge records.
• Construction: Experience and showing up matter more than background paperwork.
• Small businesses: Smaller companies often have less formal hiring processes. Your skills and personality carry the conversation.
• Entrepreneurship: Some veterans with Dishonorable Discharges have built their own businesses. No one checks your DD-214 when you are the boss.

Legal Help and Discharge Upgrades

Dishonorable Discharges are harder to upgrade than OTH or General discharges. But it is not impossible. The Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR) can review your case. Having legal representation helps.

Organizations like the Veterans Consortium and local legal aid societies offer free or low-cost help with discharge upgrade petitions.

What About Federal Jobs and Veterans Preference?

Veterans preference gives eligible veterans a 5 or 10 point advantage on federal hiring lists. But eligibility depends on your discharge type.

• Honorable Discharge: Full veterans preference eligibility (assuming qualifying service dates or campaign medals).
• General (Under Honorable Conditions): May qualify for veterans preference. Depends on specific circumstances. The VA makes the determination.
• OTH, BCD, Dishonorable: Generally not eligible for veterans preference.

Even without veterans preference, you can still apply for federal jobs. Veterans preference is a boost, not a requirement. Plenty of people get federal jobs without it.

For federal applications, the USAJOBS questionnaire may ask about your discharge. Answer honestly. But on the resume itself, you do not need to include your discharge type.

How to Talk About Your Discharge in an Interview

If your discharge is anything other than Honorable, you need a plan for the interview. Not a script. A plan.

Here is what works.

Keep it short. One or two sentences. Do not tell a 10-minute story. The interviewer asked a question, not for a confession.

Own it. Do not blame your chain of command. Do not blame the system. Even if the situation was unfair, an interview is not the place to fight that battle. Say what happened in simple terms, say what you learned, and move on.

Redirect to your strengths. After your brief answer, pivot. "Since then, I have completed X certification, worked in Y industry for Z years, and I am ready to bring that experience to this role." Give them a reason to keep talking to you.

Do not volunteer it. If the interviewer does not bring it up, do not bring it up. You are not hiding anything. You are just not leading with your worst moment. No one does that in a job interview.

After reviewing thousands of applications from the hiring side of the table, I can tell you this: what you have done since separation matters far more than how you separated. Hiring managers want to know if you can do the job. Show them you can.

Should You Mention Being a Veteran at All?

If your discharge was OTH or worse, you might wonder if mentioning military service is worth the risk. Here is how to think about it.

Include your service if:

• Your military skills directly relate to the job you want
• You need the military time to fill a gap in your work history
• You gained certifications, clearances, or training that employers value
• The employer is veteran-friendly and you know they value military backgrounds

Consider leaving it off if:

• Your military service was short (under two years)
• You have 10+ years of strong civilian work history
• The job has nothing to do with your military skills
• You are applying to industries where military background has no added value

If you do include your military service, format it like any other job entry. Branch. Rank. Dates. Job title translated to civilian terms. Key accomplishments with numbers. Leave discharge type off. The enlisted transition guide walks through exactly how to format your service for civilian employers.

Disability, Discharge, and Disclosure

Some veterans received less-than-honorable discharges connected to conditions like PTSD, TBI, or military sexual trauma (MST). If that is your situation, know this: you are not alone, and the system is slowly catching up.

The DoD has been reviewing discharges connected to these conditions under the Hagel Memo (2014) and Kurta Memo (2017) guidance. These memos directed discharge review boards to give liberal consideration to cases involving mental health conditions, TBI, and MST.

On your resume, none of this needs to appear. Your medical history is private. Your disability disclosure is your choice. No employer can legally require you to disclose medical conditions during the hiring process.

If you are pursuing a discharge upgrade based on these conditions, do it in parallel with your job search. You do not need to wait for the upgrade to start building your civilian career.

What to Do Next

No matter what discharge type you have, your next step is the same: build a resume that shows what you can do.

Focus on your skills. Focus on your results. Translate your military experience into language that hiring managers understand. Leave the discharge type off the resume. Prepare a short answer for interviews if needed.

BMR's Military to Civilian Resume Builder helps you translate your service into a resume that works for the job you want. It handles the ATS formatting and keyword matching so your resume surfaces to the top of the stack. Free for two resumes. No discharge type required.

Your discharge is one chapter. Your career is the rest of the book. Write it the way you want.