Resume Help?

[jerrymrc]

I am good at hands on work, but would be willing to transition to more of a desk job if needed. My biggest concern is making sure I make enough to support the family. The Military has decent pay, and great health benefits - so I would need to be able to find something that compares.

Not easy. Did 12 years AD. Been working for the DOD since. All my Civilians are ex military and if it was not for the fact that they are disabled/retired they would be looking at a 50% pay cut overall. After health ins, life ins and retirement I take home $1450 every two weeks as a GS-10 with over 21 years in CS. Our health ins is over $600 per month and the co-pays are up there.

[mcantar18c]

I'm dealing with the same thing right now. Coming out of my MOS, most of the translatable stuff is the "soft skills." I've got 5 versions of my resume saved on my computer right now all highlighting different crap.
If you want to send me a copy of yours just for the sake of having someone that understands the language look at it, I'd be happy to help out. PM me if you want and I'll send you my email.

[TennVol]

I have screened hundreds of resumes and have sat in on many hiring boards here at USNORTHCOM in the five years since I retired from the USAF. PM me your email address and I can send you some nice example resumes of some of the applicants I have screened. The vast majority of them are prior military.

[fullmann]

My last three jobs I have applied for I pulled most of the info right out of the job listing itself. Not so much cut and paste, but pretty damn close.

Lately it seems that no human actually sees a resume until the computer has gone through all of its word/phrase recognition steps. So if you can use their words to dedcribe your skills. That puts you at the top of the list.

Also, check with certain companies, I know the people I worked with at Lockheed told me that they pretty much had to say ex-mil and they were in, regardless of skills. I've heard Boeing is close to the same.

Funny part art is that my current position posted a 'welcome' email, touting my skill set, that was a cut and paste from my resume, that was a cut and paste from the job requisition.

[Great-Kazoo]

I am good at hands on work, but would be willing to transition to more of a desk job if needed. My biggest concern is making sure I make enough to support the family. The Military has decent pay, and great health benefits - so I would need to be able to find something that compares.

Contact the dept of labor / job services Vet Rep, in your area. If they are 1/2 as good as they are up here. A resume writing course should be available.
The woman weld cty has could turn a shovel full of shit in to a platter of gold.
You need to keep the resume to 1 page 1.5 tops. Your cover letter's your introduction to HR and why you're qualified, in 1 page maximum. After that their eyes glaze over, also have the buzz words that are specific to the job. Most places look to see if those words are in your resume. If not, NEXT

ALSO ANY social media sites you're on, shit can them. IF something may appear un-PC, contains alcohol, profanity etc. DELETE.
You'll never know why you were not hired. Today's job hiring process is FAX or E-Mail your resume to...
It took me a while to come to terms with not hearing back from a job listing. Get use to the silence of job hunting.
Again get with the local veterans rep , they should be able to assist you
http://www.ceswoodstock.org/job_sear...uzzwords.shtml

http://www.money-zine.com/career-dev...e-power-words/

words to avoid
http://www.roberthalf.com/officeteam...words-to-avoid

Cover letter info
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/coverl...lettsample.htm
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanada...-cover-letter/

[TheGrey]

I'd like to add/amend something GK said- DON'T shitcan your social media stuffs. That's a warning sign to them. DO go through and set your privacy settings, remove anything that might be considered offensive, and do make sure there are no questionable pictures. Rest assured that deleting your social media does not get rid of it. Once it's out there, it's out there.

If you have no social media stuff, now is the time to get LinkedIn going, and possibly a nice, innocuous Facebook page.

[fly boy]

Contact the dept of labor / job services Vet Rep, in your area. If they are 1/2 as good as they are up here. A resume writing course should be available.
The woman weld cty has could turn a shovel full of shit in to a platter of gold.
You need to keep the resume to 1 page 1.5 tops. Your cover letter's your introduction to HR and why you're qualified, in 1 page maximum. After that their eyes glaze over, also have the buzz words that are specific to the job. Most places look to see if those words are in your resume. If not, NEXT

ALSO ANY social media sites you're on, shit can them. IF something may appear un-PC, contains alcohol, profanity etc. DELETE.
You'll never know why you were not hired. Today's job hiring process is FAX or E-Mail your resume to...
It took me a while to come to terms with not hearing back from a job listing. Get use to the silence of job hunting.
Again get with the local veterans rep , they should be able to assist you
http://www.ceswoodstock.org/job_sear...uzzwords.shtml

http://www.money-zine.com/career-dev...e-power-words/

words to avoid
http://www.roberthalf.com/officeteam...words-to-avoid

Cover letter info
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/coverl...lettsample.htm
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanada...-cover-letter/

I'd like to add/amend something GK said- DON'T shitcan your social media stuffs. That's a warning sign to them. DO go through and set your privacy settings, remove anything that might be considered offensive, and do make sure there are no questionable pictures. Rest assured that deleting your social media does not get rid of it. Once it's out there, it's out there.

If you have no social media stuff, now is the time to get LinkedIn going, and possibly a nice, innocuous Facebook page.

Thanks, I will start combing through my facebook and making sure it's privacy set, and I will start taking out pictures that are questionable (shouldn't have too many).

I DID get a Linkedin account but it's for official job stuff only. I was told that some employers us that site for referances and see all of my possible qualifications.

[SamuraiCO]

Mine is set up with bullet points on top with "skill sets" emphasized and word phrases the job is looking for. Leadership, computer, etc. Below is current work history with dates and position, brief explanation of job.

KEEP IT ONE PAGE plus the cover letter. Can't over emphasize it enough. KEEP IT ONE PAGE. You can expand on details in the interview.

[fly boy]

Mine is set up with bullet points on top with "skill sets" emphasized and word phrases the job is looking for. Leadership, computer, etc. Below is current work history with dates and position, brief explanation of job.

KEEP IT ONE PAGE plus the cover letter. Can't over emphasize it enough. KEEP IT ONE PAGE. You can expand on details in the interview.

I have it 1 page, and I have one with a similar set-up.


Is the cover letter mandatory? I see some jobs request it, others say nothing about it. I know it's just a quick blip before the actual resume - keeping it less than 1 page.

[Batteriesnare]

I have it 1 page, and I have one with a similar set-up.


Is the cover letter mandatory? I see some jobs request it, others say nothing about it. I know it's just a quick blip before the actual resume - keeping it less than 1 page.

If you're serious about the job, a cover letter is mandatory. Real applicants take the time to learn about the position and explain why they are a good fit with their skills. People who just send a resume are just looking for a job and casting a wide net to see who bites. I've read thousands of resumes, and only hired one person that didn't send a cover letter.

Also, since I haven't seen it yet, have several people who you trust with grammar and punctuation review your resume before sending it out. Very few red flags compare on a resume like someone claiming to be "focused, detail oriented and professional " when they have typos on the page. The paper is your ambassador asking for a sit down negotiation - send it well groomed!

I'd be willing to give my perspective on your resume if you'd like another pair of eyes to review it. I do not have a mil background.