Resume Help?

[OtterbatHellcat]

Asmo, that post was extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

Yes, that was pretty damn good.

Also, I wonder if his neighbors car alarm stopped going off in the middle of the night.

[fly boy]

Okay, now that I am on a real keyboard some further advice:

1) Get a Linked-In account and make it look like gold. Linked-In is NOT Facebook and don't treat it as such. Network with as many people that you *actually* know and have worked with. In today's job market the #1 way to land a job is through networking, and Linked-In is the #1 site that recruiters use. Jealously guard all your relationships on Linked-In and dont just accept every offer to link with random people. Look at every link through the eyes of a prospective employer. Know the Chief Scientist from a program you worked on that is at some SI - yup link up with them, the guy you met a burger joint one time - no ignore his request. There a metric fuck-ton of SI related people at Kirtland and I am sure you have interacted with a bunch of them - get on linked-in and start networking. You will be amazed.

2) Get your resume up on "indeed.com" - the days of Monster and careerbuilder are slowly dying - they are really only used by shitty 3rd party recruiters who comb through thousands of job postings and then try and sell your resume to the prospective employer/2nd party recruiter. Indeed is the new hot-spot for all the quality recruiters (linked-in is still the #1).

3) Figure out what kind of work you *want* to do. As a 2w2xx at NWC you have a lot of skill sets that can be translated to civilian jobs, but what is it you *love* to do. Realize that your passion may not pay the best, but don't just take a job because someone offers it. Tailor your resume to the career field you want. Yes tailor it to each application to make - but they should all be in the same career field.

4) Take advantage of the career transition workshops that are offered. Sometimes they bring in some REALLY big guns to help people with resumes and the like. In several cases I have watched people get hired there purely because they had a decent resume - but more importantly they were engaging with the presenter. They asked great questions and made themselves known. The soft-skills are more important when you are trying to land the job - focus on them. I have watched EVPs of major corps come in to do a skill-set workshop, they usually don't say their official title.

5) Again, and I cannot stress this enough. Tell me what you accomplished - not what your job skills were. Tell me why you are the one I should take a gamble on. Show me that you accomplish your goals and exceed them. Show me that when I give you a challenge that you will rise to the occasion and give me outstanding results. Tell me what RESULTS you provided in your job. I cannot tell you the number of resumes that I toss on the floor because all they do is tell me what their job description is; and I have looked through a metric fuck ton of previous military/first time civilian resumes.

6) Know that many employers, especially the major companies, have specific groups within HR devoted and dedicated to military hiring. Find those people (remember Linked-In) and reach out to them. Tell them straight up that you are transitioning and looking for information. They will bend over backwards to help you.

Good info, thank you.


How far should I have information? I have information I can go back 10 years, but I know it wouldn't really help. Should I keep to only recent accomplishments i.e. the past 3 years?

[Irving]

I'd put the most relevant info in, regardless of how long ago it was, and just be prepared to fill in the gaps if anyone asks.

[asmo]

How far should I have information? I have information I can go back 10 years, but I know it wouldn't really help.

Go back in your job history as long as you think its relevant. 10 years is fine - so as long as you can show how it relates to the field that you want to be in, and how the experience and accomplishments are relevant.

Should I keep to only recent accomplishments i.e. the past 3 years?

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. For every single job you have done in the past - state your accomplishments, what RESULTS you achieved. I don't care if you were a lifeguard in your teens, if it is relevant put it on:

e.g. "Developed new training methodology that increased lifeguard certification test scores by 23% reducing drowning fatalities by 81% across the state". or "Tracked product engineering and release schedules while implementing new product marketing strategies that resulted in four successful beta customers and three successful product releases."

Those show me a result, it showed me that what you did made a bottom-line difference. It showed me that you have the ability to take something and make it real and drive it home. For a resume reader it did it succinctly and gave them hard numbers (always a plus - but sometimes you can't do it but anything helps), that means you immediately go to the top of the pile.

[HoneyBadger]

Flyboy, did you get my PM?

[fly boy]

Flyboy, did you get my PM?

I did thank you. I will be taking a few people up on their PMs. Hopefully tomorrow I will have it all mapped out. Thanks again all

[hurley842002]

Looks like flyboy is all squared away, so I hope he doesn't mind a minor thread jack with a resume question of my own.

I've got a very nice resume laid out for myself, but it consists of skills and experience as it relates to ten years in corrections. I'm no longer in the department and am applying to various companies to keep me busy until school starts this summer.

I guess my question is, do I submit my resume as is, to places like American furniture warehouse, or do I try and re work it to pertain to the job I'm applying for.

Sorry if it seems like a lame question, but starting with the department when I was 21 and being there 10 years, doesn't leave me much experience with this stuff. Thanks for any input.

[asmo]

I guess my question is, do I submit my resume as is, to places like American furniture warehouse, or do I try and re work it to pertain to the job I'm applying for.

Always tweak the resume - at a bare minimum for the industry you want to work in, preferably for the job you are applying for.

[fitz19d]

If it wasn't already posted in here. Don't forget this thread for once you get the interview.

[fly boy]

If it wasn't already posted in here. Don't forget this thread for once you get the interview.

I will. I have about 6 months until I will be extremely active in finding a job. I am currently getting all my ducks together before I get them in a row. Enlistment is up in November