Kelly Williams ⋅ Newark, DE Stars to Stripes Military Transition Assistance ⋅ 10 years experience

Nicholas,

If you message me your email address I can send you a corporate and federal resume template to work off of.

My company also provides free resume critiques to all military service members. You can submit your resume to us via email or by using our secure online submission form:

Email: Info@ExpertResumeSolutions.com
Form: http://expertresumesolutions.com/freeresumereview/

Please allow 3-5 business days for completion. We use two different formats for corporate and federal applications. I can send you examples of each to get you started.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kellywilliamsmaresca

Thank you for your service.

Warmest Regards,
Kelly Williams

Career Strategist & President

Security Cleared Careers

Expert Resume Solutions

Business: (732) 686-6455

Email: info@expertresumesolutions.com

www.ExpertResumeSolutions.com


Job Board: wwww.SecurityClearedCareers.com

Glen Alleman ⋅ Longmont, CO Niwot Ridge LLC ⋅ 30 years experience

Nicholas, here's a webinar on building a resume that is very current from the employer's point of view
https://www.ivyexec.com/executive-insights/2016/executive-summary-how-to-tell-a-powerful-story-in-your-resume/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Webinar%20Follow%20Up%20-16-03-17-%20Executive%20Summary&utm_term=Webinar%20Follow%20Up%20-16-03-17-%20Executive%20Summary

The differences between Civil and Government very little in the end. The tone and tense vary, but the hiring manager is looking specific items as described in the webinar.

Jim Jones ⋅ Getzville, NY Fidelis Care ⋅ 35 years experience

Hi Nicholas, As Deb mentioned, make sure you weave all the elements of the KSA into your resume. There are dozens of free sites that can provide you with solid federal resume formats. The career transition office at the VA can also provide guidance. Good Luck.

G. Rino Fazio ⋅ Arlington, VA U.S. Department of State ⋅ 15 years experience

Just one comment, there is NO computer doing a key-word search for competitive civil service positions except in a very few agencies that receive hundreds of applications daily!

Robert Jurasek ⋅ Hollywood, FL Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ⋅ 45 years experience

Dear Nicholas,

Let me try to add to the great advice already posted.

The Resume Place (www.resume-place.com) offers free "Federal Resume Samples" and "Accomplishment Samples" as well as Free Builders to organize and showcase your experience using the Context-Challenge-Action-Results (CCAR) model. The samples and builders are listed under the Resources tab on their website (registration is free.)

Note: I was unable to completely access The Resume Place website using Firefox, but it opened correctly with Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Edge.

Ideally, you would use CCAR to provide two examples of each skill requirement that is listed in the job announcement. Whenever and wherever possible, you need to indicate that you are a Subject Matter Expert (SME,) which includes people turning to you for your advice or opinion on policies, procedures, etc.

After you document your experience, your Federal résumé can easily be 7-8 pages or longer, but as Advisor- Mark Aldridge suggested—the content matters much more than the actual length of the résumé.

One word of caution when using Microsoft Word. If the AutoCorrect feature for quotation marks is turned-on, quotation marks and apostrophes may appear as inverted questions marks (¿), after you copy and paste from Word to the job application website. The text initially will appear correct, but after you save and close the application then re-open it to check your work, you will see the inverted question marks. To turn off the AutoCorrect feature, click on File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type > then remove the check mark next to “Straight quotes” with “smart quotes.”

In my office, the format for the interview is a panel of three interviewers; 0:60 minutes to answer 10 questions; and you are provided with a blank piece of paper and a pencil (both of which must be returned after the interview.) I was not allowed to present any documents to the interviewers. The significance of this is that anything you want to be considered (a list of references, certificates, diplomas, and awards, for example,) must be uploaded to your application, along with your résumé, cover letter, and DD-214.

Thank you for your service, and good luck with your transition!

Sincerely,
Bob Jurasek

Mark Aldridge ⋅ Horseshoe Bend, ID FAA ⋅ 45 years experience

Nicholas,

Copy the vacancy announcement into Word and then build your response using the key words in the vacancy announcement. Weave your experience narrative so that it hits what the manager is looking for, while being truthful. Make it easy for the reviewer to determine that you are qualified for the job!

The first screening will be by an HR type who likely knows nothing about the job, especially if it is technical. Spell everything out, they won't get acronyms - especially military ones.

USAJOBS has a timer so it pays to compose in Word and paste the response into the website. It is very frustrating to have work lost while you are thinking about what to say next,

There is an old adage that bigger/longer resumes get the Federal job. Not true today. The winning resume is the one that hits the bullseye not the BS.

Good luck!

Kristin Garcia ⋅ Norman, OK The University of Oklahoma, Tom Love Innovation Hub ⋅ 15 years experience

Nicholas,
I'm not aware of a site but I would recommend this knowing somebody who understands the computer system that reads resumes for USAJobs; use key words from the job description in your resume since the resumes are filtered through the system. Don't copy and paste, but be aware that the job responsibilities need to be reflected in your resume statements and that the system doesn't understand or see the Military jargon if not a part of the posting.
Your resume for civilian positions will require a little of the same but really make your quantifiable information stick out; i.e. number of people led, cost of budget, percentage of increase in success, etc. I'm happy to help.

Jeff Sanders ⋅ Deland, FL USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Nicholas. I retired in 2012 from a mid=level management position with the federal gov., GS-13. The last resume I did was in 2010. If you want to share your e-mail with me I will send you a copy, which was top notch at that time. You can send me an e-mail at fasjeff@yahoo.com if you want and i will reply with the attachment.

Samantha ONeil ⋅ Alexandria, VA SOS International, LLC ⋅ 15 years experience

Nicholas -- I have some experience in this area as well, previously working at three government agencies and recently transferring to the private sector. If you message me with your contact information, I will send you samples of my government vs. civilian resume and can take a look at your current resume and provide feedback from both sides, as well.

Thanks and good luck with your transition.
Samantha

Deb Yeagle ⋅ Tampa, FL Plan To Win, Inc. ⋅ 39 years experience

Nicholas-
Thanks for your service!
I have prepared several versions of resumes for both myself and my husband into lengthy versions of resumes needed for USAJobs. The key is to address all of the required KSAs and weave in all of the keywords from the job announcement. If you can message me with the most complete version of your resume and the complete job announcement then I can help you fill out the required details of your Civilian resume.
Deb