Michael Earner ⋅ Newton, MA Advocates United, LLC ⋅ 8 years experience

Hello George, I have never been hired by the VA; however, I have applied for and was offered numerous government positions. My suggestion is to be extremely descriptive in your resume. Civilians like one page resumes; however, my understanding of government recruiters is that they like everything, in great detail. I served for almost 10 years and that portion of my federal resume is 13 pages. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and I will gladly look over your federal resume and see if I can make some recommendations.

Olya Schaefer ⋅ Saint Petersburg, FL ⋅ 9 years experience

All government jobs are given to friends and family, there is zero chance you'll even get a call back unless you are referred and brought in. I don't know how you can get a job in the VA but I do know you aren't likely to, so I'd say just look elsewhere. All civilian job placements are a complete racket.

Andrea Gnilka ⋅ Springfield, VA Deloitte ⋅ 5 years experience

Hi George,

As someone who has used USAJobs in the past to apply for positions with the Federal government, and as someone who works closely with folks at the VA, I can tell you that the preference for hiring veterans is strong. However, you need to be able to demonstrate with your resume that you have the experience in the job description that they are posting. Often this can be time-consuming, but it is worth it to make sure that you tailor your resume for each position, as there is often text recognition software involved in weeding out applicants who do not meet the experience requirements. It is used as a time-efficient way of sifting through thousands of resumes. All jobs for the VA will be posted on USAJobs, but getting through the software checkpoints is the first step to getting your resume in front of an actual person. Making sure you have tailored your resume to that posting (often using exact language to describe your experience) will be key. You are already getting preference points for being a Veteran, so use that to your advantage! Additionally, Deloitte has ample opportunities to work at helping Federal agencies to solve some of their biggest problems, so solving problems in a management consulting position is a good idea as an alternative.

Best,

Andrea

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

George,

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

Neil Serafin ⋅ Easthampton, MA Telecommunications ⋅ 40 years experience

Be determined. Go to the VA hospital near you. Ask to speak to the head of HR. Tell that person you want to be HR employee. Ask if HR will be posting jobs. Get in front of the decision makers.

Susana Moraga ⋅ Hayward, CA California State University East Bay ⋅ 20 years experience

George,
Have you contacted the recruiters for the positions you have applied for? They can be very helpful with tips and what to make sure you include.