Lex Levin ⋅ Northborough, MA Lex Levin, LLC ⋅ 13 years experience

Marion,

I'm a professional full-time resume writer specializing in Vet to Fed transitions. Happy to review your current resume and advise on next steps for both a Federal and a civilian resume. My site: www.lexlevinllc.com, use my Contact page to get in touch.

David Beall ⋅ Ashburn, VA U.S. Marine Corps, Master Gunnery Sergeant ⋅ 24 years served

www.purepost.co is a great veteran resume builder website. Build your profile, add your MOS/MOS’s, and when complete it has a button to export as resume. I am not saying this is a final product but it is a great start as it converts your military jobs and billets to civilian. It also gives all the bullets needed for each job that are customizable. All for free. Hope this helps.

Timon Smock ⋅ Manhattan, KS U.S. Army, Captain ⋅ 13 years served

Hello, Marrion.

First, a shameless plug: Mr. Steven Mathews guidance on STAR statements and other resume writing tips vaulted me the last 60% of the way to an effective resume that gets attention. The first 10% was the military's SFL-TAP, the next 30% was working with my ACP Mentor over a few weeks to hone resume and networking best practices. My resume now gets attention in Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) that hiring managers use to slim down the number of resumes they must look through.

Second, this stuff takes true disciplined effort. I was unprepared for the amount of effort it takes in job hunting.

Third, it was recommended to me not to use a resume template because templates often interfere with ATS algorithms. A simple format is what I use and it is so much easier to edit and has proved to be more very effective. Key words are so important! Here are some online resources I used to help me out with key words:

1. TagCrowd is a website that puts key words from any document into a cloud and makes the most "significant" words (Key Words) the largest in the word cloud. https://tagcrowd.com/.

2. JobScan is another website that evaluates your resume against a job announcement and gives your resume a "Match Rating" in the form of a percentage. It was recommended to me that this percentage should be around 60%; any higher and you may appear overqualified; any lower and you may look underqualified. https://www.jobscan.co/

I hope the advice you receive from ACP is helpful. The relationship with my ACP mentor has been invaluable.

Sincerely,
-Timon M. Smock

Jim Schreier ⋅ Milwaukee, WI 212 Leadership/Career Coaching ⋅ 50 years experience

Some different, sometimes strong advice in a couple of articles I've posted to this site -- particularly pointing out some mistakes that military tend to make with resumes and job search. Also lots more advice at 212-careers.com. And always willing to review and help with crafting a more effective resume.

Jacinda Chan ⋅ Sacramento, CA TruthOut ⋅ 5 years experience

You can email your resume to jacinda@cal.berkeley.edu, and I will write one for you.

Gail Baccetti ⋅ Lake Geneva, WI Retired ⋅ 42 years experience

Marion, I'm on vacation now, but would be happy to work with you either by phone or via email after January 4. If you still need help then, you can get in touch with me at gbaccetti@hotmail.com.

Happy Holidays!

Gail Baccetti

Thomas Poulin ⋅ Chesapeake, VA Current: Capella University / Former: Virginia Beach Fire Department (30 years) ⋅ 14 years experience

Hi Marrion,
What type of career are you considering?
Tom

Steven Mathews ⋅ Spring, TX The Boeing Company ⋅ 40 years experience

I have a process using a resume format that can yield a phone call for an interview within 24-72 hours after submitting your job application and resume. I have read several resumes prepared by professional resume writers that show they do not have a clue on how to write a Top 1% Resume. I include an example of a Naval Officer who took his military-oriented resume and transformed it into a Top 1% Resume using this process. His Top 1% Resume resulted in being hired for a Corporate-level position at a Fortune 500 Company within 1 week after applying. I will work with you for free to assure you end up with a Top 1% Resume. slmathews99@gmail.com

Henry ("Dr. Hank") Stevens ⋅ Fort Lauderdale, FL Human Resources Quality Assurance, LLC (Now Retired) ⋅ 50 years experience

VERY short answer - get the book WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE by Bolles - I think the 2019 edition is out. When I orient a new client to my vocational counseling services, that book is required reading. MUCH great information within about resume writing, job seeking & interviewing skill tools.

Scott Vedder ⋅ Orlando, FL Signs of a Great Résumé: Veterans Edition ⋅ 21 years experience

Hi Marrion,

I'm happy to help. Start by creating a reverse chronological resume where you list each job and a few achievements and results you accomplished in each. Then consider whether that format serves you well in whatever job you're pursuing. A functional resume format is better when you're changing fields or when your military experience doesn't seem to align with your desired civilian job. Many of my best tips are on my web site at www.ScottVedder.com. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions.

Best wishes!
-Scott!