Jamie Doud ⋅ Houston, TX JRD Consulting; (Prior): Easton Sports ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Bryan, thanks for your service to our country. My Father was in the USAF.

I've been in H/R, recruiting, and general business for 30+ years.

Joel above provided a good starting place for you. Beyond that, here's some suggestions:

1) Put a "generic" logistics focused resume together, that you can "fine tune" to the particular industry/job you are applying to. I suggest a "chronological" resume of 1 or 2 pages at the most, depending on your years of experience and number of employers. At the top of the resume, have a short description of your main experience, goals, attributes/skills. Then start with your most recent employer (companies want to see what you've been doing in the last 1-3 years in particular), then go back in time from there (recruiters don't like gaps in time, explain any gaps). *Remember, you can have as many specific versions of your resume as you need, just make sure everything is truthful, and accurate. You can Google "logistics" resumes to see what pops up on the internet and possibly get a template to use for your resume?

*Please note: Most big companies use computer systems to "mine" for specific "buzz" words (years of experience, educational achievement, skills, etc.) and determine which resumes will make it to the recruiter/hiring mangers desk for review. With the economy the way it is today, most job openings will receive between 25-100+ resumes for each job opening. Make sure you review the job description for the opening you are applying to, and make sure your resume contains relevant/truthful "buzz" words. Make sure you are one of the first to apply for the job, or else you will be # 85 behind everyone else. It's a daily routine of looking in the AM and PM.

2) Always provide a cover letter (alot of recruiters won't even review your resume without one), develop a generic one that you will modify each time to the specific individual/company you are applying to (1 page maximum). Grab their attention in the first paragraph with your experience, skills (try to match some things they are looking for in their job description), and keep things concise and targeted. If they ask for salary history, make sure to provide it. If they ask what you want for salary in the new job, research the industry/city on Salary.com, etc., and provide a range based on your research and what you feel you are willing to accept for the work, travel, location, etc. Make sure the information in your cover letter is similar to your resume.

3) Once you have a strong resume, get onto LinkedIn (LI) and create a profile for yourself (great place to be seen, look for a job, and connect with and network with people you know and others yet to know). Make sure your profile matches the information in your resume. Keep LI update (this is where a majority of companies look for job candidates). * You might want to do a search on LI of people with your industry background, see what their LI profile looks like to give you an idea of what to include/structure in your LI profile.

You can also join various groups through LinkedIn that have to do with Logistics/Planning. This may be a good way to find employment, network with other like minded individuals, and stay up to date on changes in your industry.

4) When you do get an interview, it will most likely be on the telephone for 20-30 minutes. Have a "script" developed for phone interviews that has the following: Company name; name of person you will interview with; have a couple questions of your own to ask; have some answers to questions they will probably ask (what is your greatest achievement at work? what areas do you need improvement in? Name a time where you disagreed with your supervisor and what was the outcome? etc.). *You can Google most frequently asked interview questions on the internet and get a list and suggestions on how to answer. Some Search firms/temporary agencies also have some good tools to help with this (and they may be a good resource to send your resume to, and try and get a phone call with someone there). Google Logistics employment search firms to get you pointed in the right direction.

Finding/applying/interviewing for jobs is a job within itself. Understand this, and apply all the committment and energy you have to your military carrer, and you will do great!

Hope this helps Bryan, from one Irish boy to another, Best of Luck in all you do!

Jamie Ronald Doud

Bryan Kelly ⋅ Orlando, FL U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 13 years served

Thank you all for advice!

Perry Newman ⋅ Brooklyn, NY Perry Newman CPC/CSMS ⋅ 20 years experience

Bryan:

I am not a big believer of online help with a resume since it is a 1-way street without feedback, so in that regard I can't offer any sites for you to visit.

However if you email me your resume I will look it over and get back to you with an honest critique and some food for thought on how to polish it up. I have a good track record with people in the military with supply chain and logistics backgrounds so I think I can be of help.

perry@perrynewmaqn.com

Joel Carbon ⋅ Reston, VA ⋅ 25 years experience

Bryan,

If you haven't done so yet, reach out to the on-post ACAP personnel. They will get you pointed in the right direction. I used their expertise (even though I thought I didn't need them when I REFRAD) and their comments greatly helped with fixing my resume.The SMEs I sent it to after ACAP's first scrub provided highly positive comments on it, and it helped me get several job offers.

Hope this helps. Good luck.