resume help

[beakie]

so after 6 1/2 years serving in the military I am getting back into the civi world.
than got a call today to attend an interview Monday for a position I had applied for.
thing is, I need a professional looking resume, and I haven't put one together in over 7 years. Now my base has people who will help us get back into the civi world, including resume's. but this is the summer leave block for most people here and the people who would normally help me are on vacation.

so I am wondering if anyone knows of an online resource that I can enter some info into and get a basic resume out of. I would refine it, and add my own pieces here and there, but I really am at a loss on the basics here.

The position is for a special security team, and my military experience needs to be expanded on, should I put that into the resume, or add a seperate document which outlines my skills and experiences?

thanks for the help

 

[SCW]

Some people write a generic resume once and stuff it into every application they can find. I don't. I'd write the resume explicitly for the job you are applying for, don't leave off any work you did, but give good discriptions about what is relevant.

Try to keep the resume to about a page. Most of page 2 will be ignored anyway, so formatting and descriptions are what will sell. All the resume is doing is getting you an interview- which you have- so use it to keep your name at the top of the list.

 

[jeeplas]

If you have word on your computer there is usually a template that will walk you through it.

 

[yardape]

Aside from being a piece of paper that gets your foot in the door, its also a document that shows that you can organize your thoughts, and communicate them effectively while creating a grammatically correct document that is void of spelling errors.

I'm familiar with 2 formats: One is basically a list of jobs you've had and under each job you list your skills and accomplishments followed by any specialized training. Where that wouldn't be appropriate is if you've had a number of jobs where you've done basically the same thing in each position. In that case you would list all your special skills and accomplishments followed by the places you've worked.

Someone mentioned that there was a resume wizard in Word. There is and you can use it as a starting place but if it were me I'd perhaps use it as another reference to get ideas from but otherwise do my own.

After you go for your interview, follow up with a thank you letter even if its clear that the job isn't yours. You never know,... while your interviewer may not need your skills, he or she may know someone who does. The thank you letter shows that you know how to do things the right way.

Good luck with it.

 

[Jeepsloth]

I know what you’re going through. I spent 21 years in Army Aviation. When I retired I made the leap to the corporate world and into a completely unrelated field. Just look on line and you’ll see a lot of examples of resumes. A resume isn’t meant to fill in all the blanks, it’s meant to give an overview. If they are interested they will ask for more details.

You're probably going to have better luck with a Targeted Resume or a Functional Resume.

A Targeted Resume is a resume that is customized so that it specifically highlights the experience and skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for. So basically what you do is read the job listing where it lists the qualifications, training and experience that are desired and make sure that your resume addresses each of these areas.

The Heading should list your name, address, contact numbers and email addresses. One thing about email addresses, if you have some crazy email address like [email protected] go get a free email address from hotmail or gmail that has your name or something more professional in it.

Next part is the Summary of Professional Qualifications or Summary of Qualifications. List things that you can do or have done that are related to the job you are seeking, use a bullet format.
Written and Verbal Skills (op orders, developing mission plans and so on, computer skills)
Training stuff (trained E-1’s and up on various tactical and technical stuff)
Leadership stuff (developed, mentored, coached junior soldiers/leaders…)
Management stuff

Next is the Experience Part. List your Jobs from newest to oldest, use your actual military job title as a heading and then summarize what you did using a bullet format

Finally is the Education/Training part. In this case I would emphasize the military training first then any education after that. Use a reverse chronological sequence here as well.

 

[90Blue_XJ]

If you have word on your computer there is usually a template that will walk you through it.

Then you just need a cover letter that is specific to the particular job you are interveiwing for. Good Luck and Thanks for your service to the country.

 

[RichP]

Go here, sign up and use the cpol resume builder.
https://cpolst.belvoir.army.mil/public/resumebuilder/builder/index.jsp

Oh, one other trick, when you save your resume on YOUR computer use your name as the file name, that way when you email it out as an attachment it gets saved as your name, makes it easy for the employer to find..

 

[beakie]

thanks all,
With the advice here and a few PM's I've received I feel pretty confident about what I'll put together.

I have already done the physical & psychological testing for this position, and have been invited back for a personal interview. If I pass this, I return next weekend for more psychological testing.

I feel pretty good about my chances. But the added tips and tricks are helping that much more.

 

[Ray H]

Im job searching myself right now.
Keep your resume to two pages. If you have lots of experience or schools you wont be able to go into much detail without going into another page so keep it brief. I have a basic resume saved in word then I have several variants that are specific to the jobs Ive applying to. Always attach a cover letter that explains and elaborates on your relevant skills in better detail. There are probably hundreds of examples of resumes on line. You need to find one that suites your work, school history the best. Some of them will emphasize you schooling, some will emphasize work history.

 

[PolishX]

biggest thing is turn military crap into civilain lingo . NCO Prepatory class or whatever becomes Immediate Supervior Training course . or Supervisory Training Course . etc. too many people toss resumes in the trash when they see it looking like a military performance evaluation form .