Volume Number 2   -   Issue Number 11   -   Early August
 
  This issue's FEDERAL CAREER COACH FEATURE QUESTION TOPIC:
"How to Market Military Skills for Civilian Employment"

The FEDERAL CAREER CORNER(TM) is a free bi-monthly e-newsletter sponsored by The Resume Place, Inc., Kathryn K. Troutman, President; Jessica Coffey, Managing Editor, editor@resume-place.com.
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WHAT'S IN THIS NEWSLETTER?

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FEDERAL CAREER COACH FEATURE QUESTION



How to Market Military Skills for Civilian Employment

Kathryn Troutman, our Federal Career Coach, and The Resume Place’s Federal Career Guru, liked the response Eric Brass of http://www.resumeprose.com/ gave to this question, and wanted to share it with you:

Federal Jobseeker Question:

I am preparing to ETS from the military in January 2005. I am looking for some advice as to the best way to take the skills I have developed while in the service and convert them to a new career.

Response:

I do some consulting work in this area, so here are some suggestions that I hope will help.

First, find a mentor, ideally someone in the industry in which you'd like to work. That person can provide a lot of insight into both the hows of your transition, and the whys. The civilian workforce can be culturally very different that that of the military, and you want to have every advantage.

Second, buy the best suit you can afford. First impressions are important. Also, don't go to networking events in uniform. (Believe it or not, I've seen people do it.)

Third, translate your resume to "civi-speak." CO becomes CEO, XO becomes VP, etc.

Fourth, start plugging in to civilian professional organizations in the areas in which you are interested in working and volunteer-- I can't emphasize the latter enough. Once you chip in, doors open that you might otherwise have not even known existed.

Fifth, network even when you don't need a job.

Sixth, help others get ahead. It's never wrong to do right.

Seventh, learn how to informational interview and do it. The key is never to ask for leads. Rather, you want to learn more about the person you're interviewing, what he or she likes about their career, and how they have handled transitions.

Eighth, be creative. It's easy to snag the first government contractor job that comes along. But there are lots of cool jobs out there, and you may have the luxury of taking your time.

Ninth, follow-up. Keep the people who help you with your search posted. You'd be amazed how rarely this happens.

Tenth, enjoy your job search. Finding a job that you love can help you understand more about yourself and others.

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FEDERAL JOB NEWS

  • Converting Civilian Pay to a GS Scale
    From http://www.fedjobs.com:

    $14,000 - $20,000
    Three months of general experience or a high school diploma (including or equivalent to (EQ) GS-1 through GS-2).

    $17,000 - $22,000
    Six months of general experience or one year of education beyond high school (including or equivalent to (EQ) GS-3).

    $19,000 - $25,000
    One year of general experience or one year of education beyond high school (including or equivalent (EQ) to GS-4).

    $22,000 - $39,000
    Three years of general experience or at least one year of professional experience or a bachelor's degree (including or equivalent to (EQ) GS-5 and GS-8).

    $33,000 - $62,000
    One or more years of responsible and independent experience related to the job or a Masters or higher degree (including or equivalent (EQ) to GS-9 through GS-12).

    $57,000 - $88,000
    One or more years of highly responsible and independent experience directly related to the job to be filled (including or equivalent (EQ) to GS-13 to GS-14).

    $79,000 & above
    More than one year of highly responsible and independent experience directly related to the job to be filled, frequently requires supervisory or managerial skills (including or equivalent (EQ) to GS-15).

    $109,100 - $133,700
    Senior Executive Service (SES) -- The SES is a gradeless system in which salary is linked to performance, not positions.


  • The Changing World of Keywords

    "Until recently resume keywords were referred to as buzz words. Many people were taught to write their resumes using the right verbs, adverbs and adjectives. The new key words are primarily proper names, nouns and skills." To read more of the "What are Your Career Keywords?" article, go to http://www.federaldaily.com/jobs/keywords.htm,

  • Pentagon Hiring More Than 100 Auditors

    As reported by Elizabeth Newell of govexec.com on July 13th, the Defense Department plans to use its direct-hire authority to recruit more than 100 experienced auditors needed immediately to help comply with a 1990 financial management law. Go to http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0704/071304e1.htm for full article.


  • Ask Kathryn -- FEDERAL JOB SEARCH FORUM

    Get your federal job search questions answered via the The Resume Place’s Federal Job Search Forum! This is a FREE service to facilitate communication about federal job search challenges by jobseekers, federal career professionals, and human resources managers. Kathryn Troutman, Federal Job Search Expert and Career Coach, will respond to your questions and other federal jobseekers might write back with insight they have discovered as well. There will be a lot of interesting, helpful information shared. Please join our forums at: http://www.federalresumeplace.com/forum/index.php?a=forum&f=5&PHPSESSID=5e8157f330a86c5eb6ccc73fb01351bc


  • Corporate Gray Online - provides free career transition services to the military community, including Corporate Gray Job Fairs, http://209.147.75.100/jobfairs.htm.
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FEDERAL CAREER JARGON

Direct Hire Authority =

An agency’s ability to directly fill positions with individuals who meet minimum qualifications without going through the regular application/hiring process. This is done for mission critical occupations (for example, Auditors at SEC or Security and Telecom professionals at DHS) and shortage category occupations (such as IT Security jobs and Arabic-fluency positions for Iraq Reconstruction). You can do a search on USAJOBS for Direct Hire positions, http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/jobsearch.asp?q=direct+hire&salmin=&salmax=&FedEmp=N&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=0&SUBMIT1.y=0.

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FEDERAL RESUME AND KSA WRITING TIPS

KSA Preparation

An HR manager at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture was recently asked to identify a common problem she sees when reviewing applications. The response:

  • #1 problem = applicants are not reading/following directions


  • #2 problem = applicants are unable to write KSAs
KSA writing can be difficult, tedious, and over-whelming. You need to tell stories; you need to sell your skills in relation to the position; you need to include keywords; you need to remember the rules of grammar; and you need to proofread, edit, and check the document again. The task can seem less daunting if you break it down into steps and follow the CCAR (Context, Challenge, Action, Result) model. Do not attempt to sit down and respond to all of the KSAs at once. Work on one at a time. Create lists of examples you have that relate to the KSA, skills you gained, and keywords you can include. Then select the strongest two examples to use for the KSA and begin to write your stories.

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THE WORLD OF ACRONYMS AND AGENCIES

  • LOC (Library of Congress) - The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with nearly 128 million items on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves. Visit www.loc.gov/hr/employment/jobposts.html to see what positions are available.

  • MMS (Minerals Management Service) - This Federal agency manages the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf (OCS). The agency also collects, accounts for and disburses more than $5 billion per year in revenues from Federal offshore mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands. Available positions can be found at https://jobs.quickhire.com/scripts/mms.exe

  • MSPB (Merit Systems Protection Board) - The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent, quasi-judicial agency in the Executive branch that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems. MSPB currently has one opening for a Legal Assistant, GS-05/06, http://www.mspb.gov/business/humanresource.html
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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, & EVENTS

  • Learn More About Federal Resume and KSA Writing Basics, Where to Find Federal Jobs, and How to Analyze Announcements

    The Resume Place will offer a FREE hour-long teleclass on Thursday, September 9th, at 12 noon, EST. A great time to ask your federal career questions. Sign up now.


  • Attend Resume "Take Control of Your Federal Career," Place's Four-Part Workshop Series

    ***Sign Up for August or September Classes!***

    • Course 1: Vacancy Announcement Search & Key Word Analysis
      (Monday, September 13)

    • Course 2: Federal Resumes That Compete - The Newest Techniques in Federal Resume Writing (Monday, September 20)

    • Course 3: Writing your KSAs with the CCAR - Your Best Stories!
      (Monday, August 23, or Monday, September 27)

    • Course 4: Electronic Resume Writing Strategies - Keywords, Accomplishments & Standing Out! (Monday, August 30, or Monday, October 4)
    Click here to find out more!
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    RESUME PLACE SUCCESS STORIES

    • Edit Service Really Helps!

      "I want to thank you (and the rest of the folks at Resume Place) again for all your assistance throughout this project. The "Ten Steps to a Federal Job" book was a tremendous help in getting started down the right path before coming to you for "final editing". I am definitely looking forward to some positive results out of the new Resumix. Let’s hope the Selection Officials are as impressed with the resume as I am."
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    THE RESUME PLACE PRODUCTS & SERVICES @ http://www.resume-place.com/shop/

  • The Resume Place Has a New Book --

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  • Federal Resume Edit and Design

    Have you written your Federal resume, but would like a professional editor and designer to improve it? For just $250, we'll edit and design your federal or private industry resume. http://www.resume-place.com/shop/?page=shop/browse&category_id=49b4819720199bb90ab4820dab6b7eec


  • Interview Training

    Get ready for your next interview with general interview prep materials, position-specific questions to practice with, a telephone mock interview, plus a critique and Q+A session. Work with an expert Interview Coach to learn strategies that will help you Win the Job! www.resume-place.com/shop/?page=shop/browse&category_id=8ff6b75552eeed41fffc4ab8099a1f6f
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    FEDERAL CAREER CORNER™, Volume 2, No. 11, Early August 2004
    The latest Federal Job Search news from The Resume Place, Inc. and Kathryn Troutman, Publisher

    Featuring: "How to Market Military Skills for Civilian Employment," Federal Job News, Federal Resume and KSA Writing Tips, The World of Acronyms and Agencies, and much more!

    Read the entire online newsletter here:
    www.resume-place.com/newsletter/vol_2_issue_11.html

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