SES Consultants and Writers

Diane Hudson Burns

Co-Author, The New SES Application with Kathryn Troutman (Available Oct. 2011)
Leader / Curriculum Designer, Senior Executive Service Workshop
Certified Federal Job Search Trainer & Counselor
Senior Executive Service Strategist & Writer / SES Project Manager
Certified Federal Resume Writer & Consultant
Certified Leadership & Talent Management Coach
Federal Government Resumes & Applications Procedures Specialist
Military Transition Authority

Diane Hudson Burns is a multi-credentialed career coach and executive resume writer and editor, specializing in posturing federal and non-federal employees to enter the federal government’s Senior Executive Service (SES). She is an expert in writing SES and ECQ packages, coaching clients to define their strengths, and persuasively demonstrate writing their decision-making and leadership abilities, by “telling their leadership stories,” according to the ECQ leadership competencies/requirements. She skillfully analyzes clients’ core leadership qualifications and maps them to the ECQ competencies. Diane is an experienced trainer and co-trainer in Federal Resume, SES, ECQ/TQ, and KSA writing topics for SES Leadership Development program candidates at the Naval Ship Yard at Capitol Hill, and Air Force Leadership; for military employment readiness specialists and retiring military; as well as train-the-trainer at industry conferences internationally on outplacement and career search topics.

As an award winning resume writer, her achievements include “Best Executive Resume” award by PARW/CC. Her resumes, cover letters, and case studies are published in more than 60 books and periodicals including co-author of The New SES Application (publication August 2011); chapter author on military to civilian transition in the Federal Resume Guidebook, Third, Fourth & Fifth Editions; chapter author on the SES and the new 5-page SES resume-based application in the Federal Resume Guidebook, Fifth Edition; case study author for Ten Steps to a Federal Job, Second Edition, and multiple case studies author for Creating Your High School Resume, Third Edition. She writes columns and articles for numerous organizations and serves as the Veteran Expert for Job-Hunt.Org and as the Federal Expert for Workforce50.com.

Diane formerly held a federal job as a Special Agent Investigator for the Department of Defense, and was a Recruiter/Employment Specialist for a major aerospace corporation in Los Angeles, California. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from California State Polytechnic University, and a number of industry credentials. Diane is an active member of the Board of Directors, Professional Association of Resume Writers/Career Coaches (PARW/CC) and Creator and Director of the Certified Professional Career Coach program; and an active member of the Career Management Alliance, as the monthly Federal Facts facilitator, and winner of the first annual Career Industry Mentor Award, 2010. She also serves as an outplacement coach for such organizations as CareerBuilder.

Diane has navigated four international moves, living abroad for 12 years, and in the Washington, DC/Baltimore corridor for five years.

Nicole Schultheis

Certified Federal Job Search Trainer & Counselor
Certified Federal Resume Writer & Consultant
Senior Executive Service Adviser & Writer
ALJ Team Lead

Nicole Schultheis is a lawyer who ran a busy litigation practice in Baltimore for 20 years before stepping back from trial work to become more engaged in narrative writing, editing and consulting. Nicole’s career management strategy for job applicants is informed by a history of working with (and opposing!) expert witnesses of every stripe in state and federal court litigation, as well as by representing businesses and employees in employment-related disputes. She has decades of experience working with professionals in a variety of legal, medical, financial, engineering and scientific fields. As a narrative writer, Nicole offers Resume Place clients the opportunity to tell the “story” of their careers and their successes in a way that is powerful, engages the reader, and provides necessary detail. A long time continuing professional education planner and presenter, Nicole is also an expert in writing SES and ECQ packages, coaching legal professionals who aspire to become federal Administrative Law Judges, and helping other senior level professionals and executives flesh out their strengths in keeping with the ECQ leadership competencies. She has helped SES Development Leadership program candidates strengthen their narrative essays at the Naval Ship Yard in Washington, D.C. and at the Air Force ECQ Writing Course held in Southbridge, Massachusetts, with Kathryn Troutman and Diane Burns.

Nicole Schultheis is the President of the Maryland Writers’ Association, 2010-2012. She is also an accomplished technical and science writer who lends her writing expertise to the federal government and to scientific institutions on an ongoing basis. She is the author of a number of law-related articles and book chapters in legal treatises.

Nicole’s Resume Place clients often write to her in gratitude for the effort she has put into helping them craft application materials that reflect positively upon their levels of achievement, and have helped them attain the positions they have sought.

Julie Jasper

Certified Federal Resume Writer & Consultant

Julie Jasper is an experienced writer who joined the Resume Place team in 2008. She has had an extensive career as a consultant providing research, analysis and writing support to a variety of government and nongovernmental clients. Julie has written extensively for job seekers in military, legal, congressional and technical positions, as well as those making tough career transitions from the private sector to federal employment. Her expert knowledge of Kathryn Troutman’s outline format resume and her understanding of federal human resources allows her to provide effective and successful job application materials.

The expert writing and communication skills Julie employs have yielded numerous successful SES application packages. When developing the SES resume and ECQ narratives, Julie focuses on integrating the SES core competencies while highlighting the applicant’s fundamental competencies. Her pointed interviews with clients facilitate a thorough understanding of the client’s capabilities and experience. Her precise writing style allows for the evidence of her client’s capabilities to shine. This results in a targeted yet comprehensive and cohesive SES application package.

Julie’s 20 years of experience as a consultant, analyst, and writer extends into legal research, treaty, intelligence and policy analysis, technical writing, operational needs assessments, as well as to Congressional decision-making support. She served as a rapporteur during high-level federal government initiatives, including treaty negotiations. She has developed legislative testimonial documentation as well as policies and procedures for government agencies and private industry. While earning her degree, Julie served as a legal assistant for two years in which she surveyed various legal documents, medical records, and studies that she summarized and consolidated into a database for use in court proceedings.

Julie had tapped into her communication skills and creative talents in developing her own business in which she provided oral and written guidance to homeowners and real estate agents that facilitated the sales process. She has also been actively engaged in community sports programs for which she has created and led three widely successful sports programs. Additionally, Julie has provided planning guidance to a community school supporting new educational initiatives.

Julie holds a master’s degree in International Affairs with a Certificate of Concentration in Security Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. In achieving this degree, Julie honed her skills in writing effective decision-support documents. Julie received an outstanding liberal arts education, attending Bucknell University, and holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Political Science with a minor in Education.

Julie’s goal is to highlight the talent and experience of the jobseeker. Her concise and engaging narrative style provides for expertly written KSA and ECQ narratives as well as finely tuned and focused resumes.

Lex Levin

Certified Federal Resume Writer & Consultant
Certified Senior Executive Service Writer & Adviser

As a Certified Federal Resume Writer, Lex uses his superior skills in research, writing, and analysis to help his clients succeed in the federal job search process. Lex is a confident analyst and editor, and knows how to present his clients in the best possible light, thanks to his strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Prior to joining The Resume Place, Lex worked as a private-sector consultant and public relations specialist in the foreign policy and medical/pharmaceutical fields, where he introduced and advocated complex policy and technological issues to a mass audience. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in International Relations.

As a Certified Senior Executive Service Writer, Lex works on Senior Executive Service (SES) consulting and writing projects, where he uses his proven skills in leadership and executive writing and coaching to position his clients for successful application to the upper reaches of the U.S. Civil Service.

Lex is also an experienced trainer, and helps Kathryn Troutman teach her popular “Ten Steps to a Federal Job™” One Day workshop in Maryland. Recent workshop participants have had this to say about Lex’s training: “Lex—Yesterday’s program was inspiring. You were great and offered a wide-angle insight into the federal hiring process…Many thanks for an incredible day.” “Thank you for your outstanding presentation yesterday. It was very beneficial. Please expect to hear from me in a few days.” “I am glad that you provided the seminar on Monday with the book and your special instructions. It will help my wife and I solve our employment problems both in and out of the federal domain, and we appreciate what you have done very much.”

Lex has contributed sample resumes to the 2nd edition of the Military to Federal Career Guide (July 2010) and to the Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition (September 2010).