February 2015 |
Transition-e-news Volume 3 Issue 103 |
|
|
Sponsored By: |
Transition Insight
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."
|
 |
|
|
||||
|
|||||
Click here for a complete list and description of organizations of TAOnline.com growing Partners! |
 |
|
|
Military to Civilian Transitions - Resume Tips
by Barbara Adams, CPRW, CEIP, MFRW, MMRW, MFCA-T After leaving the military, many servicemen and women must find their first private-industry job or consider using their combat experience to advance their previous careers. One of the most difficult challenges in making this transition is translating military experience into marketable private-industry skills on your resume. Military experience can be simplified by the following four straightforward principles: Skip the Acronyms Acronyms exist in every career path — doctors, computer scientists and military generals all use them to simplify communication with colleagues. However when switching fields, you need to bear in mind that acronyms are not universally understood. Even within the services — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard — the same acronym can mean different things. Try to avoid acronyms, or, if absolutely necessary, be sure to spell them out the first reference. How It Would Look on a Resume: I arranged housing for new families on the base and assisted with soldiers making a Permanent Change of Station (PCS). Focus on Verbs, Not Nouns Military jobs tend to be very specific, leading many military applicants to focus too much on nouns. Private industry resumes focus more on verbs. For example, if you were a helicopter mechanic, you do not need to list every type of helicopter you repaired. Instead, you should find strong verbs that convey your transferable skills. For help translating your military skills to the civilian job market, check out Military.com’s MOS Decoder. How It Would Look on a Resume: Diagnosed mechanical problems in aviation equipment. Installed, maintained, calibrated and repaired sensitive navigation devices. Highlight Your Core Competencies Core competencies are also known as soft skills and help form the big picture of your skill set. How do all your skills relate to each other in a way that advances your organization’s mission? Transporting materials, coordinating logistics and ensuring timeliness are all aspects of being results-driven and detail-oriented. Highlight the core competency by making it the headline of your job experience narrative. You can use capital letters. How It Would Look on a Resume: PEOPLE SKILLS: Prepare and present oral and written briefings, reports analyses and recommendations to senior managers. Effectively communicate team strategies, goals, objectives, work plans, work products and services. Campaigns and Operations = Projects In private industry, people spend much of their time focused on projects. These projects may include a marketing initiative, new store opening or regular delivery of service to a customer. In the military, such projects are called campaigns or operations. In a resume, campaigns and operations can be highlighted just like a private-industry project. When describing your service, don’t be afraid to mention the overreaching operations in which you participate. You can also include a special "Record of Accomplishments" section to illustrate your dedication and ability to contribute to a broader mission. How It Would Look on a Resume: RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Operation Iraqi Freedom — Supervised three personnel engaged in managing the scheduling of more than 13,000 passengers and 30,000 pounds of equipment for air transportation. Manifested, prioritized and scheduled all flights for personnel and equipment moves in and out of Baghdad. The Takeaway? Translating your military experience for private industry is challenging but not impossible. These four principles can help you overcome roadblocks. Remember that your contribution in the service was part of a much larger campaign and mission. If you can serve your nation, you can do anything. Barbara Adams, President and CEO of CareerPro Global (CPG), the parent company of www.careerproplus.com and www.militaryresumewriters.com, has been a member of the careers community for the past 20 years. Ms. Adams holds four prestigious industry certifications. CareerPro Global is the only ISO 9001-2008 Certified Career Service in the industry, as well as one of the fastest-growing Military, Federal, and Civilian Resume-Writing and Careers-Coaching companies. The team of Certified Professional Federal and Military Resume Writers at CPG assist thousands of clients in applying for and gaining employment each year. We can help you land your military to civilian job. |
In Your Job Interview, Answer the Questions — Then Shut Up© Copyright, 2015, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved. A very important key to job interview success is knowing when to stop talking. First, we usually learn more when we listen rather than when we talk. As the old saying goes, two ears — but only one mouth — for a reason. Secondly, much damage can be done inadvertently when you share TMI (Too Much Information) in your job interviews. When to Stop Talking in a Job Interview? Short answer: when you've answered the question you were asked. Carefully listen to the questions you are asked. If you don't understand the question, STOP, and ask for clarification. When you are sure that you understand the question, demonstrating your excellent listening skills, answer that question. Then, stop talking. If there seems to be an extended silence and you have a question related to the question you were asked, asking now may be a good idea. The interviewer may be seeing if you will volunteer more information (TMI) to fill in the conversational gap. Better to ask a good question. For example, assume you are applying for a project manager position, and you are asked what information you would include in a project progress report. After you answer the question, you could then ask how often project reports are expected — daily, weekly, monthly, or some other time frame. That information would be good to know when you are evaluating the opportunity, and you could (perhaps) fine-tune your original answer based on the additional information specified. Do NOT add information about how crazy your current (or former) boss is, requiring daily progress reports. OR about the time you inadvertently sent the progress report to the client rather than to your boss — a big no-no. DO share how your boss frequently uses your progress reports as examples of "best practice" methods that new staff members should follow (if true!). So, don't over share (the crazy boss or the big mistake you made), but don't skip an opportunity to highlight an accomplishment. Important Job-Interview Don'ts Job candidates often sabotage their job interview performance by talking too much. So, don't feel responsible for making sure there's no "dead air" time in the interview by sharing more information about yourself. If the interviewer doesn't ask another question after you've answered one, ask a question of your own. People often blow opportunities by nervously filling up silence with things better left unsaid. Don't "trash" anyone. This is definitely time to showcase the positive side of your personality. Don't share personal details, like child care or parent care issues, a pending divorce or other troubled personal relationships, trouble with your personal finances, your addiction to online gambling (even at home), or other issues that could scare off an employer. The biggest problem with talking too much in a job interview is killing the opportunity by what is revealed. Why People Typically Talk Too Much in Job Interviews Job seekers don't usually try to fail at a job interview (although sometimes, as an interviewer, you do wonder about their motivation). Most job seekers want to succeed at job interviewing. The reasons they talk too much are usually one of the following three: 1. Inexperienced in job interviewing. Perhaps they are new to the job market and/or young and inexperienced in a successful job search process. Job interviewing is a completely new experience, and they're not sure how it works or how to succeed at it. On the other hand, many job seekers have been employed by the same employer for so long that they don't remember how job interviews work. Their last job interview was years — maybe decades — in the past. 2. Unprepared or not well-enough prepared. Fortunately, this one is easy to fix. Just read the articles in WorkCoachCafe and Job-Hunt.org about how to answer the typical job interview questions, develop your own answers, and practice in front of a mirror or with a friend a few times. You don't want to sound over-rehearsed, but you don't want to blow an opportunity by being unprepared. 3. Just plain nervous. Most job seekers are nervous when they interview for a job. Job interviews are stressful, sometimes very stressful! Most people are less nervous when they know they are well-prepared, so prepare as though the job offer hangs on it (because it might). Often, as you gain experience interviewing, the nerves become more calm. You know you can do it. I highly recommend that you try Dr. Amy Cuddy's "power poses" in private, before every job interview. Dr. Cuddy's research has shown that power poses actually reduce the stress hormone level in your blood, and increase the confidence hormone level. Exactly what you need before a job interview! Have Your Own Questions Ready Be sure to have questions of your own to ask. That shows both interest and preparation. Be sure that your questions aren't already answered on the employer website or in a Google search. Be prepared to succeed! Remember that they are (or should be) trying to impress you, too, and your questions of them will help you decide if you want to work for/with them. About the Author… Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 2011, NETability purchased WorkCoachCafe.com, and Susan has been editor and publisher of WorkCoach since then. Susan also edits and publishes Job-Hunt.org, is a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a columnist on HuffingtonPost. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Google+ |
Wounded warriors take battle to cyberspace
By Dawnthea Price
The Free Lance-Star (Tribune News Service) Wounded service members are learning new ways to protect the nation through the intricacies of cybersecurity training. Representatives from the Federal IT Security Institute and its Wounded Warrior Cyber Combat Academy were in Stafford County Monday to mark the program's progress. Jim Wiggins, FITSI's executive director, said the training helps wounded service members transition from their traditional military duties to the digital battleground, allowing them to continue serving the nation despite physical limitations. "We're just moving it from the physical battlefield to the cyber battlefield," he said. FITSI launched the academy in March 2013 with 20 students, either Wounded Warriors or spouses and caregivers, with the goal of training them in the technical aspects of cybersecurity, in the hope of sending them off to rewarding employment within the IT or defense industries. Wiggins said Walter Reed Army Medical Center has been instrumental in locating suitable candidates for the program, but that securing resources remains a top priority for the program. The 18- to 24-month course load, tests and other work costs around $9,500 per student. Nearly two years after starting, 12 of the original students--called Cyber Team 1--have stuck with the rigorous training and earned at least one certification on top of juggling surgeries, physical rehabilitation, family life and transitioning. Marines Staff Sgt. Christopher Robinson and Sgt. Miroslav Kazimir said the work, while challenging, has been rewarding in so many ways. "The progress has been awesome to see," Robinson said. "We opened this not even knowing what's inside a computer." "Now you understand all the things you were doing wrong," Kazimir said. "It's great to look back and go, 'Man, we did that.'" Both men remain on active duty while working with the academy--and constantly juggle the workload with other duties. Kazimir, for instance, is interning at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and undergoing additional medical care while caring for his newborn child and remaining up to date on the latest tools and tricks of the trade. "Once you get a certification, you can't just stop. You continue to learn as much as possible," Robinson said. "We try to stay as current as we can. It works out, but it's a balance between the courses and our families." Robinson, who hopes to apply his new skills in the field of digital forensics, said the school maintains a tight-knit community while providing new opportunities. Rick Cobert, business development administrator for the county, said the students' determination to learn a new career to serve their country exemplified a core strength. "Adversity doesn't build character," he said. "It reveals it." The academy received a $7,500 check from the Raytheon Co. office in Stafford Monday. The money will go toward the education of a student in as many as 12 information technology certifications. Jeff Speights, manager of Raytheon's Stafford office, said he was introduced to the academy by Wendy Maurer, a former colleague. Speights, who served in the Marines, said the foundation that oversees the academy keeps Wounded Warriors "at its heart and soul." Maurer, a member of the Stafford Economic Development Authority involved with FITSI, said she had been "both feet in" since finding the foundation. "It's forward-thinking, hopeful and makes them feel like there's a future," she said. "They epitomize this spirit we have in this country." By taking wounded warriors and training them as cyberwarriors, Speights said, the academy goes "above and beyond" what other philanthropic organizations can provide for Wounded Warriors. "Jim Wiggins' organization is educating them, training and certifying these warriors, and then helping to place them into very substantive employment positions where they can help themselves and help their families," Speights said. "I can't think of a greater cause than our company can be involved in." dprice@freelancestar.com |
Creative ResumesUsed by permission HRNasty.com Are you using a creative resume template? Have you incorporated color or design elements into your resume? Are you using an artistic design template found on the Internet? For 95% of candidates, including myself, I believe that we are hurting ourselves when we incorporate design elements into our resume. Most creative resumes that use multiple colors, fancy font’s, columns or text boxes are hurting the candidate. I was just asked for my opinion on creative resumes templates and I found myself biting my lip. A creative resume might make a good initial impression, but in the end hurts the candidate. I thought about my answer for a few long sentences and provided a two-stage answer. I gave my disclaimer that I didn’t care for them. I then provided my reasoning and business logic behind my opinion. Attempts at aesthetic resumes fail for 95% of candidates and I see enough of these resumes that I figured it was worth a post. As someone working in HR, I see a lot of resumes every week. My perspective on this topic is the forest view and not the individual tree. When candidates incorporate design into their creative resumes, they often have the perspective of only seeing the single tree. THE "FOREST PERSPECTIVE" ON CREATIVE RESUMES Hiring managers see a lot of resumes so they absolutely know what looks good and what doesn’t. Outside of our personal documents, most of us have only seen a handful of resumes. Most recruiters and hiring managers have seen 100’s if not 1000’s of resumes, and consequently they know aesthetic, creative resumes when they seem them. The flip side of this is they know bad looking resumes and because of their exposure, it’s easy to spot a candidate that had good intentions, executed poorly. If you are a designer working in digital, or a front-end developer, then by all means you should have a creative resume with beautiful aesthetics. I wouldn’t consider it a "requirement" but it should look cleaner and easier to read then the rest of the stack. Thoughtful design is the first step to user engagement and what better place to prove it than then your creative resume? Most of us will not be hired for our design chops so artistic flair won’t be missed. I say that again, elements of design WILL NOT BE MISSED. No recruiter is judging your document with a check list where one of the boxes is titled "artistic talent". If you fail when playing Pictionary, don’t go there. Traditional black and white resumes are safe and won’t get you in trouble. Hiring managers are not going to take a look our resume and say, "We can’t hire this person. They are perfectly qualified, but that resume is a User Experience nightmare". I have no artistic talent. I suck at Adobe Illustrator, Smelly markers and the Etch-a-Sketch. I don’t worry about it because I am not going to be hired for my ability to design the Careers page on the company web site. My job is to smile and man the booth. If you want to see a beautiful document, look at the resume of a designer or User Experience professional. These candidates are paid to make visuals that are not only easy to look at but engaging. These candidates not only studied their craft professionally, they usually have an innate and natural talent for making presentations "easy to look at". Just because we know how to change the color of a font or insert a text box, doesn’t mean we should. Emotionally, it is easy to think we are doing something special when we add a splash of color but if you are not able to create a compelling info graphic, then I recommend you stay away from the creative resume. The bar is just too high. Most of us have very little experience creating resumes, let alone adding aesthetics. Now is not the time to go for the Daily Double. Our attempts at flair not only pale in comparison to the design candidate’s resume, they can actually look pathetic. There is a reason you won’t catch me standing next to Brad Pitt or George Clooney in any setting. I don’t want to set myself up for failure by comparison. Reviewing resumes is nothing but comparisons. Avoid cookie cutter templates for your creative resume If you are thinking about using a cookie cutter template off the Web, think about this. Do you think the professional illustrator who created that template has a recruiting background and knows what to put into a resume? Those templates are designed to catch your attention as a candidate. They are not designed to engage and inform a hiring manager. These documents may look clean, but it is usually because they have an abundance of white space. This extra white space could have been used to list relevant accomplishments and I think I am relatively qualified to make this observation. Last I looked, resumes are for listing accomplishments, not omitting them. Although pretty, these templates are not the most efficient platform for listing accomplishments. They can also be VERY complicated and difficult when it comes to making edits. If you do not have a design background, my advice is to just go with a standard black and white resume, and use a font that you are familiar with. Try to avoid the temptation to add color, columns or text boxes because as sexy as we think our document is, a great looking resume can be created in black and white. I would rather see a well-done resume with a simple format vs. a resume with well-intentioned but poorly executed aesthetics. First impressions makes a big difference and they are not limited to how we answer the phone or when meet other in person for the first time. The resume and the cover letter are THE first impression the hiring manager sees and will make one of the following impressions: Simple resume format done well:
Simple resume format with an average look:
Beautifully aesthetic resume:
Poor attempt to incorporate aesthetics:
I work in HR. I do not work in the design business. When I started thinking about a logo for this web site, I went to our web designer with a bottle of his favorite alcohol. He was doing graphics for the Indianapolis 500 before he was working with us and this guy’s got chops. By his very nature, he is creative 24 /7. When he is not creating web designs, he is composing electronic music. He took the intent of the blog into consideration and within 10 minutes had what I think is a brilliant idea and design.
The result is the iconic Banksy painting, Flowers and Peace. A masked rebel going against convention, throwing out the traditional time clock. As an HR guy, I would have never come up with something even close and this is why I am not in design. If you are thinking about adding creative elements, just remember that your resume will be sitting next to a professional designers. If you are thinking of trying to make your creative resume catch someone’s attention by adding flair, remember, the best way is to catch a hiring managers attention is by listing easy to read accomplishments, that match the job description. See you at the after party, HRNasty nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone that is good at something. "He has a nasty forkball". |
|
TAO Privacy Statement | View Previous Issues | Military Job Fairs ©TAOnline.com 1996-2014, All rights reserved. |
