How to Translate Your Military Experience for a Civilian Resume

How to Translate Your Military Experience for a Civilian ResumeHow to Translate Your Military Experience for a Civilian ResumeTranslating Your Military Experience for a Civilian CareerThe transition from military to civilian life doesnt have be rocky. Heres how to take your transferable skill sets and translate them to fit your next career goal. Kudos to you You recently served in the armed forces and are ready to take that next step in transitioning your military career over to the civilian sector. Often, this requires some careful preparation. Below are some steps to help ease the process.Focus less on jargon and more on transferable skills.Much of the military terminology commonly used between you and your fellow colleagues on a daily basis will appear foreign to most recruiters, depending on the field you are choosing to transition into. Take a look at your current resume that youve used to apply for military and government positions, and work to clean up the content in terms of jargon, abbreviations, etc. Find out how to translate your skills and experience in a way that makes sense to your target audience a prospective employer in the civilian sector.Take inventory of your abilities.Its easy to get caught up in the terminology, facts, and figures that, while serving in a military role, meant a great deal to your commanding officers. Those skills and achievements leise mean a lot, but can be translated into core competencies that are strongly desired in almost any civilian career sector. Critical thinking, time management, interpersonal skills, communication, teamwork, project management, strategic planning, and many other qualities are found in job postings across almost all career sectors. Find ways to explain your expertise and showcase your notable accomplishments in civilian-friendly language that speaks to a non-military audience.Create a LinkedIn profile.This social media tool is optimal for networking and sharing ideas. Having a well-crafted profi le not only showcases your skills in a more comprehensive manner than on a standard two-page resume, but it also demonstrates your tech savvy and social media skills, which are strongly desired across various career fields. Plus, you can create a custom URL that can be listed as a form of contact on your resume. Not sure where to start? Check out LinkedIn for Veterans.Simplify all of the training.While it is wonderful to have a litany of education and training that you acquired during your years of military service, the entire list will likely not fit within the confines of a standard, vermodern two-page civilian resume format. Sift through it all and list only the transferable skill sets and remarkable awards. If possible, also create a resume appendix of sorts that, if an employer asks for detailed information, you can provide in an aesthetic format that matches your resume. The PDFs and print transcripts provided by military branches are often unreadable by those not familiar wit h the military, so a more concise list of all completed trainings will highlight your talents without bogging readers down with unnecessary details.Related Changing Careers? 7 Details to Include on Your Resume Consider a professional resume rewrite.There are resume services out there to help you and guide you in developing a brand-new civilian resume and cover letter that youll feel confident using when applying to post-military positions. The benefit of a professional resume writers expertise is invaluable to the many clients they serve, so take some time and research the many products and services offered by a professional resume-writing firm some like TopResume even offer content development services for your LinkedIn profile.Take advantage of the organizations that exist to help you.Its likely that your particular military branch offers transition services for enlisted personnel that are soon to be discharged. These services are free and useful, so take advantage of them if you are still in. There are also other organizations and resources, such as the Wounded Warrior Project, The Real Warriors Campaign, and many more that offer assistance. Many of those professional resume-writing services I previously mentioned hire writers who have specific experience in working with veterans and government personnel, so if you plan to opt for that service, be sure to strongly indicate that you are a military veteran looking to switch into a new and exciting careerWhile the prospect of transitioning to a new chapter can be scary and overwhelming, with the right resources and information at your disposal, it is my hope that your transition to a civilian career will be a smooth process and exciting change. Best of luck and cheersClick on the following link for more resume advice.Need help with your resume? Take advantage of our free resume critique todayRecommended Reading5 Signs You Need a Professional Resume ReviewResume and LinkedIn Profile Writing How Different Should They Be?6 Essential Job-Search Tools for Veterans Looking for Civilian Jobs

Marking the One Year Anniversary of Federal Hiring Reform, Kathryn Troutman, Federal Resume Guru and President of The Resume Place, Addresses the Great KSA Debate

Marking the One Year Anniversary of Federal Hiring neuordnung, Kathryn Troutman, Federal Resume Guru and President of The Resume Place, Addresses the Great KSA DebateMarking the One Year Anniversary of Federal Hiring Reform, Kathryn Troutman, Federal Resume Guru and President of The Resume Place, Addresses the Great KSA DebateMarking the One Year Anniversary of Federal Hiring Reform, Kathryn Troutman, Federal Resume Guru and President of The Resume Place, Addresses the Great KSA DebateREGISTER FOR KATHRYN TROUTMANS HIRING REFORM WEBINAR ON JUNE 3, 2011One year ago, John Berry, Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and President Obama made bold moves to improve the application process for federal jobseekers by eliminating the dreaded Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) narratives from federal applications. Kathryn Troutman and The Resume Place, the leading experts in Federal Resume Writing and Career Consulting, witness firsthand the effects and confusion that gover nment job applicants face regarding Federal Hiring Reform and the supposed elimination of KSAs in federal applications. Receive advice and tips from Ms. Troutman and The Resume Place on how to handle KSAs in the federal resume with the newly published fifth edition of the Federal Resume Guidebook.Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition by Kathryn TroutmanIts no secret that the federal application process is a daunting task for fruchtwein jobseekers, especially considering that applying for federal jobs is a totally different beast than applying to positions in the private industry. The separate KSA narratives required to apply for government jobs have kept many highly qualified applicants from applying for these positions. The Resume Place provides expert advice regarding federal resume writing and how to deal with KSAs in the applications for federal positions.One year ago, President Obama published an Executive Order mandating human resources specialists eliminate the dreaded Knowle dge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) narratives from the first-time federal application by November, 2011.On Thursday May 19, 2011, Kathryn Troutman addressed the National Press Club to discuss how the lingering effects of the recession combined with the Obama administrations reform of the federal hiring process, has resulted in more Americans than ever applying for federal positions.In his recent speech at a panel discussion in Washington, DC, John Berry declared, We have gotten off of KSA island. Its an amazing leap forward.The OPM Press Release published on Tuesday, May 18, 2011 listed the following hiring improvement statistics Since the launch of the Hiring Reform initiative in May 2010, OPM has supported federal agencies with 351 training sessions in 66 cities for 17,300 people involved in the hiring process. Successful outcomes from this effort have includedHiring based on resumes and cover letters 91 percent of the time96 percent of job opportunity announcements no longer require KSA essaysHiring managers now have more choicesApplicants are now seeing shorter, easy-to-read job announcements86 percent of announcements in plain language66 percent of announcements are five pages or fewer.However, today, a USAJOBS Vacancy Announcement listed KSAs as a requirement to apply for a position. This Department of Health and Human Services advertisement for a GS-343-11/12/13 position, salary $62,467.00 $115,742.00 per year, for a Program Analyst included this information for applicants Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) 1. Ability to design and conduct studies 2. Ability to monitor grantee performance 3. Ability to communicate orally.The KSA listing in this HHS job announcement statement can be puzzling for federal jobseekers, who have heard that the KSAs are eliminated from requirements. Federal job applicants are trying to follow the directions, but there are no directions in s ome of the USAJOBS announcements regarding the submission of KSAs.KSAs are obviously mucksmuschenmucksmuschenstill important to the human resources specialists when determining the Best Qualified candidates. For savvy federal jobseekers, the KSA listings in the announcement are important clues to writing a Best Qualified application.Since the KSAs are not required as separate written narratives, recommendations for including knowledge, skills and abilities competencies in the federal application are given by Kathryn Troutman, the leading federal career consultant and author of several federal job search publications including the recently released fifth edition of the Federal Resume Guidebook.Kathryn Troutman recommends that the federal jobseeker include KSA accomplishments in the work experience section of their federal resume. The KSAs can also be briefly covered in the cover letter. The job applicant can prove their KSA skill level in the questionnaire multiple-choice selections. Finally, the KSAs could become interview questions in the government job interview.Dont ignore those KSAs, even though they are eliminated, said Kathryn Troutman, whose company, The Resume Place, helps federal job applicants. wrote Joe Davidson in his Washington Post article on May 19th, 2011.2011 Hiring Reform eliminated KSAs maybe. They are 96% eliminated as separate written narratives but KSAs are still listed in most federal job announcements. Kathryn Troutman recommends that the government job applicant include KSA accomplishments in the USAJOBS federal resume, cover letter, best selections in the multiple choice questionnaire, and as preparation for the federal job interview.For tips on how to include KSAs in the federal resume, please read The Resume Places article on how to properly include KSAs in the Federal Resume.

Getting Paid While in Air Force Basic Training

Getting Paid While in Air Force Basic TrainingGetting Paid While in Air Force Basic TrainingAs with any new job, for newly enlisted military personnel, getting that first paycheck is a great validation (and often a huge relief). Military personnel are paid on the 1st and 15th of each month. If those days fall on a non-duty day, you are paid on the duty daypreceding. Your pay is direct-deposited into your bank account. Note that you can also elect to be paid monthly, but it might be difficult to budget that way. How to Prepare for Your First Air ForcePaycheck Ideally, you should set up a bank account (either savings or checking) before you depart for Air Force Basic Military Training. Bring your account information and an ATM/debit card with you. If you dont have an account set up, one of the first things the staff will do is require you to establish an account at the base credit union or base bank. During your in-processing, you will complete paperwork to begin your military pay. Getting Your First Air Force Paycheck When will you receive your first paycheck? It depends on when you complete your paperwork and when its processed. The date you fill out the paperwork during in-processing, and the date the information is input into the Finance Computer System are leid the same dates. It may take as long as 30 days for you to see your first check, so try to budget accordingly. Once it arrives, your first paycheck will contain all the pay youve earned up to that point. For recruits without dependents, that means base pay only. If you enlisted with anadvanced rank, you will be paid the basic pay for that advanced rank, even though you dont get to wear the rank during basic until your graduation. How Much Will I Receive in My First Air Force Paycheck? For those with dependents, it means base pay and housing allowance. If you have dependents, youll also receive a family separation allowance,but that wont start until youve been away from your dependents for 3 0 days. Your first paycheck will be pro-rated to the number of days youve been on active duty. For example, if you receive your first paycheck 30 days after arrival, you will receive the full-rate of the monthly pay and allowances in that paycheck. If, however, you receive your first paycheck two weeks after arrival, it will contain half of the monthly base pay and half of the monthly housing allowance (for those with dependents). Of course, taxes and other deductions (such as the deduction for your basic training debit card account see below) are taken out. Basic Training Debit Card Be aware that while you may receive everything you need at basic training, only actual uniform items are issued for free. Non-uniform items, such as notebooks, pens, flashlights,etc. are not. A couple of days after arrival, youll be issued an official basic training debit card. This card has part of your initial military pay deposited in a special finance account. When you need to purchase somethi ng that is not issued free (such as running shoes, soap, shampoo, haircuts, laundry costs, etc.), youll use this card. Any funds remaining on this card when you finish basic will be added to your next paycheck. Bringing Cash to Air Force Basic Training You are allowed to have cash at basic training. How much you can have at any one time is up to your training instructor, but it probably wont be a large amount. Except when youre using the cash,to buy a soda or candy bar, for instance, all your bills must be locked up in your security drawer, and you must enter and keep track of the serial numbers for each bill in your pocket notebook.