Writing a resume?

[superjedi]

Hi TDHers!
Have any of you gone through a big job/career change recently? As some of you may know, I'm currently on active duty in the US Air Force. My retirement in May, 2011 is starting to creep up on me and I'm looking for any tips on writing a resume.
This will be my first career change in almost 24 years! Any idea on resume style; functional or chronological? Key points to include?
Are there reliable websites anyone has found with templates or guidelines?
The military offers "workshops" to assist in writing resumes, and I'm planning to attend one in August, but any and all advice is appreciated.

 

[Tankboy]

I havn't written any myself (I'm 16) but I've helped my dad with a TON of resumes to airlines. He kept it simple, a short intro, a list of qualifications/accomplishments in the workplace and at home, organizations he belongs to, etc. He got a job, so it works! It also depends a LOT on what job you're looking for. And my Mom was the mastermind of most of his resumes, so I'm not 100% qualified to say this much. But really, just keep it honest, don;t be afraid to display (but not pompously) your accomplishments, and and draw from those things why you should be an employee, and why you will be indispensible to the company. hope it helps!

 

[Lucksy31]

What you CAN do is check out MONSTER.com or CAREERBUILDER.com Go ahead and register, and then you can check out LOTS of current resumes. Not sure it would help, but i'd be happy to send you mine to check out.

 

[batmann539]

I find that the longer I work the shorter my resume gets... No need to explain things to death especially with lots of viable information to use. With that many years of military service you can translate that well into the business world. I have 18 years Army experience which include Active Duty, National Guard, and Army Reserves. I only need to submit my resume when I'm going through promotions at work and I use a chronological style with the most recent experience first. As far as military skill sets go I would go so far as listing each command position or position of leadership. Not sure what your MOS is but regardless, military looks good on a resume.

Sean

 

[Rich D]

I agree with the above posts. I went through a job change recently. Preparing for it can be overwhelming. Also, there's some good general info here:

http://www.baseops.net/transition/resumetips.html
http://www.baseops.net/transition/resume.html

and this is also worth a read:

http://www.quintcareers.com/career_doctor_cures/best_resume_format.html

Best of luck, and if you need prooofreaders, let us know!

 

[Nachtinis]

The career building websites already mentioned above have soem pretty good resume building tools that you fill in the info and they do all the formatting for you.

 

[Lassiter]

Have you looked into the retirement center on post?
They usually have a resume service available for free.
Also you should receive a military retirement outprocessing counseling during your last year of service.

 

[superjedi]

Thanks for all the responses so far! Nice to hear from others with military experience, too.
I'll definitely look into the monster/careerbuilder sits.
Sean, as I wrote above, I'm scheduled to attend a week-long retirement seminar in August (the Air Force calls it "TAP". . . Transition Assistance Program) where they do help you with writing a resume, but if I have one already completed, I can give copies to reps from different businesses who will actually be there doing workshops/mock interviews, etc. A fellow NCO just attended TAP a couple of months ago and got a call 3 days later from Lockheed Martin. He got the job, so I'm hoping to have something ready.

 

[batmann539]

Sean, as I wrote above, I'm scheduled to attend a week-long retirement seminar in August (the Air Force calls it "TAP". . . Transition Assistance Program) where they do help you with writing a resume, but if I have one already completed, I can give copies to reps from different businesses who will actually be there doing workshops/mock interviews, etc. A fellow NCO just attended TAP a couple of months ago and got a call 3 days later from Lockheed Martin. He got the job, so I'm hoping to have something ready.

TAP is a really good program... The one thing the ENTIRE Armed Forces hasn't screwed up. Maybe because it's not branch specific. I'm sure you're nervous about the transition but businesses LOVE military because we have a proven track record of leadership abilities, making time critical decisions in high stress environments, and generally give 150% more effort than the average joe. Not to insult any non-military people in the crowd but you have no idea how high the expectations are in the military as compared to the civilian world.

Keep us posted bro on your transition.

Sean

 

[Fett 4 Real]

Theres a site I have I THINK I have I should say (cause when they upgraded to windows vista they wiped my account while on crosstraining TDY that Im still on), that has a resume builder according to your AFSC and other AF schools you've been to. I'll try and find it or maybe ask about it at TAP?

 

[AmmoMan84]

Functional is best if you're trying to show your specific skills I think, it worked for me at least. And the TAP Seminar is the greatest thing you can do for yourself when leaving the military. TAPS will give you all the awesome websites loke ONet, I'd put the links up but I'm on my wifes laptop at the laundromat. OH AND DON'T FORGET TO START YOUR DISABILITY PAPERWORK BEFORE YOUR OUT! I can't stress that one enough... I'm in Wisconsin now and they still want me to go to appointments in Kansas city for it lol. =D

 

[Lassiter]

And get 2 copies of ALL medical/dental records.

 

[superjedi]

More good advice, thanks.

 

[Astro Builder]

Okay. I hate to say this, because this is not my personality, just my profession, by I am an executive with a fortune 100 company. I ran a department for 1 of 5 business units for a company that does $25 billion annually and I interviewed a lot of people and read a ton of resumes (after HR screened) over many years. Again, not trying to to seem self important, just provide a frame of reference. So, for what it's worth, here is what I believe:

1) Fit what you want people to know on the first page b/c after than it only gets skimmed (if that)
2) Be honest, be genuine.... people see right through the generic resume builder cliches... same thing applies for an interview. This turn a weakness into a strength BS, like "my worst quality is that I work too hard and forsake my family" is so overplayed its nauseating And doesn't earn any points
3) NObody really cares what your hobbies are (unless maybe you are going for an IT job), so leave them off. They are only a liability and irrelevant to the job (inmost cases)
4) Do not make the resume cluttered, use good size font (say 12) and format to not be compressed
5) If you have already had your first job, your GPA does not matter, leave it off
6) Try to highlight what differentiates you from all others
7) Reference (professional) look good particularly if they have titles (you pastor or boy scout leader probably makes little difference...military references are different)
8) Military service is an edge over an equally qualified candidate but will warrant success on it's own. Emphasize leadership (this is universal) and emphasize quick advancement and stretch roles. How many people did you manage / lead and what was their perception.
9) Be respectful, confident, but not cocky

A resume id a first pass. The real trick is the interview. By senior management, resumes can be viewed skeptically. If it sounds like you have done it all and are God's gift to the world, your resume may be passed over. People who are THAT good and experienced don't have to float there resumes. Don't undersell either. Strike a balance and don't be overly verbose. Also, don't misspell and have grammatical errors b/c it demonstrates your focus on quality. Hope this helps. Drop me a PM if you have specific questions.

-newt

 

[superjedi]

Thanks, Newt! Great tips. My dad was in HR his whole professional life till he retired a couple of years ago. I've been getting him to critique my resume and help me translate my military history into "civilianese."
I can't possibly fit my entire 23+ year career onto one page. Not without having the reader use a magnifier to read it. I'm still tweaking it, but it looks like it's settling at about 1 2/3 pages. Hope that won't be a factor in the minus column.