Lessons Learned from Building and Reviewing Resumes

I wanted to pass on what I learned from screening a few dozen resumes and helping a few friends that might prove helpful to those currently applying for positions or sharpening up your own.

-Have a professional looking format and stick to it. Do not use the generic one that must be provided at USAJobs as it does not look professional.--New Note: just found out that "generic one" is the one automatically generated by USAJobs--since I have not used that does anyone know if there is a way to substitute your own?
-Put a power statement up front on the resume right after your name and contact---let them know why you are applying and what you will do for their organization and any special qualifications you have that others do not.
-Try to keep it to No More Than 2 pages!! yep, 2. and 1 is better...Don't tell your life story, this is your 30 sec elevator speech on paper, make it count. Curriculum Vitaes are very different, can be much longer but that is a different topic. Or have a long and a short version available and in the short one have "classified resume upon request" or "full resume upon request"
-Tailor it to the job at hand! Don't use a generic one or one that you have used for a different job.
- About 1/2 of the USAjobs ones I screened had a format that said "OK to contact this supervisor" and the answer was "contact me first" ---Big red flags went up for me on this....so you are applying for other jobs and haven't told your current boss or there is a conflict with the boss...what are you going to tell me if I contact you first? Don't list a supervisor unless you are willing for that person to be contacted.
-Do not unless specifically requested put your GPA on your resume next to your degrees...comes off as arrogant or pitiful but not much in between and usually not required, you have the diploma.
-If you are asked for a copy of your diploma and transcripts to prove the legitimacy of your degrees---provide a good copy of the diploma or even a quality picture and have "OFFICIAL" copies of the transcripts sent ---not something you pull down from the webpage. While the last meets the "requirement" in most cases when compared to those who spend the $10 bucks it doesn't hold up as well. Photocopies of crumbled up transcripts did not look good either.
-Remember it is not about "what you did, job wise" as much as it is about what your contributions in that position did to elevate the organization or people within the organization.
-Use active verbs and power words that help transition what you did in the military into words that help me as a civilian know what you can do for me
=for example which sounds better?
Ensured the unit was ready for deployment
ORRRR
Personally responsible for the success of equipping and training 35 specialists prior to their wartime mission
ORRRR
Proven capability to meet mission requirements -personally responsible for protecting the lives of 35 soldiers by certifying all equipment and training needs in crisis situation
-Watch the auto correct and spelling corrections: Lead is not led, and ensure and insure have different meanings too
-DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, use acronyms that have not been spelled out first or explained- immediate turn off for military and civilian alike. I recommend avoiding as much as possible.
-If you have more than 5 years of service do not go back into high school achievements unless very significant...like Congressional Page or National Light Weight Boxing Champion
-Along the same vein, don't put down what you did for the fraternity or sorority in college if you are five years removed.
-If mentioning a security clearance be sure to note current or not
-If including professional organizations it does look good to denote lifetime memberships and definitely mention any leadership roles
-Do not lie or exaggerate or hint to some skill or knowledge you don't have...don't let anyone convince you to put anything on your resume that your conscience can't agree with, it is never worth crucifying your integrity and the truth always finds a way to come out
-Stress your leadership, the military has given you incredible opportunities to do things few even dream about accomplishing, don't shy away from sharing your uniqueness
-While preparing a presentation I realized in a discussion with a colleague that few (even in the military) can "think like a bad guy" anymore, so for those of you who can please recognize that as a special skill; recognizing vulnerabilities, analysis of adversarial capabilities, anticipating adversary likely actions...etc.
-And if you want to or are asked for a photo, please make sure it is a professional photo and I recommend that it is in business attire rather than in uniform...no selfies and no living room or front yard shots.
-New one: Also be very careful of any and all attachments that have your social security number if you are uploading or sending by email--not a good idea. Once I had an applicant send me their evaluations (which was nice but not requested) with their social all over everything. Once it goes into the nebulous domain of the cyber realm it is out of the receivers control. So just be cognizant of the ever nasty ID thief.
A couple more
-Was part of a team once where the person had included a personal part time skillset (like dog trainer, tax preparer, mechanic) and it was not connected directly to the job description/proposal. Even though that individual was equal if not more qualified they were removed from consideration from including that "outlier" in the resume.
-"This person is Overqualified"--if you know you are applying for a federal job below your educational or current status, explain in your cover letter up front that you fully recognize this but then state why you should have the job anyway. Have seen teams wholesale dismiss anyone who is strangely applying for a job that will be a downgrade in pay especially. I explained to the rest of the team that when I retire I might be fully willing to take a lower paying position or fully cognizant but want to do the work and that is why I chose to apply, but I realize that it might be helpful to prevent that negative impression (if you are in that situation) by pre-empting it in the first place.

And finally hint to the wise---my soapbox----
"PUBLISH, PUBLISH, PUBLISH!!!!"
Proves your ability to communicate well in print.
A book review for MOAA looks better on a resume than someone you are up against with nothing...editorials to Army Times, AF Times, Navy Times...or even better-- a journal article or research article for your specialty or a trade magazine. Establish a blog, be an editor for a journal or paper, co-author if you don't want to do it alone. Be creative and write! Start by journaling (even just once a week for a set time) then turn your journaling into something productive. PS will help you become stronger cognitively.

"You cannot change the world if the world never hears your ideas."

Jan 15 - Additional note!! I know this may sound ridiculous but it happens...be sure to have your CURRENT contact information correct on the document.....if you are selected for an interview and then they get a bounceback on the email, that probably won't go over well.