Timothy Blodgett ⋅ El Paso , TX Dept of VA ⋅ 10 years experience

When writing your resume make sure it has key words in it that is listed in the job announcement.

Nanette Fabros ⋅ Woodstock , IL Salton Inc ⋅ 10 years experience

Hello Jimmy, welcome home.
You have to think about STRATEGY!

I found a really nice country club job.... in the newspaper! A club where they had a helicopter and I think Michael Jordan golfed at! So don't get stuck on website job sites! Look at Craigslist! Many smaller and even more PRIVATE places know that for odd jobs, local people will look there.

And ... do your research. Look in the phone book and scour the businesses where or local that would have an interest in! I guess Restaurants... then write down the ones you like... and get their address and send out your resume! Yes, you must do a nice respectable resume and not just pop your online resume out there to USA jobs... Go to Monster. com, Careerbuilder. Go to your state or the state you would love to live and research their .gov sites.

KEYWORDS are awesome and you need to be strategic! Do a search for lets say: Las Vegas Chef Hiring | or New York City sous chef experience | Illinois .gov chef |

Capisce? There are sooooo many ways to approach getting a job. You need to think about your game plan... then bust out the resumes... walk the streets - some people get vibes and think, hey maybe I do have a job? Got to pound the pavement. I saw a TV episode of ... behind the scenes boss or something. The grunt worker actually FIRED the Owner of the big fishery company! ha haa . And then when the boss said why did you fire me? He knew cuz he was being whimpy... The man who was an immigrant said, you were lazy, you did not ask me when I fired you if there was ANYTHING you could do to keep the job, another job... Nothing! That is why. Awesome episode and very profound!

So get out there and get cookin! Best of luck to you and thank your for service!

Damin Kirk ⋅ Hazelwood , MO Boeing ⋅ 19 years experience

Hi Jimmy,

I feel your pain with USAjobs.com. In their defense, however, they get a ton of responses to job postings so it's very hard to stand out and get notice through that site. I agree that Networking is still the best avenue to take. In addition to USAjobs, I would recommend looking for groups that share your interests on sites like Linkedin, this can be a great way to meet other professionals in your chosen career field. Good Luck!

Damin

Maureen Devane ⋅ Purchase , NY PepsiCo ⋅ 25 years experience

Thank you for your service, Jimmy. I'm not familiar with the website you mention, but i can tell you that the best way to apply for a job, even in the electronic age, is still good old-fashioned networking. As mentioned in the other post, you may be competing with hundreds of others when posting to the web. Look for people who currently have the type of job you are interested in and network with them so you are top of mind when an opening occurs. How to find those people? Think of any friends / acquaintances who might have similar jobs, or who work in a company that has that type of position; look up trade organizations online and contact the local branch; contact the Career Office at a local college. Then call or email the contacts you get --- your goal should be to speak directly, either in person or by phone, with someone who can direct you to the type of job you're looking for. It may take several contacts to get you to the right person, and it's harder than pushing "send" to submit your resume, but it works! Also, remember to send a personal email with your resume, tailored to the type of job that you've spoken to the person about, after every contact. Best of luck!

Charles Ferree ⋅ Charleston , SC Boeing ⋅ 6 years experience

Jimmy

Thank you for your service

Ms. Jennifer is correct in saying that you need to have a resume specifically tailored to the job you are looking for.

In each job description, there is a list of qualifications and skills that the employer is looking for. Create a resume based on the skills and qualifications that they want, and you stand a better chance.

a good tip is to ensure that your bullet statements are in the PAR format (Problem Action Results). IF you can show that you took charge of a situation and had positive outcomes, it will go a long long way. If you can show improvements in systematic procedures ( Reorganized food saver processes resulting in 10% waste reduction (for example).. that will make your resume strong

Good luck

Charles