Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Dallas , TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 25 years experience

First, your resume must only be two pages max....Hiring Managers will take about 1 minute to review. Second, you must use the "Buzz Words" in the job posting....there are software systems that search for specific words and if they are not there, your resume gets tossed. Third, create a Skills section. This allows you to make the job descriptions short in the Experience Section while making it possible to highlight the skills you are offering.

Send your resume to tomlinsonjk@aol.com and I will be happy to take a look.
Judy Tomlinson

Brian Roy ⋅ Manchester , NH U.S. Army Reserve, Sergeant ⋅ 16 years served

There are a few things to consider. The beginning of your resume should have a strong objective. Recruiters generally only look at your resume for 6-10 seconds before deciding to take a deeper look or not. Try to tailor your resume to the position you are applying for. Make sure you add key words that will catch a software resume scanner and the hiring manager\recruiter. Make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors. Have someone else look at it for these. Show your value. Any type of training, leadership, mentoring, etc. Don't underestimate your LinkedIn profile. If your resume is strong but your LinkedIn profile is weak, they may have reservations of consideing you for the position.

Matt Gillbert ⋅ Louisville , KY UPS ⋅ 14 years experience

I agree with what Judy Tomlison has to say about making sure your resume is a two page max, that includes the cover letter. What has helped me in the past is to study the job posting intently. Make sure you reference as many qualification they are looking for in your resume. Many of the Hiring Managers can only spend about 5 to10 seconds looking over one resume. You have to catch their attention, so each resume MUST be tailored to the job you're applying for.

Also, use your cover letter as an extension of your resume. If someone has stopped to review your cover letter that most likely means you've caught their attention with the "buzz words" in your resume and they are taking a closer look. Expand on your resume bullet points and don't just repeat them.

Stephen Smith ⋅ Front Royal , VA Hewlett Packard ⋅ 20 years experience

Also, don't underestimate the power of the cover letter. This is where you can be somewhat less formal and rigid, and explain your value proposition to the employer. Remember that the first person to read your submission is an HR person and not necessarily the hiring manager. So you must make your case quickly and simply. Then go on to explain how your experience makes you the match for the opening. I look at the cover letter as the story and the resume as the facts to back it up.

Stephen

Gery Ryan ⋅ Dubuque , IA IBM ⋅ 1 years experience

Thomas,

I retired after serving 21 plus Active Years in the Army. If I could give you just one good point and word of encouragement, it would be to "Maintain". Don't stop what you are doing. Keep putting resumes in to as many palces as possible. Taylor Ross put it in pretty simple terms. When I retired I had a difficult time as well in adjusting to the new terminology and work habits. As a Staff Sergeant you know what it takes to be a Leader and I am sure you did well in that role. Now sell that experience! May not seem like the door will open anytime soon, but it will and when it does go Full Throttle. Wish you the best in your future. God Bless. SFC Retired Gery Ryan. By the way, sounds like you may be at Ft. Jackson. Spent lots of time there as an Army Recruiter and Senior Personnel Service Sergeant.

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco , CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Thomas,

* Also see JoblessWarrior.org.
http://www.joblesswarrior.org/resume-writers-list.html.

Jobless Warrior "has a growing team of professional career search volunteers who will provide free, one-on-one services to our unemployed military men and women. These professionals include Career Coaches, Resume Writers, Job Networking Groups, Recruiters, Employers and more."

http://www.joblesswarrior.org/faq.html

* Please provide feedback on what you find, and please keep us updated on your status. I have spoken with the founder of jobless Warrior and he seems like a great person. I do not have direct experience with the site, and imagine that some resume writers and coaches are more responsive and better than others.

* Also, a resume emailed in or a formal job application is mostly a "shot in the dark". Yes, develop a great resume and LinkedIn profile, and apply for jobs. But also work to define clearly your career goals, master your "elevator speech", learn how to network, and possibly earn certifications that help you achieve your goals, etc. I encourage you to post specific requests asking for help with each of these "tasks".

* Consider posting your LinkedIn profile to your acp-advisornet.org profile page. It probably can't hurt.

* Please provide periodic status updates and after action reviews.