Resume writing overview for military members and spouses, including types of resumes, content to include, and what to leave out.

1. Jennifer Conole, M.S.
Transition & Relocation Manager, Spouse Employment
Office of Health, Safety, and Work-Life, USCG District
11 South

2. Objectives
 Types of Resumes
 Formatting
 Topics within a resume
 Experience bullets
 The “Federal Resume”
 Cover Letters

3. Resume Types
 Chronological
 Functional
 Combination
 Keyword Scannable
 Internet (ASCII)
 Emailable (attachments)
 “The Master Resume”

4. Format for your Resume
 1-2 pages
 Serif or Sans Serif font
 Multiple font types
 Use bold, underline, and italics for
emphasis…but don’t overdo it
 10-12 pt. font
 Other features: Columns, lines, tabs,
text boxes

5. Resume Highlights
 Identifying Info
 Job Title/”Branding Statement”
 Summary of Qualifications/Professional
Profile
 Work Experience
 Education
 Awards/Recognition

6. Resume Highlights
(Optional)
 Security Clearance
 Volunteer Work
 Community Service/Involvement
 Religious Service/Involvement
 Publications
 Language Fluency

7. Experience Bullets
 What is your best tool?
 ACTION LANGUAGE!
 Avoid “responsible for…”
 Civilian language
 Be specific
 Use awards, evaluations for input
 Types of bullets
 Task/Action
 Scope
 Accomplishment/Result

8. Task Bullets
 Descriptive
 Explanatory
 Covers duties

9. Scope Bullets
 USE NUMBERS!
 Dollars
 People
 Time
 Percentages
 Increase/Decrease
 Hint: Use more than one number (e.g.,
“Monitored an inventory of over $1.5M
worth of equipment and supplies in 6-
2,000 square foot warehouses”)

10. Accomplishment/Result
 How you benefited the organization
 What was the impact/result and why
was it positive (think big!)
 Use your thesaurus
 If you participated in it, were on a team
that did it, or in any way had a hand in
the accomplishment…YOU OWN IT!

11. The “Federal Resume”
 It’s a myth!
 www.usajobs.com
 Longer than a civilian resume (most
federal agencies want to know it ALL)
 Try to fill employment gaps
 Same rules apply for experience bullets

12. Cover Letters
 Business letter
 Salutation
 Introductory paragraph
 Background info
 Concluding paragraph – impact!
 Closing
 Enclosure(s)

13. Resume Resources (all
free!)
 Work-Life
 Career Onestop
 Fleet and Family Support Center
 Marine Corps Community Services
 Airman and Family Readiness Center
 Military “headhunters”
 Friends, coworkers
 Networking!!!

14. WARNING!
* There is nothing a paid writer can do for you that you cannot do for
yourself for free with some effort and research. IF you choose to pay for a
resume, prepare to use a professionally certified person (CPRW, MRW,
NCRW) in order to get a quality product.

15. Conclusion
 Types of Resumes
 Formatting
 Topics within a resume
 Experience bullets
 The “Federal Resume”
 Cover Letters