Thursday, November 28, 2019

Your FBI Resume Should Tell the Story of Your Competencies

Your FBI Resume Should Tell the Story of Your CompetenciesYour FBI Resume Should Tell the Story of Your CompetenciesYour FBI Resume Should Tell the Story of Your Competencies By Kathryn Troutman, Author and PublisherOctober 9, 2017Over 19,000 persons have viewed this post as of June 29, 2019FBI CORE COMPETENCY DEFINITIONShttps//www.fbijobs.gov/sites/default/files/FBI_Core_Competencies_Definitions.pdfFBI FEDERAL RESUME GUIDEhttps//www.fbijobs.gov/sites/default/files/Federal_Resume_Guide.docxFBI FEDERAL RESUME SAMPLE TEMPLATEhttps//www.fbijobs.gov/sites/default/files/Federal_Resume_Template.docxSEE SAMPLES OF THE OUTLINE FORMAT FEDERAL RESUMEhttps//www.resume-place.com/services/federal-resume-samples/For fahl, a veteran of the Marines who served as a vehicle commander, the job of FBI Special werber has a natural attraction. FBI agents are called on to carry out complex operations in difficult and often dangerous circumstances, areas in which trb acquired valuable experience during his 2009-2013 military service.But like many applicants to the FBI, Matt didnt realize at first that preparing the specialized resume required for these vacancies would also be complex. The resume itself needs to demonstrate the organizational skills and detail orientation that FBI work requires, says Lisa Holm, a federal human resources consultant with The Resume Place.Theres a specific template that you have to follow when you write the FBI Special Agent resume, Lisa says. For starters, they want a summary meinung, professional skills, and a personal statement on how you approach work. Then theyre looking for analytical ability, leadership, integrity and problem-solving skills.A resume for FBI special agent must be organized in these sections, in this orderSummary statement, highlighting key skillsProfessional skills, drilling down furtherProfessional work experience, with a variety of required detailsOther work experience, also very detailedEducation, including GPAsCertifications and achievements, with dates and other detailsTrainingVolunteer experience and community serviceFor veterans, military experience, with full details including veterans preferenceIn the heart of the resume, you write a paragraph on each competency, casting it as an accomplishment story. You relate each of your accomplishments to the responsibilities you would have at the FBI, says Lisa.Candidates for FBI special agent are rated on these competenciesAnalytic thinkingInterpersonal abilityInitiativeOrganizing and planningFlexibility and adaptabilityCommunicationRecognizing the multifaceted challenge of preparing the FBI Special Agent resume, Matt decided to seek the counsel of The Resume Place, where he connected with Lisa.Matt is the type of person who would put himself out there to protect his people, says Lisa. Given his considerable skills and achievements in the Marines, Lisa was confident that Matt would make a strong candidate for FBI Special Agent if he could get the resume right. The draft resume that Matt had prepared on his own described his accomplishments in very generic terms. But the FBI resume must be very detailed for example, where the candidates training is described, they want the dates, credit hours earned, and where the training was conducted, Lisa says. So I said to Matt, these broad descriptions are notlage going to work, theyre looking for specific situations where youve used leadership skills.Lisa guided Matt through a process that would reveal and express Matts specific experiences in support of his claims of competency in key areas for the FBI Special Agent role.The result? In Matts original resume, for example, the Leadership section began As a noncommissioned officer, corporal of Marines, my mission was to ensure the overall success of any task and that my Marines were motivated in doing so. In Matts new resume, rewritten with Lisa, the Leadership section is much more specific and to the point. It starts Managed and motivated Marines to complete work assignments. Supervised the use and maintenance of a $3 million light armored vehicle and personnel who utilized it.THE FEDERAL RESUME JOB BLOCKS SHOULD LOOK LIKE THISPROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCEFinancial Manager, February 2014 PresentABC Company, Washington, DCSalary $70,000 per yearJob Type 40 hours per week, Full-TimeSupervisor Jane Dane, (012) 345-6789Provide your description of duties, and identify your major roles, responsibilities and accomplishmentsFor Special Agent Applicants only All Special Agents will be evaluated on written descriptions of situations in which the candidates actions demonstrate each competency listed below. Please ensure that these competencies can be identified in this section of your resume.For the definitions of the FBI Core Competencies, click here.LeadershipInterpersonal AbilityCollaborationOrganizing and PlanningProblem Solving/JudgmentFlexibility/AdaptabilityInitiativeCommunicationHer are two examples of competency stories from Mat ts before-and-after resumes.LEADERSHIP Before too generic, After specific exampleBeforeFlexibility / Adaptability The un-spoken motto of the Marine Corps is Semper Gumby Always Flexible. While in transit to the Middle East for deployment, I had to be prepared for any hiccups that may arise. After flying out from North Carolina, my company landed in various airports where we had an un-certain amount of time before we would fly again. This was not because my command didnt know, but because it wasnt vital for juniorchefin Marines to know. I had to gain the mindset that I either had 10 minutes or 10 hours before orders were given. When I eventually landed in the country of Kyrgyzstan, I was told that it would be a week or so before we would travel to our destination. I took the time to use the bases gym where I could stay occupied and maintain my fitness. It was a relaxed environment, as to give the Marines a chance to stay stress free while in transit. I had the chance to explore the base with fellow Marines, workout, call home, and stay rested when our travel date arrived. A week and a half went by without further information so I continued in my daily routine of exercise, eating full meals, and staying rested. I had no choice but to stay flexible, so I embraced it. When the day came for my company to fly out, I was prepared and glad that I didnt sit around to wait for the news. AfterFlexibility / Adaptability When deployed, I often chose to be the first man in a patrol because I knew I had the attention to detail to detect dangerous situations. In one situation, I was sweeping for metallic objects when my metal detector beeped. I halted the patrol and alerted them to a possible improvised explosive device (IED). The Marine behind me verified that there were wires planted on the walkway. As a result of finding the IED, we had to alter our plans. A routine combat patrol turned into an overnight security operation where we set up a perimeter around the IED. Becau se of my training, I could adapt to the new plan for our patrol. COLLABORATIONBeforeI often relate to the saying, the loudest person in the room is also the weakest. No one wants to work with someone who is cocky and does not ask the opinions of others. I pride myself on listening first before I speak and it is necessary to remain humble when working with others so that all options can be reviewed. Interacting with other platoons and other leaders was part of my daily life and being able to communicate in a professional way leads to mission success. You have to remember who you are representing and that the outcome reflects on you.AfterI regularly partnered with other platoons and their leaders during training and tactical situations to monitor radio frequencies and maintain radio checks that guaranteed constant communication. During one deployment, I spent a week helping another platoon search vehicles and personnel. Though the personnel in the other platoon were of higher rank, I gained their trust and respect. As a result, a sergeant from the platoon later had me transferred to his platoon following the end of the deployment. He mentored and trained me, which led to my promotion to Corporal. THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF A FEDERAL RESUME IS 3 TO 5 PAGESInterested in learning more about how to maximize your chances of landing an FBI Special Agent position?GET HELP WITH YOUR FEDERAL RESUMEGET A FEDERAL RESUME QUOTEThe Federal Resume Guidebook,6th Ed. is the Number 2 best-selling resume book on Amazon and all book sellers today

Sunday, November 24, 2019

ATS Resume Readability Tips Career Advice

ATS Resume Readability Tips Career AdviceATS Resume Readability Tips Career AdviceWeve told you before that hiring managers spend an average of 6 seconds scanning your resume, but thats only if your resume passes the initial screening of anapplicant tracking systems or ATS. A IBM executive who is an expert on these systems estimated that90% of large companies use an ATS, saying it would be very rare to find a Fortune 500 company without one.In todays world, your resume has to stand out to menschengerechts and robots alike. Here are some tips to help your resume get past the ATS and into the hands of a hiring manager.Focus on Keyword Quality, Not QuantityATS do search for relevant keywords, but they also scan for keyword stuffing. For example, if you are applying for a marketing manager position, writing Managed marketing as absatzwirtschaft Manager for marketing firm Ace Marketing Management would likely be filtered out as an over-stuffed resume.A good way to gauge just how often yo u should use a certain keyword, is to see how many times it is used in the job posting and stay close to that number.K.I.S.SWhen it comes to formatting, K.I.S.S your resume, that is Keep It Simple SillyAn ATS takes your resume and parses it, turning it into a text format so it can easily be searched. When there is lots of logos, pictures etc. it makes it more difficult for the ATS to simplify. As well, stick to standard fonts like Arialand Times New Roman. The ATS cannot read fancy or customized fonts.Proofread Proofread ProofreadAs we always say never rely on spellcheck. An ATS is searching for specific words and does not account for any spelling mistakes. Even one error can cause the ATS to trash your resume so make sure you double, triple, quadruple check your spellingStick to Standard TitlesYou may think Professional Experience sounds better, but its best to stick to the basics when it comes to section titles. Use Work Experience instead of Professional Experience or Professio nal Profile.No Headers or FootersIt can be hard to fit everything you want to in a 1s)No Lines, No TablesAvoid breaking up your resume using tables (even if they have invisible borders) and lines that stretch across the page. Some ATS will view these as stops and are unable to scan the entire resume past the line or table.RememberYour PersonalityYes, the ATS is a robot but the hope is your resume eventually makes its way to human hands. You want to ensure to balance your resume but making it legible and easy to read for ATS, but not making it so tailored that it feels cold.Start building your resume that passes the ATS and human test today

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Everything You Need to Nail Your Informational Interview (and Score Your Dream Job!)

Everything You Need to Nail Your Informational Interview (and Score Your Dream Job)Everything You Need to Nail Your Informational Interview (and Score Your Dream Job) You may notlage have been on one (or even heard the term before), but an informational bewerbungsgesprch can be your ace in the hole during the job seeking process. At its core, an informational interview is a casual conversation between a job seeker and somebody who works at a company theyre interested in designed to help them gather intel on what its like working at the company and what opportunities they have available. But dont let the name fool you - informational interviews can do much more for you than just provide you with information. If you play your cards right, an informational interview can help get your foot in the door of the company youve got your eye on and eventually, may even help you land a job .Interested, but dont know where to start? Leverage this three-part strategy.Its alwa ys nice if you already know somebody who works at the company, but if you dont, getting in touch via schmelzglas or social media is perfectly acceptable. Career Coach Angela Copeland recommends keeping the following points in mind when you first reach out to inquire about an informational interviewNeed a little more help drafting your outreach note? Copeland drafted a couple of templates that you can use to base your message off of. If you know or have already met the person you wish to reach out to, try something like this (with specific names and details updated according to your situation, of course)I hope youre having a great day It was great seeing you last week at the neighborhood cookout. As you know, Im also an MBA graduate of Pepperdine University. Im a big fan of the work youre doing at ServiceMaster, and I admire the effort the company is putting in around small geschftlicher umgang development within our community.I would love the opportunity to sit down with you for j ust a few minutes to learn more about your career, and about ServiceMaster. Is there a time next Thursday that might work well for you? Im happy to come to your office or to meet somewhere nearby - whichever is the fruchtwein convenient for you.If you havent met the person youre reaching out to, try this (again, updating names/details as appropriate)I hope youre having a great day Im writing to introduce myself to you. Im also an MBA graduate of Pepperdine University. Im a big fan of the work youre doing at ServiceMaster, and I admire the effort the company is putting in around small business development within our community.I would love the opportunity to sit down with you for just a few minutes to learn more about your career, and about ServiceMaster. Is there a time next Thursday that might work well for you? Im happy to come to your office or to meet somewhere nearby - whichever is the most convenient for you.Once youve actually scheduled a meeting with someone, be sure you ge t the most out of your time, Copeland says. Research everything you can about the company and the individual online in advance. Stay away from basic questions you can easily find out on your own. A few she recommends asking in particular are Make sure to stay engaged in what theyre saying - this information will give you a good idea of whether or not the company is even a good fit for you. You may even want to take notes to reference later if you decide to end up applying. Finally, Copeland advises that job seekers avoid common faux pas like directly asking for a job, dominating the conversation with information all about you, taking up too much of their time, and expecting the person to pay for their own lunch or coffee if they are meeting you at a restaurant.The heavy lifting is generally over once youve already met with somebody, but following up with them is key to ensuring that your informational interview proves fruitful. Sending a thank-you note within a day or so of y our meeting is key. As you would after an interview with a recruiter, make sure your note expresses gratitude for your interviewers time, appreciation for gaining more information and insight into the position and company, and enthusiasm/interest in working at the company.At this point, asking about open roles or recommendations is generally appropriate. However, you want to make sure you go about it in the right way - unless the person you spoke with is a full-time recruiter, filling open jobs at the company probably isnt their primary concern. To show proactivity on your part and demonstrate respect for their time, research open roles on the companys career site or Glassdoor page first to see what might be a good fit for you instead of simply asking them if they could tell you more about open roles. In your message, try saying something to the effect of I saw that your company is currently hiring for a Marketing Manager role. If you think Id be a good fit for the position, Id love if you could put me in touch with or mention my name to a recruiter If you cant find any open positions that seem like a good fit, though, you may just want to say something like It looks like there arent any positions that quite fit my experience and skills at the moment, but I hope you keep me in mind if something opens up Even if your informational interview doesnt directly lead to a recommendation or referral , though, dont stress - it doesnt mean you necessarily did anything wrong. As with many facets of job seeking, informational interviews can be a numbers game, where you have to go on a lot of them before anything concrete comes out of it. The good news? That kind of proactivity is exactly what you need to be successful in your job hunt - and with each informational interview you go on, youre that much closer to finding the position that fits your life.