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End of Year Wrap-up

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Hard to believe that 2020 is coming to an end—this year has definitely been different for most of us. Let’s hope that 2021 allows us to get back to normal—whatever that might look like going forward. As you prepare for year end, there are a number of things that you can be doing to move your career to that next step:

  • Work on reaching out to your network. The end of the year is a great time to catch up with people you likely haven’t seen in months—or had occasion to interact with. Send holiday cards if you’re able; and if you do so, be sure to include a personal note. It doesn’t have to be long; a sentence or two to acknowledge the recipient.
  • Add your 2020 accomplishments to your resume. The end of the year is a great time to reflect on your achievements. Try to identify 2-3 ways you added value to your employer this year—and quantify it. Add those new achievements to your resume.
  • Review your LinkedIn Profile. If it doesn’t include your current job, add it. If you haven’t customized your LinkedIn URL, do so (see: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/87/customize-your-public-profile-url?lang=en); it will make your profile more professional—and your new LinkedIn URL to your resume. Make sure that you have a professional photo, you have key words for your industry in the About section, and your headline (the words under your name) are other than the default which lists your job title. Doing these things will likely take you less than 30 minutes.
  • Assess your gaps. Are you missing a critical skill? Certification? Something else? Write down what you’re missing and make a plan to address it. For best success, take specific action: sign up for a class, find a buddy to hold you accountable, schedule time to practice what needs improvement.
  • Unhappy in your job? First, try to figure out why. Next, assess your strengths, weaknesses, and be honest—take an assessment if you need to. Identify what you want to do and whether you have the existing skills and experience to do so. If not, make a written plan to close those gaps and implement it.
  • Practice interviewing. Ask a friend or a colleague to give you a practice interview and record it. Spend 45 minutes (or longer) on your practice interview. You can use Zoom, Skype, or another platform—the platform doesn’t matter but the practice does. And when you watch your “interview,” do so critically and write down what you could do better—and practice again.
  • Identify what you wish you had done this year. And resolve to do it next year.
  • Prepare your answer to, “what do you do?” Everyone needs a good answer to this question. Make your answer interesting and engaging. Think about using this formula to craft your answer: what do you do/what you want to do + why you’re good at it + value you add.

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, healthy, and joyous holiday season!

Basic Approach to Diffusing Coworker Conflict

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Feeling hot under the collar and it’s not the summer heat? Especially at work? Do not let workplace conflicts get out of hand. Take a deep breath and cool down…there are constructive ways of managing workplace conflicts.

Accept that conflict is natural and unavoidable. Wherever there are two or more people, conflict is inevitable. And in many cases (if handled correctly), conflict can be beneficial if you and your organization learn from it. First, think about the cause of the conflict; is it about communication? Lack of information? Uneven resources? Different values? Feeling overworked? Something else? Identifying the cause of the conflict (at least in your view) is the first step. Spend a few minutes thinking about the conflict from the other person’s perspective as well.

Next, think about how the conflict manifests itself. Has behavior deteriorated? Are you no longer receiving the information you need to do your job? Is the conflict important enough to address? Once you have decided that the conflict needs to be addressed and you’re ready to speak with the person in question, focus on the problem in the abstract rather than in terms of the other person’s personality. Do not make the conflict personal; focus on framing the issue around how it affects you at work.

If the issue is worth addressing directly, make sure you approach the person at an appropriate time and place. Verify that the other person has time to talk and you both can do so uninterrupted by phone calls and emails. Bring up the issue you’d like to discuss. Do not make accusations, and do not assume that you know why the person is acting in a particular way…or that they even know there is a problem. Use “I” statements, rather than “You” statements when telling this person how you feel. Make your perspective known, say how you feel and that you’d like to come up with a mutual solution and look for areas of conflict and agreement so you know what to focus on.

If it turns out you were wrong about something, or in-the-wrong overall, apologize and move on. Otherwise it could even help the situation in the long run for you to simply apologize for your part in the matter. And, once you agree on next steps together, keep your commitment. And follow up periodically with the other person to see how things are from their perspective – especially if lack of communication was what led to the situation in the first place. You don’t have to become best friends but a little “preventative maintenance” in your relationship with this person could go a long way – especially if you wind up pulling in the same direction and understand each other better.

9 Things They Didn’t Tell You About Transitioning out of the Military

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If you are thinking about transitioning from your military to your civilian career, you probably attended TAP. Even if you paid attention during your TAP class, there are (at least) 9 things they didn’t talk about:

1. Transition is hard. If you have spent your entire adult life in the military, transitioning to civilian life is hard. You will likely be around people who have never served in the military—and in some cases you may be the first military member your new colleagues will have met! That means your new colleagues may not understand your experience or the language you use. You’ll need to translate your skills and experience into civilian “speak.” Most nonmilitary personnel do not know the difference between a Corporal and a Colonel, or a Brigade or Battalion.

2. You may not make as much money as you had hoped. Competition for jobs is fierce, whether you are targeting the federal sector or the private sector. And wages in many industries have been stagnant. You may not be able to match your military income, depending upon where you live and what you decide to do. In addition, you may not have access to the services you had as an active duty military member—depending upon your individual situation, you may have to pay for medical insurance and housing costs, your taxable income may be different, etc.

3. Veterans preference alone will not get you a job. You may have heard that as someone who has veterans’ preference, it will be easy to get a job in the federal government. The reality is that most federal job postings receive hundreds, if not a 1,000 or more applications. In most cases, a significant percentage of those applications are from those who have veterans’ preference—and many separating military members receive a 30%+ compensable disability rating. I worked with one agency which received 1,200 applications for a GS-6 position—and 900 of the applicants had a disability rating of 30%+.

4. Getting a job—whether federal or private sector—will take time. You should start looking for job prior to separation; if you’re targeting the federal government, consider using the VOW Act (see: https://chcoc.gov/content/vow-veterans-opportunity-work-hire-heroes-act-2011) prior to separation to receive veterans’ preference consideration. If you are selected prior to your military separation, most employers will wait a period of time for you to be able to start. I tell separating military members that they should expect 6-12 months of job search. Of course, you could get a job sooner but its good to be realistic about how long it could take.

5. No, you cannot “do anything.” I often hear from people who say that they can “do anything;” the military instills a “can do” spirit in its members. While this is obviously good, most employers want to know specifics. You need to be able to talk about the specific thing you can do, along with your accomplishments.

6. A general resume does not work. TAP often encourages transitioning military members to have a “master resume.” Again, whether you are targeting federal or private sector jobs, you need a targeted resume that speaks to the knowledge, skills, and abilities you bring to the table in the context of the jobs you are targeting. Rather than having a master resume, you may want to have multiple resumes, each focused on a different career field and using the key words / target language for the specific industry. And, if you are focused on the private sector, your resume will likely be run through Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) which will search for specific key words.

7. If you want to go the government contracting route, understand the risk. Make sure the position and contract are real (and have been funded) before you stop looking elsewhere. And ask when the contract ends—you want to know that the contract still as some “life” on it—there is no guarantee that the contract will be re-competed or that the contracting company will win. And if not, you could be on the street.

8. Yes, you need to network. In the private sector especially—and even in the federal sector—who you know does matter. The time to network is before you separate. A Department of Labor study shows that 80% of all job selections come from professional networks. Hiring is a risk for employers (they never know what they’re going to get) so being referred by a current employee is a huge plus. Reach out to one of the many military networking groups. Join LinkedIn and be an active participant. Talk to people about what you want to do and have your elevator speech ready to go.

9. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. This could mean getting assistance in figuring out what you really want to, writing your resume, practicing interviewing skills, etc. There is a lot of assistance out there for transitioning military members—both free and paid. You didn’t serve alone; you don’t have to transition alone either!

6 Steps to Writing a Great Cover Letter

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While cover letters are generally not needed for federal applications, they are still common for private sector applications and even some federal hiring managers like them. So, if you are applying for a position in the private sector, or if you are a traditionalist, and want to include a cover letter with your federal job application, here are 6 tips you should use to do it right:

  1. Although many people use a template cover letter, you should customize it each and every time. Make sure that your cover letter is addressed to the right person, the right company/organization, and the right job. It is amazing how many people miss this simple step. In this age of Google, LinkedIn, company websites, there is no excuse for “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.”
  2. Match your cover letter formatting to your resume formatting. To ensure that your two documents are compatible, use the same font and formatting—you want to make it obvious that your documents go together. That being said, your cover letter should not be an exact duplicate of what is in your resume.
  3. Make your cover letter employer-focused. Address the employer’s needs and interests to show you are a good fit. Be sure to highlight your relevant job-related achievements in your cover letter and show how those accomplishments can help the employer solve their problems. Do not discuss your needs—like telework, part-time schedules, etc.
  4. Be professional. This means using a professional personal email address (ideally with your name; remove birth year—some employers will not consider resumes from people who use their birth year in their email for fear of potential discrimination concerns. You should not use your work email address for seeking other employment; nor should you be using AOL for job applications. It goes without saying (I hope) that you should not use hotmama@gmail.com or hotrodguy@yahoo.com. You should also doublecheck to ensure that your contact information (and the rest of your letter) does not include typographical or other errors.
  5. Start your cover letter with a “bang.” Your opening sentence should not be along the lines of “Enclosed please find my resume in response to your posting for…” This is boring; instead, make your opening sentence pop; think about something along the lines of, “As someone who is committed to improving educational opportunities for all, I have followed ABC company since its inception. I was excited to see the posting for…”
  6. Close the deal. Your last paragraph should include a “call to action.” Invite the reader to take the next step. Tell them that you welcome the opportunity to share more information and provide your best contact info (email, cell phone).

No, I Will Not Guarantee You That Your New Resume Will Result in a Job Offer

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I am often asked whether I will guarantee a job offer if someone uses my services for resume writing. Not only will I not guarantee that you will get a job, I encourage you to question anyone who makes that claim. Why? There are lots of things that go into getting selected for a job—your resume is only a very small part.

What are some of the other factors that go into determining whether you will get a job?

  • Are you actually qualified for the position(s) you’ve applied for? For example, do have the specialized experienced required (and not just time in grade), if you’re applying for federal jobs. Did you answer the questionnaire properly? If you’re applying for private sector positions, do you meet all of the qualifications?
  • Is the hiring manager just going through the motions of posting because he or she has to because of internal policy or some notion of transparency? Does the hiring manager have someone in mind (that isn’t you) but is just posting out of habit or again, internal policy?
  • Did you blow the interview? Perhaps you received an interview or were referred to the hiring manager; was your interview strong? How did you compare to the other candidates referred / interviewed?
  • Was the hiring manager required to hire someone else due to internal politics?
  • How many positions have you actually applied for? While it is certainly possible that you will get the first position you apply for, it isn’t all that likely. In many ways, applying for a new position is a numbers game. And, while I do not endorse applying for “everything”—also known as the “spray and pray” method, I do believe you need to be realistic about your chances. Most job postings result in hundreds, if not thousands of applicants.
  • Was there an actual position to be filled? Or was the posting in anticipation of receiving funding / approval for the position / whatever? Was it one of those federal postings I often see that are open in dozens of locations for all grades? If you read the fine print on those, it clearly says, “There may or may not be actual vacancies at the time you submit your application.”
  • Are you networking? Have you used LinkedIn or another source to identify people on the “inside” who might be able to assist you in learning about the organization, the position, and the hiring manager? Networking is critical to all job searches, federal and private sector.

The above represents just some of factors that go into a hiring manager making a decision. So, no, I will not guarantee you a job offer. I will guarantee you a best practice, competitive resume that is targeted toward your position of choice.

How Long Should I Expect to Spend on My Resume?

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I am often asked how long writing a resume should take. There are several ways to answer this question; the first one depends on whether you are prepared with all of your information before you sit down to write. And whether you are writing a private sector or federal resume—or both!

Here is what you need to have ready to prepare a strong resume before you sit down to write:

• A target job posting. Key words are essential. You’ll need to identify the key words of the postings or kind of job you are pursuing. If you are writing a resume for the private sector, you should assume that your resume will be “read” by Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) which will search for key words. If you are writing a federal resume, you should know that USAJOBS is not an ATS; however, Human Resources (HR) professionals will be reviewing your resume to ensure your experience as outlined in your resume matches the qualifications sought—and the best way to demonstrate that is through the use of key words.

• Your work history for the past 10 or so years. It never ceases to amaze me how many people do not accurately track their titles, employers, and month/year of employment. All employers want to know this and you need this information on hand before you start drafting your resume. Most employers do not need the specific start date (only month and year) but some federal job postings do request actual dates, in addition to month and year.

• Metrics related to your current job (and ideally the ones past too). Metrics give your work context and it is important to use them as often as possible. What is the dollar value of your budget? How many people do you supervise? How long are your projects? Any place you can include a number, you should; this will be a real differentiator in your resume. Again, numbers are something you should track throughout your career—it’s almost impossible to remember them over a long period of time.

• Achievements. It is not enough to include duties in your resume; employers want to know how you have added value / made a difference. Try to track your achievements over the course your career. It’s not enough to list your duties on your resume; you can differentiate yourself by demonstrating that you not only did your duties but that you did them well. Try to have at least 3-5 achievements for your current job (assuming you’ve been in it for a couple of years). Again, having achievements can make you stand out from other candidates who have essentially the same experience.

• Education information, along with professional certifications, awards, professional development, and other details. While all resumes need education (although skip your graduation date if you graduated more than 5 years ago) and professional certifications (CPA, PMP, PE, IT certifications, etc.), in most cases you should only include awards and professional development on a federal resume.

Only after you have gathered all of your relevant information, is it time to start writing. How long should that take? If you are writing a private sector resume, assume it will take you at least 4 to 6 hours (or more); if you are writing a federal resume, assume a minimum of 6 to 8 hours.

These timeframes are minimum and do not include time for editing and revision. Nor are they illustrative of how long it takes to prepare an executive or Senior Executive Service (SES) resume. And I always recommend that you walk away from your draft for at least a day so you can review it with fresh eyes.