Veteran looking for Advice

Hello All,

This site has been a huge help to me in guiding me toward a few certifications. I am a transitioning Soldier, separating late September. I have been on the job search since April of this year. I must admit that my resume isn't as stellar as some of the Posts I see here, but I would expect to get some bites with my credentials. I currently hold M.I.S. information Systems security degree, Security +, Network +, and CCENT to go along with 8 years of communications experience for the Army. I haven't been receiving callbacks and I have a few questions.

Is the IT market in a rut for employment?

Does my military experience really mean anything to employers?

Are my Certifications holding enough weight?

I have been looking through Clearancejobs, SAIC, netorian, Infromation systems security association and general dynamics for job searches are there any other places that you all think I should consider?

I'm willing to take any advice (constructive or harsh) and can present a resume.

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Ertaz

post a scrubbed resume. I'm happy to help a fellow vet. What are the odds that you could finish Ccna- security by September?

Jaydel.Leach

I will take a class for CCNA September 5th. Looking forward to hearing from you. Please contact me

Clarksville, TN 37040

7+ years of communications experience. During my years of active duty, I have been blessed to get my hands on a large scope of communication devices that I can apply to an Organization. I am looking to dive into software/systems engineering or information security practices.

CERTIFICATIONS

Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician, 2016; Security +, 2016; CompTIA Network +, 2014;

EDUCATION

M.I.S. Information Systems Security, University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 2016
B.A. Music Performance, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY, 2007
High School Diploma, The International Preparatory School, Cleveland, OH, 2001

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

§ Active Secret Clearance
§ Radio Maintenance
§ Leadership
§ Software Engineering
§ Java
§ System Troubleshooting
§ Active Directory
§ Authentication (C.I.A)
§ Data Custodian
§ MySQL
§ Thick Image (Imaging)
§ Training / Instruction
§ Information Security
§ ERP/CRM/SCM
§ WIN-T operator

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

· Highly skilled speaker, that conducts classes informing Soldiers about PII protection, information security, phishing scams, and identity theft prevention.
· Assists in the training, growth, welfare, and development of Soldiers as they travel overseas in support of Deployment Operations.
· Recognized maintenance / repair expert with handheld Mobile Radios and network encryption equipment.
· Possess experience working with networking protocols (TCP/IP); cable installation.

CAREER PATH

Communications Specialist 07/2015 – Present
U.S. Army, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Job Description: Communications team leader that supervises, Installs, maintains, troubleshoots and assist users with communications troubleshooting, software engineering, and satellite communications. Supervises/Motivates team of four Communications Specialist and four Infantry Soldiers in communication installations.

Duties: Supports troubleshooting problems with Army software and radio equipment in remote territories. Secures Symmetric Keys properly and within Company policies.

Communications Specialist 05/2014 – 06/2015
U.S. Army, Camp Casey, Korea

Job Description: Communications team leader in a very dangerous area stationed just 15 minutes away from North Korea Forces. Managed cross cultural teams integrating with neighboring Korean Soldiers. Supervised/motivated team of three communications Specialists and three Korean Soldiers in an Automations department responsible for various communications duties. Provided communications re-transmission for ranges farther than 20 miles.

Duties: Supported systems include HF/UHF/VHF communications including the ability to perform operator level and Field Level Maintenance and preventive maintenance checks and services. Became efficient in operating vehicle and handheld communications from companies such as Harris and Thales. Mastered operations and maintenance for all interactive mapping software systems and teaching the craft to Managers. Upkeep of Networking equipment and symmetric keys were also essential to our duties. Conducted investigations for symmetric key incidents and other security violations within the Company.

Communications Specialist 07/2011 – 05/2014
U.S. Army, Fort Bliss, Texas

Job Description: Provided radio communications for various vehicles and helicopters. Trained to become more efficient as an information technology specialist.

Duties: Performed maintenance on computer issues: Active directory, imaging, and handled trouble tickets on my Company’s shared drive. Input Symmetric keys into various vehicles and helicopters. Installed interactive Mapping software systems for the company.

Jaydel Leach Page Two

Communications Specialist 07/2010 – 06/2011
U.S. Army, Mazer-e-Sharif, Afghanistan

Job Description: Supported Operation enduring freedom. Learned to operate and perform maintenance on satellite communications. Called in 9-line medevacs for injured NATO forces to standard time of less than 15 minutes. Worked with Networking equipment to deliver Symmetric communications to the unit.

Duties: Provided communications operations and maintenance, Symmetric Key changes and security management, Satellite operations, and as a help desk operator.

TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES

· Microsoft Windows Vista, 7, 8.1,

ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS

· Information systems Security Association (ISSA) Tennessee chapter.
· Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
· Army Emergency Relief (AER)

GirlyGirl

You're the second person from Clarksville to post in about 2 weeks or so. Someone else gave them the same similar advice I am about to give you.

It is nothing in Clarksville or the surrounding areas. You ask why? Because hundreds to thousands of Soldiers are getting out a year. A lot of people get out and want to stay in that area. I actually got out and stayed in that area myself. The catch to that is I was in a relationship and I was going to school.

You aren't the only Veteran getting out. Does you military experience mean anything in that area..NO... Probably 85% of the resumes they get are from Veterans. Seeing your resume isn't going to give you any kind of Veterans Preference. 85% of the people get Veterans Preference that are walking/walked the same footsteps as you. I would look outside of the 100 mile radius. Personally I would move out of Kentucky/Tennessee. That is just my opinion. It is places where you stand a chance, although I have never heard anyone say I am moving to Tennessee/Kentucky because of the vast amount of IT jobs.

Change your location, post your resume on job boards for cities and states you would move to. Saying you're a Veteran in that area is liking saying it's fish in the water and they know how to swim. People just don't move to Clarksville for jobs. Either you were A. Born There B. In the Military/Retired. or C. Related to someone that is/was in the military.

If you're less than a year out go to your ACAP appointments. They will do your resume for you. Why come on a site for help when it's a wealth of information right on Ft. Campbell. Get help on base first, that's just my opinion. I went to a multitude of classes, they have resources to help you succeeded. If you want to turn your back on free resources designed to help you, that's on you.

Resume:
The 40hr motor vehicle course and Combat LifeSafer is not relevant once you get your DD214. If you were an 88M and drove trucks, yes that would look good. You can be a truck driver. What someone told me, I forget who, but cater your resume to civilians. Does a civilian (with no military experience) know what everything on your resume means? I highly doubt it. I know what things mean because I was in your shoes, had your uniform. Personally I don't have any awards or decorations on my resume. Why you ask? Because civilians don't know what they mean. What does an AAM or ARCOM mean to a civilian, probably minimal. I am sure they would have to browse the internet to know what it meant. If I am applying for a Veteran Friendly company and do my research and the PM or HR is a Veteran and I want to get "cool points" I might add it. But, when I first got out the military I did. Decorations where on my resume the first year or so after I got out. Haven't been on the resume since.

It's hard to get a job. Look outside that area. You have to compete with Veterans, those in the good ole boy system, and every Service Members wife that's trying to get a job as well. So you're at a severe disadvantage.

Jaydel.Leach

Girlygirl,

Thank you for that. I need this thanks for taking time to read my resume and respond. I took advantage of the acap appointments and this is the resume I've hand crafted after those classes. I have a military resume specifically designed for field operating contracting jobs and most want to see some of the systems I have listed, however this is resume is meant to be my Civilian resume. I can see it still needs work and I still need to get my mind ready for civilian-hood as I still regularly use military jargon.

I definitely plan to relocate. I like the people here but it seems the most jobs are in the Portland and Maryland areas. I'm from Ohio so I can handle the cold. The majority of my search takes place outside of the state. I also normally look for Oconus jobs.

I figured veterans preference wouldn't mean much if mostly veterans are applying for the same job. I believe that my resume was constantly getting compared to others with higher certifications but I hear different criteria. I heard some recruiters and hiring managers explain to me that the degree doesn't hold as much weight as certifications. Their explanation is that how would a employer know what skills I know (I say transcripts). So now I figure I can't go wrong if I keep going for more certifications. I am determined. Thanks for your advice.

stryder144

As a fellow veteran, here are some of my observations.

1. As GirlyGirl stated, tailor the resume to the civilian job market and drop anything that isn't directly related to the job you're trying to get.

2. Make sure that you put your IT certifications and your education in the same area of the resume but under their own headings. Near the top would be a good idea so that the HR person can see it immediately. You only have a short time frame to grab their attention, so don't make them hunt for it and don't repeat your cert listings. Also, don't put the number of hours next to the certifications. You can drop your high school unless asked. They will see your degrees and already know that you have either a diploma or a GED.

3. Replace Communications Sergeant with something more civilian, such as Shift Supervisor, Shift Lead, or something similar. Most civilians won't know what a sergeant does, so make sure you spell it out if it is relevant to the job posting. Also, you mention radios several times in your resume. Most employers don't use radios, so I would just list them in a vague way, such as identifying them as communications equipment and then talk about your IT experience. Let the employer know what technologies you touched and how you either saved money (X dollars saved), decreased something (x%) or increased something (like efficiency).

4. I would not put any reference to specialized military training, awards, or decorations on the resume. They won't likely help and may hurt your chances for jobs. One of my civilian mentors, who did serve a hitch in the military, told me that putting your campaign medals on your resume would do more harm than good. His explanation was that many civilians only know what they see in movies and many of them assume that if you went to Iraq or Afghanistan, you are probably suffering from some form of PTSD. Do not get me wrong, we have every right to be proud of our service and that we deployed in support of military operations in the AOR, we just need to be strategic about when and where we make that information known to possible employers.

Ultimately, you are marketing you to them. How are you going to make their life better, easier, etc? If you can't do that, they won't hire you. Also, think outside the box a bit. Try to figure out ways to get noticed (positive ways). Start a youtube channel, blog about your IT experiences/interests, etc. Volunteer your IT skills. Join meetups and attend them (networking). Compile a list of companies you want to work for, say 10 of them, then start following them on social media sites. Contact people in those organizations and ask them if they would be willing to give a veteran a hand up by answering questions related to how to get a job in IT (or that company), how to network, how to improve your skills, etc. There are a lot of people who want to help veterans but don't know how.

Good luck in your transition.

Jaydel.Leach

Stryder,

Thanks for the reply. Everything was relevant. I wasn't even close to thinking about awards in that aspect. Wow. I didn't think your awards could possibly be a detriment but it makes sense.

The certification and education switch will be changed immediately. Awards also.

The think of the box concept you spoke of was actually talked about in my ACAP class. Blogs allow employers to see a sample of your knowledge in a creative way. I may have to dive into creating a blog.

TheFORCE

I am not sure if that is the actual format of your resume but that is another thing you need to fix. Your resume needs to have a style and a format, right now you are all over the place. Your "Areas of expertise" should actually go under your "Technical Proficiency" area. This will make your resume more focused and remove some clutter also.

The other thing you need to correct is your Career Path to Employment. "Career path" is used loosely when talking informal, your resume is a formal document. Also, job description and job duties are one of the same. You do not need to separate these 2 areas. What are job duties? Well job duties are what is mentioned in the job description, so technically you are repeating yourself.

Supported Operation Enduring Freedom.
Operated and performed maintenance on satellite communications.
Maintained Networking equipment to deliver Symmetric communications to the unit.
Supported Symmetric Key changes and security management for Satellite operations.
Provided communications operations and support.
Called in 9-line medevacs for injured NATO forces to standard time of less than 15 minutes.
Performed Help Desk functions as needed

Something like the above would work better to grab attention of the reader. The order you enter your points, the grammar and tense you use makes a big difference. Your education should be listed first and your certification section second. Also, remove the high-school diploma. Once you have completed a college degree your high-school is not relevant.

TomkoTech

Have you considered going back to Ohio? There are plenty of IT jobs in the Cleveland and Columbus markets. And most of the bigger companies give some form of veteran preference even if not "officially".

I'll PM you a website to check out as well. A retired Marine who helps vets look for jobs, and businesses who are looking to hire vets.

Jaydel.Leach

TomkoTech,

I appreciate your help. I responded to your private message.

Pmorgan2

Hey there! I transitioned out of the military just two months ago, so I still have a lot of this fresh in my mind. Based on your degree, certifications, and resume title statement I will assume that you are looking for work as a system administrator/analyst or information security professional. This was exactly what I wanted to do with almost exactly the same amount of military experience.

The job hunt was tough, and I did not get as many bites as I thought I would. However, I did notice that I got more interest as I improved my resume and gained experience looking for a job. Here's a few places I found (mild) success:

- usajobs.gov: For federal positions, this is where all the jobs are posted. This process is a beast, but I can go into a lot of detail if you're interested in getting a General Schedule (GS) job as an IT Specialist (GS-2210). Ultimately this is where I found my current job.

- Federal Contractor: As a federal contractor, you would be a civilian for some government agency working on annual contracts. It usually means good pay, average benefits, but you could lose your job or get your salary reduces each year as the contract is redone. Getting one of these jobs means going through a contracting company such as BAE, Raytheon, or General Dynamics. There's also smaller contractors, which are harder to find. But you can find them on Clearance Jobs, linkedIn, or (gasp) Indeed. If you find a job posting for a contract you are interested in, submit a resume then immediately call them. They may have other jobs in mind for you too.

- Specific Industry: since I worked for two MEDCOM units, I decided to focus on the healthcare IT field. I applied specifically to hospitals and insurance companies. I did not find this successful, but it had the potential!

In all cases, being willing to move to where ever the jobs are is key. There's contracts for Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq that might be a good match for you in the short term. I read about them on this forum, so some others here know how to get in contact with those contractors. You get your foot in the door, get connections in the industry, and get paid a lot of money. There's nothing else to do with your time but travel and study your craft.

As for your resume, here's some things I did to improve my resume over the job hunt journey. Full disclosure: I was a 25B so I'll try very hard not to pick on your radios too much

:

Clarksville, TN 37040

7+ years of communications experience. During my years of active duty, I have been blessed to get my hands on a large scope of communication devices that I can apply to an Organization. I am looking to dive into software/systems engineering or information security practices.

What kind of communications?  Telecommunications, radio frequency, satellite, information systems?  Tailor this to the position your applying for.  That does mean you tailor your resume to each job posting, or at least each type of job.

Condense this to something about your capabilities: "expert in radio frequency and satellite communications maintenance and deployment" or "adept at applying information system and telecommunications technology to expand organizational capabilities."

"looking to" infers you have no experience or knowledge on this subject.  Just say you are a software/systems engineer and explain to what extent in the interview.

Do not use "or" because it tells the hiring manager that you're not dedicating yourself to a certain discipline.  If the position you're applying for says "systems engineer", then only put systems engineer.

CERTIFICATIONS

Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician, 2016; Security +, 2016; CompTIA Network +, 2014;

EDUCATION

M.I.S. Information Systems Security, University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AR, 2016
B.A. Music Performance, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY, 2007
High School Diploma, The International Preparatory School, Cleveland, OH, 2001

High School is not that important if you have a graduate degree.  If anything, this draws attention to the gaps in your educational career.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

§ Active Secret Clearance
§ Radio Maintenance
§ Leadership
§ Software Engineering
§ Java
§ System Troubleshooting
§ Active Directory
§ Authentication (C.I.A)
§ Data Custodian
§ MySQL
§ Thick Image (Imaging)
§ Training / Instruction
§ Information Security
§ ERP/CRM/SCM
§ WIN-T operator

Make sure to replace some of these with skills directly from the job posting.  This is a good way to get key words into your resume for those infamous resume scrubbing programs.

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

· Highly skilled speaker, that conducts classes informing Soldiers about PII protection, information security, phishing scams, and identity theft prevention.
· Assists in the training, growth, welfare, and development of Soldiers as they travel overseas in support of Deployment Operations.
· Recognized maintenance / repair expert with handheld Mobile Radios and network encryption equipment.
· Possess experience working with networking protocols (TCP/IP); cable installation.

As an NCO, I know you did more than that as a supervisor.  The training, welfare, and development are great points.  Maximize on this by showing that you can supervise others.

Match this profile up with the type of job you're applying for.  Focus on your help desk and system analyst missions if you're looking at system engineering jobs.

Your resume is like an NCOER.  This is not the time to be humble.  This is the time to tell everyone how awesome you are.  Did you do a Sergeants Time Training once on active directory?  Put in your resume as trained.  Did you swap out components on a Blue Force Tracker?  Time to talk about your awesome information systems hardware experience.

CAREER PATH

Communications Specialist 07/2015 – Present
U.S. Army, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Job Description: Communications team leader that supervises, Installs, maintains, troubleshoots and assist users with communications troubleshooting, software engineering, and satellite communications. Supervises/Motivates team of four Communications Specialist and four Infantry Soldiers in communication installations.

Duties: Supports troubleshooting problems with Army software and radio equipment in remote territories. Secures Symmetric Keys properly and within Company policies.

Use the S.M.A.R.T. bullet method.  What [B][U]S[/U][/B]pecifically did you maintain?  How was your performance [B][U]M[/U][/B]easured?  Did you [U][B]A[/B][/U]ttain organizational results?  How does this experience [U][B]R[/B][/U]elate to the position you are applying for?  Were the results [B][U]T[/U][/B]imely?  You don't have to answer these questions directly by writing a huge paragraph for each topic, but keep them in mind as something the reader is looking to know.

What Army software specifically?  What radio equipment?  Is the radio equipment relevant?  If not, replace with other relevant technologies.

Communications Specialist 05/2014 – 06/2015
U.S. Army, Camp Casey, Korea

Job Description: Communications team leader in a very dangerous area stationed just 15 minutes away from North Korea Forces. Managed cross cultural teams integrating with neighboring Korean Soldiers. Supervised/motivated team of three communications Specialists and three Korean Soldiers in an Automations department responsible for various communications duties. Provided communications re-transmission for ranges farther than 20 miles.

Dangerous jobs don't necessarily relate well to the civilian world.  Like others mentioned, this might actually hurt your prospects as you could be seen as unstable due to the experience.

Be specific.  This is a great place to shine.  What exactly did you and your Soldiers do?

Duties: Supported systems include HF/UHF/VHF communications including the ability to perform operator level and Field Level Maintenance and preventive maintenance checks and services. Became efficient in operating vehicle and handheld communications from companies such as Harris and Thales. Mastered operations and maintenance for all interactive mapping software systems and teaching the craft to Managers. Upkeep of Networking equipment and symmetric keys were also essential to our duties. Conducted investigations for symmetric key incidents and other security violations within the Company.

You have mentioned symmetric keys a few times already.  Show diversity by talking about cryptography, communications  security, auditing, physical security, ect.  I'm certain you dealt with CAC cards a lot.  That's a PKI infrastructure which you managed.

Communications Specialist 07/2011 – 05/2014
U.S. Army, Fort Bliss, Texas

Job Description: Provided radio communications for various vehicles and helicopters. Trained to become more efficient as an information technology specialist.

What kind of communications?  Blue force trackers are mobile information systems on a satellite network.  Your ASIP radios are capable of data communications - did you connect a fax or create an IP network with one?  You were at least trained to do so.  They also had some pretty complicated cryptography which you managed.

Duties: Performed maintenance on computer issues: Active directory, imaging, and handled trouble tickets on my Company’s shared drive. Input Symmetric keys into various vehicles and helicopters. Installed interactive Mapping software systems for the company.

Try to use verbiage you find in job postings.  Commonly, "performed maintenance on computer issues" can be "provided help desk or customer support" or "remediated information system trouble tickets", ect.

Did you manage tasks for soldiers? This is project management. Did you use Remedy? This is a specific technology you can mention. [/code]

Again, talk about about other aspects of your experience with cryptography and communications security besides the symmetric keys.

Jaydel Leach Page Two

Communications Specialist 07/2010 – 06/2011
U.S. Army, Mazer-e-Sharif, Afghanistan

Job Description: Supported Operation enduring freedom. Learned to operate and perform maintenance on satellite communications. Called in 9-line medevacs for injured NATO forces to standard time of less than 15 minutes. Worked with Networking equipment to deliver Symmetric communications to the unit.

9-lines are neat, but not relevant.  Bring it up in the interview if you're talking to a veteran or someone who is interested in your service.

Duties: Provided communications operations and maintenance, Symmetric Key changes and security management, Satellite operations, and as a help desk operator.

Symmetric keys!

TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES

· Microsoft Windows Vista, 7, 8.1,

Combine this with your areas of expertise, or put this underneath that.  Add more to it, or remove it.

ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS

· Information systems Security Association (ISSA) Tennessee chapter.
· Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
· Army Emergency Relief (AER)

Pmorgan2

Even though I was a 25B, I did have one position as a 25U4O. It was a Battalion S6 / Commo Platoon Sergeant position. This is how I translated that position into civilian IT language targeted at a federal job:

Communications Section Chief

Chief Information Officer responsible for the acquisition, maintenance, life cycle, compliance, and security of all networking, information systems, radio frequency, and mobile devices in an organization of 550 employees.
Project manager for 5 communications teams with a total of 29 IT technicians, completing an average of 120 customer service trouble tickets a month for 550 employees, 500 computer systems, 13 multi-functional printers, 2 plotters, and a wide area network (WAN) comprised of 10 separate local area networks (LAN).
Acted as the lead desktop support and network technician within the organization providing end user desktop, telephone, and remote support as well as resolution for elevated trouble tickets. Coordinated, executed, implemented, and maintained the installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and operations of hardware and applications.
Managed a lifecycle program for 230 information systems, enforcing compliance management, network security, and implementing proper logistical policies.
Established a network for automated medical supply ordering, eliminating the need for hand carried orders and expediting the acquisition of vital medical supplies to the organization.
Upgraded 524 operating systems from Windows XP to Windows 7, enabling equipment based public key infrastructure and hardware encryption in order to better protect personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and electronic health records (EHR) on medical information systems.
Planned and executed the migration of 550 employees with over 500 information systems on 3 LANs to a new hard site with 11 LANs, ensuring no network downtime or loss of equipment availability during and after transition.
Maintained capabilities for 2 mobile wide area networks (WAN) to be dispatched anywhere globally and fully deployed within 2 hours of arrival.
Maintained and utilized combat service support automated information system (CAISI) devices in order to expand wide area networks up to 70 miles using wireless frequency in unimproved operating locations.
Acquired and installed 1 Cisco and 1 Polycom video teleconference suite including codecs, display units, cameras, speakers, appropriate furniture, networking, and security gateways allowing for world-wide video conferencing for organizational leaders.
Acquired and configured 6 command post of the future systems providing live, transportable, visual tracking of organizational equipment and employees to organizational leaders.
Trained 29 IT technicians in workstation administration and security principles resulting in 2 Project+, 7 Security+, 2 Network+, and 1 CASP CompTIA certifications earned within the organization.
Information assurance manager responsible for the development, implementation, extension, and compliance of IT security programs, policies, and standards.
Maintained telecommunication systems configuration for moved, adds, and changes requests for over 60 voice lines, 30 blackberry lines, and 10 VOIP systems in 11 hard sites and 2 mobile soft sites.
Established a local Secured Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) entrance point including secured physical space, compliant equipment, and usage policies.
Established a communications security (COMSEC) program for the organization by creating and enforcing local physical security, operating procedure, and access controls policies in accordance with Department of Defense regulation.
Expanded radio frequency capabilities to include high frequency (HF) wavelength, ultra-high frequency (UHF) wavelength, and satellite communications for both fixed and mobile assets which provided consistent voice and data capabilities for employees at ground, vehicle, or fixed locations.
Reserved and managed frequency usage for high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF), and ultra-high frequency (UHF) bands for eleven organizations within the company.

Here's some other bullets that might fit your experience as an automations team leader:

Project manager for 14 Information Technology Specialists resolving an average of 200 computer support requests a month. Utilized the Remedy trouble ticketing system to open, monitor, and close trouble tickets in support of customer support.

Maintained 2 hour deployment capabilities of information systems and automated medical logistic servers for a 146 bed hospital to any cold, warm, or hot site on the globe; executed deployment plan to cold sites in austere environments twice a year resulting in full network and patient care capabilities within 4 hours of arrival.

Audited and maintained information security compliance in accordance with best business practices, Department of Defense regulations, and the Joint Commission standards. Passed Joint Commission inspection with a commendable rating.

Additionally appointed as the manager for organizational safety and substance abuse prevention programs. Performed monthly inspections for safety compliance in accordance with OSHA standards. Performed weekly drug test administration and provided monthly prevention classes.

Trained and supervised a 3 member network help desk team and a 3 member information assurance team. Enforced compliance with department policies on equal employment opportunity, sexual harassment and assault response, and unit substance abuse prevention programs.

jasonthepro

When I first got out (long time ago) from fort soup err...campbel lol. When I was looking for work a lot of people might be scared of the word veteran thanks to the media. This is very true in non military/government areas. For example, when I was down in Texas soon as someone found out I was a vet, they bought me a meal or drink or two. But when I was in st. louis...well that didn't go so well.

I was in MD for 5 years and there's a LOT of government work especially if you have an active clearance. Only downside is traffic is insane, it took me usually 45min to go 10 miles to get to work. There's also some really BAD pockets of neighbourhoods and certain times not to be.

I would agree that unless there's veterans preference for a government job, I wouldn't mention veteran unless they ask.

May I also suggest with your years of experience (I wish I had

) that you go for higher level certs and possibly more concentrated. The reason I say this is because in my area in Honolulu the tech schools target vets and retires to get all there low level certs, ie sec+, net+, a+, ccna etc... and we have quite a lot of military bases here. So you could say there's a saturation of techs. So I wonder if that's happening in clarksville?

Jaydel.Leach

Thank you for the bullets, I may use them fir my last NCOer as well.

Jaydel.Leach

Pmorgan2 wrote: »
Hey there! I transitioned out of the military just two months ago, so I still have a lot of this fresh in my mind. Based on your degree, certifications, and resume title statement I will assume that you are looking for work as a system administrator/analyst or information security professional. This was exactly what I wanted to do with almost exactly the same amount of military experience.

The job hunt was tough, and I did not get as many bites as I thought I would. However, I did notice that I got more interest as I improved my resume and gained experience looking for a job. Here's a few places I found (mild) success:

- usajobs.gov: For federal positions, this is where all the jobs are posted. This process is a beast, but I can go into a lot of detail if you're interested in getting a General Schedule (GS) job as an IT Specialist (GS-2210). Ultimately this is where I found my current job.

- Federal Contractor: As a federal contractor, you would be a civilian for some government agency working on annual contracts. It usually means good pay, average benefits, but you could lose your job or get your salary reduces each year as the contract is redone. Getting one of these jobs means going through a contracting company such as BAE, Raytheon, or General Dynamics. There's also smaller contractors, which are harder to find. But you can find them on Clearance Jobs, linkedIn, or (gasp) Indeed. If you find a job posting for a contract you are interested in, submit a resume then immediately call them. They may have other jobs in mind for you too.

- Specific Industry: since I worked for two MEDCOM units, I decided to focus on the healthcare IT field. I applied specifically to hospitals and insurance companies. I did not find this successful, but it had the potential!

In all cases, being willing to move to where ever the jobs are is key. There's contracts for Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq that might be a good match for you in the short term. I read about them on this forum, so some others here know how to get in contact with those contractors. You get your foot in the door, get connections in the industry, and get paid a lot of money. There's nothing else to do with your time but travel and study your craft.

As for your resume, here's some things I did to improve my resume over the job hunt journey. Full disclosure: I was a 25B so I'll try very hard not to pick on your radios too much :

Clarksville, TN 37040

7+ years of communications experience. During my years of active duty, I have been blessed to get my hands on a large scope of communication devices that I can apply to an Organization. I am looking to dive into software/systems engineering or information security practices.
What kind of communications?  Telecommunications, radio frequency, satellite, information systems?  Tailor this to the position your applying for.  That does mean you tailor your resume to each job posting, or at least each type of job.
Condense this to something about your capabilities: "expert in radio frequency and satellite communications maintenance and deployment" or "adept at applying information system and telecommunications technology to expand organizational capabilities."
"looking to" infers you have no experience or knowledge on this subject.  Just say you are a software/systems engineer and explain to what extent in the interview.
Do not use "or" because it tells the hiring manager that you're not dedicating yourself to a certain discipline.  If the position you're applying for says "systems engineer", then only put systems engineer.
CERTIFICATIONS

Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician, 2016; Security +, 2016; CompTIA Network +, 2014;

EDUCATION

M.I.S. Information Systems Security, University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AR, 2016
B.A. Music Performance, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY, 2007
High School Diploma, The International Preparatory School, Cleveland, OH, 2001
High School is not that important if you have a graduate degree.  If anything, this draws attention to the gaps in your educational career.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE

§ Active Secret Clearance
§ Radio Maintenance
§ Leadership
§ Software Engineering
§ Java
§ System Troubleshooting
§ Active Directory
§ Authentication (C.I.A)
§ Data Custodian
§ MySQL
§ Thick Image (Imaging)
§ Training / Instruction
§ Information Security
§ ERP/CRM/SCM
§ WIN-T operator
Make sure to replace some of these with skills directly from the job posting.  This is a good way to get key words into your resume for those infamous resume scrubbing programs.
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

· Highly skilled speaker, that conducts classes informing Soldiers about PII protection, information security, phishing scams, and identity theft prevention.
· Assists in the training, growth, welfare, and development of Soldiers as they travel overseas in support of Deployment Operations.
· Recognized maintenance / repair expert with handheld Mobile Radios and network encryption equipment.
· Possess experience working with networking protocols (TCP/IP); cable installation.
As an NCO, I know you did more than that as a supervisor.  The training, welfare, and development are great points.  Maximize on this by showing that you can supervise others.
Match this profile up with the type of job you're applying for.  Focus on your help desk and system analyst missions if you're looking at system engineering jobs.
Your resume is like an NCOER.  This is not the time to be humble.  This is the time to tell everyone how awesome you are.  Did you do a Sergeants Time Training once on active directory?  Put in your resume as trained.  Did you swap out components on a Blue Force Tracker?  Time to talk about your awesome information systems hardware experience.
CAREER PATH

Communications Specialist 07/2015 – Present
U.S. Army, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Job Description: Communications team leader that supervises, Installs, maintains, troubleshoots and assist users with communications troubleshooting, software engineering, and satellite communications. Supervises/Motivates team of four Communications Specialist and four Infantry Soldiers in communication installations.

Duties: Supports troubleshooting problems with Army software and radio equipment in remote territories. Secures Symmetric Keys properly and within Company policies.
Use the S.M.A.R.T. bullet method.  What [B][U]S[/U][/B]pecifically did you maintain?  How was your performance [B][U]M[/U][/B]easured?  Did you [U][B]A[/B][/U]ttain organizational results?  How does this experience [U][B]R[/B][/U]elate to the position you are applying for?  Were the results [B][U]T[/U][/B]imely?  You don't have to answer these questions directly by writing a huge paragraph for each topic, but keep them in mind as something the reader is looking to know.
What Army software specifically?  What radio equipment?  Is the radio equipment relevant?  If not, replace with other relevant technologies.
Communications Specialist 05/2014 – 06/2015
U.S. Army, Camp Casey, Korea

Job Description: Communications team leader in a very dangerous area stationed just 15 minutes away from North Korea Forces. Managed cross cultural teams integrating with neighboring Korean Soldiers. Supervised/motivated team of three communications Specialists and three Korean Soldiers in an Automations department responsible for various communications duties. Provided communications re-transmission for ranges farther than 20 miles.
Dangerous jobs don't necessarily relate well to the civilian world.  Like others mentioned, this might actually hurt your prospects as you could be seen as unstable due to the experience.
Be specific.  This is a great place to shine.  What exactly did you and your Soldiers do?
Duties: Supported systems include HF/UHF/VHF communications including the ability to perform operator level and Field Level Maintenance and preventive maintenance checks and services. Became efficient in operating vehicle and handheld communications from companies such as Harris and Thales. Mastered operations and maintenance for all interactive mapping software systems and teaching the craft to Managers. Upkeep of Networking equipment and symmetric keys were also essential to our duties. Conducted investigations for symmetric key incidents and other security violations within the Company.
You have mentioned symmetric keys a few times already.  Show diversity by talking about cryptography, communications  security, auditing, physical security, ect.  I'm certain you dealt with CAC cards a lot.  That's a PKI infrastructure which you managed.
Communications Specialist 07/2011 – 05/2014
U.S. Army, Fort Bliss, Texas

Job Description: Provided radio communications for various vehicles and helicopters. Trained to become more efficient as an information technology specialist.
What kind of communications?  Blue force trackers are mobile information systems on a satellite network.  Your ASIP radios are capable of data communications - did you connect a fax or create an IP network with one?  You were at least trained to do so.  They also had some pretty complicated cryptography which you managed.
Duties: Performed maintenance on computer issues: Active directory, imaging, and handled trouble tickets on my Company’s shared drive. Input Symmetric keys into various vehicles and helicopters. Installed interactive Mapping software systems for the company.
Try to use verbiage you find in job postings.  Commonly, "performed maintenance on computer issues" can be "provided help desk or customer support" or "remediated information system trouble tickets", ect.
Did you manage tasks for soldiers? This is project management. Did you use Remedy? This is a specific technology you can mention. [/code]
Again, talk about about other aspects of your experience with cryptography and communications security besides the symmetric keys.
Jaydel Leach Page Two

Communications Specialist 07/2010 – 06/2011
U.S. Army, Mazer-e-Sharif, Afghanistan

Job Description: Supported Operation enduring freedom. Learned to operate and perform maintenance on satellite communications. Called in 9-line medevacs for injured NATO forces to standard time of less than 15 minutes. Worked with Networking equipment to deliver Symmetric communications to the unit.
9-lines are neat, but not relevant.  Bring it up in the interview if you're talking to a veteran or someone who is interested in your service.
Duties: Provided communications operations and maintenance, Symmetric Key changes and security management, Satellite operations, and as a help desk operator.
Symmetric keys!
TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES

· Microsoft Windows Vista, 7, 8.1,
Combine this with your areas of expertise, or put this underneath that.  Add more to it, or remove it.
ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS

· Information systems Security Association (ISSA) Tennessee chapter.
· Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
· Army Emergency Relief (AER)

PMorgan thank you. You hit the nail on the head with the positions to attain. I would love to hear about the GS positions. I was initially concerned about having a 10 page resume for a position. Plus the cost of having someone do the federal resume is initially too high (over 500$). I Also thank you for those experiences you mentioned. I was more interested in contracting for the pay and the fact that the process seemed easier.

Codyy

Being from AR I immediately noticed you mistakenly put Phoenix, AR ...Arizona is AZ. Honest mistake, but it stands out.

Jaydel.Leach

jasonthepro wrote: »

When I first got out (long time ago) from fort soup err...campbel lol. When I was looking for work a lot of people might be scared of the word veteran thanks to the media. This is very true in non military/government areas. For example, when I was down in Texas soon as someone found out I was a vet, they bought me a meal or drink or two. But when I was in st. louis...well that didn't go so well.

I was in MD for 5 years and there's a LOT of government work especially if you have an active clearance. Only downside is traffic is insane, it took me usually 45min to go 10 miles to get to work. There's also some really BAD pockets of neighbourhoods and certain times not to be.

I would agree that unless there's veterans preference for a government job, I wouldn't mention veteran unless they ask.

May I also suggest with your years of experience (I wish I had ) that you go for higher level certs and possibly more concentrated. The reason I say this is because in my area in Honolulu the tech schools target vets and retires to get all there low level certs, ie sec+, net+, a+, ccna etc... and we have quite a lot of military bases here. So you could say there's a saturation of techs. So I wonder if that's happening in clarksville?

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am at fort Soup as we speak and clarksville IT jobs aren't as fruitful. I have been networking with my contractor friends about work. Everyone suggests get out of Clarksville.

Jaydel.Leach

Codyy wrote: »

Being from AR I immediately noticed you mistakenly put Phoenix, AR ...Arizona is AZ. Honest mistake, but it stands out.

lol thank you. Fixing that right now.

jcundiff

TomkoTech wrote: »

Have you considered going back to Ohio? There are plenty of IT jobs in the Cleveland and Columbus markets. And most of the bigger companies give some form of veteran preference even if not "officially".

I'll PM you a website to check out as well. A retired Marine who helps vets look for jobs, and businesses who are looking to hire vets.

Cincinnati is wide open for Infosec gigs ( more reqs open than qualified resources), I will PM you some information