Resume Guidance

Resume Guidance for MSCCN Applicants

Why Resumes are Important

Every day highly qualified job seekers are overlooked by employers because resumes have been poorly written. A resume will normally end up in one of two, or sometimes, three stacks: trash, good enough to interview for a certain position, or rarely, held for another position that is opening in the future. Sadly, resumes tend to pare down the competition to only the most qualified for the stated job opening. This is one time that the saying "you have only one chance to make a good first impression" is very true.

Online Resources

Susan Ireland is a well-known resume professional who has worked closely with military family centers for many years. Susan Ireland's Resume Site has resume guidance and an assortment of resume samples to view. Many military family centers have copies of her resume software, Ready-Made Resumes, on hand to assist military-affiliated job seekers. Please ask at your local military family if they have that resource.

Susan Ireland has posted several short informational videos about resumes on YouTube. Above are two of our favorites.

Anne Wight's Guidelines to Job Search

MSCCN's Anne Wight created Guidelines to Job Search to provide links to useful websites for a job seeker, including a section on resumes. See http://www.msccn.org/jobs/resourcesGuide.php.

Also, don't miss Anne's "Resume Information" guidelines and a variety of job search articles from several MSCCN Team members online near the bottom of SpousetoSpouse.

Articles pertaining to job searches and resumes can also be found in many issues of MSCCN's Military Spouse Employment Journal (MSEJ).

There are many other excellent resume resources so please do not limit yourselves to only those we show. We do recommend that you start with those shown on this web page and throughout the MSCCN website and then expand outward as you learn more and more and can distinguish good resume advice from bad or outdated guidance.