Some people think that all you need to do to get hired by a defense contractor or private military firm is give them your resume’ and wait by the phone.
The reality is that most of the companies you’ll deal with have hundreds or thousands of employees and long ago put hiring and human resource systems in place to handle job applicants.
If you want to find a job in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan or any of the other high-paying overseas locations, you will need to follow a job search process which has five activities:
1. Organize your paperwork and resume’
2. Research and contact companies
3. Review job leads
4. Network with others
5. Keep current on industry and company news
Sounds simple right? Well…
Organizing your paperwork is far more difficult than before
First, you need to organize your “paperwork” including all relevant documents and credentials.
Part of this step is to create a resume’ that addresses what job or career field you’re going to pursue. This isn’t as simple as it sounds, especially if you want to have a chance of standing out in a Human Resources computer file clogged with other applicants.
This is where many people make their first big mistake. In the past, you would write your resume with the intention of getting an interview. Now the task is to write it so that you show up in a database search.
One approach is to research jobs at companies that interest you and then tailor your resume writing to fit the key words they used in their job descriptions. This takes serious research, but can be helpful for being picked up in a detailed keyword search.
Job search experts, like Margaret Riley of Rileyguide.com recommend you keep duplicates of your resume in each of these versions or formats.
Print Version, designed with bulleted lists, italicized text, and other highlights, ready to print and mail or hand to potential contacts and interviewers.
Scannable Version, a less-designed version without the fancy design highlights. Bulleted lists are fine, but that's about the limit.
Plain Text Version, a plain text file ready to copy and paste into online forms or post in online resume databases. This might also be referred to as a Text-Only copy.
E-mail Version, another plain text copy, but this one is specifically formatted for the length-of-line restrictions in e-mail. This is also a Text-Only copy.
This is the same document presented in four ways, each formatted for a specific delivery purpose.
Another issue concerns whether you should include security clearance information on your resume. According to Riley, “If you are applying for a job with the U.S. Government or with one of the thousands of government contractors supplying or serving the government, listing the fact that you have a clearance is good, but do so only when requested and then hold the specifics (level of clearance and agency) for the interview.”
How can DangerzoneJobs.com help?
Our company profiles make it fast and simple for you to find out what each company requires for job applications, posting your resume’ or filling out a online profile.
We also offer our members articles and resources to help you prepare a solid package for prospective employers. You need to successfully translate your background into a resume and cover letter combination that gets you noticed and then hired.
Find out more about how Dangerzonejobs.com can make your job search faster.
