The Army Community Service helps the Soldiers and their Families every day in all aspects of Army life including how to find a job when an enlistment ends and how spouses can find employment with the federal government.

On June 13, Soldiers and Family members attended the Federal Employment for Military Spouses seminar in the ACS Center at 9810 Lee Road to learn the nuances of procuring civil service occupations.

Barbara Martin, ACS's Employment Readiness Program Manager, said the seminar is a key way for Fort Jackson community members to navigate the complex federal hiring system.

The best thing a spouse or transition Soldier can do to help enter the civil service "is to attend this workshop and learn the specifics," Martin said. "A lot of people will just look at the (USAJOBS) website and skim over it and apply and come back and say, 'I don't know what I am doing wrong.'"

A majority of all federal jobs must be applied for at USAJOBS.gov, where applicants search for open jobs, write resumes with resume maker software, upload various documents, and track the status of each job they apply for.

Martin said feedback she receives from workshop attendees is positive because "they receive detailed information then they go back out and rework their resume. A lot are using a private sector resume, but it is not detailed enough for them to really be able to get their resumes evaluated properly."

At the seminar attendees are armed with in-depth knowledge about eligibility, how to become the best qualified candidate, how to conduct a job search and how to express their qualifications in a detailed manner that will get them noticed.

One of the biggest hurdles a prospective federal employee can face is correctly writing a resume.

"You can't use the same guidelines as if you applying for civil service as you would in the private sector world," Martin added. "If they come to the class and really learn how to prepare a federal resume and learn about the different eligibilities they become a little bit more successful -- and become a little more positive about the whole approach."

A lot of applicants "don't target" their resumes to specific jobs, she added.

"Each job, once you go into USAJOBS and apply there is a set of questions" about the job, she said. "You have to take your resume and target it to those specific question each time you apply."

For more information on future employment seminars offered by ACS contact Barbara Martin at barbara.L.martin10.civ@mail.mil.


Sidebar:
Employment workshops offered by ACS are:
Job Searching Strategies For Military Spouses
June 20, July 11, 25, Aug. 11 and 22 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the ACS Center- 9810 Lee Road.

Federal Employment of Military Spouses
July 18 and Aug. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon at the ACS Center -- 9810 Lee Road

Professional Networking on LinkedIn
July 12 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the ACS Center -- 9810 Lee Road

Teen Career Exploration (Ages 14-19)
June 27 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the ACS Center -- 9810 Lee Road

Is Business Ownership Right for For You?
June 28, July 26 and Aug. 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Education Center Rm. B205

Stand Out Resume's with Results -- Blue Cross Blue Shield resume writing and interviewing
Aug. 29 from 9 a.m. to noon at the ACS Center -- 9810 Lee Road.