Veteran Resources

The Discharge Review Boards exist for all branches of the military and have the power to correct inequities or improprieties in military service records. This can mean upgrading a discharge from other than honorable to general under honorable conditions and can result in the restoration of some veterans’ benefits administered by the VA. An upgrade from general to honorable would restore a service member’s access to Post 9-11 GI Bill education benefits and allow the service member to take advantage of educational opportunities following service while avoiding the ever-inflating cost of an education.

Besides upgrading a military discharge classification, the Boards possess the power to change a service member’s reentry code, correct the narrative reason for separation, and even change the separation authority. This could result in a service member becoming eligible to reenlist in the military or avoiding having to explain why their DD Form 214 lists things like “drug abuse” or “serious misconduct” under the narrative for separation.

A service member has the right to submit a request to the Discharge Review Board so long as the application is made within 15 years from the date of his or her separation from service. The service member is required to complete a DD Form 293 and it is highly recommended that a comprehensive petition be submitted along with the completed form in order to increase the chances of the Board granting relief. The petition should be drafted in an organized and well-labelled manner to allow the Board to find the information they seek in the short time they will spend conducting their review. The drafter must know the specific information the Board will seek and how to persuasively present that information in the light most favorable to the applicant. Often times service members attempt to go about it on their own and are denied because they fail to provide supporting documents or adequately explain why they should be granted relief.

US Department of Labor: Bureau of International Labor Affairs

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/tips-for-applying-for-federal-jobs

Tips for Applying for Federal Jobs

Follow the instructions in the “How to Apply” section of each announcement. Instructions will guide you through the application process, providing you detailed information on the questions, forms and format that must be addressed and used to capture your qualifications for the job.

The documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password-protected documents.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted.

Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your computer and USAJOBS profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and the number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume.  We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.

Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.).  If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Learn more about Evaluation of Foreign Education.

More information regarding resumes (from Careers at DOL – Tips for Writing your Federal resume):

One size never fits all. As you apply for jobs, tailor your resume to the position’s requirements. Study the job opportunity announcement and emphasize the parts of your work history that match the qualification requirements listed there. It is important to portray your knowledge and skills as a match to the requirements of the position and demonstrate the ability to do the job. This is easy to do when you include your results, achievements and accomplishments. Minimize the use of technical jargon or specialized terminology (e.g., military abbreviations) in your resume.

Unlike resumes used in the private sector, federal resumes require additional information. For each past job, give the standard information found in most resumes. Your federal resume should include the following:

• Job announcement number, job title, and job grade of the job for which you are applying
• Your full name, mailing address, day and evening phone numbers and home e-mail.
• Country of citizenship, if different from U.S.
• Special Hiring Authorities
  1. Veterans – Ensure that you attach or upload supporting documentation (e.g., DD214 or Statement of Service if still on Active Duty; SF-15, Application for 10-point preference; and Disability Rating Letter of 30% or more from the VA, if applicable).
  2. Peace Corps / AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers – If you are a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, you will need to provide your Description of Service (DOS) to claim non-competitive eligibility for federal jobs. AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers
  3. Persons with Disabilities (Schedule A) – To verify eligibility for employment under the Schedule A hiring authority, you must provide proof of disability issued by a licensed medical professions, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any federal agency, state agency, or an agency of the District of Columbia, or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. Contact the Department’s Selective Placement Coordinators for help with hiring and accommodation requests.
• Education - Include: college name, city, state, zip code, majors, type and year of degrees held or number of semester hours completed, and high school name, city, state, zip code, and date of your diploma or GED, if requested.
  • Veterans – Keep in mind that your military training may count towards qualifications. Use your Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) document (DD Form 2586) to document your training and education.
• Work experience – When writing your federal resume, be sure to include all relevant experience. It is common for federal resumes to be longer than average, so do not cut out important details to try to fit your resume to one to two pages. A good federal resume should clearly outline your key work, volunteer experiences, academic accomplishments as well as extra-curricular activities. It should also highlight the unique skills that set you apart and make you uniquely qualified for the position. Study the job opportunity announcement and emphasize the parts of your work history that match the qualifications listed there. Remember, human resources specialists might not be familiar with your career field. To help them understand how your experience matches what is required for the vacant position, make sure that you describe your experience in laymen’s terms. Most importantly, describe job duties and accomplishments in a way that demonstrates how you are qualified.
  • Begin with your current position and list all other positions held in chronological order.
  • State the job title, starting and ending dates (including month and year), prior employer's name and address (or write "self-employed," if that applies), and major duties and accomplishments. Include any positions temporarily held.
  • Show the average number of hours worked per week or simply state "full-time"; salary or wage earned; supervisor's name, address and telephone number; and whether your most recent supervisor may be contacted.
  • Include the occupational series numbers and the starting and ending grades of the federal government positions held. Include any relevant volunteer or National Service experience.
    • Veterans - Avoid using military job titles or occupational codes. Instead, look at what you did using your Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) as a starting point. Employers prefer proven performers, so make sure you know what employers are looking for in comparison to your military work experience.
• Indicate if your current supervisor can be contacted
• Job-related training courses (title and year).
• Job-related knowledge or skills - Showing how your skills fit the company's requirements starts with an extensive inventory. Skills fall into three categories:
  1. self-management skills refer to the way you manage yourself on the job (e.g., dependable, resourceful, etc.);
  2. functional skills are the skills you use on the job or have used in previous jobs (e.g., operate equipment, supervise, analyze, etc.); and
  3. technical skills relate to specific skills required to perform a described task (e.g., computer programming, accounting, sales, etc.)
• Current job-related certificates and licenses - Make sure you understand the licensure and certification requirements for your job objective.
• Job-related honors, awards, special accomplishments, leadership activities, memberships, or publications.

Career One Stop: https://www.careeronestop.org/Veterans/JobSearch/ResumesAndApplications/translating-military-terms.aspx
Phone: 1-877-872-5627
Provides resume tips, tools for job finding, Matches military jobs with civilian jobs, helps with military terms and acronyms, etc.

LinkedIn is a great resource to put yourself out there. It is used for finding jobs, course work for Professional Development, networking, and more. Think of this website as a storage for your resume because the profile you create is essentially a living resume. You can continue to update your profile (education, awards, skills, jobs, etc.) through the years whether the LinkedIn account is active or not. This is not a free website, but you can create an account for free and activate when you need it or deactivate when you do not. The resources are great and are used by millions. 

Both Job seekers and recruiters use this website. Not to include Lawyers for veterans, resume experts, social groups for veterans and/or dream jobs. If you choose to be apart of LinkedIn, networking is extremely important in our everyday lives. You can also connect with old friends if they are apart of LinkedIn. Use this tool to your advantage.