The Voice of Job Seekers

Mark Anthony Dyson ★ Career Writer ★ Speaker ★ Thinker ★ Award-winning Blog & Podcast! ★ "The Job Scam Report" on Substack! ★ I hack and reimagine the modern job search!

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How Canadian Armed Forces Personnel can Write Resumes for Civilian Careers

How Canadian Armed Forces Personnel can Write Resumes for Civilian Careers

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I thought that people would benefit if I had Audrey Prenzel back on the show to talk about her approach to resume writing for her Canadian Armed Forces to Civilian clients. This show complements next week’s annual Veteran’s day show. Be sure that you have subscribed so you can hear that special edition.

Are you in the military looking for civilian careers? If so, let me know in one of three ways:

  1. Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822
  2. Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
  3. Send email feedback to mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

If you are a career professional who advise job seekers and adds feedback whether it’s advice or a differing opinion, I will include a link in future show notes and read your comments on an upcoming show. Just let me know if it’s OK with you.

thevoiceofjobseekers105

Audrey Prenzel of resumeresources.ca (@AudreyPrenzel) is a career transition strategist and an award-winning resume writer who specializes in writing and coaching for those in the Canadian Armed Forces. She has been published in multiple magazine, newspapers, and career publications.

      • Canada is unique for it has a melting pot population, so language is a major consideration. Many Canadian armed forces members speak French and English fluently
      • Military bases in Canada are primarily French-speaking. Audrey coaches her military clients to showcase their bilingual abilities (some speak more than two) to civilian employers
      • Audrey also coaches them to have a dedication language section as they would on a LinkedIn profile
      • Interestingly enough, most resumes are written in English unless the province is predominantly or solely French
      • The summary is a key spot on a Canadian armed forces to civilian resume, but provide a dedicated title for what you what to be known as e.g., “IT Bilingual Executive.” Your summary will support your description
      • Audrey says that infusing personality in your summary is a great way to stand out. Hard skills and soft skills are important to include
      • Audrey recommends side step cheesy-overused-clichés such as “results-oriented” or “team-player
      • Your resume should answer many questions so the reader will have a good sense of who the applicant is
      • A sense of entitlement will keep you from selling your accomplishments. No one will hire on reputation alone
      • Reverse chronological is the preferred style by employers highlighting what the applicant did and how well they did it
      • One of the challenges in helping Canadian armed forces to Civilian Transition is translating the acronyms. Audrey has a file with more than 10,000 acronyms
      • “Tell me what you want to do” is important to target opportunities. Too much information is good to start
          Have you subscribed to this show on iTunes? If you haven’t, please do so. iTunes is a great place to write an honest review and increase the show’s visibility. Enjoy listening to the show.

 

Let us know what you think.

Do you need help with resume writing or career direction? Do you need coaching or instruction?I can help.

Also, join our Linkedin community! You’ll enjoy some of the insights shared by community members and other career pros!

I would still like to help self-published career professionals promote their books. If you’re interested, find more info here.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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Grammarly is Useful for Your Job Search and Career Management

Grammarly is Useful for Your Job Search and Career Management

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Grammarly

Note: I have an affiliate account with Grammarly and benefit when you click on the ads on the right panel of TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com. This is a small way for you to support the show if you wish to do so.

Grammarly is the best grammar checker software on the planet. There are more than 250 grammar rule checks it makes in its search for errors. It’s hard for those of us who write for a living to create an edit to perfection. I receive help from editors from time to time for client documents and blog posts. I also find the software from Grammarly helpful and useful on a regular basis (I still use an editor to help me with writing for clients and articles from time to time).

I have reviewed other grammar and spellcheckers on these articles:

https://thevoiceofjobseekers.com/five-resources-to-help-correct-resume-grammar-errors/

https://thevoiceofjobseekers.com/3-more-resources-to-help-proofread-your-resume/

https://thevoiceofjobseekers.com/three-more-resources-to-help-correct-resume-grammar-errors-part-2/

 

My friend and colleague Lauren Milligan and I also walk through some editing and proofreading techniques in episode 49 specifically for writing resumes.

My guest is Shanik Patel of Grammarly. He makes a compelling case for you to get help with writing error-free documents by using Grammarly.

When you visit the blog, you will notice that a Grammarly affiliate ad is one of two that I  have on the blog. It is a product I use and don’t mind selling because I benefit far more for the quality of writing I produce than the link itself. I recommend that if you are struggling to create a quality business related document for work, job search, and/or business to invest at minimum the premium version.

How do you proofread documents? What methods do you use? I would love your feedback in one of three ways:

1) Leave a voice mail or text message at 708-365-9822. Let me know if I can share it on future shows
2) Email me: mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com
3) Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com and press the “Send Voicemail” button to leave a message online

The “writing problem” begins in school.

      • In September 2012, the National Assessment of Educational Progress released the results of its annual writing test, The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2012, suggesting that 75 percent of 8th and 12th grade students are unable to present their ideas in a clear, grammatically correct manner despite being given access to word processing tools for the first time in the test’s history.
      • Only 43 percent of all students who took the SAT in 2013 met the SAT College & Career Readiness Benchmark (which indicates a student’s likelihood of achieving a B- average or higher during the first year of study at a four-year college).
      • Student writing scores on the SAT have declined five points since 2011 and consistently represent the lowest student outcomes of any section of the test.

Poor writing skills continue in the workplace.

    • More than two thirds of salaried jobs require a significant amount of written work, making written communication a key consideration in hiring.
    • Experts estimate that low literacy costs the American economy $225 billion a year in lost productivity. Improved workplace literacy can increase employees’ efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity on the job. As a result, employers experience greater customer satisfaction and process improvement, a lower incidence of accidents, reduced waste, and fewer errors.
    • Business Roundtable’s member companies are still forced to spend more than $3 Billion on remedial writing courses each year, for both hourly workers and salaried workers.

Better writers tend to be more successful in the workplace.

Grammarly’sElance Study

    • Professionals are judged every day by the quality of their writing — and paid accordingly.Grammarly reviewed nearly 500 freelance professionals’ profileson Elance whose work was rated by employers.
    • We then reviewed the freelance profiles for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Our goal was to determine whether accurate writing related to the freelancers’ credibility,hireability, or pay.

The best-reviewed freelancers across all categories were those with the fewest writing errors.

Better writers earn more money per job.

Grammarly’s Linkedin Study

  • Professionals with fewer grammar errors in their profiles achieved higher positions. Those who failed to progress to a director-level position within the first 10 years of their careers made 2.5 times as many grammar mistakes as their director-level colleagues.
      • Quality writing helps you to get ahead in your career.Grammarly reviewed 100 LinkedIn profiles of native English-speakers in the consumer packaged goods industry. Each of the professionals we looked at worked for no more than three employers over the first 10 years of their career. Half were promoted to director-level or above within those 10 years, and the other half were not.

We found that:

        • Fewer grammar errors correlate with more promotions. Professionals with one to four promotions over their 10-year careers made 45 percent more grammar errors than those with six to nine promotions in the same time frame.
        • Fewer grammar errors associate with frequent job changes. Those who remained at the same company for more than 10 years made 20 percent more grammar mistakes than those who held six jobs during the same period.
    • You need to proofread to be a better writer!
      • Top mistakes you’re probably making in your resumes, cover letters, professional emails
      • Options for obtaining a proofreader — human being, Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar checker, Grammarly

I encourage you to follow them on their Facebook page that has five million members and growing!

Have you subscribed to this show on iTunes? If you haven’t, please do so. This is also a great place to write an honest review. Enjoy listening to the show. Let us know what you think.

Do you need help with resume writing or career direction? Do you need coaching or instruction? I can help.

Also, join our community on Linkedin! You’ll enjoy some of the insights shared by community members and other career pros!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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Tell Stories Get Hired with Daisy Wright

Tell Stories Get Hired with Daisy Wright

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tell stories, get hired

 

Tell Stories, Get Hired is a book written by Daisy Wright and  other contributing writers such as Kimberly Robb Baker and Audrey Prenzel, who are my guests on this episode. Storytelling is not only art, but also essential and strategic! You’ll learn today how to position your story based on the employer’s needs and how to show the relevance. You will hear examples of how job seekers would hear a need of an employer and used storytelling to show that they were the solution.

Do you use storytelling in your resume or social profiles? Was it strategic? Please share. I can entertain your feedback in three ways:

  1. Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822
  2. Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
  3. Send email feedback to mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

If you are a career professional who advise job seekers and adds feedback whether it’s advice or a differing opinion, I will include a link in future show notes and read your comments on an upcoming show. Just let me know if it’s OK with you.

Let me share about today’s guests:

Daisy Wright of DaisyWright.com (@CareerTips2Go) is a career coach and resume writer whose who works have been published internationally. She shares her latest book with 15 other career coaches, resume writers, and personal branding experts for the readers to learn effective story telling that attract employers. This book is a must have for your career library. This is Daisy’s second appearance on the show. Daisy not only included a “thank you” to me in the book, but also a quoted review from me prominently placed on the back of her book (how cool is that)!

Kimberly Robb Baker of MovingOnUpResumes.com (@ThisLittleBrand), is an award-winning resume writer who is a master story teller. Her work has been published in many resume publications including JIST and Barron’s. publications including JIST and Barron’s.

Audrey Prenzel of resumeresources.ca (@AudreyPrenzel) is a career transition strategist and an award-winning resume writer who specializes in writing and coaching for Canadian Military personnel. She has been published in multiple magazine, newspapers, and career publications.

Daisy and Kim endure my Wi-Fi issues but they drop the following gems on story telling:

1. Daisy’s inspiration for the book comes from the ongoing conversation in the career space about the engagement and   get attention from employers

2. A story doesn’t have to be too personal but must bear relevance and resonate with an employer. A job candidate can take their cues from the interviewer when it’s relevant to the conversation

3, Kim states that some of the keys to good storytelling that compels someone to act are marrying what your audience needs to what you need

4. Keywords in resumes and Linkedin profiles are the puzzle pieces, and the story is the big picture. Kim says they are not mutually exclusive and should fit right on in

5. Start with the story and then make sure keywords fit in. At some point, there should be a “brain dump”

6. Job seekers should weave their stories throughout their resume, especially in the top third that is considered the “prime real estate” and create a statement that draws the attention of the reader. Employers tend to read the rest of the top third is compelling

7. Kim stated that it was a good idea to have advisers, especially when it comes to making sure that your stories are cohesive, makes sense, and draw others in. No one is objective about themselves

8. Daisy shared about a job seeker who created his resume to look like an Amazon.com  product page and received many job offers. Stories like this encourage job seekers that you get attention by telling their story in a way that is different

Audrey the victim of my Wi-Fi and Google Hangouts:

1. Military stories are different because of the language and culture difference. Diplomatic and administrative skills can get lost because the skills do not translate easily

2. Military veterans transitioning to civilian work need to be selective in their story telling. They are likely to over share his or her experiences

3. Audrey says that she often has to filter out 75% of what they have to say to keep what is important to employers

I hope you enjoy the show. If you have suggestions for future shows and even future guests, email me and make your case. I am sure you have a few that you would like to pass along.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.