The Certified Federal Resume Writers from Resume Place share their best CCAR Accomplishment Stories here! These CCAR stories can be used in your FEDERAL RESUME; are great for your BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEWS; and will build your confidence in terms of your success in past positions!
We wrote our CCAR Accomplishments using the RP CCAR Accomplishment Builder. Try it out! It’s really cool!
In response to post‑9/11 demand for federal employment guidance, I created the “Ten Steps to a Federal Job” curriculum to simplify the complex federal hiring process for thousands of jobseekers. I published multiple editions, developed certification programs, and trained more than 1,200 counselors worldwide. Adopted by major DoD services, the curriculum became the first standardized federal job search program, taught at over 75 military bases globally.
In 2002, just a few months after 9/11, The Resume Place was inundated with first-time federal jobseekers who wanted to know how to get a job with FBI, CIA, NSA, FEMA, DHS, the new TSA or any other federal agency that could help protect the nation’s security. We were getting calls from car sales reps, retail store managers, bank tellers, mortgage bankers, security specialists, police officers and IT specialists.
To meet these demands and attract new clients through the expansion of my business lines, I quickly realized that I needed to come up with a simplified way to explain how to obtain federal employment and write a federal resume in an easy-to-follow and understandable way for clients to market their skills and competencies. The application process for landing a federal job is highly-complex compared to the private sector application process, which is simply a resume and cover letter. The federal application process requires multiple steps. I needed a way to explain this to thousands of jobseekers to support the wars that were coming from the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
In response to this challenge, I developed a new federal job search curriculum and titled it, “Ten Steps to a Federal Job.” I taught it for the first time at a career resource center in Montgomery County, Maryland. In that first workshop, I found that the career counselors there only had 10% interest in federal jobs, because of the complicated application processes. I decided that the Ten Steps curriculum that I created should be publishes and presented in a book called “Ten Steps to a Federal Job.” Additionally, I decided to create a Certification training program to teach other career counselors, military transition counselors, and employment counselors, in applying the Ten Steps to Federal Job methods and to advise their jobseekers in successful federal resume writing methods. In turn, I published several publications including the Ten Steps and the Jobseeker Guide, a Trainers’ Guide, and the PowerPoint program. Lastly, I established the Certified Federal Job Search trainer and Certified Federal Career Coach train-the-trainer program.
The Jobseeker Guide is in its 6th edition and has sold more than 150,000 books since 2002. Many of the Department of Defense (DOD) armed services including the Navy, Marine Corps, and Army have adopted the Ten Steps to a Federal Job to supplement the Transition Assistance Program that is a mandatory DOD program worldwide. The Certification program has taught more than 1,200 employment and transition counselors, university career counselors, veteran’s counselors, disabled veteran’s counselors and One-Stop counselors worldwide. I have traveled to Europe, the Pacific and throughout the US to teach “Ten Steps to a Federal Job” more than 150 times. The Ten Steps to a Federal Job Curriculum is the first-ever and still the only federal job search curriculum that is begin taught as a standardized curriculum for the largest employer in the United States –the Federal Government. This published curriculum is in its 7th edition and incorporates the latest legislative changes in federal hiring process. The Ten Steps method is being frequently taught at more than 75 military bases worldwide by Certified Federal Job Search Trainers.
In 2010, the USCIS National Customer Service Center (NCSC), which receives approximately 12 million calls per year, suffered from lengthy wait times and a high rate of “dropped calls” due to an outdated and poorly designed Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
It became increasingly clear – based on stakeholder feedback and Ombudsman reports that a total system revamp was necessary.
Hand-selected by leadership as a member of a small team dedicated to revamping the IVR, my role was to review the IVR’s structure, logic/layout, and language. Using data analytics, I identified customer-based high priority topics, using them to drive the new IVR structure while enhancing opportunities to reach “live assistance.” Once we completed the redesign, emphasis shifted to language and I worked with my team to draft, from the ground up, entirely new content for IVR prompts and general information statements. Through my efforts – and those of my team members – the new IVR successfully launched in 2011, effectively eliminating confusing language, removing “dead end” scenarios, and improving overall customer experience.
As a result of these improvements, the NCSC saw significantly reduced wait times, less dropped calls, and increases in customer satisfaction. Moreover, I was acknowledged, along with my team members, by USCIS with a Plain Language Award – an award that recognizes the effective use of clear and usable information by the government to the public.
CJ Johnson is one of our Certified Federal Job Search Trainers. Thank you CJ for sharing your CCAR story with us!
As a Master Trainer for the 10 Steps to a Federal Job program, there was a time when I was completely frustrated by the low percentage of exiting military members that were writing federal resumes, yet not qualifying for jobs. Time after time, these dedicated veterans were deemed “not qualified” for multiple opportunities on USAJOBS nor utilized the “hidden opportunities” for veteran preference and hiring programs: (5pt & 10pt), (VRA, VEOA, & 30% +).
Intimately familiar with the process of writing federal resumes for thousands of military members, I soon found that many of my students found it difficult and very complex to translate military job skills’ language into civilian job terminology. With little or no cross-functional processes, they were applying haphazardly for all kinds of jobs within the federal government without clarity of the series and job titles comparable to their skills sets. It was critical that I changed the methodology of how we use performance based training in order to support federal job trainings, and most importantly, present a flexible format for these career changers.
First, I analyzed the process of the 10 Steps to a Federal Job and identified every area that had an attached performance and a customer-focused process. I then targeted the announcement process by highlighting all the relevant experience, education, and skills that were in the federal job announcement. I emphasized the highlighting of all critical job-related information and the importance of merging accomplishments, results, and impact that was exclusive to each military member. Secondly, I supported using unique experiences in their resume as a “teaser” that would give the military member an opportunity to discuss and answer the question, “Tell me about yourself.” Each military member was taught how to identify everything in the announcement, highlight the important words in the job announcement, and choose their words carefully, as words are influential and motivating when attached to both personal and professional, work experience. This includes team leadership, collaboration skills, and personal, as well as professional work experiences, These all work together to show their qualifications clearly, optimizing certification but Human Resources, as meeting the eligibility requirements. Thirdly, I was able to show these Veteran career changers a systematic process that transformed their none responsive resumes into a comprehensive 2-4 page federal version, creating greater opportunity to secure a federal position.
Within 6 weeks of implementing this new process for federal job search, 25 students were interviewing for a new job. 75% of the candidates were offered positions in external (other Federal Agencies) and internal candidates working for the United States Coast Guard and 25% of the students decided to stay in the Coast Guard.
Throughout the Department of Defense (DoD), April has been designated as The Month of the Military Child. Units and organizations worldwide initiate celebrations of various forms to show appreciation to the minor dependents of service men and women. As the Family Readiness Officer for 4th Marine Regiment, located on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, from April 2011 to January 2013, it was my responsibility to advise the command and coordinate meaningful efforts to celebrate the children of the unit.
Being overseas provided its own challenges to facilitating such celebrations, as resources were limited and expensive to obtain off-installation. In April of 2012 the Do What Daddy Does event was coordinated and hosted by the three units of Camp Schwab in order to acknowledge the service of the children, while utilizing what resources were available. Our unit, however, being commanded by the senior officer on the base, responsible for camp-local relations, wanted to do something singular to us and meaningful to the community. During this time, tensions with the Okinawan populace were very high due to the planned relocation of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Camp Schwab. Every opportunity to strengthen community ties was being encouraged.
Given 4th Marines’ long and strong ties to the local Henoko community, I suggested that as part of celebrating our unit’s children, the children of the local children’s home and orphanage should be invited onto the base for a fun activity with the families of our unit. I wanted our children to understand the privilege of being the dependent of a service member and to have the opportunity to share a gesture of goodwill with others who were not so fortunate. The proposal was accepted.
I contacted the camp’s Community Liaison and Public Relations Specialist and worked through him to communicate our unit’s intent with the leadership at the Nagomi Children’s Home in Henoko. I also reserved the base’s single bowling alley for the event, worked with the unit’s training officer to ensure that the chosen date did not interfere with planned operations, and publicized the event to the families of the unit via email, mailed flyer, and digital advertising through the unit’s website. In preparing for this event, I also worked with the American Red Cross and local American families in order to collect items that would be useful to the children in the home. Blankets and toys were collected for each local child. Given that the purpose of the event was twofold (celebrating our unit’s children by presenting an opportunity to give and to show a positive example of American and Japanese cooperation), I coordinated the presence of a reporter from the local American newspaper so that the event could be covered by the media.
Seventeen children and five caregivers from the children’s home participated in the event along with 28 American service and family members. For the children of Nagomi, this was their first time bowling. This was the first unit-initiated event of its kind and the first real cultural exchange opportunity for many of the families in attendance. The differences in language were not a problem, as everyone understood the value of fun. The event received a lot of positive attention from the local populace and the Commanding General encouraged other camps to foster similar opportunities for cultural exchange.
As a Family Readiness Officer at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, it was my responsibility to coordinate efforts to celebrate the unit’s children. Being overseas provided challenges to facilitating such celebrations, as resources were limited and expensive to obtain off-installation. During this time, tensions with the Okinawan populace were very high due to the planned relocation of the Marine Corps Air Station. Recognizing this tension, I suggested that the children of the local children’s home and orphanage should be invited onto the base for fun activities with our unit’s families. I contacted the camp’s Community Liaison and Public Relations Specialist and worked through him to communicate our unit’s intent with the leadership at the Nagomi Children’s Home in Henoko. I also coordinated with the American Red Cross to collect items that would be useful to the children in the home, as well as blankets and toys. As a result of my efforts, seventeen children and five caregivers from the children’s home participated in the event along with 28 American service and family members. This was the first unit-initiated event of its kind and the first real cultural exchange opportunity for many of the families in attendance.
I run a small editorial services business in addition to my work as a federal executive coach and resume writer for The Resume Place. In January 2012, I submitted a proposal to Cengage Learning, Inc. to edit William Brown, et al.’s textbook, Organic Chemistry. The book was then in its sixth edition; though less than a year old, the edition had received terrible online reviews (one called it “a disaster”) and the publisher was anxious to release a re-edited version.
In addition to the 10-week turnaround of 1100+ pages of text, exercises, diagrams, equations, and other elements, other challenges made this project difficult. The book was already in pdf format. At the time, Adobe’s editing tools were crude. Multiple authors would need to review my edits before the publisher approved them, but they did not know how to manipulate edits or comments in Adobe. I had to make my edits using comment boxes, as there was no way to track changes in the text, making viewing the pages very cumbersome. Some chapters would take longer than anticipated; they were newer and not as polished. In fact, one chapter was corrupted, as I learned only after I had edited it. Also, I would be working through an in-house project manager (managing editor), not communicating directly with the authors. This meant I would need to take extra care with client service and communications.
I prepared a fixed-price bid using project evaluation tools I have developed over many years. My quote, accompanied by a sample edit, was accepted. I included a separate set of review notes as well as instructions for the authors.
I met self-imposed interim deadlines, sent progress reports without being asked to do so, and maintained frequent communications with the managing editor to make sure she was able to commit to her boss that the delivery deadline would be met. It was apparent she was under a lot of pressure to get this project done “right” and in a hurry.
To fix the corrupted file, I worked with the publisher to reconstruct the file and restore the edits. I also worked through several weekends to maintain the pace of delivery.
As the project progressed, I received positive feedback from the authors, through the managing editor, and this gave me the assurance to keep doing what I was doing. I submitted the remaining chapters on time. The publisher accepted my proposed edits and paid me immediately.* Brown, et al.’s Organic Chemistry, 7th ed., was released as planned in January 2013, and has received much improved reviews.
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*This is not a sure thing in the textbook business. In fact, Cengage filed for bankruptcy several months later and other creditors had to file claims to get paid. Cengage emerged from bankruptcy in April 2014.