Support Video

Master Plan

Projects

Operation Christmas Bear

Blue Star Service Banner

Welcome Home Tribute

Member Links

About Us

Other Links

Bylaws

Sponsors

Vet Employment

Contact Us

Disclaimer

Main Page

VETERAN EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE

PURPOSE: This page is dedicated to providing Veterans who are seeking employment with the federal government, government contractors, and civilian enterprises in the Huntsville , Madison County area with information that will help them in their job search. It is intended to provide guidance from the time an announcement is issued to the time that an application is placed in the system and referral. 

DISCLAIMER: The information provided is current as of 26 April 2005. Each user should not rely on this information in total as it is merely a guide. It is strongly recommended that information needs be directed to sources listed in job announcements and other sources that can provide the most current information or advice. Even though this page will be updated periodically it is the user's responsibility to use the most reliable sources for information in their job search. Those sources include points of contact contained in job announcements, human resources departments, employment web sites, Army Community Services, and other guidance contained in the job announcement.

EMPLOYMENT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

As vacancies occur job announcements are posted to the web at www.cpol.army.mil and www.usajobs.opm.gov among others.

Employment at Redstone Arsenal , Alabama : Each person considering employment at Redstone Arsenal should be aware of the following.

• Looking for employment must be your top priority.  Have a clear objective, know the system that you are applying under and have a clear definition of your skills that apply to the job you are applying for.
• Employment at Redstone is highly competitive within and outside of the federal government. These jobs are highly sought after because of pay incentives compared to local cost of living factors, quality of life issues, and the types of skills sought.
• Redstone's Central Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) manages approximately 10,000 positions. Any candidate should consider the following statistics:  
• The primary skills sought on Redstone are: Engineering, Logistics, Acquisition, and Support to military units.
• For each job advertised it is rare to have less than 100 to 200 applicants. Some jobs will have as many as 1,000 applicants or more.
• Since competition for jobs on Redstone is stiff, applicants should expand their job searches to include government contractors, the Marshall Space Flight Center , and other employers who can use a wider array of skills. In other words, don't just limit your search solely to Department of the Army jobs at Redstone or you may be out of a job for a long time due to the competitiveness for these jobs!!
• Know the RESUMIX System inside and out. This can increase your chances for a referral. Attend classes offered by the CPAC, Army Community Service (ACS) and other sources who deal with Federal employment standards.
•  Insure that all of your experience is captured on your resume.
• Pay attention to the terms used in the description of duties section on a job announcement. These terms should be addressed on your resume based on your experience. This is necessary because RESUMIX is computer graded and the computer looks for these terms in each resume. You should also be aware that you should not pad your resume if you do not have experience or skills described in the duties section. 
• Pay attention to the closing date on a job announcement. Your application must be submitted on RESUMIX by the closing date to be considered. It is also advisable to check the ANSWER section of the RESUMIX section to insure that your resume has been received and is in the system on or before the closing date.
• The following chart demonstrates the competition (potential pool of applicants) for approximately 1,000 Redstone Arsenal openings per year based on a workforce of approximately 10,000 serviced by the Redstone CPAC:

TYPES OF FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT 

(Definitions and restriction categories for these categories can be found within the job announcement in RESUMIX.)

• Permanent Competitive Service.
• Permanent Competitive Service.
• Term Employment (1 to 4 years).
• Temporary Employment (1 year with 1 year extension to 2-years possible).
• NOTE: Most Temporary / Term Employees Must Compete Again To Be Considered For Permanent Employment.
• Non-Appropriated Fund Employment.

VETERANS PREFERENCE ELIGIBILITY

(NOTE: Please also see full eligibility requirements at www.opm.gov)

5-POINT PREFERENCE: Honorable or general discharge from active duty (not for training) with service during one of these periods:

• World War II Plus (7 December 1941 to 28 April 1952)
• Korea (28 April 1942 to 1 July 1955)
• Vietnam (More than 180 days of service between 31 January 1955 to 15 October 1976)
• Gulf War (2 August 1990 to 2 January 1992)
• Campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal was authorized.
• Military retirees at the rank of major/lieutenant commander or above are not eligible for a 5-point preference unless disabled. This does not apply to Reservists who will not begin drawing military retired pay until age 60.

10-POINT PREFERENCE: 

• Honorably separated members who are disabled or have the Purple Heart.
• Spouse of a totally disabled member with a service connected disability.
• Unmarried widow of certain deceased veterans.
• Mother of a veteran who died in service or who is permanently totally disabled.

VETERANS HIRING PROGRAMS

(NOTE: Please see full eligibility requirements at www.opm.gov )

VETERANS READJUSTMENT ACT (VRA): Eligible if served on active duty (other than training) and either:

• Disabled veteran, or,
• Been awarded a campaign badge, medal, AFSM or,
• Separated from active duty during the last 1-3 years.
• Can be hired permanent or temporary excepted jobs with conversion.
• Entry limited to GS-11 and below.

30-PERCENT COMPENSABLY DISABLED VETERANS:

• Have 30-percent or more disability from service or the Veteran's Administration.
• Can receive a temporary or term appointments with conversion to permanent.

VETERANS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACT (VEOA):

• Eligible for veteran preference or had 3-years continuous active duty.
• Career conditional appointments only, no temporary.
• Apply under Merit Promotion Program (MPP) announcements open to veterans.

TYPES OF ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

TYPES OF ANNUNCEMENTS	WHO CAN APPLY
MERIT PROMOTION  (Posted at: www.cpol.army.mil )	Army Employees and (when   listed) Veterans and other Status Eligibles
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (OPM) / DELEGATED EXAM UNIT (DEU)  (Posted at: www.usajobs.opm.gov )	All US Citizens
OTHER EXTERNAL HIRE ANNOUNCEMENTS   (Posted at: www.cpol.army.mil )	As Listed - Veterans and Other Status Eligibles
NON-APPROPRIATED FUND (NAF)   (Posted at: http://www.redstonemwr.com/html/cpo.html )	Most open to All US Citizens

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

·         Read announcements and carefully follow all the instructions!!

·         Understand that announcements may have different applications procedures.

·         Most local Army appropriated fund announcements now use the web based electronic RESUMIX system. (NOTE: Know this system very well. Contact the CPAC helpdesk or ACS if you need instruction on the system.)

·         RESUMIX requires (1) resume and self-nominations for each announcement you apply under by the closing date.

·         If selected, you must be able to produce the following documents:

1. Transcripts.
2. If prior military, DD 214.
3. If a compensable veteran, SF-15 and proof of compensation dated within the last year.

THE RESUMIX SYSTEM

(What is it?)

·         Automated candidate referral system used DOD-wide, in many other agencies, and in the private sector.

·         Reads and extracts information from applicant's resumes. The computer matches applicant skills required by the vacancy.  (NOTE: The CPOC performs this task when a manual resume submission is required.)

·         RESUMIX is now used for career programs, merit promotions, and DEU (external hires).

NOTE: It is very important to know that RESUMIX extracts your skills beyond those words in announcements. For instance, when an announcement asks for 'logistics' the RESUMIX will also look for associated words like property book, supply controls, supply studies, requisitioning, etc. So, it is important to list all of your skills in an area like logistics. By being complete in describing your skills you can broaden your competitiveness. Wordsmith and be concise. Ensure that all of your experience is captured.

STEPS TO RECEIVE RESUMIX CONSIDERATION

NOTE: It is important to know that most failed applications have left one or more of these steps out; if you miss one of these steps you may miss an opportunity for a job that you might have otherwise had:

Step 1: Prepare a resume using the ARMY's RESUME BUILDER.

Step 2: Submit your resume to the CENTRAL DATA BASE (to do this follow the instructions in RESUME BUILDER.)

Step 3: Submit SELF-NOMINATIONS for specific announcements. You will find links to the self-nominations for an announcements at the bottom of the announcement. Self-nominations must be submitted on, or prior to the closing date on the announcement.

Step 4: During and after Steps 3 and 4, check the ANSWER system to verify receipt of resumes and self-nominations prior to the closing date on the announcement to insure that your self-nomination has been successfully submitted on time.

RESUME TIPS

(Your resume is critical to getting an interview! Pay attention to it!)

·         Understand and use the Army's Resume Builder.

·         Keep in mind your resume is used for two purposes: RESUMIX and the Selecting Official).

·         Ensure all of your experience is captured.

·         If you only have education or training in a field, use the Other block to describe what you learned in your education / training program.

RESUMIX TIPS

·         Carefully review job announcements! Skills are extracted primarily from the description of duties section in the announcement.

·         If you have the skills listed in the description of duties section, make sure they are addressed in your resume. If you have not described your skills in this way, update your resume.

·         Describe your experience in multiple ways (Example: financial management and resource management). This will help you in allowing RESUMIX to look at all of the terminology in its data base describing a skill.

·         Spell out acronyms at least once. This also helps RESUMIX identify skills (Example: RESUMIX may not know what IDS is but it will recognize Intrusion Detection Alarms.)

·         It is a good idea to review and update your resume at least once a year and update it. In the near future the Army will purge resumes from the system if an applicant has not updated it or self-nominated for a position within 1-year.

·         Applicants have missed consideration because they did not submit their resumes to the Central Database or use ANSWER to verify receipt.

·         To be referred to a selecting official you must have all requirements plus possibly some number of desired skills. This adds credence to being thorough in describing your skills.

·         As many as 25 candidates plus ties may be referred for each position. So, the competition is still tough even if you are referred.

·         If you are not referred and you think and error was made: Immediately send a message through ANSWER Mail or to ApplicantHelp@cpsrxtp.belvoir.army.mil . (Include your NAME, SSAN, ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER, and CONCERN.) As a matter of courtesy you should also contact the POINT OF CONTACT LISTED IN THE JOB ANNOUNCMENT. 

CANDIDATE EVALUATION PROCESS

(Steps taken in evaluating each candidate - Look at this as a bottom up, stair-step process)

 

APPLICATION PROCESS	Candidates review job announcements and submit applications.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS	Must be in area of consideration - have a resume on file - submitted a self-nomination by the closing date.
QUALIFIED TIME-IN-GRADE	CPOC manually reviews resumes-OPM Qualification Standards apply-Must meet time-ingrade.
BEST QUALIFIED	RESUMIX screens all resumes-ranked using desired skills-have all required skills.
SELECTION CRITERIA	Candidates ranked on matrix - best qualified referred-interviewed by Selecting Official

IDENTIFICATION OF SKILLS FOR POSITION VACANCIES

SKILLS EXTRACTION PROCESS:

• South Central CPOC uses vacancy description of duties.
• South Central CPOC extracts skills.
• Skills list is sent to the Selecting Official by email for prioritization.
• CPAC/CPOC advises management on various aspects of the application and selection process.

MANAGEMENT IDENTIFIES:

• Required Skill(s):  Must use at least one.
• Desired Skills: Identifies and prioritizes them.

NOTE: This process is used to identify the best qualified candidates for referral based on a comparison of management's required and desired skills. If a cutoff of 25 candidates is identified, the top scoring 25 candidates can/will be referred. Of the 25 referred, the Selecting Official can reduce the number to those best qualified from the list to actually interview.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM RECENT JOB APPLICATIONS

The following information was provided through the Redstone Arsenal CPAC. It relates mistakes made by individuals applying under the RESUMIX merit promotion system and others who are seeking government employment. It is noted that these errors do not happen frequently, but often enough to share as lessons learned. Applicants can make themselves more competitive if they better understand the system and the application process.

• An applicant updated his resume in Resume Builder, but never submitted it resulting in him not getting referred for a position. Make sure you submit any new or updated RESUMIX resume to the Central Database, and then check in the ANSWER system to verify that it was received and is complete. The new resume builder makes it easier to ensure you submit your revised resume, but still check ANSWER to be sure.
• An applicant failed to submit her self-nomination. When you submit a RESUMIX Self-Nomination, check in ANSWER and verify that it was received.
• For GS-15, NH-4, DB-4, and equivalent positions both a Merit Promotion (internal announcement extended primarily to current Federal employees) and a Delegated Examining Unit (DEU) announcement (external announcement open to all US Citizens) are issued. Dual announcements are sometimes issued on other positions as well. A well qualified internal employee applied only for the external DEU announcement that was open to all US Citizens, and he was not referred due to veterans’ preference. Had he applied under the merit promotion announcement, he may have been referred.
• An employee had skills she did not include in her resume and she was not referred. Carefully review the description of duties in the announcement and ensure any related skills that you possess are incorporated into your resume. Don’t tailor your resume to just one job, but ensure you have one comprehensive resume that includes your skills that relate to the types of jobs for which you are applying. Describe your experience in multiple ways (example: financial management and resource management). Spell out acronyms at least once. Keep in mind that your resume is both scanned electronically in RESUMIX, read and evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist, and may be read and evaluated by the selecting official.
• An applicant was referred for a job but not selected because he had not included dates for her awards in her resume. Include at least 10-years of awards and the dates these awards were received. It is OK to combine awards as long as the inclusive dates are shown (for example: “5 Performance Awards Mar 95-Mar 99”). That way the selecting official will know what the employee was doing at the time the award was received and whether it is related.
• An applicant only had education related to a position, but had no experience, and was not referred. If an applicant has only education in a field but no experience, they can use the ‘Other’ block on their resumes to describe what they learned in their education program.
• An external applicant submitted her resume to OPM through the USAJOBS web site but never submitted a resume to the Army CPOL web site. This applicant submitted a self nomination to the Army, but was not considered because she did not have a resume on file with the Army. Make sure you have current resumes on all web sites that you are applying under as resumes do not cross over between web sites.

NOTE: If you need help with any of these items or submission of resumes, contact the point of contact listed on a job announcement. The Redstone Arsenal CPAC is also available to answer your questions and give assistance. I also found it very helpful to attend the classes given by the Redstone Arsenal Army Community Services, especially the ones given by Mr. Don Dixon of the Redstone CPAC.