Hire yourself ! Click on URL to see what I mean.
I served in the military. As a matter of fact, I retired honorably from the U.S. Air Force in 1997 after serving 24 years. During that service, I learned some very important lessons. I’d like to share two of these lessons with you now that applied during my military career and that I’ve successfully applied since then.
No preferences required.…except your own !

Normal resumes/applications can’t even begin to compete with one of the specially written resumes you can pay thousands for from various sources. Scanned applications for GSA positions are submitted to context-sensitive keyword analysis comparing the KSAs of the position to the application.
this yields a raw score. That score is adjusted by +10 points (disabled vet) or +5 points (vet). That’s not nearly enough to get an interview, much less the position against one of the computer-generated and tuned applications some consultants churn out.

It is important that we inspire faith in the government hiring system for our fellow soldiers who are currently seeking employment. I see from your blog that you had a negative experience with the hiring process. The objective of the 10-point preference is to provide an advantage for veterans. Sixty resumes submitted is almost unthinkable not to have landed an interview. However, there may have been reasons unrelated to your disability that created this situation for you. I am currently on active duty, and I have over 10-years of experience in the government human resource community. There are numerous reasons why applicants do not certify for positions (too many to cover in this forum). Unfortunately, veteran’s preference alone will not get a person hired. Experience in the particular career field is also necessary. I would like to believe the government personnel system did not and does not discriminate against our veterans.
The system appears to be working quite well today and many veterans (including those severely injured) are successfully competing for and acquiring government positions. It is my experience that agencies seek out veterans because of their wealth of experience, discipline, and “can do” attitude. I hope that knowing our veterans are currently afforded the opportunity to compete for government positions will provide you some comfort and help to renew your faith in the system. Thank you for your service and for sharing your experience.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.