Transition calls for employees to brush up resumes Published Oct. 21, 2010 By Daniel P. Elkins Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Following the success of a seven-month pilot program using a resume-based system to fill vacant positions at 16 locations across the service, current Air Force civilian employees will now apply for vacant position using USAJOBS beginning Nov. 15. To search for Air Force vacancies, employees can visit the newly launched www.afciviliancareers.com website or www.usajobs.gov. Air Force employees who have recently applied for any position through USAJOBS are already familiar with the new process. Air Force employees new to USAJOBS will need to create a resume and an account. They can then seek job vacancy announcements through USAJOBS, answer job-related multiple choice questions, and attach a resume. According to Michelle LoweSolis, the director of civilian force integration at AFPC, each account can store up to five different resumes that allow employees to clearly identify and highlight their skills and abilities when seeking future career opportunities. Officials here highly encourage all Air Force civilian employees to begin developing a resume. Local Airmen and Family Readiness Centers are available to assist with resume development through one-on-one consultations, resume writing workshops or answering general questions, said Saundra Nichols, a community readiness analyst from the AFPC Airman, Family and Community Operations Branch. When managers or selecting officials receive a referral list of candidates, they will receive one list of qualified candidates with copies of the resumes to review. They will no longer have to wrestle with comparing career briefs on some candidates and resumes on others. "The new Air Force hiring process will allow our employees to be more competitive in managing their careers," said Nancy Tackett, a supervisory human resources specialist at AFPC. "This streamlined approach will also help managers and employees by expediting the hiring process." Ms. Tackett said the transition also aligns the Air Force to meet the president's call for federal agencies to implement changes that simplify and improve the hiring process. "The immediate goals are improving hiring timelines and the quality level of candidates referred for selection consideration," she said. That improvement has already begun to take shape at test bases during the pilot program. The timeline average for recruitment, referral and selection improved 36 days when compared to previous averages for job fill actions at those bases from a year ago, according to Ms. Tackett. "Supervisors and employees at the test sites have expressed an increased level of satisfaction under the resume-based staffing tool business process," Ms. Tackett said. Twelve Air Force locations will not be transitioning to the new recruitment process at this time and will continue advertising their internal vacancies on the AFPC secure employment website. Those bases include Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., Brooks City Base, Texas, Edwards AFB, Calif., Eglin AFB, Fla., Hanscom AFB, Mass., Hill AFB, Utah, Hurlburt Field, Fla., Kirtland AFB, N.M., Luke AFB, Ariz., Robins AFB, Ga., Tinker AFB, Okla., and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Officials will inform Air Force employees as these bases transition to the new system. As a means of easing the transition, civilian personnel officials are distributing an applicant information card to bases in October. Base civilian personnel sections and Airman and Family Readiness Centers will then plan to distribute the cards through a variety of forums that may include town hall meetings. "The cards will identify resources to assist with questions on writing resumes, careers and, most importantly, how to apply for jobs," said Pat Stokes, a marketing specialist at AFPC. Ms. Stokes added the applicant information card will also provide helpful links for first-time users applying for a vacancy through USAJOBS. For more information current Air Force employees may call the Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102 or DSN 665-5000.