Job, Resume, Cover Letter Tips [Merged]

[nukeET1]

Anyone know of some good links that have decent cover letters for nukes.  I am seeking an operations position at several specific power plants (Palo Verde Az for one) that do not have jobs posted right now.  I figure if I send my resume along with a good cover letter they will save it for when they hire OPS.
So if anyone has a cover letter that has worked.. or good examples I can "cookbook"  that would be great!  I know Don Hite has some good resume examples for nukes if anyone is seeking them.
Thanks
ET1

[Fermi2]

From what I hear Palo Verde won't be hiring Operators for several years and when they do they plan on trying to steal nukes from other utilities.

Best bet, check Monster.com , most Nukes aren't accepting resumes unless they ask for them, then they only accept electronic ones.

Mike

[robkeebler]

im an ex navy nuke electrician trying to get a rad con job right now.  trying to figure out what kinda of radcon stuff they wanna see on the resume.  the only thing related to radcon i quallified was control point watch.  what things should i put summarizing my radcon experience while still giving them enough info to be satisfied

[Roll Tide]

Your CPAW experience will help you get your foot in the door as a junior. Show college credits (or better yet your degree) on your resume. If you haven't enrolled in college, get a transcript from the Navy (yes, they really have those!)

By the way, you may get better pay initially for work as an electrician.

[dayoungn]

hello all, i am a Surface RM div  MM2 Getting out and need help with resume.  i know i have heard all of these fancys ways to translate what to you did in the navy to its civilian equivilance, but i dont know it.  so can anyone help me out with this.  my goal is to try and get a job with norfolk shipyard or PSNS shipyard as code 0802.  anyway  TIA
Stan Da Man

[shayne]

I would search this site for the terminology.  It has been covered in the past on a few different posts.

As far as your resume, you may be better off leaving some of in Navy terms since you are trying to get a job with the shipyard.  If you are interested in commercial power, you may be better off leaving some Navy terms also.  A lot of Ex-Navy Nukes work there and know the terms.

[Bri111]

Hello, I am an ET2/SS, fully qualified, who is separating in June.  I have very good evals, and was just wondering what my chances are of getting a reactor operator job in the civilian sector.  I am from the Southeast so there are several plants I know of.  Thanks for any replies.

[shayne]

First, read all the posts on the website.  There is lots of information about the commercial nuclear operations. 

Your chances to get there are good.  However you will most likely have to start at the bottom (non licensed operator) which isn't too bad.  The pay is good and you get to really learn the plant before moving up to the control room.  Once your non licensed operator training and qualifications are done, about a year, you could work toward getting into a licensing class.

Start submitting resumes and watching the company websites for job postings.  You may interview now and start a couple of months later when they class up.

[Nuclear NASCAR]

As Shayne said, there is a lot of good information on the site.

Here is an excellent starting point: http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,4219.0.html

This subject has been covered quite a bit in the Career: Navy Nuke forum.  Please take a look around that forum.  There is a good possibility that your question has already been answered. 

Bye the way, welcome to Nukeworker!!

[Already Gone]

Forget that fancy, wordy stuff.  Say it as plainly as you can.  If you did radiation surveys, say so.  If you were a mechanical operator on a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, say that.
A while back, someone was passing around this "advice" to sailors that ended up with a whole bunch of them having the exact same BULLS4!T in them.
Nobody likes to be BSed, and nukes are about smart enough to know when you're trying to.  When a MM1/SS uses a phrase like, "responsible for operations and maintenance of nuclear power plant on a 130 person mobile facility"  it sounds like crap.  Not only is it ridiculous to say things like that, but it keeps you from writing about the things you really did, and that you should be proud of.  Instead of hiding your Navy service behind some flowery, meaningless disguise language, stand up as proud and tall as you can and say, "This is what I did!"

If you were the Repair Parts Petty Officer (for example), write something like:  "I was assigned duty as Reactor Mechanical Division Repair Parts Petty Officer.  As RPPO, I was responsible for keeping the inventory of parts and supplies for the division in addition to my duties as a plant operator."
This is a simple way of telling that you were:
1. entrusted with an important job.
2. able to handle more than a single job
3. able to support the work of others by keeping them supplied
4. familiar with logistics, supply chain management, and PAPERWORK

Employers don't actually realize that they are doing this, but they are using your resume to measure your ability to communicate coherent thoughts clearly.  If they have to scratch their heads a lot while reading what you write, they ain't a gonna hire ya on.

Don't be afraid to use COMPLETE SENTENCES, with nouns and verbs and everythin'.  The "experts" say to use bullet lists for everything, but they took it way too far.  ONLY use them to group a series of similar and equal things.  You wouldn't equate being a nuclear plant mechanical operator with being the RM division representative to the ship's movie selection committee.  So, don't put them into the same list.  Each distinct area of responsibility deserves its own (brief) paragraph.  Use the lists to enumerate things like this:

I performed preventive and corrective maintenance on reactor plant equipment including;
- electric and steam driven pumps
- motorized, air-operated, and manual valves
- high-pressure air compressors
- hydraulic and pneumatic actuators

Also, don't use useless phrases like,  "References available on request".  If you are not going to put references on the page, there is no point in calling attention to that fact.  Employers already know that you will damned well give them references if they want them.  You don't get to choose to withhold that information, so it's pointless to act as though you could.  What I'm sayin' is that using that phrase is out-dated and pointless.

Don't get cute with the gimmicks.  Use standard fonts, like Times New Roman, on plain paper.  The color of the paper should be white or a subdued shade of gray or beige.  In the cyber age, nobody takes a resume to be printed professionally anymore.  Therefore, proofreading gets overlooked a lot.  DO NOT rely on the spell check.  It doesn't know too from two, and it doesn't know how to recognize nonsense or bad grammar.  Have a human being (preferrably three human beings) proofread your resume.

Using a lot of formatting or graphics will make your resume look like a spilled Scrabble set when you try to submit it electronically.  When they can't decode the text, the employer will just delete it. If you are going to use these things, make a second, plane-Jane version for electronic submissions.

Keep your resume up-to-date.  This means more than simply adding new information over time.  You have to keep it relevant.  When you are forty years old, your resume will look stupid if it still contains stuff about your summer job during high school.  The fact that you were Employee of the Month at Dairy Queen will not give you a leg up when seeking a management level job at a nuclear power plant.

Most importantly, keep it real, keep it short, and don't try to sound like more than you are.  What you have done so far may not seem like a lot when you put it on paper, but anyone who matters will know that it is an impressive set of accomplishments.  They already know the value of your training, and appreciate the qualities that it took for you to complete it.

[RDTroja]

Beer Court, that is some of the best resume advice I have seen given and I will add one thing... Keep it short!

If you can make it fit on one page, do it! If it is longer than two pages it probably will not be read.

I had a job that required reading and deciphering resumes and submitting them as part of bid packages for approval. The clients almost always wanted one page to look at. Anything longer than two was considered a waste of their time. Bullet lists are fine when you are trying to get a job that requires very specific skills, but making a list of every detail makes it look like you are trying to fill space. There is a lot of information that you can fit on a page, and two pages is enough.

As you gain experience and time, the details you included in your first resume can be compacted. After 10 years, no one cares what you did to qualify as a senior. After 15 years they don't care if you know how to do a routine survey (over and over again!) or cover a valve breach. Include the stuff that makes you stand out from the crowd. When it comes to decision time, given two approximately equal candidates, the person making the choice will choose the shorter resume because that candidate saved him time and effort.

[Fermi2]

Awesome advice BeerCourt.

Also, chances are the guy who is actually making the decision to interview you is an ex Navy Nuke, so he'll be able to decipher what you wrote, and filter out any BS.

Mike

[Bri111]

Wow, so much information, and so quickly, I don't know what to say.  I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon this forum.  I'll be telling all the guys on my boat about it, without a doubt.  Thanks for all the guidance, I find myself even more motivated to stay in the field after seeing how openly helpful everyone is.  I've got alot of work to do in a short time, it looks like I'll only be in port for a few weeks total before I separate, so I've got to get some resumes out quickly.  Thanks again to everyone for your help.

[Roll Tide]

Let me say up-front that I TOTALLY agree with what you have said...

...however, (you heard the 'however' coming - didn't you?) there is a school of thought that says that resumes with action verbs, etc (BS-language to you and I) stand out from the 'boring' resumes and make a favorable first impression.  You need to do enough research to know who (human resources?  an ex-navy person?  a computer?) will be screening your resume and target that audience.

HR has the job to prevent you from getting into an interview. Have enough to get past them to the one with hiring authority!

[troycawley]

I separated as an ET2/SS back in 1999.  Some of my experiences:

Put together a specific resume for every job that you apply for.  Use the wording EXACTLY as it appears in the job posting (as much as possible.)  If they are looking for someone who has a "proven ability to work under pressure", then list in your skills a "proven ability..." you get the idea.  This will help you get past HR especially in the more technical areas--the HR person doesn't know what instrumentation & control is, only who has it on their resume.  After you have cut-and-pasted all of the appropriate descriptions of the ideal candidate into your resume, then add the "this is what I did" portions.  Beer Court's post is dead-on.

If you are applying at a nuke plant--just say you qualified Engineering Watch Supervisor...they know. 

[SloGlo]

The fact that you were Employee of the Month at Dairy Queen will not give you a leg up when seeking a management level job at a nuclear power plant.

danittyraggatyfrazz!  i nue their waz a frase eye hadda change!

[Fermi2]

Oh and by the way. You can't get a job immediately as a Reactor Operator coming out of the Navy. It's illegal. You have to be qualified as an NLO first. Fermi2 created an Instant RO program and got banged for it.

If you have a degree you can get an Instant SRO License but most utilities prefer you hire in then get selected to be an Instant. In fact at Fermi2 it was a requirement.

Mike

[shanewa01]

A closing sums up the letter, and indicates the next step the applicant expects to take. It may indicate that the applicant intends to contact the employer, although many favor the more indirect approach of simply saying that the applicant will look forward to hearing from or speaking with the employer. After the closing is a valediction ("Sincerely"), and then a signature line. Optionally, the abbreviation "ENCL" may be used to indicate that there are enclosures.
========================================
shane

[shanewa01]

To be honest, no one likes sifting through two pages of work history written in paragraph format. It hurts our brains. Make the recruiter's life easier - consolidate your information and get to the point - it allows for us to process your experience quickly. Which in turn allows for us to hire you quickly.
=======================================================
shane

[playswithairplanes]

I've hired for several Engineering positions at the company where I work. I've reviewed thousands of resumes. The simplest advice is to write your resume for every single job you apply for. It's not hard with a simple word processor these days. Tell the poor schlub reading your resume exactly what he asked for in the job ad, first and foremost. Don't put a lot of extra fluffy stuff in there, it wastes time, and he doesn't care. Straight to the point, if he asked for a left handed paper hanger, and that's you... say so. Every skill they asked for in the ad, hit it's key words and tricky phrases in your resume. Generally these days, the first "screener" is a machine. If you don't hit the key words and tricky phrases, boom... circular file. No human will ever see it.

Keep your resume SHORT. No more than 2 pages TOPS. Anything more than that and boom... circular file. Toooo loooong.

Your goal is to get to human eyes, even then you have about litterally 10 seconds for him to make the decision to keep reading or boom... circular file. Don't waste time with goals statements. The guy reading your resume knows your goal... get the freakin job. Make his job easier, your life will be easier.

No fancy fonts, or hokey bullet formats. Most resumes are computer scanned, and you put a bunch of BS like that on there, the machine will not read it properly and boom... circular file. No human will ever see it. Keep the font SIMPLE. New Times Roman, or Arial 10 or 12 point. Nothing bigger, certainly don't go smaller.

In general the screeners are more interested in your skills, rather than the fancy dancy job titles you've held. Cover your skills, list a very brief chronology of your positions after your skills if you really feel the need. I'm not sure about the Commercial power biz, but where I'm at in Aerospace, I don't care if you were a knuckle dragger 2nd class or Executive Officer. If you don't have the skills I need for THAT job, boom... circular file. I know a retired submarine CO who is now a first level manager, I was just an RCLPO, but I "out rank" that dude now. Who cares? In the Civ world, it's skills baby. First and foremost, can you do the job I'm hiring you for? There ARE some exceptions, we do hire General Officers as "consultants" but you gotta have stars to get them gigs.

I hope this helps some.

[playswithairplanes]

Sorry to Necro this thread, but I just got done reviewing some more resumes I'm hiring for an Engineers position. GEEZE, people really need to get resume skills down.

Sorry for the rant, but from the reviewers side, it's extremely frustrating to have to spend time tweezing through peoples resumes to get to the simple things I asked for. What part of 10 seconds, don't people get?

Ok, system pressure is back below relief valve set points. Carry on.

[neal78]

I believe - if you are not shaking hands with the interviewer and introducing yourself, then you need a cover letter to introduce you.
Here are some tips

Cover Letters Should Be Brief and Simple
Cover Letter Content
1) For what job are you applying?

2) How did you know of the position or company?

3) Why are you best for the position?

4) Who will contact who?

[Cycoticpenguin]

Sorry to Necro this thread, but I just got done reviewing some more resumes I'm hiring for an Engineers position. GEEZE, people really need to get resume skills down.

Sorry for the rant, but from the reviewers side, it's extremely frustrating to have to spend time tweezing through peoples resumes to get to the simple things I asked for. What part of 10 seconds, don't people get?

Ok, system pressure is back below relief valve set points. Carry on.

Elitism. We're nuclear operators and engineers (or at least aspiring to be), and we know everything and are the smartest most capable candidate possible, who cares if the words on a piece of paper arent arranged a certain way? We are special and while everyone else gets ten seconds, youre actually going to LOOK at my resume, becuase Im the best.

Im being sarcastic about that obviously, but I think thats why. That combined with inexperience....

Lets dig, what do  you EXPECT and what do you WANT? Thats of course if its not going to be a 30 page essay haha. 

[Already Gone]

Here's a little more insight for you.  When I get a resume for a Safety Specialist position (for example), I'd like to know that you thought for a moment about that particular job.  So, when I see an "Objectives" paragraph at the top of the page, it would be nice if the applicant had simply stated that the objective was to be employed as a Safety Specialist for My Company.
Objectives paragraphs can be the beginning or the end of my time with a resume.

If it consists of a meaningless, inane sentence like, "to use my extensive skills in a challenging position for a dynamic company with growth opportunities..." it tells me a lot of things that you really don't want to tell me.
First, it says that you sent me a stock phrase that you send to everyone else.  For all I know, you don't even know what the job is.
Second, it tells me that any job will do as long as you are in line for a promotion right away.  That "growth opportunities" thing comes off as "I'm applying for this job, but I really want a better one."  Seriously, let's get to the interview for now.  The promotions will be discussed at a later (much later) date.
Third, it tells me that you probably only wrote something there because you opened the resume template in Microsoft Word and it was there at the top of the page, so you typed something just to fill the space.  Be original enough, brave enough, and smart enough to not say something when you really have nothing meaningful to say.
Fourth, and most importantly, it tells me that you just couldn't be bothered to take the 30 seconds to open the file, type a sentence that actually relates to the specific job I'm filling, and save the file before sending it to me.  In the time it took you to read this post, you could have done that a few times.  There is no excuse for this.  when you send me a resume, you are asking me to use my time to read it.  Please do me the courtesy of taking a minute of your time to do that simple thing.
Besides, my company may not be "dynamic" in my mind.  Maybe the phrasing makes it sound to me that you are looking for a different job from the one I'm filling.  If you are looking for a "challenge" try Sodoku.  I do not need someone who is "challenged" in any way by the work.  And it isn't my mission as a manager to see to it that you get your thrills.  Probably every hiring manager is really looking for someone who can do the job with ease, and not someone who is taking on a new "challenge"  (At this point, the intelligent readers of this post are deleting that word from their resumes before reading further.  The rest of you are just slow at taking a hint.)
The objective section of a resume is a double-edged sword.  At first glance, it seems like a place to tell me what you want.  I am not concerned with what you want unless you want the job I am filling.  Telling me what you want in general does not serve that purpose, and can do you more harm than good.

Next topic:  If you find it necessary to include a cover letter, it had BETTER be addressed specifically to ME about MY opening.  If it is just a longer version of what I just told you not to do in the objective section, I may not even read the resume.  It had also better be in the same file as your resume.  I am NOT GOING TO open two or three attachments in your email.  If you email me your resume and cover letter as separate attachments, I'm probably never going to see the cover letter unless your resume really really really stands out (in which case I probably won't open it either because I don't need to).  Don't make me do the heavy lifting.

But my biggest pet peeve?  (Okay, this sounds really petty, but think about it for a second.) Sending me your resume as an attachment that is titled resume.doc or myresume.doc or jqsresume.doc really pisses me off.  I get hundreds of resumes a year.  I have a folder on my computer where I keep them.  Guess how many files named myresume.doc can be in the same folder.  Yes, you are correct.  ONE!  What that means is that I have to rename your attachment if I want to file it.  While you may have only one file on your hard drive that you call myresume.doc, so does everyone else.  Your initials don't help me either.  When I'm looking through that folder I may recognize your name, but your initials are meaningless to me.  Unless you are using a version of Windows that is too old to run on any computer that isn't currently in a museum, you can use a file name that is much longer, with spaces and capital letters.  WITHOUT EXCEPTION, your attachment should always be named Firstname Lastname Resume Year.doc unless the employer specifies otherwise.  John Smith Resume 2011.doc will get filed.  jqsresume.doc absolutely will not.

[playswithairplanes]

Wow Already Gone, you're extraordinarily nice. I don't file peoples resumes. I'm not even allowed to keep them, HR policy. All resumes for us come in through the HR portal, NO exceptions. Someone sending a resume file to us in an email just gets deleted. Probably the difference in working for a Fortune 100, multinational company. All HR policies are thoroughly vetted by Legal. HR exists for one reason, protect the company from lawsuits. All functions are ancillary to that.

Our system is such that resumes are submitted on line, via the HR portal. They come in electronic form to us. This is why fancy fonts, and bullets and such just mess things up.  Maybe looked nice once upon a time in the land of paper resumes, but not today. The odds are the HR system is just going to mangle these beautiful fonts to an unreadable mess, which means that resume never gets seen by human eyes, as the first line of screening for 99% of all Fortune 500 companies is a machine that looks for key words and tricky phrases related to that specific job opening. This is why, and I can't stress this enough, that resumes MUST be written FOR THE JOB YOU ARE APPLYING FOR. Generic resumes are worthless, and don't merit reading. If the applicant can't be bothered to tailor the resume to the job I'm hiring for, I can't be bothered to read it.

Objective statements, worthless. I KNOW your objective, I don't need to have a sentence or paragraph from you telling me what your objective is, unless you want me to DE-select you. Just get to the point. Tell me how you have the skills and experience I need.

The whole cover letter thing, look maybe a cover letter works for small companies that don't have lawyerized HR systems, but where I'm at (and from talking to others at Fortune 100 companies in technical areas), they ware generally not needed. Especially if you are applying via the web site HR portal. IF you get an interview, actually face to face with someone, yes then maybe. However, again those are generally HIGHLY structured (i.e. lawyered) and your cover letter won't matter beans at that point, and can't be considered. In my company, and a locally based Fortune 100 Software company that has a lot of people I know working there, the interview process is choreographed. The questions asked are completely scripted and the same questions have to be asked to all the interviewees for a particular job. Your task is to answer the question in a way that lets me know that you have what I am looking for. Personally, I hate this process. I liked our older process that let me ask more germane questions, but someone probably sued the company so now I and 1000s of other managers are stuck dealing with the fallout. It's actually worse from what I can tell at the software company. Their structured interviews last DAYS. Mine are typically just an hour or two.

I find Already's input quite interesting. It reflects the differences between a large and small company.