Former White House Communications Manager Gets Help with His Message

Former White House Communications Manager Gets Help with His MessageFormer White House Communications Manager Gets Help with His MessageSteve Derr knows how to keep secrets. But when he wanted to broadcast his skills, he looked to Ladders resume service.Steve Derrs high-level security clearances with the government mean he can be counted on to keep top secrets. When it comes to his personal brand, however, hes all about communicating.Thats what prompted the TechnologyLadder member to purchase a resume rewrite from Ladders. Currently employed as a senior vice president of engineering in the government subsidiary of a leading communications company, Derr is bedrngnis actively looking for a new position. Nevertheless, in these uncertain economic times, he thought it prudent to update his resume.Derr is interested in a position similar to the one he currently holds a role in senior federal-sector technology leadership, such as vice president of federal sales or chief technology officer. Derr has held positions that have effectively combined both functions. Among his career highlights While employed by the U.S. government, Derr served as communications manager for the White House.J.M. Auron, the resume writer who reworked Derrs resume for Ladders, said he was immediately impressed with Derr as both a job candidate and as a person.He is extremely highly cleared, working in the federal-contracting space, Auron said. Looking at what he sent me, I could tell he was an A player. You could tell he had accomplished a lot. His resume was long.Military precisionDerr spent nearly a decade in the Air Force, where he honed his communications skills and expertise in all manner of telecommunications and networking technology. Auron said generally he likes working with ex-military job seekers because they are typically comprehensive in providing information.They are great but not always concise, Auron said of his military clients.However, experience with process and protocol has i ts advantages. Derr delved into the worksheet Auron provided and gave him a detailed view of his career history.Collaboration pays offYou get out of it, what you put into it, Derr said. The resume worksheet that you fill out must be as complete and accurate as possible, with enough detail for the writer to work with.In addition, a phone call to discuss the resume worksheet verbally with the writer is also a must. They dont know you so you have to educate them about yourself in order for them to do their very best in writing your resume.Auron elaborated, His worksheet was so detailed that it took me a long time to work through it he gave me every possible detail I would need.But work through it he did. And Auron was able to lop one page off of Derrs original resume. He eliminated long Career Summary and Qualifications Summary segments of Derrs original resume.Specifically, Auron said, he cut out details describing Derrs technical expertise and accomplishments and instead focused on t he ways Derrs efforts had helped his employers bottom line. I had to downplay the technology and upsell how he impacted sales, Auron said. Everywhere he has been, he has solved problems and brought in business. I had to play that up.Auron added characteristics such as product business plans, strategic planning, team leadership/motivation, competitive analysis, needs assessment, presentations, product launch, sales forecasting, and budget planning/forecasting to a list of areas of expertise that also highlighted Derrs technological skills.Moreover, with Aurons help, the three introductory sections, the objective, career summary and qualifications summary, were condensed intoDrivenprofessional with two decades of combined commercial and military experience in all aspects of Federal sector communications business development, including DoD, Civilian, and Intel, with a history of rapid promotion to positions of increasing responsibility. Dynamic problem solver, able to organize informat ion, and develop and execute effective strategic and tactical plans. Motivational leader who consistently transforms organizations into world-class teams. Expert communicator, able to work effectively with senior management and technical stakeholders.He is extremely cooperative, which is typical of former military people, Auron said. Hes extremely loyal, as hes been with the same organization for nine years. If I was totenstill recruiting in that space Id be marketing this guy in a minute. And in addition to that, with his history prospective employers can count on Derr to keep their vital information close to the vest.

Applying for Jobs Under the ADA

Applying for Jobs Under the ADAApplying for Jobs Under the ADATitle I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) makes it unlawfulfor an employer to discriminateagainst a qualified applicant with a disability. The ADA applies to private employers with 15 or more employees, employment agencies, labor unions, and state and local governments. In addition, some state laws require reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. Check your state labor departments website for information on regulations in your location. The ADA defines an individual with a disability as a person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record or history of a substantially limiting impairment, or (3) is regarded or perceived by an employer as having a substantially limiting impairment. Applicant Qualifications An applicant with a disability, like all other applicants, must be able to meet the employers requirements for the job, such as education, training, employment experience, skills, or licenses. In addition, an applicant with a disability must be able to perform the essential functions of the job on their own or with the help of reasonable accommodation. However, an employer does notlagelage have to provide a reasonable accommodation that will cause undue hardship, which is significant difficulty or expense. Reasonable Accommodations Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation to enable you to be considered for a job opening. Reasonable accommodation may also be required to enable you to perform a job, gain access to the workplace, and enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment available to employees without disabilities. An employer cannot refuse to consider you because you require a reasonable accommodation to compete for or perform a job. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, examples of reasonable accommodation include providing or modifying equipment or devicesjob restructuringpart-time or modified work schedulesreassignment to a vacant positionadjusting or modifying examinations, training materials, or policiesproviding readers and interpretersmaking the workplace readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities The employer must make all areas of the workplace that are used by employees accessible, not just the part of the workplace the person with a disability will be working in. That includes places like the cafeteria and a location where employer-provided transportation is available. It is best to let an employer know as soon as you realize that you will need a reasonable accommodation for some aspect of the hiring process. An employer may need advance notice to provide certain accommodations, such as a sign language interpreter, an alternative format for written documents, or a wheelchair-accessible location for a test or interview. Prohibited Questions and Medical Exams The ADA prohibits employe rs from asking questions orally or in writing that are likely to reveal the existence of a disability before making a job offer (i.e., the pre-offer period). They are also prohibited from requiring a medical examination that might reveal the existence of a disability before making a job offer. Such questions and medical examinations are permitted after extending a job offer and before the individual begins work (i.e., the post-offer period). However, the medical exam must be required of all individuals in the same job category, and an employer is not permitted to reject a candidate because of a disability that was revealed by the medical exam unless the disability would prevent the candidate from performing necessary functions of the job. Examples of prohibited questions during the pre-offer period include Do you have a heart condition? Do you have asthma or any other difficulties breathing?Do you have a disability that would interfere with your ability to perform the job?How many d ays were you sick last year?Have you ever filed for workers compensation? Have you ever been injured on the job?Have you ever been treated for mental health problems?What prescription drugs are you currently taking? Hiring Decisions An employer is not required to hire you if they determine you are unable to perform all of the essential functions of the job, even with reasonable accommodation. However, an employer can not reject you only because the disability prevents you from performing minor duties that are not essential to the job. If an employer has several qualified candidates, they are not required to choose the candidate with a disability. If a person with a disability is hired, the employer may not pay them less to offset the cost of the reasonable accommodation that enabled them to do the job.

Scout Sniper Training in the Marine Corps

Scout Sniper Training in the kriegsmarine CorpsScout Sniper Training in the Marine CorpsThe Scout Sniper Basic Course moved from its previous location at 3rd Marine Regiment to MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bays Regimental Schools, in order to more efficiently train devil dogs of the 3rd Marine Division. The school will now receive its funding from the base and is also allowing other branches of the Armed Forces to attend the 10-week-long course. The Marine Corps has the best sniper program in the world, said Gunnery Sgt. Richard Tisdale, staff noncommissioned officer in charge of the Scout Sniper School. A sniper needs to be trained as best as possible because they must be combat ready at all times, he explained. Due to the nature of the snipers mission, they must be trained mentally and physically to operate independently forward of friendly positions on the battlefield. The Scout Sniper School has integrated Marines from the entire 3rd Marine Division as well as soldiers from the Armys 25th Infantry Division aboard Schofield Barracks, and Navy Seals from Navy Seal Delivery Team 1 located at Ford Island. Previously, the school only trained Marines with the regiment. We are learning how to properly employ snipers, how to use the weapons, use camouflage and stalking techniques, said Army Spc. Joshua Garrison, a sniper with Headquarters Co., 1st Bn., 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Soldiers can learn as much as they want from their unit, but to become sniper qualified, they have to attend this school. This school goes further in depth than what units teach about basic marksmanship, weapons, camouflage, and reconnaissance techniques, said Garrison. The course is broken down into three phases. The first involves land navigation and marksmanship. During this phase, trainees fire sniper ammunition on long distance and unknown distance qualification courses. The second phase covers stalking techniques, field skills and call for fire rehearsals. The last encompa sses everything from communication to surveillance performance. When many people think of a sniper, they think of a part who randomly shoots people, said Tisdale. A sniper selects his target and fires upon it. Marksmanship makes up only 10 percent of being a sniper. We train our snipers to be patient and wait for the perfect opportunity to fire upon the target when it will best support the mission, Tisdale continued. They could lay in a dormant position for days at a time before actually pulling the trigger and engaging on the target. Soldiers and other service members are paired up with Marines, so they can cross train one another, and at the same time, keep the Marines on their toes with the competition of training with another branch of the Armed Forces. The Marine sniper course is taught twice a year, and the range can be used for sustained training by any requesting sniper units throughout the rest of the year. I think it is a great experience, said Garrison. You get to see how the other services operate, and they get to see how you operate as well.