Concur with OP.
BLUF: Read the job description. Speak to the reader in their language about what you can do for them, demonstrated by your experience & accomplishments.
(Bit of a rant follows)
Worst ever resume I ever read consisted of the applicant contact information and the statement “Command Master Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy, thirty-one years.”
(Mind you I’m Army, even after this year’s game).
When I asked him if he thought this was sufficient, his response was “Any employer that I would work for will know what that means”.
My response was to give him my business card and say “I’ll see you in a few months chief” as he went back to his newspaper. It took four months following retirement and facing a missed mortgage payment before he set pride aside and called for assistance.
Tell me what you did in civilian (read the job description) terms, and what was the impact. Give me the numbers and use the employers jargon, so they can see you in their context.
I don’t care about your (inflated) job title, I care about what you can do for me with minimal flash to bang time before I see a ROI. This is also the place to whip out your awards and commendations. “Awarded * Medal for($,%,#), not in a love me wall with no context.
Employers don’t know the difference between an impact award vs a tour award, but they know you had to do something ($$) to earn it.
Go back to the Resume section of your TAP manual and reread the section on Word Smithing that you didn’t listen to in class when you thought everyone was waiting to hire you for more than you are making now.
They are not. They are looking to interview and hire the best qualified applicants, Veteran or not. That goes for Federal, State, and private employment, disability rating or not.
Any whiff of blue smoke trash cans your application. I am looking to screen out as many applicants as possible before I get to your resume. Answer every question as if your resume doesn’t exist. My ATS is designed to screen out all but my best fits based on my criteria and jargon. Use my language to describe your experience as it relates to me (I’m all about me).
Your best (free) friends are the DVOPs (look it up) where you are going to and looking for employment. They know the local market and can help you before you separate or retire. DOL pays them to help you.
If you are separating, file for unemployment benefits as soon as you are a civilian. DoD pays into the UCX program on your behalf the whole time you are on active duty. The longer you wait, the less you get.
They will need a copy of your DD 214, but file every week even if you are waiting for it.
It’s insurance not a handout to help you during the start of your separation. Set aside your pride on this one. I wasn’t eligible and had to scramble for a job when my “plan” fell through.
If you retired, check with your state, because some states have different rules for UCX eligibility.
Every State has a network of programs that will help you at no charge to get where you want to get to. Look up your state and reach out.
They are almost all Veterans that have been where you are, and know what the ground truth is locally.
Don’t pay for a resume service out the door. I once had an E-5 and an O-3 in the same TAP class with the same career field.
The O-3 paid three times the amount as the E-5 for the same resume. You are the best person to tell your story.
Resumes are hard, that’s why people make money off them. What’s to much, what’s not enough? Get a DVOP to help you.
“Thank you for your service” does nothing for a business’s bottom line. “What can you do for me today” is the BLUF.