When I was in the Marine Corps, there was a reservist who had been activated to serve in the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) where we worked, and therefore was required to have a Top Secret SCI clearance.
However, a problem arose when he decided to post his resume on job sites such as Monster.com, and listed his security clearance level on the resume.
Related: Does your resume pass the 6-second test? Get a FREE assessment.
It makes sense, right? You want to find a job and know that your security clearance can help you. Why would this be a problem?
The issue comes from the fact that you are letting the world know that you have a Top Secret security clearance, because anyone can find your resume on those job sites.
Having access to national security information -- especially at a level where unauthorized disclosure could cause grave damage to national security, as is the case with a Top Secret clearance -- means nefarious individuals might be on the lookout for ways to take advantage of you.
It might be access to a SCIF, information on classification codes or security procedures, and much more.
But is this a security violation? No, not according to the NSA and other agencies' resume guidelines.
While the person in my command got his wrist slapped, he wouldn't seem to be in the wrong (unless he had been told specifically not to post the information -- it is the military after all and, as they love to say, you pretty much belong to them).
The key is to use your judgment, and not put yourself at risk.
Related:Search for Security Clearance jobs.
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Where Is My Resume File
“But I just want to hire a résumé writer. Can’t you just rewrite my résumé for me?” she pleaded.
Thus ended my conversation with a woman who had called to inquire about hiring me as a career coach. She didn’t like the answer I gave her, which was, “No.”
Sometimes in our careers, as in life, taking on challenging tasks can lead to personal growth and learning. My potential client didn’t see it that way - she wanted me to do everything for her. Here’s the conversation (condensed) that led us down that discussion path…
Jane (name changed):“I want to hire you as my career coach.”
Me:“Let’s first talk about the type of career help you’re seeking.”
Jane:“I just need you to rewrite my résumé. I don’t like my job so I want to find another position in a different industry. I haven’t updated it since I got this job about 10 years ago.”
Me:“Tell me why your job is making you unhappy, and what type of job would you like to have?”
Jane:“What do you mean?”
Me:“What jobs have you looked at and what are the areas in the job descriptions that interest you?”
Jane:“I haven’t been researching any jobs. And why should I look at job descriptions? I just want to update my résumé.”
Me:“Generally, the best way to update a résumé is to customize it to the position for which you’re applying. Doing this requires analyzing the job description and requirements and then tailoring your résumé to showcase your skills and accomplishments most relevant to the job requirements.”
Jane:“Can’t you just figure that out for me? I don’t have time to think about that stuff myself. My life is one tornado after another and I don’t have any time for myself as it is.”
Me:“Sounds like you must work a lot of hours or have quite a few family activities going on.”
Jane:“Um, not really. I can only work 40 hours a week because they hate paying us overtime. And I’m single and none of my family lives in the area.”
(Jumping to the end of our discussion…)
Me: Let me see if I understand what you're saying. You no longer enjoy your current job or industry. You don’t know what you’d like to do next, and, you don’t want explore this yourself. You don’t have the time or interest in looking at posted positions to determine which jobs are of interest. You want to hire someone to rewrite your résumé without actually having to be involved in the process yourself.”
Jane:“Exactly! Now you understand.”
Me:“Unfortunately, that’s not how I conduct my career coaching practice. I cannot rewrite your résumé without your participation. Updating your résumé means we spend time analyzing your skills, experience, education and abilities. It requires uncovering your strengths and weaknesses as well as looking at potential industries and jobs of interest to you. It includes analyzing the job descriptions for which you’d like to apply and targeting your résumé to the requirements of those positions. I can guide you and assist you throughout this process, but it requires your active participation.”
Our discussion ended after I turned “Jane” down as a client. No matter what I said, she could not understand why she needed to participate for the process to be effective – and she wasn’t the first person I’ve encountered with this attitude.
For anyone who wants to hire a “résumé writer” – I offer the following thoughts:
- Writing or rewriting your résumé can be a challenge, but life is about challenges and about learning from them. It is through challenges that we grow the most.
- You may believe you have little to no time in your life for career development activities, but consider the karmic idea that forcing yourself to carve out “me time” is how you’ll be able to overcome any swirling chaos around you.
- Before trying to write or rewrite your résumé, take the time to define your career aspirations and to look at industries and jobs of interest. Also, consider your strengths and weaknesses and how you match up against the job requirements.
Your career requires your active participation and you need to be the captain of your own ship. Do not hand off your career development responsibilities to someone else. Seek others for guidance, not for ownership.
~ Lisa Quast
Speak up! Join me on Twitter and Facebook
Where Is My Resume On My Yahoo Account
Photo credit: Microsoft Free Clip Art
'>“But I just want to hire a résumé writer. Can’t you just rewrite my résumé for me?” she pleaded.
Thus ended my conversation with a woman who had called to inquire about hiring me as a career coach. She didn’t like the answer I gave her, which was, “No.”
Sometimes in our careers, as in life, taking on challenging tasks can lead to personal growth and learning. My potential client didn’t see it that way - she wanted me to do everything for her. Here’s the conversation (condensed) that led us down that discussion path…
Jane (name changed):“I want to hire you as my career coach.”
Me:“Let’s first talk about the type of career help you’re seeking.”
Jane:“I just need you to rewrite my résumé. I don’t like my job so I want to find another position in a different industry. I haven’t updated it since I got this job about 10 years ago.”
Me:“Tell me why your job is making you unhappy, and what type of job would you like to have?”
Jane:“What do you mean?”
Me:“What jobs have you looked at and what are the areas in the job descriptions that interest you?”
Jane:“I haven’t been researching any jobs. And why should I look at job descriptions? I just want to update my résumé.”
Me:“Generally, the best way to update a résumé is to customize it to the position for which you’re applying. Doing this requires analyzing the job description and requirements and then tailoring your résumé to showcase your skills and accomplishments most relevant to the job requirements.”
Jane:“Can’t you just figure that out for me? I don’t have time to think about that stuff myself. My life is one tornado after another and I don’t have any time for myself as it is.”
Me:“Sounds like you must work a lot of hours or have quite a few family activities going on.”
Jane:“Um, not really. I can only work 40 hours a week because they hate paying us overtime. And I’m single and none of my family lives in the area.”
(Jumping to the end of our discussion…)
Me: Let me see if I understand what you're saying. You no longer enjoy your current job or industry. You don’t know what you’d like to do next, and, you don’t want explore this yourself. You don’t have the time or interest in looking at posted positions to determine which jobs are of interest. You want to hire someone to rewrite your résumé without actually having to be involved in the process yourself.”
Jane:“Exactly! Now you understand.”
Me:“Unfortunately, that’s not how I conduct my career coaching practice. I cannot rewrite your résumé without your participation. Updating your résumé means we spend time analyzing your skills, experience, education and abilities. It requires uncovering your strengths and weaknesses as well as looking at potential industries and jobs of interest to you. It includes analyzing the job descriptions for which you’d like to apply and targeting your résumé to the requirements of those positions. I can guide you and assist you throughout this process, but it requires your active participation.”
Our discussion ended after I turned “Jane” down as a client. No matter what I said, she could not understand why she needed to participate for the process to be effective – and she wasn’t the first person I’ve encountered with this attitude.
For anyone who wants to hire a “résumé writer” – I offer the following thoughts:
- Writing or rewriting your résumé can be a challenge, but life is about challenges and about learning from them. It is through challenges that we grow the most.
- You may believe you have little to no time in your life for career development activities, but consider the karmic idea that forcing yourself to carve out “me time” is how you’ll be able to overcome any swirling chaos around you.
- Before trying to write or rewrite your résumé, take the time to define your career aspirations and to look at industries and jobs of interest. Also, consider your strengths and weaknesses and how you match up against the job requirements.
Your career requires your active participation and you need to be the captain of your own ship. Do not hand off your career development responsibilities to someone else. Seek others for guidance, not for ownership.
~ Lisa Quast
Speak up! Join me on Twitter and Facebook
Photo credit: Microsoft Free Clip Art
Storing Your Google Docs Resume Online With Google Drive
Google Drive is a good (and free) choice for storing your resume and cover letters online. Google Drive is an organizational system in which you can create, upload, edit, and save documents. You can upload files from your desktop, create new documents using Google Docs (Google's word processing app), and edit and view files from your computer or smartphone. You can also share your documents with others.
Google Drive is extremely useful for job seekers. It allows you to store your job materials online, and organize that information into folders. The resume and letter templates are very useful for creating job search materials. Job seekers can also share their documents online with career counselors or friends and family helping with their job search.
Read below for tips on using Google Drive. You will find information on uploading documents, creating new documents, using resume templates, and more.
Uploading a Resume to Google Drive
In order to upload your resume (or any other document), you'll need to register and create a Google account, if you don't have one. Once you've registered, you'll be able to access your Google Drive any time that you are online.
To upload a resume you have already written onto Google Drive, you can take one of two options. First, you can simply click and drag a document from your computer onto Google Drive. The other option is below:
- In Google Drive, click on “My Drive”
- Click “Upload Files”
- Upload the document you want to add to Google Drive
If you want to edit the document, click “Open With” at the top of the page. Click Google Docs, which will open the document in Google Docs. Here, you can make any changes to the document that you want, including changing the name of the document. These changes will automatically be saved in Google Drive.
Creating a New Google Doc
If you want to write your resume from scratch or write any other job material on Google Drive, click on “New” in the top left corner of Google Drive. Then click “Google Docs,” which will take you to the editing program. There you can write, edit, format, save, and share your job materials.
If you are not used to Google Docs, don't worry – it is very similar to Microsoft Word. Like Microsoft Word, you can play with the font and font size, add bullet points and other special characters, and do anything else you might want to do on your resume.
Use a Resume or Cover Letter Template
Through Google Drive, you can also access Google Doc’s many document templates. There are multiple free templates, including many resume templates and multiple business letter templates that you can use for a cover letter or other professional job search letter. Here is how you can access and use the templates:
- In Google Drive, click on “New” in the top left corner
- Click the arrow to the right of “Google Docs”
- Click “From a Template”
- Look at the list of different templates, and select the template you want to use
This will open up a new Google Doc with the template embedded in it. A template is a great starting point for a resume or letter. Be sure to personalize your document with your career information.
Here's how to select a resume template, personalize it, and save it.
Editing a Resume
As mentioned above, clicking on a document in Google Drive allows you to read it, not edit it. Here is how to edit your document:
- Find the document in your Google Drive and click on it
- Click “open with” at the top of the page
- Select “Google Docs” – This will allow you to edit the file
- It will automatically save any changes to your Google Drive
Organizing Files
You can place your job search files into specific folders to help organize your job search. Just click on “New” in the top left corner of Google Drive. Then click on “New Folder.” You can then name the folder, and click and drag Google Docs and any other materials into the folder.
Sharing Files
Once you have a document on Google Drive, you can choose to share it with specific individuals or even publish it publicly online. Here is how to do it:
- Find the document in your Google Drive and click on it
- Click “open with” at the top of the page
- Select “Google Docs.” This will allow you to edit the file
- Click “Share” in the top right corner of the document
- You can then enter the emails of specific people if you want to share with one or two employers, family members, friends, etc.
- You can also click “Get shareable link,” which allows you to share a URL with whomever you want
- Click “Advanced” if you want to make it completely public. Once you click “Advanced, under “Who has access,” click “Change.” You can then choose to either make the document public, share it with specific people (or people who have the URL), or make it private for you.
Sharing your resume and cover letter online allows hiring managers and recruiters to find it.
Do keep in mind that once you make your resume public, anyone can find it – and that can mean the wrong people as well as the right people, including your boss if you are currently employed.
Your resume also includes personal information like your phone number that you may prefer to keep private. So, before you make your resume public, be absolutely sure that you want your resume and all the personal information on it available to anyone and everyone on the Internet.
Access Files Offline
The one downside to online document systems like Google Drive is that you need to have access to the internet to use them. However, this is not the case with Google Drive. Simply download Google Drive onto your computer (or whatever device you want to use to access your documents).
Once you download Google Drive, all your documents on Google Drive will be available for you to access and edit on your device, and documents on your computer will be downloaded to Google Drive. You can then edit documents on your computer, and they will save to Google Drive the next time you are online.
Article Table of Contents Skip to section
- Uploading a Resume to Google Drive
- Use a Resume or Cover Letter Template
- Organizing Files
- Access Files Offline