Curriculum Vitae and Officer’s Statement: Tips and Telling Your Story CAPT Jason Woo CDR Dan Brum

Agenda Curriculum Vitae Officer’s Statement Who looks at your CV? Helpful resources Recommendations Officer’s Statement

Who looks at your CV? Promotion board members ROS, OS, PIR, COERs, CV Hiring officials / interviewers Others e.g., PACs, working groups Whenever a decision-maker is short-listing, interviewing or selecting applicants. PIR – Promotion Information Report OS – Officer’s Statement ROS – Reviewing Official’s Statement CV COER

Who else might you ask to look at your CV? Family member or friend Mentor (Senior) officer volunteers Professional resume and CV writing service

Resources (1) Sample CV Template on PharmPAC website is updated E.g., Pharmacy http://www.usphs.gov/corpslinks/pharmacy/sc_career_guidance.aspx

Resources (2) Category promotion precepts performance (40%) progression (25%) edu/training (20%) officership (15%) readiness (0%) Precepts described in terms of factors Each factor has a benchmark which is a level of achievement for the officer given the category and grade **Benchmarks are not a checklist, they are a hypothetical set of attributes for the “ideal” officer at a given grade**

Document your accomplishments The category promotion benchmarks guidance states repeatedly that accomplishments should be documented in your CV Your CV is your chance to tell your story.

Recommendations (1) Follow the CV template Consider the promotion precepts Update your CV (living document) Living document that’s constantly evolving. The CV template follows the precepts and this is not by accident, so make sure that your CV follows that as well.

Recommendations (2) Proofread: Be meticulous Remove outdated or irrelevant items One page cover sheet One page cover sheet is NOT a requirement, but I would recommend it. Also, remember to highlight the most important accomplishments on the cover sheet. Some tips- could use bold typing or italic or underline to accentuate certain items, but DON’T over-do-it. Probably stay away from things like your age, marital status, height and weight, hobbies, and other personal details unless they are relevant and would improve your ability to do a particular job.

Recommendations (3) Make prominent important information “First-line supervisor for 10 employees” “Directly manage a $15 million budget” “Meritorious Service Medal for…” Emphasize career highlights but Use bold, italics, underline sparingly PHS Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) May 2013 Do spend much time describing past jobs in terms of duties and responsibilities, rather emphasize the things you have achieved, activities your have initiated, leadership roles. Furthermore, describe those achievements and skills in a way that shows how they are applicable to other types of jobs (promotion board members may not be familiar with your department and the kinds of work you do).

Recommendations (4) Be truthful Be consistent w.r.t. formatting If team effort, don’t take all the credit Be consistent w.r.t. formatting Cultivate ideas but don’t plagiarize Fax CV to eOPF periodically Fax #: (301)480-1407 or (301)480-1436 In an attempt to appear to be a self-starter, don’t risk coming across as dishonest; Overstating achievements that you did something single-handedly when it was obviously part of a team effort will look bad. Also, you don’t (always) know who will be reviewing your CV…

Highlights Use the template Know the precepts & benchmarks The cover page is critical Highlight accomplishments and impact Proofread Less is sometimes more Yes, be clear and concise and stay away from agency abbreviations. The person reviewing your CV may not be familiar with your particular agency jargon. Strive for a clean, uncluttered look. Don’t make the font size smaller because you can’t decide what to include (or remove).

Less is more (Example 1a) PHS Outstanding Service Medal (2010) Exemplary performance in the… PHS Commendation Medal (2009) – Outstanding performance for the… PHS Unit Commendation (2008) – Yet another long citation A long history of awards leads to lengthy CV. Probably too much detail for a CV unless you have only a few awards…

Less is more (Example 1b) PHS Outstanding Service Medal (2010) PHS Commendation Medal (2009) PHS Unit Commendation (2008, 2007)

Less is more (Example 2) USPHS Winds Ensemble, Percussionist (2005-10) 30 performances USPHS Winds Ensemble Played at Event A Played at Event B Played at Event C Played at Event D Played at Event E Played at Event F Played at Event G Etc. Probably too much detail for a CV.

Less is more (Example 3) PLANT Workgroup, Writer (2005-10) Authored seven (7) mini-biographical sketches PLANT Workgroup, Writer (2005-10) Profile A Profile B Profile C Profile D Profile E Profile F Profile G

Less is more: conclusions Summarize where possible Emphasize key points (e.g., group leader, major contribution, measureable impact) Don’t document the “accomplishment” until you have actually done it or qualify its status

The CV “Cover Sheet” Mission: to concisely summarize your CV and demonstrate your value Vision: to provide Promotion Board Reviewers the story that articulates why you should be promoted 19

Do’s and Don’ts Do’s Don’ts Use bullets that summarize your progressive growth Just be selective about bullets in your CV Don’t try to overstate your contributions – less is more, especially if you are a junior officer Leave any Benchmark empty Keep bullets less than two lines Use fancy font or italics Pick your best highlights – choose the high level achievements over quantity Keep the presentation “clean” 20

Officer’s Statement

Officer’s Statement 1. Support of PHS Commissioned Corps activities. 2. Commitment to visibility as an officer. 3. Vision & expectations of a career in the PHS Commissioned Corps, including commitment to the mission.

Officer’s Statement Focus is on Commissioned Corps-related activities, responsibilities, visibility. Your CV can guide you Emphasize key points (e.g., group leader, major contribution, measureable impact) – see previous recommendations regarding CV

Officer’s Statement 1. Support of PHS Commissioned Corps activities. Examples: Professional advisory committees, work groups, PHS choir/ensemble, preceptor/mentor, deployments/trainings, planning committees

Officer’s Statement 2. Commitment to visibility as an officer. Wearing the uniform to work and various opportunities to be in the public like conferences, deployments, volunteer services when authorized

Officer’s Statement 3. Vision & expectations of a career in the PHS Commissioned Corps, including commitment to the mission. Thoughts: Describe vision and expectations, and then support views with past actions or future plans

Food and Drug Administration Contact Information CAPT Jason Woo Food and Drug Administration W: 240-276-8819 Jason.woo@fda.hhs.gov CDR Dan Brum W: 301-796-0578 dan.brum@fda.hhs.gov

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