Employment search strategies made simple

By Jessica LaGassey-Simpson,
Coordinator
USAG Stuttgart Army Community Service

For many of us, finding employment in a new community can seem like a daunting task. Army Community Service is here to guide you as you begin your job search at USAG Stuttgart. ACS’ Employment Readiness Program (ERP) offers services to all job seekers with I.D. cards:  military and civilian spouses, civilians, contractors, retirees, and Active Duty members preparing to transition out of the military.

ERP offers the “Lunchtime Learning Series” on selected Tuesdays of the month, highlighting a different topic each time. Attendees can bring a brown bag lunch and eat while an ACS facilitator shares helpful tips to enhance employment skills. Class topics include resume writing for the private sector; building your federal resume in USAJOBS; interview skills; how to work a job fair; marketing your volunteer experience on your resume; and “You have a LinkedIn account…now what?” In just 90 minutes, jobseekers can gain general knowledge and boost their confidence, motivating them to create a resume or refresh their current one while applying the guidelines they learned in class.

One-on-one employment assistance is also available.  Clients can contact ACS to schedule an appointment to meet with a staff member for private sector or federal resume reviews, tutorials on how to navigate USAJOBS, support for other types of online employment applications, cover letter development, and even mock interviews.

The ERP collaborates with other installation agencies and organizations to support local employment events such as the Association of the United States Army Job Fair each spring and Non-Appropriated Funds Human Resources recruitment fairs. The ERP manager maintains a hot jobs board of employment prospects as well as an email distribution list for jobseekers who are interested in receiving notifications about any position openings.

Attack, win, prevail!
Let ACS help you develop a plan of attack for your employment search. Customers may use the 10 ACS computers for all their online job application needs and to prepare their resumes and supporting documents weekdays, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. If you’d like to schedule an appointment, call the ACS front desk at 431-3362 or 07031-15-3362, or stop by Bldg. 2915 on Panzer Kaserne. To find out more about upcoming Lunchtime Learning Series classes, click here