by LeTonya F. Moore, JD

As women, we are constantly searchng for answers to questons that we have concerning men.  In this month's #Vlog #SheMatters Partner Dr. Joe Martin, founder of Real Men Connect talks about what's HOT about Men and how to be a HOT man! Humble. Obedient. Trusting H.O.T.  #PepTalk #HOTIsGood#SheMatters #TheChampionBrand #LiveLikeAChampion #RiseUp #CallngAllHOTMen #GodGetsGlory#KingdomTalk #KingdomGirl #RaisingUpKingdomMen #PurposeOverPride #BlackGirlMagic#ChampionsFinishLast #RealTalk #RealPerspectives #CheckYourself

"Sound the alarm! I am so ready, ready to do this for the #gloryofGod. I had the pleasure of chatting with three #womenofGod for the #RealPerspectives episode Women on Fire and OMG did it open my eyes!  I am convinced now more than ever that God is calling His people to take a stand, even in the church. Yes, that's right, I said it, EVEN IN (meaning INSIDE) of the church walls.  I believe that God is pushing us to a level of transparency like no other time in history.  During Saturday's show, we discussed trust in ministry and what the responsbility of the clergy is to keep confidences in the church.  Someone shared that while growing up, she was surrounded by women she could trust, mentors who helped to guide her in her faith walk. She shared that she was able to go to these women and confide the things that were happening with her life. She looked up to these women, like her grandmother, church mothers, ushers, and the first lady of the ministry for example, as examples of how she needed to behave as a woman.  

If that is your experience guys....GLORY!!!!!! You have been TRULY BLESSED.  As the title mentions, I had to keep it real because that is not the reality that I know.  Countless people have shared that when they went to these same figureheads, mothers of the church, first ladies, women's ministry chair, etc., etc., etc., the next thing they knew their business was all over the church.  These women who were supposed to educate, embrace, and engage the younger (less seasoned) ladies were the culprits in creating or subjecting them to unnecessary shame.  Preposterous....right? But anyone who has been a part of ministry for any period of time either has had these experiences or know someone who has, right?  What's the most sad of all is, the premise of Christianity is built on the concept ot trust.  "Trust God at His word", "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart", "Trust that Jesus died, was buried, rose, and ascended"; however, what does this mean when God's representatives are not trustworthy?  What happens when the very people who are training us to "Trust Him" cannot be trusted?

Imagine the horror of having your life's woes spewed from the puplit, the very place...the very platform, from where we are taught that the Lord speaks.  I see a paradigm shift in the Kingdom, we that are called and sent, have a responsibility to be open and transparent.  We have spent centuries hiding our indiscretions, our flaws, our downfalls, or completely ignoring our past, in attempts build a fascade of perfection.  This is crippling the walk of many. See what happens is, we place others in positions where they cannot compare to the perceived "perfection" of the leadership or congregational leaders and certainly cannot live up to the perfection of Christ, whom we are charged to strive to be like.   

The time is now to keep it 100 about our past (even if it hurts).  We are charged with bringing the unsaved to Christ; but we cannot forget that we were once unsaved.  We are charged with treating them in the same manner that Christ would have treated them.  No judgment.  No shame.  No manipulation.   The time is now to stop robbing God of His due glory.  It is the grace that brought us through what He has brought us through. It is his mercy that has kept us in our darkest hours.  It is through Him that we are saved.  It is God who is our source and our redeemer.  I am here to keep it real and let you know that man's judgment of you, will end with self-judgment.  Matthew 7:4  poses an interesting point, "How can we say to our brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" 

What has been your experience with the #PLANKSTERS?  How did you deal with them?  Were you able to move on and #TrustGod? I'd love to hear from you. Leave your comments, questions, here!  #BeBlessed but more importantly, #BeABlessing.

As part of a recent interview for the Jeff Altman Show, I discussed three main points and differences between the standard resume and the federal sector resume. 

The rule of thumb for Federal resumes is to include everything. For each position, within each company, list your functional duties.  What does this mean you ask?  This means DO NOT just copy and paste a job description. It means to lay out your duties, responsiblities, as carried out on a daily basis.  This is a much more detailed description than the standard resume, which requires an overview or encapsulation to stay within the requisite one page guideline.  Even though the goal is to get everything in, there are several ways to streamline your  federal resume. First, are there any functional duites to which you can pair with others?  Second, write, read, re-read, revise, re-read again.  Last, with each re-read, revise to create a more concise statement. This will help you "trim the fat" from an already robust resume and create a more tailored document.

In general, the rules are the same for tailoring a federal resume as with the standard resume.  However, one difference is, the federal sector deals with job classifications or job series.  This series is located in the job announcement and the number corresponds with a class of positions.  When tailoring your federal resume, it is important to review the job announcement very carefully.  First, look at the position duties and responsibilites, this will help you identify the proper "buzzwords" to use to insure that you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.  Second, write your resume in the proper tense and active voice. Third,  make sure that your descriptions demonstrate how your experience lines up with the specialized experience needed for the position.  Lastly, list accomplishments that are pertinent to the knowledge, skill, or ability sought for that particular position/series of jobs.  Additionally, there are items that must be included in the federal resume that are not required for the standard resume.

The following information must be included for federal resumes: Veteran status; the job announcement number should be included on every page of the resume; social security number; security clearance, if any; whether your positions were part-time, full time, contract, etc.; and current supervisor's name and contact information.

Job hunting can be daunting; but not having the knowledge to make sure that you are competitive can lead to long term unemployment.  ​In this area, my typical clients are persons who are seeking upward mobility and need a stellar resume to get them in the door.  They already possess the requisite skills, but lack the ability to present those skills in the way described here.  We work with clients to get their resumes to the minimal qualified levels based on a class of positions.  Be encouraged, if you find yourself stuck we are here to help!

Now that I've shared the secrets with you, how do you construct your resume?  What's the best advice you would give someone seeking federal employment? Do you have a question or comment?  Let's dicsuss tips, tools, questions, and feedback in the comment section below!