Episodes

Show Notes | September 3, 2020 | Episode 70 April Wilhelm built a successful remote career all while taking care of her premature newborn daughter in the NICU and living from hotel to hotel. Now, she's created a course so other spouses can take care of their families and have a career by becoming a Certified Remote Virtual Assistant. April and her husband, who is active duty Navy, are both military brats and wanted to create something that would affect others and make a difference in the militar...

Show Notes | September 1, 2020 | Episode 069 As a milspouse, Megan Wollenberg got tired of getting hired, working for a year or two, then leaving for the next duty station and having to do it all over again. So she set out to find a job that would move around the country (or even the world) with her. That's how she discovered VirtForce. Although not directly hired through VirtForce, Megan used its resources to set up her resume, get advice on interview questions, figure out who to talk to and wh...

Show Notes | August 27, 2020 | Episode 68 This episode is sponsored by our military spouse employment partners at Instant Teams. In this episode, Kimber talks with Jen Amos of US VetWealth about military transition and how remote work can support. We also learn from Jen how suicide is a very present danger in transitioning service members. We explore some of the causes and potential solutions to overcoming this issue in the transitioning community. Jen lost her dad while he was on active duty in...

Show Notes | August 25, 2020 | Episode 067 Considered a nonessential employee, Elizabeth Raines was laid off from her tutoring job at a local elementary school during the COVID-19 pandemic. After joining VirtForce, she quickly turned her situation around and got a remote job with e-commerce giant Amazon. Elizabeth discovered VirtForce a year ago when she met founder Kimber Hill through the Spouses of Student Aviators group while their husbands were going through the same training in Florida. Sin...

Show Notes | August 20, 2020 | Episode 66 This episode is sponsored by our military spouse employment partners at Instant Teams. In this episode, Kimber talks with Army Wife Network Owner and "Commander" Sharita Knobloch. Sharita refers to the events that led to her current job as "one big no-plan plan." First of all, she didn't expect to fall in love with a soldier, and she never could have imagined volunteer blogging in 2014 would lead to her role today. Army Wife Network is a source for all t...

Show Notes | August 18, 2020 | Episode 065 Jeannine Ricker heard about VirtForce by accident. She was perusing through a couple of other military affiliated and spouse employment opportunity websites when she just happened to stumble upon the VirtForce podcast. Through the podcast Jeannine was able to improve her LinkedIn profile and virtual interview skills to get #hired. After a PCS, Jeannine explored virtual employment for about four to six months before she solidified the direction she wante...

Show Notes | August 13, 2020 | Episode 64 This episode is sponsored by our military spouse employment partners at Instant Teams. In this episode, we're walking you through the ins and outs of your VirtForce candidate profile, including how to complete a profile of your own and why it's important. Your candidate profile is a way for us at VirtForce to track what you're interested in and what kinds of jobs you're looking for. It's going to help you get contacted when opportunities in areas you're ...

Show Notes | August 11, 2020 | Episode 063 After joining VirtForce, Alicia Emmel found two surprises – a killer new remote career AND a new friend. She researched different companies by combing through the VirtForce Facebook Group's posts and comments, and found an opportunity to become a revenue cycle analyst at Ensemble Health Partners. Alicia also met amazing Army wife Kristy Stearnes (not pictured) through the group who sent her job postings and positive vibes through her entire job search p...

Show Notes | August 6, 2020 | Episode 62 This episode is sponsored by our military spouse employment partners at Instant Teams. It comes with a Free Download: Remote Tools by Instant Teams. Just knowing how to use the Internet does not prepare you for a remote job. That’s why learning digital office communication and collaboration tools now, will give you a leg up when the right opportunity comes along. Whether the company you work for prefers to manage projects through an app or simply keeps a ...

Show Notes | August 4, 2020 | Episode 061 What’s the one piece of job search advice Laura would get tattooed across her forehead if she could? "Don’t solely rely on online applications!" After taking a few months off after having her daughter and moving back to the US from overseas, Laura landed her dream job as a part-time, remote career coach. Laura is certain she would NOT have the job she has today if she just applied online. It was an informational interview that led to Laura getting #hired...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 060 Guess what? You've made it to the end. You've polished a stellar resume and written a persuasive cover letter that are sure to get you the job. But what's next? In this episode, we prepare you to apply with confidence. From going through your final checklist to actually saving and exporting the files, we've got you covered. Make sure to tune in to hear our inside tip to stand out from the crowd even after you've applied. If you are a new listener to VirtF...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 059 Cover letters. Phew. Okay. Let's take a deep breath. We know these are often an applicant's least favorite thing. Want to know a secret? The trick to cover letters is not to skimp or provide the minimal amount of effort. Your cover letter is not just an extra chore, rather it is an opportunity to show off experiences that are not easily verbalized in a resume. In this episode, we talk about how cover letters (both written and video) and design are your se...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 058 If you’re writing a federal resume, you’ve got to follow a considerable set of standards which detail your full work experience. When you’re applying for federal jobs, your resume is considered your job application form and not just an overview of your skills and work history. In this episode, we walk through what makes a federal resume different, how to format a federal resume, and how to sculpt your work experience specifically for a federal resume. Don...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 057 Lack of experience and resume gaps are oftentimes something we dread. But guess what? There are many ways to overcome these issues. In this episode, we recommend focusing on 2 areas over the course of the next 12 weeks: 1) Volunteer Work and Internships 2) Pursuing a new certification. We also cover one of the best ways to overcome the resume gap or to avoid looking like you have arbitrarily hopped from job to job. Did you ever realize you can totally dit...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 056 So, you’re in a career field that you’re tired of and you want to pivot. Maybe you’re good at more than one thing, like Digital Marketing and Sales. You’d like to explore both career avenues while you’re applying rather than limiting yourself to one industry. In this episode, we introduce you to a magical strategy to help you create a resume that speaks to the career you want, not the one you have. Tune in to see how this strategy can revolutionize your j...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 055 There are many approaches and ways to compile your work experience on your resume, but VirtForce has set the BAR as your standard to remember moving forward. Consider the following three strategies that encompass the acronym B.A.R.: Bullet Points, Action Verbs, and Relevancy. To learn how to apply this method and raise the BAR on your resume, tune in to this episode of Resume Boot Camp. If you are a new listener to VirtForce podcast, we would love to hear...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 054 Many military spouses and transitioning service members ask, “How do you take your military job and put it into civilian terms?” The answer is that you have to learn to recognize the skills you developed, verbalize them, and highlight them. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add your experiences to your resume as work experience. In this episode of Resume Boot Camp, we cover transferable skills and how you might write about them in the work experien...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 053 Your skills appear in every section of your resume and cover letter, not just your skills section. There are two types of skills that are important to know and represent: Hard and Soft Skills. You might be asking yourself,"What’s more important for the skills section of my resume: Hard or Soft Skills?" In the remote work force, your ability to harness technology and hard skills is arguably more important to demonstrate on your resume than soft skills; how...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 052 One of the first things people wonder when tackling their resume is, "How and when should I highlight my education?" In this episode of Resume Boot Camp, we walk through how to feature education on your resume whether you have Completed or In-Progress Degrees, Incomplete Degrees, High School Diplomas or GEDs, and/or Certificates, Licenses, and Professional Development. Regardless of the level of your educational attainment, we have a strategy for you. If ...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 051 One of our favorite strategies for developing an outstanding resume is QUANTIFYING the content in your work experience. Quantifying means to express the quantity or to measure your work in some way. We love this strategy because using it is easier than you might think. We encourage you to try to quantify as many work experience bullet points as possible and associate numerical digits with your work experience because it stands out! In a sea of words, nume...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 050 Don’t let the term “keyword” mystify you. Keywords are nothing more than basic search terms. For example, if you’re looking for someone to remodel your house, you may search the internet for the following keywords: general contractor, home remodel, or construction services. Similarly, when a company is looking for the right candidate, they may search your resume for keywords that are relevant to the position they want to fill. What does this mean for you?...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 049 A resume template, which we talk about in previous episodes of Resume Boot Camp, is the frame for your resume. You can augment or tailor this template for each position to which you apply. In this episode, we want to encourage you to have a template for every position or industry type you would like to work in. In the long run, this not only makes your application process more smooth but also positions you as an ideal candidate. If you are a new listener ...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 048 Have you struggled with wondering where to even start on your resume? How to format it and what in the world even goes in it? There are many ways to format your resume, and some are more creative than others; however, we want you to master the foundation of the VirtForce Standard Resume Format before we embark into a colorful resume. In this episode, we break down not only the Standard Resume Format but also the sections that go into creating your resume ...

Show Notes | June 29, 2020 | Episode 047 Have you ever heard the phrase, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter”? It’s a joke about how being concise actually takes more time than writing dense and lengthy content. The same concept applies to your resume. In this episode of Resume Boot Camp, we talk about how to make the most of limited resume real estate. If you are a new listener to VirtForce podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please email support@virtforce.wpengine.c...