FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Cleared career pacing. Editor Lindy Kyzer asks, “Are you managing your career like a marathon, or a sprint? Help pace yourself with Achievements on the Cleared Network – they can help you score a great job, along with resume perks and gift cards along the way. Here are three Achievements for Secret Squirrels to reach for . . . .”
Resume recommendations. Contributor Julie Mendez offers, “Studies show that recruiters spend only 6–10 seconds looking at your resume. If they have to dig but through too much to find relevant data, it is highly likely they will give up quickly and move on to the next candidate. Therefore, your resume absolutely should be no longer than two pages in length.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Rebel resupply. Reuters’ John Davison and Phil Stewart report, “U.S. forces airdropped small arms ammunition and other supplies to Syrian Arab rebels, barely two weeks after Russia raised the stakes in the long-running civil war by intervening on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. One military official said the drop, by Air Force C-17 cargo planes in northern Syria on Sunday, was part of a revamped U.S. strategy announced last week to help rebels in Syria battling Islamic State militants.”
Al Baghdadi targeted. The Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio reports, “The Iraqi military claimed it targeted Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the emir of the Islamic State, as he was traveling to meet with other commanders of his organization at a location on the border with Syria. The fate of Baghdadi, who has been reported killed or wounded several times in the past, is unknown.”
Russian embassy rocketed. AP’s Albert Ajibasswm Mroue reports, “Insurgents fired two shells at the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital on Tuesday as hundreds of pro-government supporters gathered outside the compound to thank Moscow for its intervention in Syria. . . . Russia insists it is mainly targeting the Islamic State group and other ‘terrorists,’ but the multi-pronged ground-and-air offensive is being waged in areas controlled by U.S.-backed rebels as well as other insurgents including Nusra Front.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Silver Springs’ McFadden lands $300 million fed contract. Federal Times’ Carten Cordell reports, “If ever there was a year when USAID and services corporation Macfadden were put to the test, it was 2014. Providing support to the agency’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, Macfadden CEO David Binns said the response to critical refugee events in Iraq, Syria and South Sudan, coupled with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, was unprecedented.”
Bid-rigging busted. Also from Federal Times and Carten Cordell, “Young N. Cho, also known as Alex Cho, received an 88-month sentence and must repay $7.6 million to the Corps for his role in the bid-rigging scheme . . . . From 2007 to 2011, Cho, as chief technology officer for Nova Datacom, paid $17 million in bribes to former Army Corps program manager Kerry F. Khan and another $1 million to former program manager Michael A. Alexander to get government contracts, according to the Justice Department. He also conspired with officials to steer a contract worth nearly $1 billion to his company . . . .”
