FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Recruiting arsenal. Editor Lindy Kyzer writes, “Unlike other career networking sites, cleared candidates know that ClearanceJobs vets employers who request access to the site. So they trust the employers they’re working with, and they look to employer profiles as a legitimate and useful source of information. In the wake of the cybersecurity breach at the Office of Personnel Management, candidates are more cautious than ever.”
Resume recommendations. Contributor Julie Mendez advises, “Focus on your transferable skills and qualifications when working on your resume. Minimize the government acronyms and abbreviations. It can be helpful to speak to others who have also made the transition regarding the terminology and language you use in your resume. . . . review several relevant position descriptions that you are applying to for common language you can adapt to your purposes.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Woman Ranger #3. Washington Post’s Dan Lamothe reports, “On Monday, the Army announced that Jaster, 37, has become the third woman to ever complete the Ranger School course. She will join Capt. Kristen Griest, 26, and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, 25, who earned the Ranger tab on Aug. 21. Jaster will join 87 men in receiving the coveted decoration in a ceremony at Fort Benning on Friday.”
Taking back Aleppo. Reuters’ Laila Bassam reports, “Syria’s army along with Iranian and Hezbollah allies will soon launch a ground attack supported by Russian air strikes against insurgents in the Aleppo area . . . . The offensive, which both officials said would begin soon, would expand on a ground attack by the same alliance last week that is targeting rebels in Hama province farther west. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said thousands of Iranian troops had arrived to take part in the offensives in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”
AQ captures ISIS operative. The Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn reports, “The Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) in Derna, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist alliance, claims to have captured a top Islamic State operative. On Oct. 13, Twitter feeds associated with the MSC posted pictures of the man, Murad al Sabaa . . . , claiming that he is one of the most important Islamic State leaders in Libya. It is not entirely clear if the MSC believes al Sabaa ran the Islamic State’s operations throughout all of Libya, or just locally in Derna, where he was captured. But the MSC says he is now in its ‘hands.’”
CINC’s war record. Washington Post’s Greg Jaffe reports, “Obama has launched military strikes in seven countries. He ended a war in Iraq only to recommit thousands of American troops there when Islamic State insurgents routed the U.S.-trained Iraqi army in Mosul. A few weeks later, he ordered the U.S. military to start bombing Islamic State strongholds in Syria. Afghanistan has been the one constant that spans his two terms in office.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Contracts and cybersecurity. Federal Times’ Aaron Boyd reports, “The administration has been pushing agencies to include more cybersecurity language in contracts, specifically in citing control standards like those advanced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Some officials don’t think those standards are enough and are encouraging agencies to get specific with vendors when writing cybersecurity requirements.”
