AF civilians get help heading to the war zone - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

AF civilians get help heading to the war zone

The Air Force wants to see more of its civilian corps deploy to the war zone voluntarily, which it hopes to do by helping interested applicants polish their résumés and earn open job opportunities.

More than 900 civilians are deploying overseas in 2011, most of them employees who knew that they would need to deploy as part of the initial hiring process. But a small number — about 25 so far this year — have deployed to the war zone as part of the Defense Department’s Civilian Expeditionary Workforce program.

The Defense Department program began in 2008 as a way to supplement the active-duty force with volunteer civilian employees. Civilians can deploy in hundreds of career fields, with most deployments lasting a year plus the time spent in training programs for specific jobs and locations.

The number of airmen who have applied to the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce program has held relatively steady — about 90 in 2010 and about the same number expected by the end of this year, said Tom Kelly, who heads the Air Force’s Civilian Expeditionary Workforce program.

Kelly said he believes that the people who apply have an intrinsic motivation to serve and — in some cases — the time spent in a military environment has rubbed off on them.

“They see it; they live it,” Kelly said. “Every day they read about it, they see it on TV, and these folks really have a good sense of patriotism and warrior-ism that they want to get out there and get in the mix as well.”

The acceptance rates have jumped over the past few years, from 5 percent of applicants getting selected in 2008 to a little more than 30 percent — about 25 out of 80 — getting the nod so far this year. Kelly credits that to a change in how the Air Force handles its civilian applications.

Air Force civilians can find jobs and apply directly at the Defense Department’s Civilian Expeditionary Workforce website, www.cpms.osd.mil/expeditionary. They still can apply directly, but the service has implemented a new system, in which civilians send their applications to the Air Force first.

The Air Force then reviews those materials and contacts the applicants if needed to help them through the process. Civilians selected for the program undergo training programs — which may include Combat Airman Skills Training — and outprocess just like military deployers.

Kelly recommends that interested applicants make sure their résumés are strong and comprehensive, specifically outlining their qualifications for the job.

“This is not like a private Fortune 500 company that’s hiring,” Kelly said. “They don’t need to see ‘glad’ and ‘happy’ and all those types of things. What they want to see is hard-hitting capabilities as they pertain to the opportunity.”