1.2 Create a Career Catalog
What to Know
In order to show your worth to an employer, you must provide facts about yourself. This requires you to gather information about yourself: your experience, training, accomplishments, personal information, military record, etc.
One way to assemble and organize this data is by creating a Career Catalog. It is an up-to-date summary of your qualifications. You may want to collect copies of documents in a loose-leaf notebook with pockets so that you can add to the materials over time. Spouses can use the same catalog by deleting items that do not pertain to them.
Among the types of records you should collect in your Career Catalog are:
Military Service
- Separation Papers, DD Form 214, DD Form 295, LES
- Training Record
- Honors & Awards
- DD Form 2586 - Verification of Military Experience and Training
- Service Record
- Security Clearance
- Medical Record
- Benefits
Personal Identification
- Birth Certificate
- Proof of Citizenship
- Social Security Card
- Passport
- Photo ID
Work Experience
- Work History (job titles, dates, duties, accomplishments, employers)
- Work Samples
- Honors and Citations
- Community Activities
- Salary History
- References
Education & Training
- Transcripts
- Diplomas/Certificates
- Honors
- Activities List
- Licenses
- Certifications
Master Application Worksheet—What to Do
The Master Application Worksheet that starts on the following page helps you develop a history of your education and training, work experience, military service, hobbies and interests, organizational memberships, and community activities. Using the worksheet helps you organize the information to use later when you:
- Write your resume;
- Fill out employment application forms; and
- Answer questions in job interviews.
Practice
Fill out the following pages, answering all the questions which apply to you. Include all the information. Don't forget details, such as telephone numbers and addresses.
The form is long and has space to enter all the information regardless of the length of your career. Use additional pages when necessary. Using the information you collected for the career catalog may be helpful in filling out the Master Application Worksheet.
A copy of the Master Application Worksheet [PDF] is available for your use in the appendix and on the transition website.
Master Application Worksheet [PDF]
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