Air Force Personnel Center officials said Tuesday that a manual used to define civilian position skill codes has been rescinded, making it no longer a factor in the hiring process for both internal and external applicants for open positions.

The new process, officials say, will speed fill actions for open positions and remove the inherent advantages held by external applicants.

According to a Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, news release, the rescission is part of several ongoing actions to transform civilian hiring, determine employee training and development needs and for selection of employees for training under competitive procedures.

Under the previous system, employee selection and job placement were directly tied to skill codes contained in the now rescinded manual. That meant staffing teams seeking to fill positions open to external and internal applicants had to review external resumes and internal career briefs.

The old process gave external applicants an advantage.

“Not only did it take longer to conduct two different review processes, internal applicants were limited to whatever skill codes were identified in their career brief,” Nancy Trackett, AFPC supervisory human resources specialist, is quoted in the press statement. “External applicants were able to fully describe their qualifications in a resume. This new process levels the playing field for all applicants.”

Applicants – internal and external – now must process resumes through the USA.Jobs website.

“If you were hired under the old system, you may not have a resume and you may not be comfortable with preparing one,” Tackett noted. “But USA.Jobs requires a resume and there are tips to help you prepare one. Even if you don’t want to apply for a job right now, it’s better to be prepared in case your dream job is announced.”