Where can i get help with writing my resume.
The FedsHireVets.gov website has a Resume Writing guide posted at
Resume Writing Participant Handout PDF .
USAJOBS.gov Help Center: Resume Creation Guide
Customers Interviewed by:
The US federal government employs over 2 million people, not even counting military service branches. Federal jobs are highly contested thanks to great benefits, role longevity, and social importance. While USAJobs , the prime job board for federal jobs, is a great place to find opportunities, applying for federal jobs and writing a federal resume can be confusing, overwhelming, and counter-intuitive to those job seekers who have only applied in the private sector.
We spoke with federal resume experts for their insights to help first-time federal applicants learn to understand a job vacancy announcement, how to write a federal resume , how to apply through USAJobs, and what to expect from the lengthy federal job application process:
For federal jobs, experience trumps almost everything. Hiring agencies aren’t interested in potential, or as Segal says, “It’s not about your journey. You should have already arrived.” Federal HR wants to see proven success, role mastery, and expertise.
The entire federal job application process is about demonstrating that you are the ideal candidate by showing your experience and success. Experience even outweighs education for most jobs unless an applicant’s education is part of the value proposition, such as scientist or mathematician jobs.
Federal HR will not make any assumptions about your resume. Even things that seem very straightforward need to be explicitly spelled out. Federal hiring practices are highly regulated, so federal HR personnel can’t make those assumptions. Every assumption could risk an EEO complaint or even a call from Congress.
As Segal puts it, “From a federal perspective, if it’s not on the resume, you didn’t do it.”
When a job is posted on USAJobs, it’s called a ‘job vacancy announcement’ (JVA). This job description contains far more than the basic list of responsibilities and requirements of a private sector job description.
Segal recommends spending at least an hour thoroughly reading through the JVA. Understanding the JVA is key to structuring your resume to not just fit the job but to also demonstrate how you’re perfectly qualified.
You should use the same language that appears on the JVA on your resume to draw those lines even more clearly. Jobscan helps automate this process to make it go faster, letting you identify the most important keywords and skills .
Who may apply.
Not all JVAs will have this section, but make sure you fit the specifications if you see this section. These specifications usually involve citizenship, protected groups, etc.
Pay close attention to this section. Some jobs will require you to apply through the USAJobs resume builder.
Segal advises that if you have further questions, pick up the phone and call the agency. Taylor explains, “The best times to call an agency are at 8:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 4:30 PM EST. To really connect with agency employees, you have to target times when they aren’t as busy – first thing in the morning, right after lunch, and just before they head home.”
Many federal applications include a very important step called an occupational questionnaire . This questionnaire requires you rate to your knowledge, skills, and abilities that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
While federal resumes are reviewed by humans, the questionnaire is scored by computers. If you don’t score high enough based on your questionnaire, your resume will end up in the ‘no’ pile before anyone has even seen it. A high score (70 at minimum) on the occupational questionnaire is the best way to ensure that a human will see your resume and review it.
However, don’t take that as a reason to lie or exaggerate your self-ranking. If you don’t feel like you can score yourself highly for each question, it’s a good indication the job isn’t a good fit for you. The occupational questionnaire is a likert scale, starting at A and going to the highest ranking of E.
Levin describes how occupational questionnaire questions are valuable to the job seeker: “If you’re looking at the questions and your stomach is sinking because you realize you’re not able to answer most of them at the E level, that should tell you that the job is not a good fit for you.”
Segal adds: “If you do not have what they are looking for, don’t bother to apply, because you’re unlikely to get any traction.”
The occupational questionnaire gives you even more understanding of what the hiring agency is specifically looking for in the role. Take the opportunity to prove your expertise not just by rating yourself E, but by demonstrating how you used the skill to succeed.
Writing a resume to apply for a job in the federal government is extremely different from applying in the private sector. Federal HR may look for some of the same things that a private sector recruiter will, but their perspective is completely different.
Taylor likes to tell her clients, “Leave everything you know about resumes at the door.”
Federal resumes are much longer than a standard private sector resume. Federal resumes usually range from 6 to 8 pages depending on the applicant’s level of experience and the seniority of the job. Even entry-level applicants should furnish resumes of 4 to 6 pages.
“Federal resumes are so much longer, dense, and complex than private sector resumes,” explains Levin. “This is because federal HR wants to see that you have the actual experience that they’re looking for.”
The length of federal resumes comes from the amount of detail each resume section needs to contain. Since federal HR personnel are precluded from making any assumptions of what your prior work entailed, you’ll need to list out each responsibility and the details associated with it. While a list of responsibilities is important, even more importantly, you’ll have to detail how your skills allowed you to succeed with each of these responsibilities by giving specific examples.
“You specifically have to use the keywords from the federal job announcement to show that you are absolutely the best fit and the right person for this job because you have already done this kind of work before,“ adds Levin.
One way you can find those keywords is by scanning the JVA and your resume with Jobscan .
You don’t need to include information that doesn’t relate to the job you’re applying for. Keep details about prior jobs that don’t relate brief or omit them entirely – the government doesn’t care about employment gaps.
Federal resumes have strict requirements, and not following these requirements is a great way to get passed over. While agencies are not required to eliminate candidates who do not follow the rules, they can. As Segal explains, “If I’m sitting there as an HR person facing a thousand resumes and only a few days to go through them, I want to figure out how to winnow my pile. What’s the best way to do that? Eliminate those who didn’t follow all the rules.”
Federal HR uses hours worked to determine your amount of experience, so federal resumes require your average weekly hours for each job in your work experience section. The government often requires at least 52 weeks of experience in the skills on the JVA.
List your immediate supervisor and their contact information for each job you list. Make sure to denote whether your current supervisor can be contacted or not.
To avoid putting yourself in an awkward position at your current job, Taylor suggests requiring you be asked before your supervisor is contacted. If asked, find out if the hiring agency is ready to offer you the job as soon as they contact your current supervisor.
References aren’t always required – it depends on the hiring agency. However, it’s a good idea to include them if you have space.
Despite the controversy over disclosing prior pay in the private sector, salary is commonly included on federal resumes. Whether it’s required in your resume depends on the hiring agency.
‘GS’ or ‘ General Schedule ’ is the pay scale for most of the federal government. If you’re already working in the government, use your GS level instead of your salary.
There are three good methods for creating your federal resume:
Some JVAs may actually require you to apply through the USAJobs resume builder, but it might not be obvious in the JVA itself. For this reason, among others, both Taylor and Segal suggest applying through the USAJobs resume builder instead of creating a resume from scratch.
No matter what choice you make, do not procrastinate on applying if you find a JVA you’re interested in. The application process is much more time consuming than a private sector job application, and JVAs have a strict close time. There may also be unexpected requirements once you’re finished applying through USAJobs.
Levin recommends building your own resume, because although federal resume formatting is very conservative, there are a few things you can do to make your resume stand out. Additionally, you control the content and don’t have to worry about the character limits of fields on the USAJobs resume builder.
The official font of the US government is Times New Roman, size 12. Some JVAs will actually require you to use this. If it’s not required, you can use different fonts, but nothing too modern. Jobscan’s guide on appropriate resume fonts can help you choose the best fonts. Levin’s favorite font to use on a federal resume is Calibri, with Arial Black used for section headings and contact information.
You can use tables and columns in your resume, but be sparing with them. Bullet points are also acceptable, but avoid other special characters. You can upload multiple documents, so be sure to upload your resume as both a PDF and a DOCX to cover all of your bases.
Using the USAJobs resume builder is a great idea if you’re new to the federal job application process. The resume builder requires all of the important information that could get you disqualified if omitted, so there’s an extra level of safety in using it. There is, however, a lot of information to include in the builder, so it does require a good deal of attention to detail. Make sure you don’t accidentally skip any fields.
The biggest drawback of using the resume builder is that the fields for prior job experience have a 5,000 word character limit. While that seems like a generous limit, it’s something you might hit given the length of federal resumes.
However, Segal keyed us in a great way to deal with that character limit: “There is a section in USAJobs called ‘additional information.’ This is a free form block of 20,000 characters.”
The additional information section is where you should put further details you weren’t able to fit in throughout the rest of the process. It’s also where you should put certifications or awards.
Your third option is to hire a federal resume writer. Since federal resumes are so complex, having an expert help you can be a great asset. Many experts don’t just write your resume, they’ll teach you how to tailor your resume for each position you’re interested in or even show you the best ways to leverage the USAJobs resume builder.
Do thorough research when selecting resume writers . Levin cautions, “There are a lot of opinions out there about federal resumes. Take them with a grain of salt. Look at that person’s experience. Do they do this professionally or is this just their opinion? Be mindful of who’s telling you what and what their background is.”
Nancy Segal : “You have to understand the process. If you do the process right, you should consistently get to the hiring manager.”
Lex Levin : “Federal hiring is very much a marathon, not a sprint. It takes on average about a hundred and six days to go from application to onboarding, which is over three months. Many people wait longer than that. If you are getting referred [to the hiring manager], that means the resume is working for you – keep applying!”
Karol Taylor : “Don’t struggle with no results. Invest in your future, invest in yourself. This is your career, it’s your future, it’s worth the time and money.”
September 13, 2024
September 11, 2024
September 10, 2024
September 9, 2024
August 28, 2024
August 27, 2024
Join 2 million job seekers who get bi-weekly job search tips
Get insider knowledge and ready-to-use job-seeking tips and hacks delivered to your inbox.
An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
A resume is your ticket to a job. It must do two things; qualify you for a job, and impress a hiring manager enough to offer you an interview.
In general there are two types/usages of resumes:
If you have multiple skills, it is advantageous to create more than one resume on USAJobs.gov.
General information on how to enhance your federal resume:
accomplished | administered | analyzed |
contracted | created | directed |
developed | drafted | established |
improved | implemented | negotiated |
7. Creating a federal resume can become more difficult if you have multiple skill sets that you need to exhibit. To help develop your resume, research multiple federal job announcements that you believe you are qualified to apply for, review each one from start to finish, and make sure you note all of the requirements, duties, and responsibilities of the position. Next, highlight the key words and sentences from each announcement and use a search engine (Bing, Google, Yahoo!, etc.) to request information on the job titles listed on the announcement (Program Analyst, Program Manager, Program Specialist, etc.). This will provide you with generic information on the types of responsibilities that are common to that job title (usually in civilian terms). Finally, compare the words and sections that you highlighted on each job announcement and the generic list from the search engine, and see if you have a large number of those items already listed in your resume. If those words do not appear and you possess those skills, add them to your resume. Remember, for a federal position you are trying to create a comprehensive, well-written resume that is relevant to the job.
8. Information that should not be identified on your resume:
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Here are some tips on how to write a federal resume: 1. Identify the role. Before your contact information, consider identifying the role you're applying for. It's sometimes appropriate to include the formal name of the role, its General Schedule (GS) grade and its identification number. You can usually find this information in the job description.
1. Gather the required information. Additional information is required when writing a federal resume. It also requires particular formatting and should include the sections listed below: Job information: This includes the announcement number, title, series and grade of the job in which you apply. Personal information: This includes your full ...
How to write a government resume. Here are six steps on writing a government resume: 1. Provide your contact information. As with a regular resume, you include your contact information to introduce yourself. Start with your full name, current job title, phone number, email address and location.
A guide to understanding and writing an effective Federal resume. Your resume is your marketing tool in which to describe why you may be the best candidate for the position for which you are applying. When writing your resume, you should consider your accomplishments, making your resume is results-driven. It is best to break your resume down ...
Tips for Writing a Federal Resume. Creating a federal resume that brings your qualifications to life and shows that you are a perfect fit for the job can be a challenge. Be sure to demonstrate how your skills, experience, training and education match the employer's needs. Avoid misspelled words and bad grammar.
Include dates, hours, level of experience and examples for each work experience. For each work experience you list, make sure you include: Start and end dates (including the month and year). The number of hours you worked per week. The level and amount of experience—for instance, whether you served as a project manager or a team member helps ...
What needs to be included, in what order, and what would it look like with real information. This is that example. (Law and Order chimes) It can be helpful to think about a federal resume like an academic CV, an overview of your whole career. Also, these are long documents. This is not the place for a 1-2 page resume.
Education and work experience that is indirectly related can be excluded if the resume begins to grow too long. Be concise and keep paragraphs short. To make your resume easier to read, add a brief, relevant heading to paragraphs to maximize readability. Use bullets to describe your experiences and accomplishments.
Best Example. Write a brief description of your experience/duties, and identify your major roles and responsibilities. Describe in detail each position you held for at least the last 10 years and quantify and qualify each statement). IP: Describe each duty as if you are describing it to someone for the first time.
Tip #2. Include These Details in the Information Section. Your federal resume's contact information section contains more details than the conventional ones. So, in addition to the typical info (such as your name, job title, phone number, and email address), you should also include the following: Citizenship.
Helped implement a cutting-edge project management solution organization-wide, improving employee output by 20% for the year. Step #5. Add Your Educational History. Next up in the federal resume is your educational history. This one's pretty straightforward - all you need to do is mention the following: College name.
While a typical resume should be no more than two pages in length, a federal resume can extend to five pages or more. In addition, federal resumes require more details in regards to references, availability, and expanded job descriptions and accomplishments. Also, readers of your federal resume will be expecting certain stylistic attributes and ...
In the Work Experience section of a federal resume, it is important to include several components for each job descriptions or work experience listed: The start and end dates, including the month and year. The level of experience (e.g. manager, supervisor, etc.) and how long the experience was at each level. The average weekly number of hours ...
skills and accomplishments. For this reason, federal resumes are generally longer (2-5 pages) than private sector resumes. Federal Resumes also contain more personal information than would be found in their private sector counterparts. Federal Resume Myths There are many philosophies surrounding resume writing techniques. Before approaching the
Use the keywords and phrases from the job posting to identify the essential and asset requirements they seek in a candidate. This customization can also help you pass the initial screening process. Follow these nine steps to write your government resume: 1. Provide your contact information.
The Federal Government does not have a standard job application ‐ your federal resume is your application. A private sector resume is generally limited to two pages and provides a brief synopsis of your work history. A private sector resume is essentially a marketing tool to help you get an interview with an employer. CONTENT
Use these steps to write a cover letter for a federal job: 1. Read the job announcement thoroughly. Before you write your cover letter, spend time looking over the job announcement and the requirements for the position. Make sure you meet the minimum qualifications and take note of any keywords or phrases used. 2. Research the agency.
To achieve that, you want a brief and concise resume paragraph that has a lot of information packed into 2-4 sentences. Use that space to include the amount of experience you have, some of your most prominent skills, and a couple of notable achievements. Check out this example of a federal resume summary: Good Example.
Where can I get help with writing my resume? The FedsHireVets.gov website has a Resume Writing guide posted at. Resume Writing Participant Handout PDF (PDF file). USAJOBS.gov Help Center: OPM: Welcome to opm.gov.
Federal resumes are much longer than a standard private sector resume. Federal resumes usually range from 6 to 8 pages depending on the applicant's level of experience and the seniority of the job. Even entry-level applicants should furnish resumes of 4 to 6 pages. "Federal resumes are so much longer, dense, and complex than private sector ...
Federal Resume Guide Page 5 Tab 1 - Overview - briefly describes the job and provides basic information regarding salary, who may apply, duty location, open period for acceptance of applications, and job summary. Tab 2 - Duties - cites the major duties and responsibilities of the job. Tab 3 - Qualifications and Evaluations - lists the type of skills/competencies you need
negotiated. 7. Creating a federal resume can become more difficult if you have multiple skill sets that you need to exhibit. To help develop your resume, research multiple federal job announcements that you believe you are qualified to apply for, review each one from start to finish, and make sure you note all of the requirements, duties, and ...