Are you interested in applying for a job with the Federal government? Been searching on USAJobs.gov and found the perfect job for you? Ready to submit your one- or two-page resume and wait to be called for an interview?
Not so fast! The Federal resume is ENTIRELY different from a traditional resume. And it’s important to understand the Federal hiring process so you maximize the likelihood of landing a position with Uncle Sam.
Federal job search expert Kathryn Troutman notes that the US government is one of our nation’s largest employers, with jobs in all different occupations, over 85% of which are outside of Washington, DC.
Start by searching at USAJobs.com, using keywords to find positions of interest. Read the entire job announcement, including the Specialized Experience/Requirements section and the Assessment Questionnaire. Copy everything and save as an unformatted Word document. Highlight or bold the keywords.
Take a look at some of Troutman’s Federal resume samples under “Federal Resumes” on her website. Notice the use of ALL CAPS to link the keywords in the job announcement to your CAR stories in the resume (what Troutman calls CCAR Accomplishments). Detail, detail. Make it easy for the HR representative to see how you match the job requirements. Do not worry about length; the Federal resume can be more than two pages. In fact, if you do it right, it will be 3-6 pages long.
In the Assessment Questionnaire, rate yourself as high as possible. This is not a time to be humble.
Need further assistance with the Federal job search?