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As you may have noticed if you have begun your Federal
job search, agencies have varying and unique application
procedures to meet their hiring needs. One application
format may be acceptable for one agency and not another.
In the past, this proved to be frustrating for job seekers
applying to multiple positions.
In an effort to drive the Federal hiring process toward
a universal application format, the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) gathered together several agencies from
around the government to create one resume format that
would include all of the crucial data required for Federal
application into one uniform resume format.
The product that resulted was the USAJOBS Resume Builder.
The USAJOBS Resume Builder allows you to create one uniform
resume that provides all of the information required by
government agencies. Instead of creating multiple resumes
in different formats, you can build your resume once and
be ready for all job opportunities.
USAJOBS Resume Builder
Whether you're writing your first resume, updating an
existing one, or answering a position's Knowledges, Skills,
and Abilities (KSA's), stop and think about which keywords
you need to add. You could be the most qualified person
for the position, but you could be lost in a sea of applicants
without the right keywords.
A Single Keyword Communicates Multiple Skills and Qualifications
When a recruiter reads the keyword "analyst,"
he or she might assume you have experience in collecting
data, evaluating effectiveness, and researching and developing
new processes. Just one keyword can have tremendous power
and deliver a huge message.
Study Job Announcements
This is the best way to determine important keywords.
Review several job announcements and their questions for
your ideal position. The jobs don't have to be in your
geographic target area. The idea is to find skills, experience,
education and other credentials important in your field.
You will probably find keywords frequently mentioned by
different agencies. Focus on the "requirements,"
"skills" or "qualifications" sections
of job ads, and look for “buzzwords” and desirable
credentials for your ideal job.
Don't confuse telling your story with creating your autobiography.
Recruiters are inundated with applications and are faced
with weeding out the good from the bad. The first step
involves quickly skimming through submissions and eliminating
candidates who clearly are not qualified. Therefore, your
application needs to pass the skim test. Look at your
resume and/or KSA's and ask yourself:
• Can a hiring manager see my main credentials within
10 to 15 seconds?
• Does critical information jump off the page?
• Do I effectively sell myself on the top quarter
of the first page?
The
Sales Pitch
Because applications are quickly skimmed during the first
pass, it is crucial your resume and KSA's get right to
work selling your credentials. Your key selling points
need to be prominently displayed at the top of the first
page of the resume and directly address each question
asked in the KSA section. For example, if an advanced
degree is an important qualification, it shouldn't be
buried at the end of a four-page resume. If a KSA question
asks about your writing ability, immediately detail your
experience instead of enjoyment of it.
Use an Editor's Eye
Many workers are proud of their careers and feel the
information on a resume should reflect everything they've
accomplished. However, a resume shouldn't contain every
detail and KSA's should only address the question at hand.
So be judicious. If your college days are far behind you,
does it really matter that you pledged a fraternity or
delivered pizza? The editing step will be difficult if
you are holding on to your past for emotional reasons.
If you were a recruiter looking at a resume or an answer
to a KSA, which of the following entries would impress
you more:
• Wrote news releases.
• Wrote 25 news releases in a 3-week period
under daily deadlines.
Clearly the second statement carries more weight. Why?
Because it uses numbers to quantify the writer's accomplishment,
giving it a context that helps the interviewer understand
the degree of difficulty involved in the task. Numbers
are powerful resume tools that will help your accomplishments
draw the attention they deserve from prospective employers.
With just a little thought, you can find effective ways
to quantify your successes on your resume.
Think Money
For-profit, nonprofit, and government organizations alike
are and always will be concerned about money. So as you
contemplate your accomplishments and prepare to present
them on your resume or in your KSA's, think about ways
you've saved money, earned money, or managed money in
your internships, part-time jobs and extracurricular activities
so far. A few possibilities that might appear on a typical
college student's resume:
• Identified, researched and recommended a new
Internet Service Provider, cutting the company's online
costs by 15 %
• Wrote prospect letter that has brought in more
than $25,000 in donations to date.
• Managed a student organization budget of more
than $7,000.
Think
Time
You've heard the old saying, "Time is money,"
and it's true. Companies and organizations are constantly
looking for ways to save time and do things more efficiently.
They're also necessarily concerned about meeting deadlines,
both internal and external. So whatever you can do on
your resume or in your KSA's to show that you can save
time, make time or manage time will grab your reader's
immediate attention. Here are some time-oriented entries
that might appear on a typical college student's resume:
• Assisted twice-monthly with payroll activities,
ensuring employees were paid as expected and on time.
• Attended high school basketball games, interviewed
players and coaches afterward, and composed 750-word articles
by an 11 p.m. deadline.
• Suggested procedures that decreased average order-processing
time from 10-minutes to 5-minutes
HIRING TRENDS
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Federal Employment Info Fact Sheet