What constitutes a great resume; How to begin the process; Characteristics of a federal resume; Developing a resume; The cover letter; and Some DOs and DON’Ts.

It catches the attention of the employer; It highlights your strengths and accomplishments; It communicates who you are and what makes you stand out from other applicants; It demonstrates how you may be a good match for the position; and It communicates how your capabilities and future potential match the position announced, and, more importantly, gets you the interview.

Identify and assess the skills, characteristics and qualities that you possess; Compile all of your work-related experience (this could include summer work and volunteer work such as athletics, clubs, organizations, and leadership roles); Think about the job or field in which you want to work; Review the qualifications necessary to succeed in that field; Ask yourself what can you contribute to this field; and What skills have you demonstrated that are related to the qualifications listed for the position?

Open a usajobs.gov account. Be prepared to give the following information: Names, phone numbers and addresses of former employers and supervisors; Previous job titles; Records of training; Records of accomplishments/awards; and Formal education.

Addresses specific qualifications listed in the vacancy announcement with relevant levels of experience, education, and skills; Highlights accomplishments, results, and critical job-related information of your experience/background; and Gives you the opportunity to cite unique experiences gained through volunteer work;

Highlight your accomplishments; Don’t just list duties, responsibilities and activities—show results: Consider the P-A-R approach: Identify the PROBLEM; Explain your ACTION; and State the RESULT; Describe what you did in each work experience;

Use Key Words effectively; Identify your transferable skills; and Choose the right format style. Chronological Format Functional Format

The effective cover letter is: Personalized and created for a specific purpose; Designed to draw attention to the applicant’s career interests as they relate to the agency and the position of interest; Opens lines of communication between the applicant and prospective employer; Short (no more than three paragraphs); and Focused on what you have to offer to the organization rather than what the prospective employer has to offer to you.

DO Check your package for misspellings and typographical errors; Review your application package to ensure that you have included all of the required information listed in the “How To Apply” section of the vacancy announcement; Be specific and use active verbs to describe performance; Be concise; and Use numbers and data points to demonstrate success.

DON’T Inflate your accomplishments or make things up about your level of responsibility or skills; Use colored fonts, charts, graphics, italics, underlining, two or three-column formats, parentheses or tabs; Use expressions like “duties included” or “responsibilities;” use accomplishment phrases; Use the same resume for each position; Use acronyms unless you know that everyone knows what the acronym means.

QUESTIONS? USEPA OCR Outreach Initiative