1. Writing Your Federal Résumé

2. Job Opportunity Announcement
We are going to talk about writing your Federal resume but, before we start it is important to talk about the Job Opportunity Announcement or JOA.
The JOA is broken up into 5 sections or tabs: Overview, Duties, Qualifications and Evaluations, Benefits and Other information and How to Apply. We will cover each of these individually and point out some of the important information that you can use to prepare your application.

3. Overview GS – 0511 – 07/09 Identify:
Job # - specifically for the job seekers future reference
Open Period – Agencies are responsible for determining the length of time. Applicants should pay attention to the closing date if planning to apply
Series and Grade (CLICK) - GS stands for General Schedule and that is the pay scale for this particular position, (CLICK) – the 0511 stands for the occupational series number which is a number that identifies the position, (CLICK) – the 07/09 is the grade level that the position offers. In this example it is illustrating a career ladder which is the grade range for that position.
Position information – common sense
Promotion potential – This points out that this is the highest grade level for that position.
Locations: This might be a specific location or it may cover various places.
Who May Apply: In this case you see an explanation of a “Recent Graduate” but on competitive service positions you might see “All US citizens” and/or “Status Candidates”.
Status Candidate is a current or former Federal civilian employee who holds or held a non-temporary appointment:
· In the competitive service in the Executive Branch or in a position not in the Executive branch specifically included in the competitive service by statute, or
· In an excepted service position covered by an interchange agreement, or
· Eligible for reinstatement?
· A Veteran eligible for veterans' preference or separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous military service?
· a person with a non-competitive appointment (such as schedule A):
Refer them to the How to Apply section. Reference the “who may be considered” section. Some may be open to all or to those with certain status’.** In “Benefits and Other Information” you may find more information on specific hiring authorities.

4. Overview
Job Summary – information about the job and how the job fits into the bigger picture and you may also find information about the agency as well. You will also find the Key Requirements under it.

5. Duties
The “Duties” section describes the position. This section helps applicants visualize the job so they can determine if it is a good fit. Consider the duties section as the window into the job itself and what you will be expected to do on a daily basis. If you have experience in these duties already, you will want to make sure you convey that on your resume to show how you fit into the position.

6. Qualifications and Evaluations
This section, along with the duties, not only helps you to determine if you are interested but it helps you determine if you are qualified for the position. While having the experience identified in the “duties” section is a plus, the “Qualifications Required” section lists the requirements that you must meet such as, level and amount of experience, positive education requirements and professional certifications and licenses to name a few. Any specialized experience required will also be listed in this section. Make sure you are have the required experience and/or education before you apply for any job.

7. Qualifications and Evaluations
If there is a positive education requirement, it will be listed in this section as well. A positive education requirement refers to the determination by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that the duties of a position cannot be performed by an individual who does not have the prescribed minimum education.
The type of degree and any additional required coursework will be listed.
If experience can be substituted or combined with education to meet the requirement, you will find the description of what is required in order to qualify.

8. Qualifications and Evaluations
“Students may apply if they are within 9 months
of graduating from the date of application.”
(CLICK) If the JOA is for a Pathways Recent Graduates opening, the agency will typically explain when you must have met these requirements in order to be eligible to apply. (Click) Agencies may also post something else like: “Students may apply if they are within 9 months of graduating from the date of application.” It is up to the agency to determine how far out they are looking.

9. Qualifications and Evaluations
How you will be evaluated:
The “How You Will Be Evaluated” section will identify the different quality categories (qualified, well qualified, best qualified for example) that will be used in the process. Any assessments that will be used to evaluate applicants, and how they will be used, will also be listed here.
Often you will be asked to provide your own self assessment through the use of an occupational questionnaire, (CLICK) the link can be found in this section.

10. Benefits and Other Information
The “Benefits” section of the JOA lists (or links to) information on Federal benefits packages. It may also show the 3 R’s (Recruitment, Retention and Relocation) incentives and any additional benefits that the agency may offer. In “Other Information” you will find any additional information that the agency wants to provide that has not already been covered such as, Special Employment Considerations like, Veterans’ Preference, Persons with Disabilities or whether additional vacancies may be filled from the announcement, as well as the position promotion policy, just to name a few.

11. How to Apply
This section gives a description of the procedures and processes required in order to apply for the position. In most cases the application will be submitted online, but this section does cover instructions for applying when unable to do it online.
One thing to note; When you click the “Apply Online” button, you are directed from USAJOBS over to the agency’s talent acquisition system (TAS) so make sure you are ready to submit your resume and documents prior to selecting the button.

12. How to Apply
(Cont.)
The required documents piece of the “How to Apply” section lists the documents the agency requires in order for you to have a complete application. It is imperative you send in all of these items for consideration.
The agency point of contact will also be listed in this category. Keep in mind that this individual may have large volumes of phone calls or s and it may take a little while to get a response back to your inquiry. Applying as early as possible to avoid closing deadlines is recommended.

13. How to Apply
In the last part of this section you will find the “What to expect next” sub-section. This final section gives a brief explanation of what will happen with you application, and may explain what the expected timeframes are, as it goes through the internal process.
USAJOBS offers you the option to select in or select out of application updates. We highly recommend that you check your USAJOBS account regularly to see if there have been any updates to your application.

14. Your Résumé Your résumé: Your best marketing tool
Communicates your qualifications
Shows you can provide immediate results
Should be tailored for each job
Has no page limitations
Is your first and often only impression
Now that we covered the basic items on the JOA, we want to show you how you can/should relate it to your resume.
Your resume represents you to the HR specialist and the hiring official in your absence.
Tailoring your resume helps you to match your competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities and experience to each jobs requirements.
The Federal government is more interested in the content of your resume and does not limit you to a certain number of pages. One thing to remember is the information you provide should be relevant to the position in which you are applying.
If written effectively, your resume should show that you are qualified and capable of performing at the level they are seeking.

15. Format Reverse chronological order:
Lists your most recent experience first then work backwards listing previous jobs
Include job-relevant paid/unpaid experience
Recommended for Federal résumés
Make sure you are explaining your relevant jobs and not giving a lot of detail on jobs that do not show the expertise required for the vacancy.
It is important to include both paid and unpaid experience. Just because a paycheck didn’t come with it, doesn’t mean that it isn't relevant. Include volunteer experience, internships and co-ops.
Functional
Hides the gapes in your employment history but does not provide required dates to prove you meet the required qualifications

16. Experience Amount of experience: Level of experience: Repetition is OK
“Managed an 8 person team over 15 years…”
Level of experience:
“Routinely advised and briefed organizational senior executives on…”
Repetition is OK
Your experience is only the first part of your story. Details are critical to building a picture of your amount and level of experience. If you have extensive experience, over a significant amount of time, be proud to show it.
It is important to show the amount of experience that you hold in response to the qualifications and specialized experience required. Identifying the number of years helps to build a picture of the amount of experience that you bring to the table.
There is a big difference between advising subordinates or peers and advising senior executives. Expressing the level of experience helps the HR specialist or hiring official understand what level you are capable of working at.
If you were in charge of a team or project, make sure you differentiate between being a team member or managing the project or team.
You may have had similar experiences across a variety of different roles/jobs which may result in some repetition. This is “ok” so long as you keep it meaningful and relevant to the picture you are trying to portray.
By listing relevant experience under each role, the HR specialist can easily add up the amount that you have.
The extent experience is related to the target job
Results, awards, recognition

17. Accomplishments Who was impacted? How significant was the impact?
What were the cost savings?
Did you exceed deadlines?
Did you receive awards or recognition?
What changed/improved?
Your accomplishments are the second, and just as important, part of the story. While the experience lets the agency know that you are able to do the job, the accomplishment shows the agency how well you did it. This can set you aside from others who use vague or broad experience to represent their abilities.
keep it simple and to the point. Think about numbers, dollars and percentages and how you can use them to show the difference that your hard work made.

18. Language Matters Before: After:
Responsible for planning, executing and coordinating special operations mountain and desert training. Served as primary instructor for all new Soldiers in training.
After:
Developed and executed numerous sensitive and realistic training courses for nearly 1,500 personnel annually. Rated as the number one instructor over 20 peers on last 3 annual performance reports.
Both the HR specialist and the hiring official need to be able to fully understand your experience. Stay away from acronyms and words that are specific to only a small group. Notice that the “After” paragraph uses both the experience and accomplishment to show how well the job was performed compared to others.

19. Information Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) sources: Duties
Qualifications and Evaluations
Occupational Questionnaire
Linked from the JOA
Although all of the information on the JOA is important. There are 3 items that you need to concentrate on when you tailor your resume.
Duties
Qualifications and Evaluations – This is the most important section as it lists the REQUIRED qualifications
Occupational Questionnaire

20. Information Personal sources: Former job descriptions
Supervisory reviews and feedback
Transcripts
Course feedback
Military honors
Awards and recognition
Customer acknowledgements
Survey results
In order to assist you with you resume writing, we have listed a few common places you can look in order to find your relevant experience and accomplishments. While this is not all inclusive, it should give you a good starting point.
If you list information from awards, be sure to explain why you receive the award and show how it is relevant to the position you are applying for. Is it as an accomplishment based off of your hard work and experience that ties directly to the position you are applying.

21. Information Think outside the box
Leadership roles in social organizations
Volunteer experiences
Projects
Professional/Academic challenges or successes
Special assignments
Travel experiences
Think outside of the box. Don’t focus on one particular area.
More often than not, applicants don’t like to take credit for things they aren’t paid for. This is still experience. The only difference is that you will not be showing a dollar amount earned for the position. Remember to take the credit for what you did.

22. Skills
Create
A list of your skills and match them to job types (Skills Profiler)
If you are unsure of the particular skills you might possess, consider sites like the Careeronestop that is sponsored by the Dept. of Labor. It offers a link that takes you to careerinfonet.org/skills where you can create a list of skills that can be used when writing your resume.

23. Skills Profiler System Skills Resource Management Skills
□ Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
□ Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
□ Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Resource Management Skills
□ Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
□ Management of Material Resources - Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
This is an example of the Skills Profiler from the careerinfonet site. As you can see, it provides the skill and then a definition of it so the applicant can determine if it is something they possess currently.

24. Translate
Veterans
Translate military career fields to Federal occupations
For those with prior military experience, this site helps to translate your military career field into different Federal occupations. This offers to show you jobs that relate to your previous military occupation.

25. MIL2FEDJOBS
You will select the branch of service and the occupational code or title which will then populate a list of recommended occupations within the Federal government for consideration.

26. MIL2FEDJOBS
This is what the listing will look like and it contains links to definitions of each of the titles and job family. It also has a link to USAJOBS where a search has already been set up for current openings within that occupation.

27. Process 3 steps: Review Identify Align Understand the requirements
Select in or select out
Identify
Find keywords and phrases
Highlight
Align
Place information into bullets
Match personal experiences/accomplishments
This is a 3 step process that should be used with the Qualifications, Duties and Occupational Questionnaire.
Review – Read the critical information mentioned on the last slide carefully. Pay close attention to whether you believe you are qualified or not. Select in or select out.
Identify – Pick out the key words and phrases. Focus on the competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities that are required and/or expected. Highlight the information that is important and can be used to tailor your resume.
Align – Pull the highlighted information and separate it into bullet statements. Each bullet should represent one qualification/duty/requirement that you should address by writing your experience and accomplishment (results) to show how your experience relates to the requirement.

28. Grade Level or Equivalent
Before we go over how to find the information in the JOA, I want to address a commonly asked question often raised by those that have never been a civil servant. “How can I determine if I have performed at a certain grade level?” First, when this JOA says, “you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level.”, don’t get discouraged. Second, read the rest of the paragraph and section and it will explain what experience or education (if applicable) is required to be considered an equivalent.
To make it visually easier, (CLICK) consider reading the example as “…one year of specialized experience”... Then, as you continue to read the information, you will notice the agency has listed examples of the experience that should be in your background in order for it to be considered an equivalent position. If you believe you have the experience they are looking for, it is recommended that you apply and compete for the position. It is important to remember that each agency ultimately will determine if you meet their qualification requirements.

29. Review
This section, along with the duties, not only helps you to determine if you are interested but it helps you determine if you are qualified for the position. While having the experience identified in the “duties” section is a plus, the “Qualifications Required” section lists the requirements that you must meet such as, level and amount of experience, positive education requirements and professional certifications and licenses to name a few. Any specialized experience required will also be listed in this section. Make sure you are have the required experience and/or education before you apply for any job.

30. Identify
As you search, identify the keywords and phrases and highlight them. Focus on the actual competency, knowledge, skill or ability that they are interested in. Special attention should be used when identifying and selecting these qualifications, take your time. Remember, your resume must show that you meet or exceed the qualifications listed in this section.

31. Align Annually verified over 500 source reports and identified
weak internal controls and accounting procedures.
Created a new standard operating procedure which resulted
in a 10% decrease in errors and $52,000 in labor savings.
Annually verified over 500 source reports and identified
weak internal controls and accounting procedures.
Separate the highlighted information into bullets so that it can be easily read and understood.
Keep in mind, when writing your resume you have to clearly describe how your skills and experience match the qualifications in the JOA.
Let’s pick a bullet and begin to match our experience (click).
Consider what you have done in the past. Write the experience that matches or “answers” how you have fulfilled this requirement. Emphasize your strengths and include everything you’ve done that relates to the job (Click next arrow).
Now this is only half of the story, correct? You are showing that you have this type of experience which will help you meet the minimum requirements but, we want to work at getting you into the top category so you are competitive. So we need to think about your accomplishments, those numbers, dollars and percentages that go along with the experience. You want to show how you can not only do the task that they are mentioning but, you can do it well.
Add your accomplishment to the experience sentence (click). Then repeat for the other bullets in your list. Make sure you are being honest.

32. Questionnaire
As mentioned earlier in the presentation, you will need to look at the Occupational Questionnaire and create experience/accomplishment statements for the items within it. (Click)
The answers that you provide on the questionnaire will need to be verified within your resume so make sure you tailor your resume to reflect relevant experience and accomplishments that match the questions.

33. Résumé Summary
Highlight your knowledge, skills, abilities and experience as it relates to the job.
Use keywords/phrases or short sentences
Paint a picture
Include your security clearance, if applicable
Complete only after you have listed all of your experience and accomplishments
What is a summary in general? It is something that gives a broad overview of what has been or will be presented. Keeping this in mind, you should write your resume first, and then go back and do a summary if you chose to have one. The summary should be completed only after you have listed all of your experience and accomplishments because you can’t summarize that information until you have identified it. Remember that the summary doesn’t have to have all of the specific detailed information that will be listed in the main part of the resume.

34. USAJOBS Allows users 5 resumes Upload Build Combination
USAJOBS allows you to keep up to 5 resumes stored in your account. This can be done by building, uploading or any combination of the two.

35. USAJOBS Special hiring authorities:
Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
Veterans 30% or more disabled
Disabled veterans who completed VA training
Schedule A for people with disabilities
Military Spouse
Certain former overseas employees
Sensitive information and photographs
If using a special hiring authority to apply, annotate that you would like to be considered under these authorities on your resume (whichever ones apply).
Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume: classified information, as defined in Executive Order (dated December 29, 2009); Social Security Number (SSN); or other personal or sensitive information you do not wish be made visible to recruiters.
PLEASE NOTE that including a photograph of yourself may result in your resume/application not being accepted by the hiring agency.
If you make your resume searchable, your profile information and all resume information will be visible to recruiters searching our resume bank.

36. Let’s get started.
Even if you plan to upload a resume to USAJOBS, we recommend you review the USAJOBS resume builder to make sure you include all required information (CLICK) All of the items with a RED Asterisks “*” are required fields.
(CLICK) Including the month and the year allows the HR professional to easily determine the amount of experience you have.
(CLICK) While the providing the “Average Hours Per Week” may not seem all that significant, it allows the HR professional to determine if this was a part-time or full-time position. This is important when determining the amount of experience you are require to have in order to qualify for the opening.
(CLICK) When writing your experience and accomplishments make sure they tie you to the open position. List experience and/or accomplishments that relate to the required qualifications in order to show you have the same or similar experience. This is where you will insert all of the bullets or sentences that you created earlier when you separated the requirements.

37. Before you add your education, make sure the institution you attended is accredited. There is a link provided that can help determine if your school qualifies.
Add as much education information as you feel is necessary.
There are several fields that are not required but may be helpful such as listing your major or if you had any honors.
(CLICK) We do recommend that you include any coursework, licenses or certificates that are relevant to the position which you are applying. If you are combining education with experience, make sure you list any required or supporting coursework you completed to easily show how you believe you meet the basic requirement.

38. Education
Minimal or some education beyond high school – Emphasize coursework completed towards a degree, hours completed and GPA. Include honors, relevant coursework, major papers and anticipated graduation date if applicable.
College graduates
Emphasize college degree and major
Include relevant coursework, licenses, certificates, honors, awards, scholarships, GPA, major papers or thesis

39. If you have any job-related training that is relevant to the position you are applying, (CLICK) include it on your resume to help show your experience level. This can include specialized training, one-the-job training, or volunteer training for example.
(CLICK) It is always a good idea to list any additional languages that you may speak, read, or write. Fill in this section with anything that is applicable.
If it is relevant to the job, list any organizations you may belong to and also any professional publications.
(Click) Lastly, include any other job-related information that may pertain to the position.

40. If you are using the builder, you will need to include your references at this point.

41. Cover Letter Highlights experience Allows compelling language Optional
Cover letters are not a part of the resume builder but can be uploaded into USAJOBS in the Saved Documents section.
Highlights experience – Allows the writer to pick a few major experiences/accomplishments that he/she wants to stand out.
Allows for compelling language (gives the writer more room to explain some of the experience that is presented in the resume).
Optional

42. Additional Tips Write in plain language Show specialized experience
Avoid acronyms
Use spelling and grammar checks
Have someone review
Apply early as some JOAs limit the number of applications accepted
Write you resume in plain language that is easily understood and that is written in past tense.
Show how your experience directly relates to the job you are applying.
Stay away from acronyms as the person on the other end may not understand what you are trying to say.
There is nothing professional about misspelled words or poor grammar, make sure you check carefully.
Don’t be shy, let someone with a good eye review your resume and compare it to the JOA. Constructive criticism isn’t always easy but if it helps you write a better resume then it is worth it in the long run.

43. Summary Review the entire JOA Pay close attention to the instructions
Understand the requirements
Assess your skills
Select in/Select out
Pay close attention to the instructions
Separate important information
Tailor your résumé
To summarize:
Review the entire JOA prior to anything else. Understand what the agency is looking for and determine if you can show you have the experience to meet their requirements.
Pay close attention to the instructions on How to Apply. If they are asking for particular documents, you MUST include them. On the other hand, if you are not asking for something, don’t bother sending it.
Separate the keywords and phrases and get it into an easy to read and understand format.
Tailor your resume to show that you have the experience the agency is looking for and you are able and capable of hitting the ground running.

44. Questions