Helpful Tips When Applying to Federal Government Positions

CLASSIFICATION - PUBLIC

HELPFUL TIPS WHEN APPLYING TO

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POSITIONS

Submitting your resume for a federal government position has some important distinctions from this process in other

sectors. Federal resumes are used to determine if you meet the requirements and qualifications for a job

announcement, you will not have the opportunity to explain your skills and describe your experience to the hiring

manager in an interview if you do not first do so on the resume. A federal resume can and should be multiple pages

long and provide detailed descriptions of all relevant work experience and qualifications and tie directly back to the

position for which you are applying. Below you will find a few helpful tips and resources to assist you with this process.

UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS

One of the most importa

nt things to remember when applying to a

federal position is that the person reviewing your resume and

determining if you are qualified is rarely a subject matter expert

(SME). While SME’s provide guidance, review Position Descriptions

(PD), and announcement materials, the initial resume, and

qualifications assessment is conducted by HR Specialists who often

have hundreds of resumes to review to determine who is qualified to

make the certificate. The certificate of qualified candidates is then

returned to the hiring manager for interviews and selections; hiring

managers can only choose from the candidates that make the

certificate. To increase the chances of your resume qualifying you for

the certificate, make sure you tailor it to the position you are applying

for and review the following tips.

PROVIDE DETAILED CONTACT AND WORK EXPERIENCE

INFORMATION:

Federal resumes should include all relevant previous work experience.

All work experience on the resume should include the time served in

the position described as month and year to month and year; the

number of hours worked per week; names of prior supervisors;

contact information; and salary. While not all federal Human

Resources personnel will eliminate your resume from the competition

if you do not include all required information, you are more likely to be

determined to be qualified and have your name “referred” to the hiring

manager (on a certificate) if you do.

CAREFULLY REVIEW THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE STATEMENT

and ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS:

As an applicant, you should carefully review the stated required

qualifications and pay particular attention to the specialized

experience statement. Without the requisite “specialized experience”

as defined in the announcement, it is unlikely that your application will

be considered best qualified and referred to the hiring manager. Make

sure to clearly spell out the experience in your resume that aligns with

the specialized experience stated in the announcement requirements.

The assessment questionnaire asks you to rank yourself on the

qualities necessary to do the job being advertised. It must support the

experiences listed in your resume. When rating yourself on the

assessment questions, it is important that you are honest, but not

modest. While the questions may not align exactly with your

experience, as long as you can back up your answer in an interview

lean towards the best answer so that you do not eliminate yourself.

MAKE SURE TO SUBMIT ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

Read the vacancy announcement carefully and provide ALL required

documents. If the position requires transcripts or you are attempting

to qualify for a certain grade based on education, make sure to

include ALL relevant transcripts. Do not expect the HR Specialist to

assume you have a bachelor’s degree if you have uploaded a

graduate degree transcript. Federal HR Specialists are not allowed to

make assumptions or draw conclusions about your experience or

education—you need to be clear and specific. Always err on the side

of providing more information rather than less. If you have previous

federal experience, make sure to upload a copy of your SF-50 or SF-

52. Likewise, if you are claiming veteran’s preference, make sure to

include your DD 214. Finally, if you have certifications that are

required for consideration, e.g, FAC-C, make sure all relevant

documentation is included.

DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF TO A CERTAIN PAGE COUNT

It is difficult to be referred for a federal job with the 1-2-page resume

that is commonly used in the private sector. A typical federal resume

is at least 4-6 pages long. Your federal resume is your opportunity to

explain to someone who may know nothing about the specifics of the

job that you meet the requirements. From a federal HR perspective, if

it is not on your resume, you did not do it, so make sure all relevant

experience - especially the experience that ties to the specialized

experience statement - is there. Again, federal HR Specialists are not

allowed to make assumptions or draw conclusions about your

experience—you need to be clear and specific. Include ALL your

experience and accomplishments

relevant to the position

USE THE RESOURCES PROVIDED ON USAJOBS.GOV

There are many resources available to assist with preparing a federal

resume and applying to federal positions on USAjobs.gov including a

resume builder. Upload all of your transcripts, certifications, and any

relevant application materials, like a recent SF-50, and store them

under your profile in the USAJobs.gov system for ease of use; you can

then add them to any application with an easy click. This excerpt is

taken directly from the website and includes links to their resource

center and tutorial.

“Your Resume must clearly articulate how your skills and experiences

align to the criteria defined in the qualifications section of the

announcement and it must support your responses to the

assessment questionnaire. For each position, you must describe your

duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities. Your

resume

must also include the day, month, and year that you began

and ended as well as hours worked per week (if less than 40) for

each position held. Full-time employment will be assumed unless

otherwise stated on your resume. Part-time employment will be

prorated in crediting experience. Not providing this information may

result in the lowering of your assessment score or an ineligible rating.

For resume writing guidance, please visit the USAJobs Resource

Center or view their video tutorial.”

CHECK AND RECHECK YOUR APPLICATION BEFORE YOU HIT SEND

Before you submit your application, double-check to make sure you

have addressed all of the areas in 2 through 5 above and look to see if

there are any other specific requirements for the position that you

need to address.

RESOURCES USED TO PREPARE THIS DOCUMENT

» https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-

to/account/documents/resume/

» https://www.hhs.gov/careers/how-apply/what-expect-when-

applying-job-hhs

» https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-

letters/how-to-write-a-federal-resume

» https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/5-resume-

writing-tips-landing-government-job-0219