Biden Win Will Create Thousands of Presidential Appointee Openings,
says Federal Jobs Expert Kathryn Troutman
Now is the time to get ready for the top-level opportunities to come
if President-Elect Joe Biden prevails. That means writing the right resume.
Tips on Biden-Harris Presidential Appointee Hiring Resources (prweb.com), Nov. 25, 2020
Presidential Appointee Tracker ⋅ Partnership for Public Service, Dec. 15, 2020
Washington, DC, November 10, 2020 – The news is in. We have a new President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris! If you are ready for a 4-year Political Appointee opportunity for public policy and public service, why not consider applying for a Political Appointee position for this President and Vice President? As many as 9,000 presidential appointee openings will become available, notes Kathryn Troutman, President of The Resume Place.
“If you’re a person with Democratic political affiliations, have worked on campaigns, and want to make a difference, you should apply,” she advises. Troutman adds that in addition to party experience, you’ll need the specialized expertise as well as knowledge of the agency mission.
JUST UPDATED11/16/2020: Submit your resume here for the Biden Administration: https://buildbackbetter.com/join-us/
Breaking News: Buildbackbetter.com – Restoring American Leadership — President-Elect Joe Biden has set up a new website with public service information for possible positions in his Administration. https://buildbackbetter.com/ NOW there is a webpage to submit your resume: https://buildbackbetter.com/join-us/
Interested applicants can study the last edition of the Plum Book, which lists the presidential appointment openings from 2016. The 2020 openings will be much the same.
Troutman has helped presidential appointee applicants for the Clinton administration onward. She and Resume Place Federal Resume Writers Carla Waskiewicz and Nicole Schultheis offer the following tips for developing this 4 to 6 page federal resume.
- Create a strong Summary of Qualifications, including an overview of Government Administration Experience and Political Party Leadership.
- Highlight government leadership experience in a separate section, if extensive. You might have sections for Government Leadership Experience, Professional Experience, and Political Party & Committee Leadership.
- Be sure to include strong, quantifiable Leadership Accomplishments.
- Ensure that public policy experience and knowledge is included in the resume.
- Include Awards, Recognitions, Affiliations, Community and Board Leaderships.
- Study the Mission of the targeted agency for keywords and language.
- Look up Senior Executive and GS 15 positions in your target agency. Review the descriptions of work, agency summary, and qualifications required for wording.
- Write a cover letter to accompany the resume. The letter should state clearly what you would bring to your selected agency and position. Why should they hire you?
For further help, consider a one-hour consult with senior Federal Resume Writing consultants at the Resume Place regarding draft resume, target agency, the positions sought, and your qualifications, or follow the samples in Troutman’s book The New SES Application for senior level federal resumes.
The Partnership for Public Service is managing the Transition Services for President-Elect Biden at The Center for Presidential Transition.
In addition to working with that website, Troutman suggests, “Send your resume and cover letter to your favorite Democratic Member of Congress or Senator. That’s a first step.” In the cover letter, mention your target agency, demonstrate your expertise, highlight your political activities, and suggest 2 to 3 positions you’re interested in.
In this time of the Coronavirus, Troutman thinks there’s a strong possibility that appointees won’t have to relocate. “The government is working so well virtually,” she says.
Kathryn Troutman is the Founder and President of Resume Place, Inc., a service business located in Catonsville, MD. Resume Place specializes in writing and designing professional federal and private-sector resumes, as well as consulting, coaching and education on the federal hiring process. She is also the author of many best-selling federal career books, including Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Ed. and The New SES Application, 2nd Ed.
Public Service Transition Service updates. Sign up for their emails:
https://presidentialtransition.org/about/email-signup/
More tips on writing the Political Appointee resume by Ed Moy,
8/20/2020 from Ourpublicservice.org
https://presidentialtransition.org/blog/seeking-a-political-appointment/
The Center for Presidential Transition by Partnership for Public Service:
https://presidentialtransition.org/presidential-transition-central/