2025 Ten Steps to a Federal Job®
World’s First, Most Exclusive & Only
Federal Job Search Training and Coaching Certification
The ground-breaking Ten Steps to a Federal Job® Certification Program is the US Government Human Resources’ most-respected and most-recognized federal job search training and career coaching credential. Successfully complete the program and you will earn TWO certifications:
- Certified Federal Job Search Trainer® (CFJST)
- Certified Federal Career Coach® (CFCC)
You’ll also receive your Exclusive Instructor’s License for the Ten Steps® curriculum. Note that only licensed personnel are authorized to teach all 4 of the Ten Steps® programs:
- Ten Steps to a Federal Job®
- The Stars are Lined Up for Military Spouses® on USAJOBS – Winner of Two Book Awards
- Writing Your First Resume®
- Ten Steps to a Pathways Internship for Students and Recent Grads©
25 Books come with the Certification Training –
Value of over $600 included in the Certification Training Program
Book Collection:
5 Federal Resume Books by Kathryn Troutman for your personal library and coaching reference
Bonus Books: 20 Federal Career Books to give to your clients …
military, spouses, students, first-time resume writers
Why should you take this course?
Ten Steps to a Federal Job® is a must-have certification for employment counselors. Federal jobs provide stability, flexibility, advancement opportunities, and excellent benefits. The federal resume is not like the private sector resume! Your clients need training and coaching specific to the federal government system. Whether you are working with veterans, military spouses, students and recent graduates, or clients learning to navigate the federal system, our program provides hands-on, interactive, step-by-step training in the fundamentals of federal hiring and best practices for sharing the Ten Steps with your clients. The road to federal employment can be complex and feel daunting to someone unfamiliar with the process. In this course, we demystify the process for you so you can do the same for your clients!
Our expert instructors provide you with extensive and detailed knowledge to help you
- Successfully navigate USAJOBS
- Identify special hiring authorities specific to your populations
- Write an appropriate 5-page federal resume using the Outline Format
- Identify and incorporate keywords
- Incorporate accomplishments into your resume using CCAR format
- Understand and apply the principles of Plain Language
- Effectively review your clients’ resumes and help them match their skills and experience to the specific job announcement
- Track and follow-up on applications
- Prepare for the behavior-based interview
- Negotiate a higher starting salary and/or additional benefits once an offer has been made
- Teach the Ten Steps in a group setting
- Understand the federal application process from the HR side
- And much more!
Engaging Instructors
- “I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is seeking federal employment. Or any employment, as working with Kathryn has been very rewarding on both a professional and personal level.”
- “[Kathryn] was very engaging and obviously very knowledgeable on the federal resume process. I appreciated her sharing her experience with us as a class as it added a lot of value.”
- “The way Kathryn asked leading questions helped me to think on a deeper level.”
- “I liked the fact that there were slides, but Kathryn shared so much more than just the slides—insights on how to teach it, what it means, how to engage when we’re coaching and teaching ourselves, and some great nuggets of advice.”
- “[Charles] was fantastic and I learned a lot from him. I appreciated that the course materials were sent so I could print them out and take notes as he moved through the presentation.”
- “Kathryn had so many stories and examples to share, and her experience was a huge benefit to her sessions. She was also funny and witty, and that made it all the more interesting!”
- “John took this role very seriously and that made me really convinced that he knew his stuff. I think our group asked John our hardest questions and he always had good answers.”
- “[Steve’s] presentation was WONDERFUL. Great briefing.”
- “I enjoyed learning about the HR side of the application/hiring process. Charles did a great job of providing the specifics without making the information seem overwhelming.”
- “Thoroughly enjoyed [John’s] direct presentation, and his depth of knowledge was evident.”
- “Charles had so many details to share and used a ton of relevant examples.”
- “I appreciated Steve’s examples and his teaching style.”
Relevant Content
- “Absolutely time well spent, and it would benefit even those who have prior experience with federal resume development and submission.”
- “[Before the training] I had some understanding [of the Ten Steps] and had been sharing the content with others. After the training I feel better equipped to coach others.”
- “I shared the book with my clients and went over a few pages within the book with them. I now feel more confident in my ability to help them find the right jobs and to help them tailor their resumes.”
- “Really enjoyed the class, and I learned a lot that I can apply to helping my Veterans!!!”
- “The information I learned here will be so helpful in my support of students looking to land federal positions.”
- “This program was recommended to me by a colleague, and I have already told others at my organization about it.”
- “Very to the point, focusing on the most important, frequently asked information.”
- “Great tips on how to present the information.”
- “I assist military service members, military spouses, and government civilians with employment services. The information added so much technical knowledge to the federal resume hiring process.”
- “More than just held my interest—it was Kathryn’s book that helped me get into the federal system as a military spouse over a decade ago.”/li>
- “Absolutely this information is applicable to my work. And I cannot wait to get started using it!!”
- “Nice comprehensive approach to multiple job types. Use and identification of key words and format structure was very helpful.”
- “I would like to thank everyone involved with setting up this training. I am very excited to go back to my regional office to share my experience.”
- “I was knowledgeable about a lot of random federal hiring stuff before…this has helped TREMENDOUSLY with my understanding!”
- “I plan to use the principles of this program in upcoming trainer opportunities.”
- “Very informative and I learned quite a bit about the steps of resume building.”
Interactive Learning
- “The real time examples were amazing. Seeing Kathryn markup resumes of actual clients was very helpful.”
- “The small class size and in person atmosphere made this class much more engaging and valuable.”
- “Appreciated the resume reviews in real time.”
- “It was great to see how Kathryn and John approached their resume reviews.”
- “Information was presented in detail, and the facilitators included activities/chances for participation, which helped with making the class interesting.”
- “Being able to work on different resumes was extremely helpful.”
- “I highly enjoyed reviewing my resume and using the CCAR Accomplishment Builder.”
Course materials
- “The resources—books and online resources—were so helpful, and I feel like I could confidently coach others.”
- “I really appreciate having these resources. I referred to the trainer’s guide when we were preparing to practice -teach the ten steps.”
Ground-breaking Certification
The ground-breaking Ten Steps to a Federal Job® Certification Program is the US Government Human Resources’ most-respected and most-recognized federal job search training and career coaching credential. Successfully complete the program and you will earn TWO certifications:
- Certified Federal Job Search Trainer® (CFJST)
- Certified Federal Career Coach® (CFCC)
You’ll also receive your Exclusive Instructor’s License for the Ten Steps® curriculum. Note that only licensed personnel are authorized to teach all 4 of the Ten Steps® programs:
- Ten Steps to a Federal Job®
- The Stars are Lined Up for Military Spouses® on USAJOBS – Winner of Two Book Awards
- Writing Your First Resume®
- Ten Steps to a Pathways Internship for Students and Recent Grads©
25 Books come with the Certification Training –
Value of over $600 included in the Certification Training Program
Book Collection:
5 Federal Resume Books by Kathryn Troutman for your personal library and coaching reference
Bonus Books: 20 Federal Career Books to give to your clients …
military, spouses, students, first-time resume writers
Developed in 2002 by Kathryn Troutman, President, The Resume Place, Inc. (established in 1973). More than 3500 career and employment personnel from the military, US government, colleges/universities and private practice have earned their certifications and re-certifications since 2002.