By Kathryn Troutman, Federal Career Coach®,
Author, Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Ed.
August 28th, 2023
RESUMIX IS GONE !
USAJOBS AND HUMAN RESOURCES REVIEW
OF FEDERAL RESUMES IS HERE !
Even though it has been eleven years since the HR system changeover, employees at DOD agencies are still using the BIG BLOCK resume format. They still think that Resumix is being used to scan for keywords. NOT…. “Human” Human Resources Specialists are reading resumes with their eyes…. looking for specialized experience, evidence of KSAs, and accomplishments.
THE PLAIN LANGUAGE ACT OF 2010 recommends that you use small paragraphs. Read the Design For Reading section of the Plain Language Act. The Outline Format follows the Design for Reading recommendations by the Act. This short list is recommended small paragraphs; using useful headings (Outline Format with Keywords from the Vacancy Announcement Specialized Experience); avoid lists (avoid long lists of bullet statements in resumes); short sentences and short sections, which means paragraphs should be no more than 8 to 10 lines long.
Organize the information:
- Limit the document to five or six sections (about two per printed page).
- Add useful headings to help people skim and scan the page.
- Use lists to break up the text and outline steps in a process.
- Avoid having lists within lists or several levels of information.
- Use tables to make complex material easier to understand.
- Write short sentences and short sections to break up information into manageable chunks.
THE NEW OUTLINE FORMAT IS 5 TO 7 SMALL PARAGRAPHS: The HR specialists do not want to read one large paragraph. They need and want the resume to feature the specialized experience and keywords from the job announcement.
EACH SMALL PARAGRAPH INCLUDES HEADLINES WITH KEYWORDS: The headlines are keywords from the vacancy announcement. Each vacancy announcement has a different set of keywords that the HR specialist will want to see quickly in your resume.
MAKE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS STAND OUT: Supervisors want to read specific examples. For your most recent positions, after your duties and responsibilities, highlight and feature two or three of your accomplishments, up to five total accomplishments.
Want Professional Writing Help with your Federal Resume?
GET A FEDERAL RESUME QUOTE
Send your current, up-to-date resume, and a sample job announcement for an assessment of your resume…
We want to help you get Best Qualified and Referred to a manager.
See more samples of the Outline Format Federal Resume in the Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Ed.
