Tom Allison, Senior Advisor & Program Coordinator for the Military & Veteran Success Center at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (Go Big Red!) invited Kathryn Troutman to present a two-hour presentation on Ten Steps to a Federal Job for Pathways Internships and Careers for Recent Graduates. Approximately 20 students and 45 staff attended to learn more about Federal resumes and Federal jobs available to recent grads and current students. The 4th Edition of the Student Federal Career Guide will be available June 1, 2020. Info here
The presentation was two parts: Federal resume writing for students, and how to find the Qualifications and Keywords in a USAJOBS announcement.
The Ten Steps to a Federal Internship or Career are:
Step 1: Accomplishments
Step 2: Review the Federal Job process
Step 3: Find USAJOBS Announcements
Step 4: Find the keywords for your Federal Resume
Step 5: Write a Basic Resume
Step 6: Write a Federal Resume
Step 7: Master the Questionnaire
Step 8: Apply for Fed positions
Step 9: Master the Interview TEST
Step 10: What’s next are you are hired as an Intern or New employee?
SPECIFIC LESSONS COVERED:
Steps 1, 2, 5, 6 FEDERAL RESUME WRITING: Kathryn presented important information about the differences between a 1 to 2 page private sector resume, and the 2 to 4 page Federal style resume. She explained the major differences in length come from adding more details in the resume. The Education section would include descriptions of courses relevant to the target position, papers written, and projects completed within certain courses. These descriptions would be 5 to 6 sentences and provide more details about the Knowledge Skills and Abilities gained while completing a specific college major. Also, Education should be listed first on the resume, before any internships or work experience.
Steps 3, 4: FIND USAJOBS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND KEYWORDS: The second important part of her presentation involved demonstrating how to analyze USAJOBS announcements for Qualifications and Keywords to match your resume. Kathryn opened several job announcements in the class for GS 7 / Pathways positions:
Two State Department announcements – The State Department jobs included a 10-week volunteer position and a paid internship. Surprisingly, Kathryn found that there were no specific qualifications needed for the positions, except for being 16 years old, a US Citizen, and a recent graduate. The announcements didn’t specify any specific skills, but that they would be used for 8 government occupational series. We could see that the announcement was broad. The resume would be written for the SERIES, not the announcement.
RESUME TARGETING RECOMMENDATION: Follow the samples in the book for the expanded Federal resume format and submit.
Air Force Premier Career Internship – Another broad resume collecting announcement. This new internship title was formerly known as the Palace Acquire and Copper Cap Internship program. The Qualifications required for this announcement were very broad, and not specific for any set of skills.
RESUME TARGETING RECOMMENDATION: Follow the samples in the book for the expanded Federal resume format and submit.
US Citizen & Immigration – positions in Lincoln, NE for a GS 7/9 position. And this announcement did include Qualifications and Specialized Experience required.
RESUME TARGETING RECOMMENDATION: apply for this position with a Best Qualified resume, the resume would need to be targeted toward the specialized experience.
Questions the Students and Faculty asked:
Does the Veterans preference really work?
For the Veterans preference to work, the resume must be qualified enough for you to rise above other candidates. You need to apply for positions for which you are well qualified, and the resume must show it. You could be having a problem with resumes or selecting the right announcements. The Veterans Preference is a very strong hiring program.
Do I have to add salary to a federal resume?
No, this is not a mandatory requirement for a Federal resume.
Should I submit a cover letter with my resume in USAJOBS?
No, the cover letter is optional, you can skip this.
What does it mean if the resume states Interim Security Clearance?
This was one of the samples in the book. This means that they are conditionally hired while waiting for a Security Clearance. A person can be hired conditionally and perform simple tasks that are general until the clearance is completed.
How do I make the keywords from the announcement stand out in my resume?
You can add the keywords and skills into your course descriptions, papers, projects, internships, work history or volunteer positions. Add those keywords in ALL CAPS in the OUTLINE FORMAT, or in the text.
How do you apply for a position at the CIA?
I went to CIA.gov and to the Student Career section and found no specific announcements, qualifications, or “How To Apply” instructions. That agency will take more research and information.
What is Schedule A?
Schedule A is a hiring program for people with disabilities. The person would get a “Schedule A Letter” from their vocational rehabilitation office or medical doctor stating that they are able to work, but they have a disability. People with the Schedule A letter can write directly to a Human Resources Specialist listed on the announcement and give them their resume for consideration outside of the USAJOBS applications. They apply to the announcement specifically, as well as write to the HR person for consideration.
How do the OPM Occupational Standards work with writing the Federal resume?
The OPM Occupational Standards are the official descriptions of most jobs in the government. So, it’s a great idea to find your position in the OPM Standards to read about the duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills and abilities for this position. And use this information to build your resume BEFORE the job announcement comes out.
What are the numbers that you see sometimes in your OPM emails with results?
The numbers reflect your score on the Questionnaire. Most (but not all) of the agencies require a score of 90 on the Self-Assessment Questionnaire, and if you don’t get 90 then you won’t get Best Qualified. You might receive an email from OPM that states that you were not among the most qualified due to your assessment score. That would mean that your self-assessment was not 90 points.
Myths that the Students had learned from somewhere:
I was told that I must add the month, year and DAY of each position.
I was told that I must use the USAJOBS builder format to apply for a federal position.
I understand that all resumes submitted to the government are read by a machine for qualifications and keywords
ACRONYMS AND GOVERNMENT SPECIFIC HUMAN RESOURCES TERMS REFERRED TO IN THE PRESENTATION
DHA, Post-Secondary Hiring Authority – Direct Hire Authority
Recent Graduate
Student Internship
Schedule A
30% or More Disabled Veterans Preference
Veterans Preference
Pathways Internships are Excepted Service
Seasonal, Term and Temporary Positions
2-year Probationary Period
Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Public vs. Competitive Job Announcements
Student and Recent Graduate Job Announcements
Author Kathryn Troutman is Founder and President of The Resume Place, Inc. Founder of the Certified Federal Job Search Trainer / Certified Federal Career Coach program. A training and licensing program for career and employment professionals! An in-demand trainer who is regularly hired by federal agencies to teach resume writing and federal job-seeking for their employees, her other federal career publications include the award-winning Student’s Federal Career Guide, The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses, and the Military to Federal Career Guide. Learn more about the CFJST / CFCC Train-the-Trainer Program Dates and Agenda.
