How to Write a Federal Resume

How to Apply for a Federal Job

How to Write a Federal Resume

     The federal resume must include information that is not needed in a resume for the private sector. It can be up to three or four pages in length. Your federal resume should include the following (boldface notes denote differences from "private sector" resumes):

• The job announcement number, job title, and job grade of the job for which you are applying
• Your full name, full mailing address, day and evening phone numbers, home e-mail. (Work email for federal employees is inappropriate). You may want to list your "status" in all caps under your name on the resume.
• Social Security Number
• Country of citizenship
• Veteran's Preference (for more information: Links @University Career Services and click on "Find A Job - Federal")
• Reinstatement eligibility (for former federal employees)
• Highest Federal civilian grade held, including job series and dates held
• Education: College name, city, state, zip code, your majors, and type and year of degrees held or number of semester hours completed. High school's name, city, state, zip code, and date of your diploma or GED, if requested.
• Work experience, paid and unpaid: job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, including zip code; supervisor's name and phone number, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours per week, and salary. List each experience as a separate entry on the resume.
• Indicate if your current supervisor can be contacted
• Job-related training courses (title and year)
• Job-related knowledge or skills
• Current job-related certificates and licenses
• Job-related honors, awards, special accomplishments, leadership activities, memberships, or publications.

After creating a draft of your Federal-style resume, schedule a resume critique with a University Career Services' counselor.

      Federal agencies, such as the Defense Department, the Air Force, and the Army, are requiring particular application formats. In the announcements, these agencies will state: Resumix-Only Resumes will be accepted. To produce such a resume, you will need to carefully follow the specific format in the instructions. Other agencies are using electronic resume and occupational and task questions with labels such as Quickhire, Avue, and USA Staffing.

Patience, persistence, and networking

     Students applying for student programs (internships, summer jobs, SCEP, STEP) in the federal government have a distinct advantage in that the application process is much shorter and less complex. Even with electronic application procedures, it can take six months to get through the application process to the interview for full-time career positions. Some announcements for full-time positions are merely made to gather applicants and hold them in readiness until a position becomes open. Do not lose heart! Network, use the article on information interviewing in this guide to assist you. Interview to learn trends, identify upcoming needs, and to obtain feedback on your qualifications. Start early; look for special hiring programs, and network, network, network!

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA)

KSA's: An Essential Attachment to Your Federal Resume

     KSA's are Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities that the federal employer considers important for performing the specific job for which you are applying. In both your resume and KSA's, Federal employers are generally looking for demonstrations of your competence (indications you can perform the job) evidenced by your personal mastery, interpersonal effectiveness, customer service, flexibility and adaptability, creative thinking, systems thinking, technical skills, and organizational stewardship (Troutman, 2002). Most vacancy announcements list four to six KSA's, also called by names such as Quality Ranking Factors or Supplemental Statements. The ratings you receive on these statements determine whether or not your application advances to the hiring panel or manager.