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World-class federal career training, anywhere in the world; For government agencies, jobseekers, career professionals
The leading federal career publications by Kathryn Troutman; Books, eBooks, and CD-ROMs with samples of successful resumes
Want to Join the SES? Here is How to Get Started
Are you thinking about applying for the elite SES ranks or for an SES Career Development Program within the next five years? If the answer is yes, then now is the time to start planning! If you start writing your ECQs now, you can also use this as an important self-assessment tool.
Success Stories
“HALLELUJAH!
Pure Awesomeness 
GREAT NEWS!
I just wanted to let you ladies know, that thanks to your awesome resume skills, I have landed a job! It is a GS-9 position as a public affairs specialist. I will be in charge of all the advertising for the recruiting battalion here in CA.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
(P.S. They hired me based on my resume and questionnaire. They didn’t even ask for an interview!)”
From: MILITARY SPOUSE – 2/25/2012 Resume Place Writer: Dottie Hendricks
Client attains desired career change within 60 day period:
“I wanted to send you a quick note…I got the job. Thank you sincerely for your assistance. Keep up the great work!”
From: Federal career change applicant Writer: Sandy Keppley
SUCCESS IN THE WORLD OF SES!
“I’d like to thank Diane Hudson Burns for her assistance in helping develop my five page SES resume. This is a new approach in SES applications and capturing the key qualifications and competencies in sufficient detail is challenging in only five pages. As a result of Diane’s support, my application qualified me for an interview, and by utilizing the CCAR format, I was prepared to present my competencies for the position in the manner the panel was looking for to score my responses, potentially better positioning me above others applicants who did not have the benefit of that approach.
Federal Job Search Training Comes to Maryland / DC One-Stop Centers
The Maryland Workforce Corporation has contracted the Federal Career Institute to certify up to 40 Maryland and District of Columbia One-Stop counselors in our Certified Federal Job Search Training Program at Howard Community College, Columbia, MD. The first class of 17 participants attended the training on January 17 – 19, and another class is scheduled later this month. This certification program provides career counselors with the information and tools to advise their clients on the Ten Steps to a Federal Job™. These one-stop counselors have joined the ranks of over 1000 career professionals who have been certified by our program!
Read more about our certification program »
Watch Kathryn’s interviews on “The Women’s Connection”
- Watch this lively informative interview! Click here to view on YouTube.
- 2nd interview with a veterans focus: Click here to view on YouTube.
HOT OFF THE PRESSES!
It’s bigger and better than ever.
The Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition is now available for purchase. 440+ pages of invaluable resume writing advice, outstanding resume examples, and seven brand-new chapters with never-before-published content!
FREE JOB SEARCH RESOURCES
- Receive a Free Estimate Try before you buy!
- FEDCareer Articles
- Federal Job Search News
- Free Builders
Breaking News:
Bye Bye CPOL Resumix! Closing Forever on May 31, 2012
The Army Civilian Personnel Online application is the last Resumix keyword automated system available to federal jobseekers. The Navy and US Marine Corps have already moved from Resumix to USA Staffing, which is a combination of USAJOBS for resume submission and ApplicationManager.gov for questionnaire submission. Find out in this post the key differences between Resumix and USA Staffing.
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Ten Steps to a Federal Job®
A Successful Campaign Strategy for a Federal Job
Be aware that the federal job search and resume is very different from that of the private industry. Sign up for our renowned one-day “Ten Steps” class at the Federal Career Training Institute in Gaithersburg, MD – Follow these 10 Steps to make your government job search more manageable and ultimately land a job with Uncle Sam:
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Ten Steps to a Federal Job for Vet Students
The Veterans Recruitment Act (VRA) offers special hiring programs for retiring and separating military (disabled or non-disabled). The best opportunity for a direct hire is a military job fair. You must be well-prepared with an internship or USAJOBS resume.
Continue reading this post »
Avoid These 10 Common Pitfalls In Your Federal Resume in 2012
The 2011 Top Ten Common Pitfalls was the most popular article that I wrote for FedSmith last year, and the list is STILL applicable and worth a peek. For this year, I am bringing it back again, but I have added a whole new top 10 list, making a combined mega-list of 20 common pitfalls for writing the federal resume work experience section.
The new top 10 includes the most common problems we have seen in working with our clients this past year with writing a federal resume that will get an applicant Best Qualified, Referred, and Interviewed. These tips are based on federal resume writing classes taught at more than 30 federal agencies in 2011 with varied occupational series specializations, missions, and grade levels.