Tired of looking for KSA and Federal Resume samples and info on the Internet? You won't find any samples on any website. You CAN find samples in books, however. Here's a new idea! Drive to your local library and look for books and CDs on applying for federal jobs.
Federal Career Resources - Books and CDs at your Local Library
| There are a number of excellent resources that can help you understand the federal application processes, show you federal resume samples, give you insight into writing the mysterious Knowledge, Skills and Abilities statements, and possibly even help you write a Resumix a civilian Defense job. If you find a book that is perfect for your job search, you could purchase your own copy, especially if you want to continue to use the CD-ROM that comes with some federal job search publications.
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- Federal Job Search Workshops at Libraries
- Recently I was invited by Nancy Yobb, Manager Career Library to lead two workshops on the Ten Steps to a Federal Job at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD. We were in the beautiful Edgar Allen Poe room with comfortable sofas, deep walnut tables and walls of glassed-in publications on writing and resources. What a great room to inspire good writing - especially an all-important career-changing federal resume.
- Serious federal job-seekers attended the two-part workshop:
- More than 35 serious federal job seekers came to the workshop. They were looking for insight into the federal hiring process, job leads and instruction on writing a federal application package that will be successful with landing interviews.
Recent graduates seeking internships and jobs after graduation. They learned about the Outstanding Scholar special program for federal hiring of recent graduates with a 3.4 GPA. More on the Outstanding Scholar program here:
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov
or Dennis Damp's book, Federal Jobs
Current Defense Dept. civilian who wants a better Resumix resume so that he could change occupational series from Housing Specialist to Management Analyst or Program Manager. He wanted insight into keywords that would translate from one series to another. Samples of keywords and information on translating skills to a new career are available in Electronic Federal Resume Guidebook by Kathryn Troutman.
Baltimore City employees who want to move into the federal government and wanted help on writing the best possible KSAs. Some federal vacancy announcements ask for Knowledge, Skills and Abilities statements that are actually "rated and ranked" by federal personnel. So job-seekers want to know the best way to write KSAs. An in-depth chapter on KSA writing and samples are found in Ten Steps to a Federal Job by K. Troutman
Government Contractors who want to land a permanent Federal job and laid-off employees seeking a job where they can stop worrying about the threat of a pink slip every week.
An applicant for the Transportation Security Agency - waiting for an interview the next week and wanting any insight into the test being given to TSA interviewees. There is very little information on the application process for TSA, but there is an excellent article online at
http://www.resume-place.com/careercorner/072702.html.
Homeland Security Resumes.
- Finding and interpreting federal vacancy announcements
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Kathryn demonstrated the www.usajobs.opm.gov website in the class finding vacancy announcements for agencies in Baltimore, MD. On that day there were at least 10 jobs with the Housing and Urban Development in Baltimore City. Other agencies in Baltimore that were hiring at that time were Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Aberdeen Proving Ground (Army) and Ft. Meade, MD (Army). The vacancy announcements were analyzed for keywords (Step 5 according to the Ten Steps to a Federal Job) so that the job applicants can include them in their federal resumes.
- Resume Critiques
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On the second day of the workshop, participants brought their resumes to be critiqued and reviewed by Kathryn Troutman, the instructor. Here's a few federal resume writing tips offered the group:
- "Federal Resumes are 2-3 pages typically; many people brought in one page resumes that did not include the Federal compliance details."
- " The resumes brought in did not include the keywords from vacancy announcements for each job. The resumes represented the individual's past history, but did not slate the content toward the federal hiring person's interests in specialized skills."
FEDERAL JOB RESOURCES
Career Resource Librarians can help federal job applicants by knowing a few websites and resources that can help the success of federal job seekers.
- The federal jobs are listed here:
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http://www.usajobs.opm.gov
http://www.federaljobsearch.com
Federal Salaries. Many jobseekers try to apply for jobs that are really out of their qualifications range.
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/salaries
Federal Resume and KSA samples
They are not available on-line. Only in publications available at local bookstores, amazon.com, resume-place.com and other federal career publishers.
Since sample federal resumes, electronic resumes, KSAs and information on Senior Executive Services is available in books only, the library is a great source to review the publications and consider purchasing your own or using the library publications.
Librarians: If you would like a federal job search workshop, please contact Kathryn@resume-place.com. Certified Federal Job Search trainers are available to lead 3- hour programs, Ten Steps to a Federal Job for library patrons who are considering federal jobs.
Kathryn Troutman's federal job search publications are available www.resume-place.com, as well as Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Quality Books and other resellers. More library programs will be held at George Washington University Graduate Career Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Library in Alexandria, VA; Towson State University Career Center and many others are being planned. Library programs will be announced here:
http://www.resume-place.com/workshops/libraryprograms.html
NEW HOMELAND SECURITY WEBSITE:
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/
Department of Homeland Security - Job Information:
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=40
Looks like the HSD will be hiring in a few months. Wait and see what jobs will be available in the next few months.
RECENT FEDERAL TRAININGS BY KATHRYN TROUTMAN
- TRAINER'S CERTIFICATION -
- Ten Steps to a Federal Job - 2nd Train the Trainer's Certification Program just completed - read about the program in the next Career Corner. The next Certification Program for Career Professionals will be Feb. 19, 20 and 21, 2003 in Columbia, MD. This class was principally for Spouse Employment & Assistance Program Managers and Counselors for the U.S. Navy Fleet & Family Support Centers.
Read more:
http://www.resume-place.com/workshops/certification.html
- INTERVIEW TRAINING -
- TJ Walker and Kathryn Troutman provide Interview Training to Archives Technicians seeking advancement into Archives Specialist positions at the National Archives in College Park, MD - more on this excellent interview practice workshop in upcoming columns. Look for practice questions, answers and interview strategies.
- HHS UNIVERSITY -
- Kathryn returned to HHS University for a GS-8 and Below, Fedres & KSA Writing Workshop. Kathryn inspired participants to change series, get promoted and sell their best skills. GS 9 and Above Workshop coming up Feb. 26th - seats still available! SES Candidate's workshop coming up also on March 26th, 2003. Read more:
http://www.resume-place.com/workshops/schedule.html
- FREE FEDJOB TELECLASSES -
- Resume Place's Free Fedres & KSA One-Hour Teleclasses for Jobseekers were successful. Jobseekers from across the U.S. listened to federal job search tips and asked questions to help their job campaign. Read more: http://www.resume-place.com/workshops/teleclasses.html. Sign up for the next teleclass by writing to scott@resume-place.com. Subjectline: TELECLASS. We'll write back and give you the next dates.
- VETERAN'S -
- Veterans at the Veteran's Administration in Washington, DC were trained in the Ten Step program last week. Each veteran wrote an accomplishment which will be used for interviews, KSAs and a stand-out federal resume. Part II of the class is next week with final resumes to be drafted.
COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS
Feel free to forward this Career Corner column to friends and colleagues. You may use this column for training in career classes with recognition of the author and website. You may not link this column to other websites without permission. For information about licensing this content write to Kathryn at kathryn@resume-place.com.
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