March 19, 2002
Writing Compelling, Dynamic KSAs
Federal Resumes & Electronic Resumes
That SELL!
By Kathryn Troutman
Presentation, March 19th, 2002
The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)
Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC
http://www.tricare.osd.mil/cap/
At noontime on Tuesday March 29th, Kathryn presented a 20-minute overview of the newest Federal applications in government: Federal (paper) resume, Electronic resume (for Defense and non-Defense agencies), and KSAs. Kathryn introduced the Context-Challenge-Results-Action formula for writing KSAs. The KSA instructions are included here in this article.
Permission by Kathryn Troutman and Laura Sachs is given to print this column for personal use only.
KSAs Defined
Laura Sachs wrote the content of this KSA article. Laura is a KSA writer and trainer for The Resume Place and believes that KSAs are an "opportunity, not a chore."
When you get right down to it, KSA statements are just little essays, nothing more. KSA stands for Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Your KSAs will be a collection of half-page to full-page, highly-focused essays that you will include in your application that speak to your knowledge, skills, and abilities on topics assigned in the vacancy announcement.
KSAs give specific examples of the applicant's paid and non-paid work experience, education, training, awards, and honors. They are specifically written to support each area of knowledge, skill, and ability listed in the vacancy announcement. There are usually four to six KSAs required for each application, sometimes fewer (I've never done fewer than three, though), sometimes more (I did a set of eight for a forest ranger). Unlike resumes, KSAs are usually written in the first person (I did this or that). They are typically one-half to one-full page each, single-spaced.
First-level Human Resources professionals grade or "rate" KSAs. They use a "rating and ranking" system for each KSA statement. Your statements can range from Superior to Not Acceptable or may be assigned a numerical score. There is no rule of thumb here because rating systems vary from one job opening and generally, from one agency to the next. You probably will not know which of the KSAs in your KSA set will be the ones hiring managers consider to be the most important. That's why you will want to do the best job possible on all KSAs.
It can be murky at times to delineate clearly what is a skill, what is ability, and what is knowledge. To help, here is how the government defines each of these terms:
- Knowledge: An organized body of information, usually of a factual or procedural nature, which, if applied, makes adequate performance on the job possible.
- Skills: The proficient manual, verbal, or mental manipulation of data, people, or things. Observable, quantifiable, measurable.
- Abilities: The power to perform an activity at the present time. Implied is a lack of discernable barriers, either physical or mental, to performing the activity.
By these definitions, then, grammar and spelling are areas of knowledge - bodies of information the client needs to perform a job (such as writing or proofreading). Typing is a skill - measurable and quantifiable in terms of words per minute. On the other hand, being able to stay calm in tense situations is an ability - the applicant's personal power to manage stress and do his/her job well.
The All-Important First Paragraph
- Common mistake: Diving right in without setting the stage.
- What you can do in the first paragraph:
- Say flat out "I have this knowledge, skill, and ability"
- Give an overview of the kinds of experiences that got you the knowledge, skill, and ability (and that you'll be talking about in the remainder of the KSA)
- Explain why having this knowledge, skill, and ability has been so important
- Explain what it takes to be really adept at this knowledge, skill, and ability
- Explain how you got the knowledge, skill, and ability
- Study models of good opening paragraphs for KSAs. VI. The Body of the KSA
One or two middle paragraphs:
Context-Challenge-Action-Results "stories" - read the instructions on the next page.
The Last Paragraph: Ending Strong
- DO NOT repeat what you've already said
- DO say something new but that really stands out:
- A quote from an evaluation
- Some new and more interesting piece of information
- Training
- Always a good way to wind things up: "Finally,…."
INTRODUCING THE CCAR:
A new formula for writing examples to demonstrate your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities!
- Fill with specific examples using Context - Challenge - Action - Results (CCAR)
Context: The factors that contributed to the challenge you faced, such as budget limits, staffing changes, and institutional reform.
Challenge: The specific problem you had to address.
Action: The steps you took to solve the problem.
Results: The outcome - the difference you made.
- Sample CCAR model. Here is a great KSA paragraph. A program manager at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) wrote it. Kathy suggests that this example could work for several different KSA statements, such as "Ability to plan, organize, and manage projects," "Ability to communicate orally," or "Ability to negotiate and give presentations."
Context: "In January 1986 following the notification that SAMHSA would receive a dramatically reduced budget…
Challenge: "…I recognized that important programs would be discontinued, including a much needed drug-abuse program for the Kickapoo Reservation Indians in the State of Texas."
Action: "As the federal program manager, I took the initiative to communicate the situation with the State of Texas to turn over funding to the state. I traveled to Texas on several occasions to negotiate directly with the State of Texas project officer to ensure that the state appreciated the severity of the situation and the change in federal funding. I prepared a briefing booklet for state representatives giving them the data on the 1,300 eligible adults on the reservation and the fact that two-thirds of the total population participated in the program.
Results: "I successfully achieved a cooperative agreement with the state with commitments of $500,000 per year. I also discovered an additional $400,000 from carry-over from the previous year. Additionally, I brought in four other state agencies to assist with service provision and additional funding and support."
Need help with writing your CCAR KSAs? Consider Kathryn Troutman's KSA Builder.
The Builder includes fields for writing your KSAs with the CCAR formula. Fill in the fields and receive an email with a draft of your KSA. Read more about it:
http://www.resume-place.com/ksa_builder/index.html
The Ten Tips for Writing Winning KSAs
Before getting into the nitty gritty of KSA writing, it will help you start off on the right foot if you first learn and master the 10 basic rules, or commandments, for writing winning KSAs. These are the ironclad rules of thumb you should follow EVERY TIME you write a KSA, that is, unless the vacancy announcement specifically tells you to do otherwise.
- Give at least one fantastic example per KSA. Two is better. Three a dream. KSAs are no place to talk in generalities. Get very specific about what you did and your results. A good approach is to say you're great at something and then to prove it with a heavy dose of "For examples." Consider these examples:
- "I am particularly good at diffusing tense situations. For example, at one or our recent staff meetings, one participant took great offense at a comment made by another. I quickly diffused the tension by doing x, y, and z. The offended individual then saw that she had misunderstood her co-worker's comments and apologized for overreacting. Since then, the two have developed an excellent working relationship…."
- "I am an excellent proofreader and others have come to rely upon my exceptional spelling and grammar skills. For example, my supervisor recently asked me to proofread our quarterly report. I caught and corrected numerous errors that others had missed. Because of this, our quarterly report was greatly improved and represented our office very professionally to our shareholders. My supervisor commended my efforts, so much so, that he has asked me to proofread all future quarterly reports as well as our annual report…."
- "I enjoy writing tremendously and do a particularly good job of making complex information easy to understand. For example, I wrote the Standard Operating Procedures for our office's new telephone system, taking a complex and large volume of information and condensing it so it was concise, easy-to-follow, and user-friendly. More than 25 people in our organization currently use this manual. Many of them have commented to me that they find it extremely easy to understand and useful…."
- Use different examples in each KSA statement in your set. However, if the example is significant in your career, you can use it twice, but ONLY if you emphasize different aspects of the experience.
Limit your length. Write each KSA statement so it fits between one-half and one-full page, no more, no less. Use 11 or 12 point type.
- Pack in the information. Do not pad your KSAs with needless words and phrases and above all, don't repeat yourself. Think of it this way: You have only one page per KSA to make your case.
- Write in the first person. Do NOT talk about yourself as though you are someone else. "I serve as the point-of-contact for all inquiries that come to our office." Write in complete sentences and well-crafted paragraphs.
- Spell out ALL acronyms. The government is well known for using acronym upon acronym to describe itself.
- Quantify your results/accomplishments. It is better to say that you type 65 wpm than to say you type fast. It is better to say that you came in $12,000 below budget than that you saved your office money.
Draw material for your KSAs from all parts of your life. Generally, the more basic the KSA statement, the wider you can cast your net. For the basic KSA statements - those about communication skills, people skills, organization skills, etc. - look for examples in your life from his/her volunteer work, school, or even in your personal life.
- Use the federally recommended setup for each KSA. Below is the federally recommended setup for the top of each KSA. Use the same font, point size, and paper that you used for your federal resume. This will give your application a polished, professional look.
A professional look for your KSAs:
Defense Intelligence Agency
Washington Metro Area, Washington, DC
Position: Staff Assistant-Officer GG-0301-07/09
Vacancy Announcement #01-002518-CPB
Candidate: Monica Daniels, SS#856-99-3948
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
1. Ability to Communicate Orally:
Paragraph of text starts here:
- Proofread your KSA set. Then proofread it again. And again. While
Spell Check is a WONDERFUL tool, it is NOT a substitute for proofreading. Only a human being would know that net is a typo for the word ten or that the Internet is not the same thing as the Intranet.
