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Archive for May, 2009

Updated, Revised: Classifying White Collar Positions – OPM

Posted in Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on May 25th, 2009 | 2 Comments - Make a comment »

Classifying White Collar Positions

The Handbook of Occupational Groups & Families is updated and better than ever! Many occupational series (descriptions) are canceled, updated and newly created.

New updates with federal jobs include: Government positions that are canceled due to low agency usage: paperhanging, glassblowing, bank note designing, pressing, parachute packing, shoe repairing, carton/bag making machine operating.

Government positions updated include: Information Technology Specialist (2210) added a new specialization: Enterprise Management; General Inspection, Investigation, and Compliance (1802) becomes General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement and Compliance.

New Series: Investigative Analysis (1801)

Why read the HANDBOOK OF OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS AND FAMILIES as a Jobseeker? The feds are meticulous about their jobs, descriptions, duties and titles. Learn about federal jobs, descriptions the official titles

You can find the list and descriptions of the most populoar jobs in government, including: Information Technology Specialist, Management & Program Analyst, Supply Specialist, Contract Specialist and about 200 other government jobs.

Why is this a helpful guide? Because if you read about the official job titles you can understand the job duties, qualifications better and decide what position is right for you. Then you can write your resume to support the position qualifications and duties.

Master the Federal Job Race

Posted in Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on May 21st, 2009 | 1 Comment - Make a comment »

Win a Federal Job – Master the Race!

Rachel Alexandra wins the race at Preakness 2009

Rachel Alexandra wins the race at Preakness 2009.

We can help YOU Master the Federal Job Race!

Baltimore had Preakness fever yesterday. Rachel Alexandra, the only fillie in the race, was the winner. Just thinking about getting ready for a race, makes me think of the “race” and the “preparation” that you are facing to land a winning federal job. I know the analogy seems like a stretch, but it’s not. To find and land a federal job, takes practice, determination and maybe a trainer – just like Rachel Alexandra had.

Our training formula – Ten Steps to a Federal Job – could be the formula you could follow to land your federal job. Check out the Ten Steps in the next column. Our book of the same name has MORE on each of the ten steps.

by Kathryn Troutman, President and CEO, The Resume Place, Inc., www.resume-place.com

Teaching the First-Time American Public Federal Jobseeker – Contract Specialist

Posted in Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on May 17th, 2009 | 1 Comment - Make a comment »

I hear the most amazing questions from the “first-timer”. But the most typical is this one: “I just don’t know if I am applying to the right job.” It is amazing to me that the federal jobs are so unique, and written in such a way that really smart people are not sure what the job really means. Even the Contract Specialist position, which from the name seems understandable, is an uncertain for the first-time applicant who has business, sales, account management, national accounts, federal sales, retail sales background.

Here’s the short version. The Contract Specialist manages contracts for federal agency program managers who need goods or services to complete their mission. Contract Specialists purchase millions of dollars of IT services, training programs, specialty services, or computers, office furniture or food.

This job involves researching the best vendors, writing a “statement of work” about the services needed, receiving bids from the vendors, negotiating terms, and helping to select the vendor. And then maybe monitoring the contractor to make sure they perform correctly.

SAMPLE LANGUAGE FROM USAJOBS: A Sample Contract Specialist Position, posted 5/16

These positions are in the Division of Contracting and General Services, Portland, Oregon.

These positions serve as contract specialists procuring supplies or services through formal advertising or negotiation procedures, intra/interagency agreements, cooperative agreements, and grants. The contract specialist plans, coordinates, negotiates and administers complex purchases, such as construction material, heavy equipment, construction of hatchery/refuge facilities, structural and living quarters, building rehabilitation, dam and bridge construction, architect-engineer services, janitorial services, IT and telecommunications hardware, software and programming services, contracts for installation of building equipment systems, and various supplies.

At the GS-9 and 11 grade levels, duties will be performed under closer supervision, and training will be provided to prepare the employee for eventual promotion to the full performance level.

THE KEYWORDS SHOULD BE IN ALL CAPS IN YOUR RESUME. OUTLINE FORMAT. The words in the Duties section of the announcement should be added to your resume. And preferably the resume should be in our Outline Format. Scroll down on this page to see the Outline Format. Click on the graphic to see the entire resume.

SEARCH FOR RECOVERY ACT JOBS. There are many Contract Specialist positions post now to help with Recovery Act contracts and jobs, as well as other federal positions. Kathryn Troutman, Author Ten Steps to a Federal Job