October 1, 2009, ABC News Now’s Tory Johnson interviewed Kathryn Troutman for the Job Club yesterday. Kathryn discussed 4 critical steps to applying for a federal job. Page samples were from the Jobseeker’s Guide, 3rd Edition. The Ten Steps come from Ten Steps to a Federal Job, How to land a Job in the Obama Administration, 2nd Ed.
IMPORTANT TIPS FROM 4 OF THE TEN STEPS TO A FEDERAL JOB:
Step 5: Keywords can be found in the DUTIES section of the USAJOBS Vacancy Announcement.
Step 6: The best USAJOBS federal resume is The Outline Format which features keywords in ALL CAPS and small paragraphs.
Step 7: What are KSAs? KSAs are stories that demonstrate from your Accomplishment Record that you DO have a certain Knowledge, Skill or Ability.
Step 8: Applying for a federal job requires “reading the instructions”. The How To Apply page can be different, depending on the agency. Kathryn has produced a handy Resume Builder Chart with about 40 ways to apply to a federal job.
Last questions:
Tory: What’s a quick strategy to write accomplishments for KSAs?
Kathryn: Write a list of 5 of your best accomplishments form your last few positions, then use these for your KSAs.
Tory: How long will it be before you hear from a federal hiring official?
Kathryn: Each agency is different, but they are moving faster!
Tory said that there seemed to be Hope and Optimism for federal jobs.
Tags: ABC News Now, federal careers, Federal Employment, federal hiring, Federal Jobs, Federal Resume, federal resume writing, Federal Resumes, government careers, Government Jobs, how to write a federal resume, Kathryn Troutman, KSA Writing, KSAs, resume builder, tory johnson, USAJOBS, Writing a Federal Resume
Hello:
Do you have any advice for someone whose federal employment applications typically end with notices like the one below? I’m sick of these games they play with peoples’ lives. I’ve gotten about 20 of these notices, never getting any farther along than this. No “Selecting Official” has ever contacted me, though I’ve been getting these messages for one year!!!
Here’s what I get:
Your application for the subject position at the grade 12, has been evaluated. You were found to be eligible for the position and your name was referred to the selecting official for further review and consideration.
The selecting official or someone from the Human Resources Office may contact you if additional information is needed.