The Resume-Place Inc.

October 23, 2002

BIGGEST MISTAKES MADE BY FIRST-TIME FEDERAL JOB-SEEKERS
Kathryn K. Troutman and Expert Federal Resume Writers

I asked my resume writing team to make a list of the biggest mistakes they continually see in federal jobseeker's efforts to write a federal package. Also at a Blue and Gray Job Fair last week, I taught about 50 former military personnel my Ten Steps to a Federal Job. A few anxious jobseekers brought their resumes and I could see major mistakes being made - which could cost job applicants months of searching and possibly never landing a Federal job. Consider our list when writing your federal package.

From Kathryn Troutman
SUBMITTING A ONE-PAGE RESUME. The federal resume can be 2,3,4, or 5 pages. There is no limit. The federal personnelist and selecting official want more details of your experiences so they can understand your military experience, skills and assignments better. In order to get Highly Qualified, you will have to be very clear about your experiences.
NOT INCLUDING THE REQUIRED INFORMATION ON THE FEDERAL RESUME. You must include your SSN, addresses and zip codes for employers for the last 10 years; supervisor names and telephones for 10 years; salaries for 10 years; hours per week for jobs held for 10 years. Also you need to include your years of experience in the military.
WRITING WORK EXPERIENCEE DESCRIPTIONS ARE WAY TOO SHORT. If you're tempted to write 3 paragraphs about your current job, make it 6 paragraphs.
NOT INCLUDING ANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS. If you want to stand out, impress the reader, keep their attention, include the accomplishments, projects and achievements you have made in your jobs.
INCLUDING EVERY JOB - EVEN THOSE THAT ARE NOT RELEVANT. If you worked in retail over Christmas; parked cars for extra cash; do telemarketing; clean houses, type at home, leave these details out of your resume.
INCLUDING EARLY CLERICAL, NON-PROFESSIONAL JOBS. Leave out the early positions in clerical and start-up positions. The reader will never imagine you ere ever a clerk if you don't tell them. You do not have to include jobs past 10 years if you choose not to.
NOT READ THE VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS IN DEPTH. Yes, agreed, the announcements are long, difficult to read and understand, but they contain a wealth of information for your federal job search. The important components of the vacancy announcement are: name of agency and office, City and state, opening and closing date of the announcement, duties, qualifications, how to apply instructions. Peronnelists say that the biggest mistake is "not reading the announcement and not following the directions."
NOT INCLUDING KEYWORDS IN YOUR RESUME. To be successful you must focus your resume toward the position. If the announcement duties state that the job involves, serving as a liaison and representative for the director, then your resume should say that you have experience serving as a liaison and representative for your past manager. It's okay to use the skills of the new position in your resume - if they are truthful.
NOT STUDYING THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE AGENCY BEFORE APPLYING. To successfully focus your resume, you should be familiar with the mission of the agency so you can reflect a few words from the agency's mission statement (customer service, team oriented, quality-oriented, always on-time, etc.) in your resume.
SENDING THE PACKAGE BY REGULAR MAIL. You need a receipt for your package. In case you have to research the application, keep your tracking number.
NOT TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE THE BEST POSSIBLE KSAs. Yes, you have to write the knowledge, skills and abilities statements if requested. They seem lengthy and unneeded, but actually, the KSAs are the key to your success. The KSAs are graded and you may get a high grade or a low grade, depending on your effort in writing KSAs. Ability to communicate orally can be : I communicate e extensively with my customers in my current job. Or ...
NOT PRESENTING UNIQUE COMPETENCIES AND VALUES IN THE RESUME AND KSAS: Are you flexible, hard-working, work well under pressure, resourceful, have initiative and willing to manage new projects. Resourceful, creative, dependable, detail-oriented, organized? If so, include these competencies in your resume in the "duties" section of your resume.
From Cory Edwards:
Federal job seekers apply for the wrong levels They think a federal resume is the same as a private sector resume.
They make the mistake of thinking they can write it themselves, with no prior experience.
They submit one general resume for different job series.
They think it has to be plain and boring, that there is no room for creativity in a federal resume.
They are at one of two extremes - either they sell themselves short, not recognizing contributions and achievements or they exaggerate.
They wait until the last minute not realizing the closing dates are critical.
From Mike Ottensmeyer:
Viewing the Federal hiring process as part of their near term job hunting strategy. Seeking Fed employment should be part of one's long term strategy....IT'S VERY SLOW....and there seems to be no cure for that phenomenon!
From Jackie Allen:
Someone who believes you really do not have to put in the salary information on each job description...plus a few other pieces of information...like not including your Rank in your Military Career Job Descriptions...and trying to disguise a military career as civilian employment!...In sum, one of the biggest mistakes is not following the instructions totally, as they relate to required info for job history.....
Another big mistake is applying for positions for which you really do not qualify! You have to really compare your actual background and qualifications to the language in the vacancy announcement...if it does not match up very well...then you should not waste time applying.
From Mark Reichenbacher:
Putting the wrong announcement number on the application. Mailing the application to the wrong office. Not sending all requested information (eg, SF-50 if a current federal employee, etc.) Not checking accuracy of entries (mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, etc.)
From Leigh Moore:
UNDERESTIMATING TIME REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE PACKAGE Writing a federal package takes considerable time and effort and many private industry applicants do not understand this. They wait until the last minute to begin working on their package and then they are completely overwhelmed with all of the details that they have to address.
APPLICANTS FORGET THAT "A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS." Applicants feel that listing the duties of the job is sufficient but that does not indicate how they performed the work, it only shows what they were hired to do. They exhibit this same dynamic when writing the KSA's, which end up being narrative descriptions and not clear, vibrant examples of where they can truly make a contribution.

FEDERAL RESUME WRITING BOOKS AND CDS WITH TEMPLATES THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Kathryn K. Troutman's newest book, Ten Steps to a Federal Job and CD-ROM can help you tremendously with writing your federal resume and KSAs. Her previous publication, Electronic Federal Resume Guidebook is the guide you will need to write a Resumix for a DOD position.
Order books, services and builders at www.resume-place.com . Make sure your federal package is correct, complete and impressive! Do not waste valuable announcements and time on a package that isn't as good as it can be. Our expert writers know the formats, how to focus your resume and how to improve your content so that you will be
BEST QUALIFIED AND GET AN INTERVIEW - AND GET HIRED!

COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS
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