• No new announcements will be posted Oct. 1, 2011 to Oct. 12, 2011.
• No access to USAJOBS will be allowed Oct. 6 to Oct. 12, 2011.

Five billion documents are being reviewed and re-uploaded into a new USAJOBS system in Macon, Georgia by USAStaffing IT specialists. The USAJOBS IT specialists will be downloading, analyzing, and re-uploading over 5 billion documents from jobseekers who have their resumes and documents loaded into USAJOBS 2.0; eliminating your Social Security Numbers; doing something with passwords (you will probably have to reset your password with your same email account after the Oct. 12 reset); and set up parameters for Resume Mining by HR specialists.

There won’t be a totally new look and feel, but there will be some new features that are better for you and for the HR customers who post the positions.

Before the site is down on Oct. 6, you may want to consider downloading and backing up the latest versions of your resumes posted in USAJOBS.

If you are an active federal jobseeker, what can you be doing while USAJOBS is down for six days, and there are no new announcements for almost two weeks?

Below is a list of suggested activities that will keep your federal job search moving forward and prepare you for when USAJOBS becomes available again:

Activity #1: Review and edit your federal resume versions.

Copy out your resumes from the builders and then update and improve the content. Work on new accomplishments that should be featured on pages 1 or 2 of your resume (since KSAs are now in the resume). Review your keywords for each of your occupational series targets. You can look at the OPM Classification Standards for keywords since USAJOBS will be down.

Activity #2: Prepare for a Federal Job Interview.

Work on your Top Ten List of Accomplishments so that you can be more prepared for the Behavior-Based Interview in October to December of this year. Use the KSA CCAR Builder designed by the author of this article. Tell your story in a compelling way with the Context, Challenge, Action and Result principles. Practice your stories and get ready to land a federal job.

Activity #3: Read the American Jobs Act.

Check over the information to see whether there is something that could affect your job, your payroll taxes, or other jobs-related info. I like the Short Fact Sheet. Some of the ideas are highly useful.

Activity #4: Read new reports on Merit Systems Protection Board website.

Browse excellent Federal Employment-Related Studies that could help the federal jobseeker to gain insight into federal jobs and federal employment “language” include Job Simulations: Trying out for a Federal Job and A Call To Action: Improving First-Level Supervision of Federal Employees.

Activity #5: Read the latest reports from Partnership for Public Service.

The latest publication posted on 9/8/11 is a white paper on Best Places to Launch a Career in the Federal Government Snapshot.

Activity #6: Set up an account and look for jobs on www.avuecentral.com.

This is a separate website for federal jobs for certain agencies. Avuecentral.com will have some federal jobs posted for their client agencies: Peace Corps, Forest Service, US Marshals, Millennium Challenge, Library of Congress, USAID, and a few others. These agencies are “clients” of Avue and post on avuecentral.com. You can apply for Avue positions without touching USAJOBS.gov. You can set up an account here, and search for job titles that could be of interest to you. You will find that at avuecentral.com the position descriptions are listed for the posted job. This is an interesting source for keywords and language for your federal resume.

Activity #7: Say Good-Bye to DONHR’s CHART website.

On Oct. 12, 2011, the Department of the Navy’s Civilian Hiring and Recruitment Tool will no longer be accessible to the general public. The CHART site has been posted since around 2000 and is one of the last Resumix automated recruitment sites. CHART recruited for US Navy and USMC Civilian positions. All of the CHART job posting will be moved to USAJOBS and applicationmanager.gov after Oct. 12, 2011. According to the website, “Applicants are strongly encouraged to save a printed and electronic copy of their CHART resume and transfer this information to an USAJOBS account by 30 September 2011.” See the fact sheet on how to move your resume from CHART to USAJOBS.

Activity #8: Read GovExec for articles on federal hiring topics.

Excellent Government Executive writers will write about federal jobs, federal employment, USAJOBS 3.0, Resuming Mining, Veteran’s Hiring, and many other topics about federal hiring for 2011 and 2012.

Activity #9: Read and join GovLoop.

This is a new government website where federal employees and managers write about federal job topics. You can write about your own background with the popular INTRODUCTION membership feature.

Activity #10: Read FedManager.

This resource contains informative articles on federal employment, security clearances, employment case law, and Tips of the Week by Kathryn Troutman.

Activity #11: Check out your federal retirement benefits.

You can find more information about federal retirement benefits on Scott Thompson’s popular website, www.myfederalretirement.com. You can even calculate your retirement with his handy-dandy retirement calculator.

The good news is that anyone who applied during that time is getting a second chance. Any position that closed between August 7th and 10th has now had its deadline extended to August 15th. In addition, HHS says anyone whose application was affected by the outage will receive a notice from OPM. That means that if you applied during this time, it’s time to make sure your resume and supporting documents are still organized and together. The government is making sure you can still take that shot at the job you want.

The staff at The Resume Place is committed to helping you locate, apply for, and land government jobs. The Resume Place also provides our clients with expert federal career training and consultation. Contact us today for a free estimate on your federal resume writing project. Visit us at http://www.resume-place.com or give us a call at (888) 480-8265.

The Federal Times published an article regarding the USA Staffing computer glitch.

John is a GS-13 with 20 years of experience who is looking for a new position. He says, “I am the jack of all trades with experience in Human Resources, Budget, Finance, Procurement, Facilities, Asset Management, IT Project Management, Program Analysis, Supervision, Capital Planning and Investment Control to name (my specialties) that come to mind. I understand that each job must be tailored, but with the job market like it is, I think I need to leverage all my experience and consider many types of positions.”

It is important to understand that some resume writing strategies are better than others. John has two options. He can write one resume covering all of the different accomplishments and skills he possesses or create at least four or more different resumes that each feature a certain skill set and add accomplishments for each skill set tailored to the specific job he is apply for, while leaving out irrelevant and old experience. Remember, human resources specialists and supervisors will review your last 10 years of experience, so make sure you only analyze, write and present the specialized areas of expertise for these recent positions.

In John’s example, I would recommend four different resumes.

Since John performs budget, finance and procurement duties for more than 50 percent of his day, this should be the first resume. Each of the specialized areas requires a paragraph to describe the scope of work. For a GS-13, this resume requires a description of the financial responsibilities, examples of financial and budget reports, and procurement activities for customers. John should add accomplishments and specific details for all three specializations.

John has been also been working in the facilities, assets, investments and capital planning division of a large department. This position involves facilities oversight and real estate management. This is a very specialized series, thus it is important to make this John’s second resume. It will require accomplishments and detailed descriptions of assets and capital planning projects. The set of skills for this type of a position is specific and there will be fewer jobs available in Facilities and Asset Management at the GS-13 level.

Program Analysis and project management is the most general of the skill sets and could be the most marketable. In this third resume, John needs to demonstrate how he analyzes programs for efficiency and effectiveness; utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods; writes and presents briefs; consults with program participants; advises on solutions; and gives recommendations. This occupational series is popular and he should be able to find these positions in every agency and every state.

Throughout John’s career, he has managed daily operations, supervised staff, written position descriptions, trained staff, ensured work performance and managed the office budget. Therefore, John’s fourth resume should include his roles as an administrative officer in human resources, supervision and budget. All agencies have administrative officer positions with promotion potential to GS-15.

You don’t go to battle without a plan. If you are seeking to advance or change your career to a new agency or state, you need to first identify your skills sets, then determine the various resume targets and finally begin researching specific new positions. Once you have several resumes drafted, you are primed and ready to launch a solid campaign for your new position.

Kathryn Troutman is the author of The Federal Resume Guidebook. Kathryn is a popular Federal Resume Writing trainer throughout government, teaching the latest KSA in the Resume writing methods. She is founder and president of The Resume Place, Inc., experts in Federal Career Consulting and Federal Resume Writing, a service business located in Baltimore, Maryland.

My book and curriculum, Ten Steps to a Federal Job™, is a favorite because of the 10 steps “campaign process” for this highly complex job search method. The curriculum is utilized in hundreds of military bases worldwide because it is easy to teach, learn, and follow.

I created the “Numbers Federal Job Search Strategy” curriculum when my daughter, Emily, and I were teaching senior NASA Engineers how to write Senior Executive Service applications. We had two days to get two ECQs written. We examined the numbers – 5 ECQs, 28 Leadership Competencies, 10 pages, 2 pages, and set time-lines for each and every writing step. In two days, the engineers had written at least two ECQs and were actually having a great time with their production and ideas.

Which numbers are your favorites? I have underlined my typical training numbers.

FEDERAL JOB SEARCH PROCESS

10 – number of Steps to a Federal Job, developed by Kathryn Troutman

USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER

5 – number of resumes in the USAJOBS builder

WORK EXPERIENCE IN USAJOBS

5 – average number of pages for a mid-career federal resume

3,000 – characters for the USAJOBS Work Experience “job block”

2,000 – characters for duties (recommended for Job #1)

1,000 – characters for accomplishments (recommended for Job #1)

7 – maximum number of jobs (recommended, but not a limit)

10 – years to write details about your work history

20 – years to write fewer details about (write less about the second 10 years of your work history)

30 – years to write even fewer details about (try not to include dates back to 30 years)

KSA ACCOMPLISHMENTS

340 – characters for a good KSA accomplishment length in a federal resume

CLOSING DATES FOR JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

11:59 pm ET – typical closing date time for most USAJOBS job announcements

APPLICATION SCORES BY FEDERAL HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALISTS

110 – top score for a veteran with a disability

105 – top score for a veteran with veteran’s preference

90 – minimum score for Best Qualified

80 – minimum score for Qualified

70 – minimum score to be referred for any federal job

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRES

3 – possible ways to receive an E, the highest level in the ApplicationManager.gov Questionnaire

INTERVIEWS

2.5 – minutes for the average length of an answer to a question in a Behavior-Based Interview

30 – minutes for the average length of a Behavior-Based Interview

5 – the best possible score for an answer in an exam format Behavior-Based Interview

FEDERAL JOB SEARCH APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT TIME

3 – hours to find your documents

5 – hours to write your first federal resume

3 – months to find a federal job

10 – hours per week to search for job announcements and apply for jobs

30 – applications to submit before getting an interview (maybe)

SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE APPLICATIONS

5 – Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for a Senior Executive Service (SES) application

28 – Leadership Competencies for the ECQs for an SES application

KATHRYN TROUTMAN

9 – authored books on federal resume writing

1996 – wrote first book on Federal Resumes – Federal Resume Guidebook

1996 – created the first website for federal resume writing, www.resume-place.com

CURRENT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR USAJOBS ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE NOW AND WILL BE FURTHER STALLED: For thousands of active federal jobseekers who currently have applications submitted on USAJOBS, their applications will be further stalled for weeks and months if the human resources specialists are furloughed. The federal hiring process is long and complex, even without a furlough. The furlough will be very difficult for human resources specialists and managers who are trying to hire for new positions.

CURRENT POSITIONS THAT ARE POSTED ON USAJOBS WILL BE CANCELED: Many current vacancy announcements will be cancelled, due to the time of the deadline of the position closing, the lack of time to review the applications and manage the hiring process. If the HR Specialists are furloughed, they cannot handle the new applications efficiently or at all. The positions will eventually be re-posted, but it will be a couple of months from now, in order to catch up with hiring activities that are in progress at the time of the furlough. Many jobseekers who have applications in process will check their application status and find that the position is cancelled. This is happening now.

CURRENT FEDERAL JOBSEEKERS ARE WAITING FOR WHAT’S NEXT: Thousands of current federal jobseekers are waiting for responses to their active applications. The HR specialists have already notified jobseekers that they are Best Qualified or Referred to a Supervisor, but that’s it. Activities have stalled due to lack of budget. The positions may be cancelled. This is very discouraging for jobseekers who are waiting for responses and who need a job to pay for their mortgages and their bills.

FEW JOBS POSTED ON USAJOBS: Currently the number of active positions posted on www.usajobs.gov is very light. Many agencies have frozen all job postings or hiring, due to the lack of budget and uncertainty of the budget for next year for hiring new employees. Today there are 1117 jobs available in Washington, DC open to All US Citizens. There are 2238 positions open to Status jobseekers. The “Status” applicants are current federal employees, veterans and persons who can take advantage of special hiring programs (some spouses, individuals with disabilities). These positions could get cancelled if there is a furlough.

SLOW RECOVERY OF FEDERAL HIRING: When the FY12 Budget is finally passed the vacancy announcements will be posted, and the hiring will go back to normal. But the process will be slower, due to the time needed to catch up on the thousands of jobs that the government typically hires. With Federal Hiring Reform of 2011, the HR specialists were really speeding up with the hiring process. But now if furlough happens, they will be backed up with applications, announcements and processes.

LESS INDIVIDUALS HIRED IN 2011: The government hired approximately 309,000 new positions in 2009, the latest full-year statistic according to Office of Personnel Management. So, for 2011, if the government was on track to hire about 300,000, they may have trouble doing this with the available funds until the end of the Fiscal Year, Sept. 2011.

LOSS OF JOB SEARCH MORALE: With the job market being uncertain already, unemployment at just under 9%, Americans need permanent, temporary or term government jobs to return to normalcy in America. The federal hiring process is already complex, long, especially with possible security clearances. This slow budget process, threat of furlough is dramatically affecting the morale of jobseekers who aren’t seeing timely responses to their applications.

BIG PROBLEMS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AFFECTED BY BRAC: Thousands of federal employees are seeking new positions due to their agency BRAC programs. The furlough will cause major job search and relocation problems for federal employees and managers who are continuing to manage changing organizational missions, relocate, and maintain a daily working morale through difficult organization and program mergers and relocations. The employees affected by BRAC may be furloughed, and this will affect their agency relocation plans, as well as job search efforts.

A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AND FURLOUGH WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECTIVE ON THE JOB RECOVERY IN AMERICA. A government shutdown and furloughs of government workers, which includes hiring managers and human resources specialists, will hurt the job market and the unemployment rates of America. This will NOT be a positive step toward recovery and jobs for Americans. The government needs to stay in business and get back to business with a working budget today!

If you want to get Best Qualified for a federal position and hopefully get referred to a supervisor, you have to write a very specific style, content and format federal resume.

Applying for a government job – as doing any business with the government – is complicated. Of course, the federal resume is NOT the same as the 2 page resume that a person uses for private industry job searches.

Kathryn Troutman is a Federal Career Consultant, Author, Government Trainer and Industry leader in the Federal Resume Writing and Federal Career Consulting industry.

Kathryn is seeing more and more first-time federal job applicants and reviewing their resumes to troubleshoot their lack of success in their federal job searches. Many jobseekers are applying as many as 400 times with no interviews or referrals to a supervisor.

14 OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS FOR WRITING A SUCCESSFUL FEDERAL RESUME 1. LENGTH: Most Federal Resumes are 4 to 5 pages long. Mid-career professionals with 15 to20 years experience will have a 5 page federal resume. A 2 page private-industry resume WILL NOT WORK.

2. MORE DETAILS: You need to include more details about your duties and accomplishments in your last position or the most relevant position. The typical private-industry resume will have 8 to 10 bullets of information about each position. The federal resume duties section spells out what you did, usually in complete sentences. The position that is most relevant for the federal position could be an entire page long.

3. FORMAT: Make sure the resume is readable for human resources specialists who have hundreds of resumes to review to determine who is most qualified for their positions. Many private industry resumes consist of short statements with bullets. Many current federal employees write their resumes in huge block of type based on position descriptions. The best format is a reverse chronological Outline Format. The Outline Format features the top skills needed for the position. For a Public Affairs Specialist, the top skills could be: Media Specialist, Writer-Editor, Researcher / Analyst, Media Events Coordinator.

4. TYPEFONT: Feature the Top Skills in ALL CAPS, so that the busy human resources reviewer can find the skills they are seeking.

5. KEYWORDS: Add language and keywords from the vacancy announcement Duties and Specialized Experience into your federal resume. You can find the keywords by search for words that are repeated multiple times in the announcement; these could be technical terms or phrases that describe specific skills. 6. PROVE YOUR EXPERIENCE: You will see the USAJOBS vacancy announcements will tell you that they want to see One Year Specialized Experience in a certain field in your resume. The announcement will also suggest types of examples that can help to prove your experience.

7. 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE: The federal HR specialists typically read / scan the last 10 years of experience in your federal resume. The years before 10 years can be added to the resume, but keep that information shorter.

8. RECENT AND RELEVANT: The HR specialists will be looking for recent and relevant experience in your Work Experience Section.

9. MONTH, YEAR AND HOURS PER WEEK: It is imperative that you add the month and year and hours per week for your jobs. Since they have to see that you have One Year Specialized Experience in positions and level that are similar to this job, you will need to add this information to your resume.

10. SALARY: The federal resume in USAJOBS asks for your salaries for the last 10 years. They need to see your salaries in order to see your experience and judge the grade level that you could be qualified for in a government position.

11. COVER LETTER: You can add a cover letter into the USAJOBS account now, after Federal Hiring Reform. We recommend a cover letter to emphasize your specialized experience and most relevant training or experience for the position.

12. RECENT AND RELEVANT JOBS: You do NOT have to add every job into your USAJOBS Resume Builder. If you have short-term positions which were taken to earn cash for bills, you can leave it out. Yes, it will leave a little bit of blank time, but the HR specialist is really seeking the specialized experience.

13. 5 USAJOBS RESUMES: USAJOBS will allow you to upload 5 resumes. Create multiple resume versions for each announcement. Your original resume can be changed slightly to match a few keywords for each new announcement.

14. FEDERAL RESUMES MUST BE FOCUSED TOWARD AN OCCUPATIONAL SERIES WITH DIFFERENT KEYWORDS: If you are seeking a Program Analyst position, use the keywords and skills for the position. Keywords for the Program Analyst will be: Analyst, Research, Studies, Efficiency and Effectiveness, Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis, Briefings. If you are also seeking an Administrative Officer position, your keywords will be different: Operations, Budget Management, Supervision, Customer Services, Project Management.

What did the President say about Jobs in America for 2011?

What industries, jobs, competencies and education can help you with your career in 2011?

Here’s my analysis of the speech and what’s important for job seekers who are looking for competitive jobs and industries for today and in the near future:

• Many of President Obama’s ideas won’t mean new jobs for at least another five years down the road. However, these jobs will likely be the wave of the future, so in order to prepare for this wave, think about what you will do today to prepare for the jobs that will be available, especially if you thinking about what to major in in college, or about preparing for a career change.
• Best competencies and keywords for 2011: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Imagination, High Performance, High Expectations, Efficiency
• Critical for Success: Specialized Education and Training (Math and Science), Languages, Computers
• Hot Job Industries: Clean energy, high-speed internet, high-speed rail, exports, domestic construction, biomedical research, research and development, renewable energy, electric cars, transcontinental railway, information technology, global business, teacher, trainer, education, government
• Important Government Fixes: Some redundant federal agencies, government spending, improve efficiency in government, sell some government lands, DOD spending, freeze government employee salaries

The President’s Address is excerpted here to emphasize talking points concerning jobs, industries, training and competencies for future jobs:

Creativity and Innovation

President Obama: “None of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be, or where the new jobs will come from. Thirty years ago, we couldn’t know that something called the Internet would lead to an economic revolution. What we can do – what America does better than anyone – is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook. In America, innovation doesn’t just change our lives. It’s how we make a living.

Kathryn’s Comment: If you are creative in your business or job, this will be important in your career for the future. Keep track of your creative ideas. This is also a KEYWORD for your resume.

Investing in Research

President Obama: “Our free enterprise system is what drives innovation. But because it’s not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout history our government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. That’s what planted the seeds for the Internet. That’s what helped make possible things like computer chips and GPS.”

Kathryn’s Comment: If you are considering a college major, I would recommend science and information technology. Government funding could be coming for research.

Science – Unleash the Wave of Innovation

President Obama: “Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik¸ we had no idea how we’d beat them to the moon. The science wasn’t there yet. NASA didn’t even exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn’t just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.”

Kathryn’s Comment: President Obama is all for education in research and new industries. Entrepreneurs in science and technology should be getting more support in the next few years.

Invest in Biomedical Research, IT and Clean Energy Tech

President Obama: “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment. Two years ago, I said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven’t seen since the height of the Space Race. In a few weeks, I will be sending a budget to Congress that helps us meet that goal. We’ll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology – an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people.”

Kathryn’s Comment: More hot college majors: biomedical research, IT, and clean energy technology. Hot jobs in 2015 or sooner!

Electric Vehicles

President Obama: “At the California Institute of Technology, they’re developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, they’re using supercomputers to get a lot more power out of our nuclear facilities. With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.”

Kathryn’s Comment: If you are in your engineering degree now, make sure you get a project with an electric vehicle; this could help land a position in the future automotive industry. Write about this in your resume to demonstrate past performance.

Study Math and Science; Get Educated

President Obama: “Think about it. Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school degree. And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren’t even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to 9th in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us – as citizens, and as parents – are willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed.”

Kathryn’s Comment: Math and science grades will make a difference for future jobs in clean energy, electric cars, and other high technology positions. Get a tutor if you need one. Math and science tutor positions should increase after this speech.

Teaching or Public Service

President Obama: “In fact, to every young person listening tonight who’s contemplating their career choice: If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child – become a teacher. Your country needs you.”

Kathryn’s Comment: The government will always be hiring. Government positions will require specialized experience, depending on the positions you are seeking. You can read about federal jobs at www.usajobs.gov. You can find jobs by college major, job title, geographic location, and agency name. Teaching positions are available if you have the right education and certifications. Also, some school systems are talking about top student performance salary incentives for teachers.

Tax Credit Increase for Tuition Tax Credit

President Obama: “Of course, the education race doesn’t end with a high school diploma. To compete, higher education must be within reach of every American. That’s why we’ve ended the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that went to banks, and used the savings to make college affordable for millions of students. And this year, I ask Congress to go further, and make permanent our tuition tax credit – worth $10,000 for four years of college.”

Kathryn’s Comment: After this speech, education will be critical to succeed in these industries. Government jobs sometimes offer tuition reimbursement for students and parents who have student loans. Ask for this if you get a job offer.

Train for New Jobs and Careers in Today’s Fast-Changing Economy

President Obama: “Because people need to be able to train for new jobs and careers in today’s fast-changing economy, we are also revitalizing America’s community colleges. Last month, I saw the promise of these schools at Forsyth Tech in North Carolina. Many of the students there used to work in the surrounding factories that have since left town. One mother of two, a woman named Kathy Proctor, had worked in the furniture industry since she was 18 years old. And she told me she’s earning her degree in biotechnology now, at 55 years old, not just because the furniture jobs are gone, but because she wants to inspire her children to pursue their dreams too. As Kathy said, ‘I hope it tells them to never give up.’”

Kathryn’s Comment: As jobseekers, continue to train to support these new industries. New training and education will be critical for career success. Jobs in curriculum design and planning, instructor-led programs, eLearning, distance learning, train-the-trainer will be growing to prepare people in all of these new industries.

Our Infrastructure Used to Be the Best – But Our Lead Has Slipped

President Obama: “South Korean homes now have greater internet access than we do. Countries in Europe and Russia invest more in their roads and railways than we do. China is building faster trains and newer airports. Meanwhile, when our own engineers graded our nation’s infrastructure, they gave us a ‘D.’”

Kathryn’s Comment: Civil engineers, mechanical engineers, construction trades, administrators, contractors, materials providers, and equipment providers will benefit from infrastructure funding by government and states. Our internet success will grow with more IT specialists, cyber security experts, and IT support personnel.

Increase Construction Industry Jobs

President Obama: “Over the last two years, we have begun rebuilding for the 21st century, a project that has meant thousands of good jobs for the hard-hit construction industry. Tonight, I’m proposing that we redouble these efforts.”

“We will put more Americans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges. We will make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment, and pick projects based on what’s best for the economy, not politicians.”

Kathryn’s Comment: This is great news for construction industry jobs. Building roads, bridges, and infrastructure CAN create more jobs!

New Businesses in High-Speed Rail and High-Speed Internet

President Obama: “The third step in winning the future is rebuilding America. To attract new businesses to our shores, we need the fastest, most reliable ways to move people, goods, and information – from high-speed rail to high-speed internet.”

Kathryn’s Comment: These industries will require engineers, IT specialists, as well as supporting professionals in administration, contracts, budgets, and human resources.

Transcontinental Railroad

President Obama: “We have to do better. America is the nation that built the transcontinental railroad, brought electricity to rural communities, and constructed the interstate highway system. The jobs created by these projects didn’t just come from laying down tracks or pavement. They came from businesses that opened near a town’s new train station or the new off-ramp.”

Kathryn’s Comment: Building new trains and jobs across America is another great idea that could create varied positions to support the new railroad.

High Speed Rail

President Obama: “Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail, which could allow you go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. For some trips, it will be faster than flying – without the pat-down. As we speak, routes in California and the Midwest are already underway.”

Kathryn’s Comment: Again, the President is envisioning a new US-wide industry that will create jobs for many skills, including trades, engineering, administration, customer services, purchasing.

High Speed Wireless to 98% of Business, Faster Internet Into Digital Age

President Obama: “Within the next five years, we will make it possible for business to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98% of all Americans. This isn’t just about a faster internet and fewer dropped calls. It’s about connecting every part of America to the digital age. It’s about a rural community in Iowa or Alabama where farmers and small business owners will be able to sell their products all over the world. It’s about a firefighter who can download the design of a burning building onto a handheld device; a student who can take classes with a digital textbook; or a patient who can have face-to-face video chats with her doctor.”

“All these investments – in innovation, education, and infrastructure – will make America a better place to do business and create jobs. But to help our companies compete, we also have to knock down barriers that stand in the way of their success.”

Kathryn’s Comment: IT specialists (website) and Telecom fields will grow with more and more people being online and with greater dependence on the internet for business development and visibility.

Goal of Doubling Exports by 2014 Export Jobs with South Korea

President Obama: “To help businesses sell more products abroad, we set a goal of doubling our exports by 2014 – because the more we export, the more jobs we create at home. Already, our exports are up. Recently, we signed agreements with India and China that will support more than 250,000 jobs in the United States. And last month, we finalized a trade agreement with South Korea that will support at least 70,000 American jobs. This agreement has unprecedented support from business and labor; Democrats and Republicans, and I ask this Congress to pass it as soon as possible.”

Kathryn’s Comment: International business development will be growing in the near future. International studies, language , and contracting skills will be required for jobs in exporting goods to South Korea.

Pursue Agreements with Panama Asia Pacific for Jobs

President Obama: “Before I took office, I made it clear that we would enforce our trade agreements, and that I would only sign deals that keep faith with American workers, and promote American jobs. That’s what we did with Korea, and that’s what I intend to do as we pursue agreements with Panama and Colombia, and continue our Asia Pacific and global trade talks.”

Kathryn’s Comment: International studies will be important for global business development.

Freeze Government Spending for Five Years

President Obama: “So tonight, I am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. This would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, and will bring discretionary spending to the lowest share of our economy since Dwight Eisenhower was president.”

Kathryn’s Comment: Even with possible government spending freezes, the government will be hiring more workers to support grants and programs for all of the ideas presented in this speech. Engineers, international experts, contract specialists, IT specialists, administrative, accounting, and many professionals will be needed to support the numerous growth career and industry areas. The government is very interested in hiring new graduates to grow into these new industries.

Freeze Federal Salaries for the Next Two Years

President Obama: “This freeze will require painful cuts. Already, we have frozen the salaries of hardworking federal employees for the next two years. I’ve proposed cuts to things I care deeply about, like community action programs.”

Kathryn’s Comment: The salaries will be frozen, but the career ladder positions in government will still get promotions. The government jobs are still the best in the country with excellent benefits and programs. The performance-based promotions to new grades will still be available to employees.

Department of Defense Freeze

President Obama: “The Secretary of Defense has also agreed to cut tens of billions of dollars in spending that he and his generals believe our military can do without.”

Kathryn’s Comment: Even with DOD freeze and cuts, there will still be DOD jobs to support the warfighters and Defense operations. The jobs could be less, but the positions will be available due to retirements, BRAC ,and other reorganizations in DOD agencies and military bases.

Make Government More Efficient

President Obama: “Let me take this one step further. We shouldn’t just give our people a government that’s more affordable. We should give them a government that’s more competent and efficient. We cannot win the future with a government of the past.”

Kathryn’s Comment: If you have been efficient in your career, when you write your resume, add your efficiency ideas, programs, and projects. This could help you to stand out as an excellent candidate for a government job. Keywords for your resume: efficiency and effectiveness of programs, workflow, and processes.

Technology, Medical Records are Automated, Sell Government Lands

President Obama: Now, we have made great strides over the last two years in using technology and getting rid of waste. Veterans can now download their electronic medical records with a click of the mouse. We’re selling acres of federal office space that hasn’t been used in years, and we will cut through red tape to get rid of more. But we need to think bigger.

Kathryn’s Comment: Automation of records is always important for government programs. If you have skills in records management, automation, electronic medical records, you will be competitive for federal positions. Realty Specialists will be required to sell and dispose the federal office space that hasn’t been used in years.

Merge, Consolidate, Reorganize the Federal Government

President Obama: In the coming months, my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate, and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America. I will submit that proposal to Congress for a vote – and we will push to get it passed.

“We live and do business in the information age, but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the age of black and white TV. There are twelve different agencies that deal with exports. There are at least five different entities that deal with housing policy. Then there’s my favorite example: the Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them in when they’re in saltwater. And I hear it gets even more complicated once they’re smoked.”

Kathryn’s Comment: When agencies reorganize, they also create many new positions with newly-structured departments. Watch the news for the new agencies that are restructured or blended.

The American Dream

President Obama: “That dream – that American Dream – is what drove the Allen Brothers to reinvent their roofing company for a new era. It’s what drove those students at Forsyth Tech to learn a new skill and work towards the future. And that dream is the story of a small business owner named Brandon Fisher.”

Kathryn’s Comment: The American Dream is wonderful! I am an entrepreneur and am always thinking of new ways to help people land federal jobs and cope with the complex hiring process. This year, I am building a high-tech training room in my office so I can lead more USAJOBS job search webinars that can be viewed by people around the world. I hope that SBA can help support entrepreneurs and small business owners with funding.

New Ideas and Perseverence

President Obama: “Brandon started a company in Berlin, Pennsylvania that specializes in a new kind of drilling technology. One day last summer, he saw the news that halfway across the world, 33 men were trapped in a Chilean mine, and no one knew how to save them. Later, one of his employees said of the rescue, “We proved that Center Rock is a little company, but we do big things.”

Kathryn’s Comment: New ideas can save lives and provide great services to Americans. If you have a new idea, a first step you can take is to enroll in an SBA Business Plan Writing course.

We Do Big Things

President Obama: “From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That’s how we win the future.”

Kathryn’s Summary: President Obama’s speech included many new job and industry ideas. Most of the proposed jobs require specialized training and education. Pay attention to the industries, legislation and programs in support of these programs, and FOLLOW THE JOBS. In the meantime, look up courses and college majors that can support the new industries. A career strategy will be needed to succeed in these new industries. Start planning now, listen to President Obama’s additional speeches to see more activities and movement on these new jobs and training ideas.

Thank you for reading, and please leave me your comments — I would love to hear your thoughts.

– Kathryn Troutman, Author, Ten Steps to a Federal Job and www.resume-place.com

Real people do these jobs. Talk about a hard day at work. The federal jobs described below–and many more not listed here–deal with some of the most complex topics and problems in America!

What I want to know is this: are these jobs worth the money, or any amount of money, that the employee receives for the headaches, frustrations, difficult negotiations, etc., that will no doubt be part of these positions?

Take, for example, the State Department Analyst who is responsible for promoting communication and cooperation among the various government agencies and private sector organizations supporting the U.S. mission in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. This employee is the ultimate negotiator and must demonstrate optimum patience, negotiation skills, flexibility and ability to navigate complex international and homeland security issues.

Is this job worth $51,630.00 – $81,204.00 a year?

Here are a few true-life examples of challenging federal jobs.

DC Park Ranger: Is this job worth $89,033.00 – $115,742.00 a year?

Duties: Negotiate the terms of right-of-way permits authorizing the use and occupancy of National Park Service land within the various units of the National Capital Region in response to applications submitted by the District of Columbia government for a wide variety of municipal projects, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for wetland rehabilitation and utility installations and upgrades, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for new and expanded metrorail facilities, from private utility companies for new and expanded telecommunication facilities, and electric power lines, and from a variety of federal, State, and local government agencies for various utility service connections, including those of a sensitive nature serving Department of Defense and Homeland Security agencies.

My take: This federal employee must be an amazing multi-tasker, problem-solver, negotiator, communicator and coalition builder. He or she needs to know the ins and outs of real estate and to be tough and HOLD his or her GROUND (The American Public’s Ground). To me, this job seems like too much for one person. This job should be split amongst at least 2 to 3 workers, so that each team member can specialize and work with a particular target issue or audience.

USDA Stakeholder Analyst: Is this job worth $62,467.00 – $97,333.00 a year?

Duties: Maintain contacts and build relationships with organizations including, but not limited to, those representing segments of the dairy, beef, poultry, swine, and equine industries; horticulture production; biotechnology industries and associations; wildlife organizations; and animal welfare interests.

My take: It amazes me that this job serves to protect not only humans with regard to food safety, but animal welfare as well. This analyst must be a subject matter expert who can talk to all kinds of agricultural experts and represent USDA with regards to all kinds of problems and requests from advocacy and manufacturing organizations with specific interests to protect. This USDA Stakeholder Analyst will be representing the American taxpayer before these groups. This is an important job, because we all like to eat healthy food, and we like the outdoors.

Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor (CSTA) for Flight Loads/Aeroelasticity: Is this job worth 114,600.00 – $168,500.00 a year?

Duties: Serve as the FAA’s recognized expert for structural loads on fixed wing airplanes and he/she defines and advances new technologies in flight and ground loads to establish leadership in the field.

My take: This job is a lot of pressure for one person. Airline manufacturers will depend on the new and updated payload policies from this Chief Scientist, who must continually update their expertise in new technologies. American public lives depend on this job.

Veteran’s Administration Budget Analyst: Is this job worth AD-0560-13/15 undisclosed dollars?

Duties: Estimates for Congress the needs of veterans for the costs of providing emergency, acute, and long-term care, specialized care for women veterans, treatment of diseases resulting from exposure to environmental hazards, and residential and community-based care.

My take: America’s veterans have huge needs, and the VA has tremendous budget challenges. This Budget Analyst must analyze, present sound facts, be a strong advocate, and negotiate for the vets and families. This person helps thousands of people.

Food Service Worker for the Army: Is this job worth $9.98 – $13.16 an hour?

Duties: Clean the cafeteria with a ‘sequence of tasks.’ Perform a variety of tasks having several steps or a sequence of tasks that requires attention to work operations in a kitchen or dining area following established procedures.

My take: This food service worker should be diligent, responsible, stand up straight, and work hard! The military personnel will be thankful for a clean and organized kitchen. This is a good job helping the morale of the soldiers and families.

SUMMARY

All of these positions will require Specialized Experience in order to land the job. But they will need WAY more than that. The competencies needed to perform well in these positions will require: communications, interpersonal, negotiation, advocacy, building coalitions, problem-solving, vision, strategic thinking, subject matter knowledge, and more.

The individuals who are hired into these positions will be handling some of the biggest challenges in federal government today. These positions require more than average involvement and performance. Are you interested in dedicating yourself to a complex, important mission? If so, read more jobs like these at USAJOBS.gov.

As we count down to 2011, here are my Top Ten federal job search resolutions to help you get a quick jump start back into your federal job search as soon as the holiday festivities are over.

10. Get inspired! Read a book about an expertise that you have.

Find a book on a topic of interest, such as leadership, management, teamwork or supervision. If the book is inspiring, you might feel more energetic and proud of your past accomplishments – which will translate into a good mood and higher confidence. Looking for a federal job? Here’s a great list of Federal Leadership Books!

Sometimes, job interviewers will ask you what you are reading now. You better get ready for this one. Books on leadership, history, or a topic that supports your non-profit or volunteer work would be perfect for the interview (not political books).

9. Be systematic with your online job search strategies.

Keep a list of your favorite webpages, and check them every day, or, at a minimum, once a week, for positions that could be of interest.

You can waste time at the computer if you don’t have a clear list of sites that you visit regularly and search strategies that work. Limit your time on searching for jobs, so that you can move AWAY from the computer and be productive in other ways.

8. Say “Happy New Year” to your references and people in your network.

This time of year is perfect for reconnecting with people you haven’t touched base with in awhile. Your references and network are your most important allies for your job search. Make a clear list of your best references / network contacts. Write to them, or preferably meet with them in person for lunch or coffee.

Talk to your references, update them on what you are doing, and ask them if they have any leads or ideas about positions. Be positive about your skills, experience, and new or renewed determination for 2011. Review your job search strategies with them.

If you don’t have a Linkedin or other online resume, you could work on that also. You can get testimonials and post your entire resume online for searches.

7. Make a new list of keywords, and check it every time.

Keywords are words that you can find in the recruitment advertisement. Look especially for words that are repeated several times in the job announcements. Make sure these words are included in your Work Experience descriptions. The human resources recruiters read or scan for those keywords in your resume.

Make sure you adapt your resume to include your skills, knowledge, and areas of expertise to each position for which you are applying. One resume won’t work! You have to take that one resume and change it slightly for each job announcement and position.

6. Add a few new “competencies” to your resume.

Competencies are the latest “thing” for human resources – both federal and private industry. Examples of competencies are: flexible, adaptable, customer services, interpersonal skills, excellent at problem-solving.

Do you have good interpersonal skills? If yes, say so in the resume somewhere. Are you great with customer services? Make sure it is in your resume. You might think it is OBVIOUS that you have great communications, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, but don’t be bashful now! Say it in the context of one of your accomplishments. Seriously, the HR specialists and managers love a person who get along great with team members, customers, supervisors, and even complainers! Here’s a Top Ten Managerial Competency List.

5. Stay up on the current events.

Keeping up with the latest happenings can help you get an edge in an interview. Stay on top of the news headlines and get out to local cultural activities, such as museums or galleries, which will have the added benefit of giving you a break from the job search.

4. Add pizzazz to your cover letter.

Cover letters are the hottest new item in federal resumes. Update your cover letter and add a new first sentence or paragraph give it a new 2011 zing.

Samples of positive, energetic starter sentences:

– I’d like to introduce myself to you as a Top Notch Office Administrator for your firm. – Are you looking for a person who can multi-task, solve problems, and who has initiative and energy? I’m available. – I can offer your firm outstanding skills in customer communication, problem-solving and project management. I can prove these skills and strengths by success in growing my company’s sales by 300% in 2009.

3. Take a class or course on something relevant.

Interviewers will want to know what you have done to keep up with your skills. Taking a class in just about anything will give you an interesting angle to talk about in an interview or while networking.

If you can take an online or community college course, here are some suggested courses that are helpful for career development: Technical Writing; Computers Skills; Public Speaking; Ethics (always good for any job); Organizational Development; Leadership; Supervision; Teamwork; Social Media Marketing for Businesses; Budgeting; and Acquisitions and Contracting (for government jobs).

You never know, you might also meet someone in class who knows about job for you.

2. Join a job club.

Go to a job club meeting or job fair once or twice per month. Get out of the house, meet people, listen for ideas, pass around your resume, smile and be friendly. You can be your own BILLBOARD.

I teach federal resume writing at several job clubs in the DC and Virginia area. These FREE meetings are invaluable for job leads, meeting other jobseekers and mentors who review resumes, practice for interviews, and help with job search strategies.

1. Celebrate your accomplishments.

What are you most proud of for 2010 (or the last time you were working)? Make a list and read it out loud. These will be your talking-points for your job interview. Review your list of accomplishments to prepare for an interview and compare them to your resume.

Many resumes that I review do NOT contain accomplishments at all. Or if they do, the accomplishments are one line. Expand on your accomplishments. Add the RESULTS. and even add the CONTEXT or CHALLENGE for what you did. Talk about the problems you overcame and how achieved success. It might seem like bragging, but if you are good at something in your job, you have to write it on paper to get the point across to the hiring official.

Best Wishes for 2011!

Finally, just keep up the good work and remember that perseverance is the key to success in this job market.

From Kathryn Troutman, Author, Ten Steps to a Federal Job

Success Story from First-Time Federal Jobseeker (who was from private industry):

I applied for a position in Reston, VA for a HR Asst. The job announcement closed on Monday (12-20-10) and I rec’d a call yesterday from a Hiring Official yesterday to set up an interview for today (12-22-10). After talking with him for 20 mins; he offered me the position!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that?! I owe a huge THANK YOU to you and Kathryn for making me look GOOD!

Your federal resume is the most important career document you will write as you pursue your new federal career after military service.

First, you have to find the position that’s right for you. Second, you have to write a federal resume that demonstrates you are at least minimally qualified for the job. YOU will have to make this happen.

This past summer, we just released the second edition of our Military to Federal Career Guide, which is a short, easy-to-use book to help returning veterans apply for federal jobs — particularly jobs that they are uniquely qualified to do because of their military experience.

I wanted to share some key pages from this book on how to get started writing a military to federal resume. Click on the pages below to download the PDF version of these pages. If you want to read the entire book, you can buy the print book or download the eBook here.

Also, in honor of America’s veterans, we are having a special discount on all Veterans Federal Resume services. Thank you for all that you have done for our country.