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OPM’s USA Staffing System Error Loses Roughly 70,000 Federal Applications

Posted in Federal Job Info, Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing, www.USAJOBS.gov
by Kathryn Troutman on August 18th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

OPMIf you applied for a federal job between late afternoon Sunday, August 7, 2011 and midday Tuesday, August 9, 2011 the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has some bad news for you and 70,000 of your closest friends: Your application is lost in cyberspace and it isn’t coming back. The USA Staffing system was unexpectedly taken offline on August 9th, according to a message first posted on a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) server. The error occurred during routine maintenance, but the only way to fix it was to take it entirely offline and restore it to its pre-glitch form. This means any work done during those two days was erased. Many more people who tried to apply for positions on August 10th found that they couldn’t. The result was a flurry of complaints posted on the USAJobs Facebook page. OPM has apologized for the problem.

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.

Jack of All Trades? One Resume or Several?

Posted in Federal Job Info, Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing, KSA Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on August 12th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

Many long-time federal employees struggle with focusing their federal resume when they are seeking new positions or promotions. After 10 or 20 years, a typical federal employee has worn at least 4 to 6 “hats” and can be qualified for several different occupational series. The goal is to be deemed “best qualified” to be referred to a supervisor and invited to interview. The “Jack of All Trades” federal resume approach is not recommended. It’s best to focus each resume toward one or two occupational series and even three series, which are closely related with functional or technical skills. Let’s analyze John’s dilemma in writing and targeting his federal resume.

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.

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Top Five Reasons to Apply for a Government Job Today

Posted in Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing, KSA Writing, www.USAJOBS.gov
by Kathryn Troutman on July 8th, 2011 | 1 Comment - Make a comment »

The federal hiring process has changed — for the better! The written Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) narratives are 95 percent gone, so applying consists of posting a USAJOBS resume and completing a multiple-choice questionnaire.

The application process is still complicated, but if you can play poker, golf, bridge, monopoly, or another game with complex instructions and a little strategic thinking, you can compete for a federal job. Here are a few of my favorite tips and insights about what’s new and important in federal hiring after the hiring reform of last year:

1. The written narratives as part of the government jobs application – KSAs – are mostly gone.

This is the best news about the hiring reform that was implemented in November 2010. Before then, government job applications required half-to-one-page written narratives for about four or five required skills for the position, such as: how you can “communicate orally,” “plan or coordinate,” or provide technical expertise in your field.

2. Time for applying for federal jobs is cut in half.

Many more jobseekers are applying for federal positions now that the narrative KSAs are eliminated. This change means that the total time investment required to apply for each position is roughly half of what it would have been under the old system.

3. Now is the time to apply.

The government agencies finally got their budget for 2011. But the budget year will be over at the end of September 2011. So this is a great time to look at announcements and apply for positions. They’ll still be hiring after the budget year ends, but right now there are more positions posted.

4. The government job application process is totally online, with a resume builder and upload system.

I recommend that you copy and paste your resume into the builder, even though it will take you 30 to 45 minutes to set up your first resume. The resume builder will prompt you to give certain resume details that are critical for your qualifications, such as month and year of employment dates for at least 10 years, hours worked per week, supervisor’s name, phone numbers of employers, and salaries for positions going back 10 years.

5. Federal positions are the best in the country.

The entire application process — from finding the best announcement through using the resume builder, completing the questionnaire and uploading both the cover letter and transcript — will take time, determination, and patience. But the end result could be an outstanding career for you, security for your family, and an opportunity to provide service to America.

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The 5-Page SES Federal Resume

Posted in ECQs, Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on June 9th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

SES Application Writing Workshop, June 22-23 and Sep 8-9

Developing and writing a Senior Executive Service (SES) application package with Executive Core Qualification statements (ECQs) is a challenging process that requires dedication and hours of preparation. The process is also very rewarding – a journey that reaps high rewards, when seeking employment among the ranks of some of our government’s top officials (.04% of the total federal workforce).

Since 2008, the Office of Personnel Management has introduced a new method of applying for SES – the five-page resume-based application with the ECQs integrated into the position descriptions. Agencies may use either the traditional SES application method (a senior-level federal resume and set of Executive Core Qualification statements (ECQs) – a 15- to 25-page resume and essay package) or the five-page resume-based SES application.

The five-page resume-based SES/ECQ application requires evidence of the ECQs in the text of the resume. (The ECQs are Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, and Building Coalitions. Each ECQ is an umbrella header for the 28 leadership competencies that OPM has identified for the SES. The 28 leadership competencies must be evident throughout the five-page resume combined with a structured/behavior-based interview).

Developing and writing this five-page resume that persuasively demonstrates decision-making and leadership abilities may require summarizing some 15 to 20 pages of ECQ essays written for the traditional SES/ECQ essay application package, into a coherent five-page document, which tells a story of senior leadership by covering all 28 leadership competencies, but not actually identifying the ECQ categories. (The 2010 Guide to SES Qualifications by OPM states: Candidates should keep the ECQs in mind as they write their resumes, but it is not necessary or even advisable to annotate the resume with “Leading Change”, “Leading People”, “Results Driven”, “Business Acumen”, or “Leading Change”).

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Marking the One Year Anniversary of Federal Hiring Reform, Kathryn Troutman, “Federal Resume Guru” and President of The Resume Place, Addresses the Great KSA Debate

Posted in Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing, KSA Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on May 23rd, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

REGISTER FOR KATHRYN TROUTMAN’S HIRING REFORM WEBINAR ON JUNE 3, 2011!

One year ago, John Berry, Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and President Obama made bold moves to improve the application process for federal jobseekers by eliminating the dreaded Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) narratives from federal applications. Kathryn Troutman and The Resume Place, the leading experts in Federal Resume Writing and Career Consulting, witness firsthand the effects and confusion that government job applicants face regarding Federal Hiring Reform and the supposed elimination of KSAs in federal applications. Receive advice and tips from Ms. Troutman and The Resume Place on how to handle KSAs in the federal resume with the newly published fifth edition of the “Federal Resume Guidebook.”

Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition by Kathryn Troutman

Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition by Kathryn Troutman

It’s no secret that the federal application process is a daunting task for most jobseekers, especially considering that applying for federal jobs is a totally different beast than applying to positions in the private industry. The separate KSA narratives required to apply for government jobs have kept many highly qualified applicants from applying for these positions. The Resume Place provides expert advice regarding federal resume writing and how to deal with KSAs in the applications for federal positions.

One year ago, President Obama published an Executive Order mandating human resources specialists eliminate the dreaded Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) narratives from the first-time federal application by November, 2011.

On Thursday May 19, 2011, Kathryn Troutman addressed the National Press Club to discuss how the lingering effects of the recession combined with the Obama administration’s reform of the federal hiring process, has resulted in more Americans than ever applying for federal positions.

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