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KSA Writing Archive

10 Big Mistakes Vets Make
Applying to Federal Jobs

Posted in Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing, KSA Writing, Vet Federal Resumes
by Kathryn Troutman on August 26th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

Military to Civilian Resumes       Military Transition       Veteran Federal Resumes

Leaving a military career after 5, 10, or 20 years is traumatic. The career transition out of military is difficult no matter what your rank. The good news is that the federal government is basically just “the other side of the desk.” You’re going to take the “hands-on” skills and technical training from your military experience and convert it over to the policy, program, support, and administration side of the work you have been doing – maybe. The first federal resume after military is your most important resume and the most complex because you will translate your skills for a new career, mission, and customer.

Veterans are perfect for federal civil service positions because of their dedication to public service, the nation’s security, specialized expertise, knowledge of certain missions, technical skills and training, leadership, dedication, work ethic, attitude and willingness to learn and start-over. What’s more, these skills allow you to add 5 or 10 preference points to your application score.

However, sometimes transitioning veterans rush through the federal application and make several mistakes when applying for public-sector jobs

TOP 10 MISTAKES

1.) I only apply for jobs on USAJOBS (or CPOL or DONHR or WHS).

If you limit your search to just one agency or website, you are truly restricting yourself.

There are at least five major sites where you can create a profile, set up a resume builder, answer questions, and apply for a federal job:

- www.usajobs.gov – The official government jobs website, includes Air Force civilian positions
- www.cpol.army.mil – The website where all Army jobs are posted and where you would apply for an Army position
- military.com/careers – A commercial site that manages resumes and job postings for federal agencies.
- www.donhr.navy.mil – The website for Navy and USMC civilian positions
- www.whs.mil – Department of Defense civilian jobs are posted here as is the resume builder and application.

2.) I only apply for jobs without KSA narratives.

If you limit your search to applications that do not require KSAs, you will cut out many job opportunities with the Departments of HHS, VA, Interior, Commerce, Justice, Labor, Transportation and others. You will need to learn how to write KSA narratives and questionnaire essays for a successful federal job search. KSAs are just examples that demonstrate you have a certain Knowledge, Skill or Ability. You can use the KSA Builder developed by The Resume Place to write your “stories” that will demonstrate that you do have a certain knowledge, skill, or ability.

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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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Star-Spangled Banner: Classic KSA

Posted in Federal Resume Writing, KSA Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on June 27th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

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Long KSA narratives may be on the way out, but this KSA written by Kathryn Troutman is a Fourth of July classic!

This KSA features the Context, Challenge, Action, Results (CCAR) format preferred by federal human resources specialists. See our free KSA CCAR Builder to create your KSAs in the CCAR format.

Read the original blog with the historical background to this inspiring story here: Star Spangled Banner Inspiration.

Star-Spangled Banner: Classic KSA

Candidate: Francis Scott Key, Sept. 14, 1814

Position: Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Congress

KSA: Ability to Communicate in Writing

AUTHORED THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

Context: As an attorney and aide-de-camp to General Smith, stationed near Upper Marlboro, MD, I found out my dear friend and elderly, Dr. Beane, who was captured by the British Army during a party at his home in Upper Marlboro. I was on a British vessel flagged for truce by President Jackson, on my way to pick up a captured friend in Marlborough. We got as far as the mouth of the Patuxent and then we were not permitted to return lest an intended attack on Baltimore by the British should be disclosed. We were brought up the Bay just across from Fort McHenry and there we were compelled to witness the bombardment of Fort McHenry, which the Admiral had boasted that he would carry in a few hours, and that the city must fall.

Challenge: We watched the flag at the Fort through the whole day with more than 500 bombs from British ships to Ft. McHenry. In the night the smaller weather flag was flying while we watched the Bomb shells in darkness not knowing that the American Military had secretly planned 4 barges, which the British did not detect. These barges attached the British militia and sent them running, some with tugs assisting. At the early dawn our eyes were surprising greeted by the proudly the 15-star flag of our country (late to be known as the Star Spangled Banner).

Actions: By morning, I was compelled to pen a poem that reflected my thoughts of the war and particularly of the flag, “Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light?” was my first thought.

I wrote four verses that reflected topics about the day before and my vision of the flag in the morning. The first verse reviews the dawn’s light and the flag with broad stripes and bright stars that was still flying in the morning; the second verse reviews the dread silence and how the flag was fitfully blowing; the third verse reviews the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion; and the final and fourth verse celebrates the victory and peace that preserved our nation.

Results: I witnessed the last enemy fire to fall on Fort McHenry and in this memory, I wrote the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry,” which has been renamed to “The Star-Spangled Banner” and has become a well-known American patriotic song. The poem and song were recognized for official Navy use in 1931 and became the national them by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 and signed by President Herbert Hoover.

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Defence of our Nation, Patrick Henry

Defence of our Nation, Patrick Henry

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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