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Breaking News: Bye Bye CPOL Resumix! Closing Forever on May 31, 2012

Posted in Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on April 27th, 2012 | No Comments - Make a comment »

We are saying goodbye to CPOL, the Department of the Army’s Civilian hiring system.

The Army Civilian Personnel Online application is the last Resumix keyword automated system available to federal jobseekers. The Navy and US Marine Corps have already moved from Resumix to USA Staffing, which is a combination of USAJOBS for resume submission and ApplicationManager.gov for questionnaire submission.

Army Resume Builder & Answer

OFFICIAL NOTICE from the Army Civilian Resume Builder & ANSWER website:

ATTENTION APPLICANTS: The Army will complete its transition to the DoD Enterprise Recruitment Tool (USA Staffing) effective, 1 May 2012. USA Staffing will be the single hiring process and tool used by all DoD components. Effective, 31 May 2012, the Army Resume Builder will no longer be available. Resumes cannot be electronically transferred to USAJOBS/Application Manager. Applicants must manually extract their resume data prior to the system going off-line. Applicants are encouraged to pre-position their resume into USAJOBS to apply for Army positions. Applicants will be able to view the status of self-nominations from the old system via USAJOBS – My Account – Application Status.

Below is a summary of the major differences between CPOL and USAJOBS for your consideration when revising your resume and applying for civilian Army jobs through USAJOBS.

The Differences Between CPOL and USA Staffing

Application Process

CPOL: Resume Only + Self-Nomination + Documents. The CPOL Resume Builder was liked by many federal jobseekers. It is and has been the easiest and fastest way to apply for a federal job, requiring only a resume, documents, and self-nomination form.

USA Staffing: USAJOBS Resume Builder + Application Manager Questionnaire + Documents (including optional cover letter). The self-assessment questionnaire was originally designed and developed by Bryan Hochstein, Founder of QuickHire, and is now the “valid, reliable assessment tool” that President Obama wrote about in his Hiring Reform Executive Order. The questionnaire questions will be all new for civilian Army applicants. Allow extra time to get used to the questionnaire; there could be between 15 and 60 questions per application. In addition, submitting resumes in USAJOBS will take longer than in CPOL, because one size does not fit all in USAJOBS. Applicants must be careful to ensure that resumes meet the requirements specified in EACH vacancy announcement and tailor the resume to demonstrate the necessary expertise to perform the specific duties of that job.

Resume Selection

CPOL: CPOL is a Resumix system in which the HR specialist and hiring supervisor would agree on 5 to 7 keywords, and resumes are electronically searched for these keywords to identify the candidates meeting the minimum qualifications for referral. Therefore, the first cut is done with an automatic keyword search.

USA Staffing: The biggest myth in federal job search is that people think that the resumes in USAJOBS are read by an automated system for keywords. USAJOBS is NOT a Resumix or automated keyword resume review system. This is a human system, where the keywords are important for the resume for the human HR specialists and the supervisors to read, but there will not be automated keyword searches. In USA Staffing, the first cut is made by questionnaire scores. Give yourself all the credit that you can on the questionnaire. Your questionnaire score is added to your resume score (as determined by an HR specialist), and the combined total score will determine if you are Minimally Qualified, Qualified, or Best Qualified.

Getting Set Up

CPOL: Only one username, password, and profile are required.

USA Staffing: Both USAJOBS and Application Manager require a user name, password, and profile to be set up separately for each system. Once they are set up, you will need to remember/record your user names, passwords, and secret questions.

Vacancy Announcements

CPOL: Vacancy announcements are similar in structure to the new USAJOBS vacancy announcements, but shorter in length and in general with fewer requirements detailed for applications.

USA Staffing: Vacancy announcements are specific for a particular position or positions. The announcements include longer descriptions of duties; Knowledge, Skills and Abilities; specialized experience; and questionnaires.

Character Counts

CPOL: You are limited to 12,000 characters for all of your Work Experiences combined. The preferred resume length is 3 pages.

USA Staffing: In USAJOBS, you can write up to 5,000 characters in length (including spaces) for EACH of your Work Experience job blocks. The USAJOBS resume can be longer, and the preferred resume length is 4-5 pages.

Resume Format

CPOL: Big Block format is the typical format in order to fit all of the necessary content into the 12,000 character allowance.

USA Staffing: Now you can write 5,000 characters for each position, and there is ample space to improve your resume’s readability for the HR specialists, which is very important. We recommend small paragraphs focusing on specific skills with accomplishments included. The KSAs in the announcement should also be covered in the resume. Keywords are still critical for the human resources specialist readers.

Final Note

Good luck with adjusting to the new format, and be sure to move your resume from the CPOL Resume Builder to USAJOBS.gov Resume Builder before May 31st!

Go to: https://resumebuilder.cpol.army.mil/resumebuilder/builder/index.jsp

Then search for army jobs at: http://www.armycivilianservice.com/

Maryland “One Stop” Counselors Get BRAC-Ready

Posted in Federal Job Info, Federal Job Search, Hot Vacancy Announcements, Self-Assessment, Vet Federal Resumes, www.USAJOBS.gov
by Kathryn Troutman on March 25th, 2012 | No Comments - Make a comment »

Forty “One Stop” employment counselors from Maryland and DC have just been trained on the ins and outs of the federal job search. Maryland’s Department of Labor, wanted One Stop clients to have strong support when applying for 20,000 BRAC-related federal jobs flowing into his state. Kathryn Troutman, the federal jobs expert leading the training team.

The state of Maryland has been getting ready. Due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions made in 2005, Maryland expects to receive about 20,000 direct federal jobs. Huge reorganizations of military bases and DOD agencies have slated thousands of additional jobs for the US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds and Fort Meade. The state’s Department of Labor, wanted to improve the success of federal job seekers moving through his One Stop employment centers. Now Md. State and DC employment counselors have received intensive training in the federal job search.

“Applying to work for the federal government is different than in the private sector and much more mysterious for most people,” noted Kathryn Troutman, who is leading the Federal Career Training Institute team doing the training.

Applying for federal jobs has always been complicated. Back in 2002, Troutman recognized the need for special in-depth certifications in federal job training and coaching … coincidentally while doing a one-day training with job counselors in Maryland. The counselors told her they were intimidated by the federal hiring process and tended to avoid it. This conversation a decade ago inspired Troutman to establish her dual track Certified Federal Job Search Trainer™ and Federal Career Coach™ Certifications. The specifics of federal job counseling for veterans are part of the certifications and Maryland training. With the drawbacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, One Stop counselors need to be especially prepared to help ex-military with federal employment. Since federal job titles are different, counselors need to be trained on how to match past experience with the right positions.

In all, 35 “One Stop” employment counselors from Maryland and five from DC completed the major portion of the federal jobs training earlier this year. This means that there is now one Federal Career Navigator for each One Stop office in the state of Maryland. The 2-1/2 day training was done in two groups of 20. The One Stop counselors will all also attend a one-day follow-up session to address any challenges and remaining questions.

Three Federal Career Training Institute trainers lead the two groups through a comprehensive back-grounding in federal employment:

Day 1: Troutman’s 10 Steps to a Federal Job™ approach to applying for federal jobs

Day 2: A federal HR primer, including “special populations” hiring programs (veterans, military spouses, the disabled, etc.)

Day 3: Coaching Practice, including assessment of job applicant skills, figuring out what the jobseeker’s objectives are, determining the skills called for in a job announcement, and counseling on improving the resume and writing it toward a particular position.

Incorporated within the training was also coverage of Troutman’s outline resume-writing technique, a format which has been well received by federal HR. “A major problem with the earlier job campaigns in Maryland was certainly the resumes,” Troutman explained. “Federal resumes require a special format, which is three to four pages on average. Accomplishments need to be emphasized, rather than past duties. Keywords are important. A general resume won’t do.” She said that, for veterans, writing the federal resume can be especially challenging since many have never had to write one before.

Troutman’s federal job certifications are turnkey programs, which means everything is supplied. The Maryland students received six books, including The Federal Resume Guidebook, 5^th edition and books geared toward veterans, students and senior executives. They also were given a Powerpoint of Ten Steps training that can be presented to jobseekers. The very hands-on course was taught at the computer. The certification lasts for two years.

Troutman sees the training of One Stop counselors in Maryland as a model for One Stop centers in other states, especially areas with a high concentration of federal jobs or BRAC opportunities.

“The training demystifies the federal application process,” said Troutman. “After the three days, the counselors feel confidant that they understand the federal system, and can advise applicants on federal jobs that best match their skill set. It’s so important that federal resumes be targeted toward a specific federal job, and we emphasize this throughout the entire three days.”

Now in their tenth year, Troutman’s Federal Job Search Trainer™ and Federal Career Coach™ certifications are the first and only certification programs on the federal job search. The programs are pre-approved to fulfill 24 continuing education hours for the Center of Credentialing and Education’s Global Career Development Facilitator certification. For more information on Troutman’s certification programs and other federal career services, go to www.fedjobtraining.com.

Ten Steps to a Federal Job™

Posted in Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on March 17th, 2012 | No Comments - Make a comment »

A Successful Campaign Strategy for a Federal Job

Be aware that the federal job search and resume is very different from that of the private industry. Sign up for our renowned one-day “Ten Steps” class at the Federal Career Training Institute in Gaithersburg, MD – Next class – April 27th! Follow these 10 Steps to make your government job search more manageable and ultimately land a job with Uncle Sam:

Step 1: Network
Step 2: Become Familiar with the Hiring Process
Step 3: Look for Openings on USAJOBS.gov
Step 4: Assess Your Soft Skills (Core Competencies)
Step 5: Analyze Keywords in Announcements
Step 6: Create Your Federal Resume – Preferably in the Outline Format – Read More Here
Step 7: Write Your KSAs and Essays for Questionnaires
Step 8: Apply for Jobs
Step 9: Follow Up on Your Application
Step 10: Interview for the Job

Ten Steps to a Federal Job for Vet Students

Posted in Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on March 17th, 2012 | No Comments - Make a comment »

Student’s Federal Career Guide, 2nd Ed.

The 2nd Edition of the Student’s Federal Career Guide includes special insight and education for veterans who are returning to college with the Montgomery GI Bill. There are 3 samples of veterans who are returning to college to enhance their careers after college. The Ten Steps are a highly successful strategy for federal job and internship search.

Step 1. Networking The Veterans Recruitment Act (VRA) offers special hiring programs for retiring and separating military (disabled or non-disabled). The best opportunity for a direct hire is a military job fair. You must be well-prepared with an internship or USAJOBS resume, like the samples in this book.

Step 2. Find Your Agency and Job Title When choosing your agency and job title, veterans can use the various military skills translators to determine how you can translate your military positions and experience into job title for government or private industry. You will need to blend the titles of your matching positions from your recent military career, plus your college major and determine what federal job titles will be right for you.

Step 3. Programs for Students PATHWAYS – NEW and investigate various opportunities and programs for veterans students to obtain internships or apprenticeships, such as the Wounded Warrior Programs and Internships and Apprenticeships.

Step 4. Finding The Right Positions For You Many student veterans apply for internships or positions with military services as a civilian or with Department of Defense agencies in order to continue a military- or defense-focused career path. Alternatively, if you are seeking a position outside of DOD or the military, then you will look at other agencies where you can use your skills and college education.

Step 5. Analyzing Federal Jobs For You As a veteran applying for a federal job, you are eligible to receive 5 points for your military service or 10 points if you are a disabled veteran with 10% disability or more. However, in order to receive the extra points on your application, you MUST show that you are Minimally Qualified for that position. Read the vacancy announcements carefully to make sure that you have the education, qualifications, and specialized experience for the position.

Step 6. Federal Resume Writing See the resume sample for Jeremy Denton, a USMC E-5 Helicopter Crew Chief. He will apply for a management Analyst, GS-7 position with a new BS degree in Public Policy. The work experience focuses on transferable skills and the degree emphasizes knowledge of policy and government.

Step 7. KSAs, Questionnaires and Cover Letters Check out the resume sample for Brandon Billings which demonstrates KSAs in the Work Experience section of the resume with keywords and description from a career as E-5, USCG in Maritime Security, Law Enforcement, Investigation and Communication.

Step 8. Apply for Federal Jobs Make sure you know what documentation you need to submit to document your military career. Submit these documents into USAJOBS as early in the application process as you can. All veterans are required to submit a DD Form 214, Military Discharge (Member Copy 4). Veterans claiming 10 Point Preference are also required to submit a completed SF-15 and, supporting documents outlined on the SF-15.

Step 9. Track and Follow-up If you write to a human resources specialist by email, be sure to add to the subject line that you are a veteran (5- or 10-point veteran), along with your name. It could help with responses to your email and the understanding of your hiring programs.

Step 10. Interview for a Federal Job In order to prepare for a behavior-based interview, write about your military leadership, teamwork, training, critical thinking, and your accomplishments ahead of time. Make sure they are relevant for the agency’s mission, the position knowledge, skills and abilities, and that demonstrate your dedication to achieving your past and future objectives.

Another great resource for Veteran Federal Resumes: Military to Federal Career Guide, 2nd Ed., and Cd-ROM. Also available as an eBook. Order and receive copies of your sample veteran resumes right away.

Want to Join the SES? Here is How to Get Started

Posted in ECQs
by Kathryn Troutman on February 10th, 2012 | No Comments - Make a comment »

Are you thinking about applying for the elite SES ranks or for an SES Career Development Program within the next five years? If the answer is yes, then now is the time to start planning! Like in show business, in government there are no “overnight successes.” Instead there can be many unnoticed years of dedicated hard work as you head toward future leadership roles. This concept was illustrated in Rudolph Giuliani’s bestseller Leadership, in which the former New York Mayor states that he didn’t simply become a great leader on 9/11. Instead he purposefully took on challenges throughout his entire career.

Which employees can start planning to apply for SES?

Federal employees eligible to apply for the government’s SES-track Career Development Programs (CPDs) come from the manager and senior technical levels: GS-14 and 15. Others with a five-year plan of their own could begin around GS-12/13.

The best advice to all potential SES applicants is to start writing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) right away.

The Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) are OPM’s tool for assessing whether you have demonstrated the levels of leadership necessary to join the SES to be accepted into an SES Career Development Program.

If you start writing your ECQs now, you can also use this as an important self-assessment tool. “This way, you can begin to look at what’s missing according to the Office of Personnel Management’s required 28 leadership competencies,” advised Diane Hudson Burns, co-author, The New SES Application.

The practical reason for this self-assessment is that you’re going to have to prove your SES worthiness with specified types of real-life examples. If you are lacking some of the real-life examples, then you need to fill in the gaps over the next several years by seeking career opportunities to help you achieve your goal. This exercise will literally help you plan your climb.

The ECQs are your Past Performance.

ECQs are broken into 5 separate leadership competencies (see the list below). You need to write two examples for each of the ECQs from your past work experience which show that you already demonstrate a particular leadership competency. If you have managed a program, changed an organization, lead staff through difficult times, worked through a changing budget, or developed a new partnership, then you have some excellent accomplishments to start writing your ECQs. Consider these ECQ descriptions and questions to help you prepare to write your ECQs:

ECQ #1 – Leading Change: This competency is about leading change, not just implementing change. It demonstrates creativity and strategic thinking. Ask yourself, “When did I lead change? Why was change needed? What was my role in the change?” Remember, this is not about what your department did, but what you did to lead change.
ECQ #2 – Leading People: The second ECQ centers on the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization’s vision. Your example might address conflict management, leveraging diversity, or implementing career development. Ask yourself, “Who did I lead? What was going on with them? What were the challenges of their jobs?”
ECQ #3 – Results Driven: The third ECQ relates to action, staying on task, following up, and being driven by the desired results. Top leaders are very results driven, like Giuliani was as New York’s mayor.
ECQ #4 – Business Acumen: To tackle this qualification, you need three “hats” – leading finances, human capital, and technology. This can be the toughest ECQ. Government people tend to think about programs and policies, rather than business. But think of contracts, procurements and budgets for finance, restructuring, recruitment and training for people, and security, IT security and automation for technology.
ECQ #5 – Building Coalitions: The fifth ECQ is about partnering, political savvy, influencing and negotiating. Ask yourself, “How well do I partner with other organizations to achieve goals? How well do I communicate with them? How well do I work with others?”

Writing your ECQs is like writing your own executive leadership book about what you have accomplished. It’s an important exercise that can result in increased confidence in your achievements and an impressive resume. The ECQs are also important talking points for your next behavior-based interview. For instance: What is your best accomplishment for 2011? Write it down and share it with your best friend or co-worker!

– Kathryn Troutman and Diane Hudson Burn’s book The New SES Application is the latest publication from the award-winning Federal Career Publishers.

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