Now, you can easily order the Career Dummies Books right here from your account at Amazon.com – Just click on the book name below.

I know that if you are reading this blog you are REALLY looking for a federal job, but you should always have a good keyword, private industry resume ready to customize for networking, job fairs, friends and family. Cover letters are needed for emails, online applications and maybe even an email federal application. Job interview preparation is critical — I can’t tell you in enough ways that you must PREPARE for an interview. Reading a terrific book on preparation can’t hurt you. Looking for a new job is a JOB these days requiring practice, research and resources!

All this book’s resumes by The award-winning Resume Place Resume Writers

The Resume Place expert writing team wrote ALL 50 of the sample resumes in this book. They are filled with keywords, accomplishments and are easy to read –  and are edited to be compact and impressive. I recommend this book for writing your private industry resume (paper version), networking resume, LinkedIn resume, online builder resume, upload resume, career change resume. All of the resume samples are tightly-focused toward specific keywords from an advertised opening or announcment! The Resume Place writers are MASTERS at keyword resume writing (becuase of our Federal resume expertise)

COVER LETTERS FOR DUMMIES, 3rd Ed., Joyce Lain Kennedy

This book won the Benjamin Franklin best-career-book-of-the-year award for 2009.

Benefit with a collection of the best cover letters by about 50 of the best resume writers in the country. All are certified by the major resume-writing certification programs. The cover letters (and related self-marketing documents)  are interesting, informative, clever, keyword-filled, fun and usable for YOU to write your own cover letter. The formats include paper, email, LinkedIn profiles and many more self-marketing documents. Choose some great opening and closing phrases and ways to list your top skills and interests in powerful ways. In this job market your cover letter is critical to GRABBING

JOB INTERVIEWS FOR DUMMIES, 3nd Ed., Joyce Lain Kennedy

This book won the Benjamin Franklin best career-book-of-the-year award for 2008

Veteran syndicated careers columnist and author Joyce Lain Kennedy has tips and techniques for mastering a job interview — if you are LUCKY enough to land one Check out this book to prepare, practice and get ready for job interviews that WILL be coming up in 2010. Practice your best accomplishment stories with tips from Joyce’s book. Engage the interviewer, show your personality and interest in the job with your best interview answers — in addition to the excellent skills you have (which got you into the room).

Last evening, I listened closely to President Obama’s speech for new ideas about jobs for Americans that would give us all hope.

I heard about clean energy jobs, something President Obama discussed during the election, but it was not clear where the jobs would be coming from, or even what jobs might be.

I also heard about ideas for small businesses getting help in the form of tax breaks and SBA loans so they could hire more people. I listened closely to this topic because of my recent difficult experience with it. I am the president of a small business, and two weeks ago I got an SBA loan to grow the business and hire more staff. BUT, it took me one year to get the SBA loan, and collateral I had to put down was disproportionately huge — four times the amount of the loan. Basically, the SBA and the small community bank could take over everything I own if anything ever happens to me or to my business. Very few small business owners have this amount of collateral to support a business loan. So, I was understandably skeptical about Obama’s ideas regarding the SBA loans as a way to create more jobs.

Needless to say, I did not come away from the speech with much positive news to share with you.

This morning I took a new approach. I decided to look past the political rhetoric and examine the actions actually being taken right now to generate more jobs for Americans. So, I read the transcript of last night’s speech to compare Obama’s NEW JOB IDEAS with the NEW AND PROPOSED BILLS that will support those ideas.

This is what I found out:

PASSED BILL (2009):

Recovery Act (passed) to create Construction Jobs
This bill has been passed last year and is in action.

BILLS PASSED RECENTLY OR WILL PASS:

New GI Bill and Military Family Bill for more Military Family / Vet Services Jobs
This bill has passed, and these jobs will begin to appear very soon.

New Education Bill to create more Education Jobs
This bill will probably pass and will create more education / teaching jobs.

BILLS IN PROGRESS:

The Jobs Bill - $154B Bill for Transportation and Instructor Training Jobs
This bill has not passed yet.

SBA Loans for Small Businesses ($30B to community banks) to create new Small Business Jobs
The Main Street Lending Restoration Act was just proposed in December 2009.

Doha Bill for more Global Exporting / Business Jobs
This problematic bill has been in the works for a long time and may not pass.

Climate and Energy Bill to create new Clean Energy Jobs
This bill has not passed yet the Senate yet.

and …
A NOTE ABOUT THE SPENDING FREEZE: For those of you who have been worried about a spending freeze, the one piece of solid good news I can give you is that the spending freeze will not start until 2011. Let’s move forward with hope that the programs will begin to have a positive impact on our jobs situation soon.

SUMMARY:

My feeling last night was right: the speech did not say much about REAL JOB CREATION TODAY. So, moving forward, I will continue with my federal job search counseling, training, book publishing and other activities as I have been doing. I will continue to encourage jobseekers to write the best possible resume and federal resume. And I’ll keep encouraging people to stay strong and focused toward the future. Don’t think or worry about what the government is doing. It’s all up to each person to figure out their way to a new job and to solve their financial issues. If the government does come up with programs that will help us, that’s GREAT! But I am not going to sit around and wait. I will continue to be the entrepreneur that I am!

Thanks for reading. Good luck with your job search.
– Kathryn Troutman
Author of several books on federal job search;
Founder and President of The Resume Place, Inc. for 35 years;
and the lucky recipient of an SBA loan!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Write your Senators in support of the Jobs Bill, which has already passed the House. This bill COULD make a difference for you and millions of America’s jobless.

• Find out how to contact your Senator »
• To watch the speech or read the transcript »

No password is required, it’s free and easy to use!

Published with permission by http://www.wordle.net/.

By Kathryn Troutman, Author, Ten Steps to a Federal Job, 2^nd ed.. President, www.resume-place.com, Federal Career and Federal Resume Writing Services, Established 1973

Lots of people have friends and relatives who have safe, wonderful jobs in the government.  Most of these jobseekers are current out of work, or almost out of work. Everybody knows that the application process for a federal job is complex, difficult, daunting, burdensome and every agency has their own way of applying. BUT THE GOVERNMENT JOBS ARE AMAZINGLY GOOD.

So, I predict the following changes in attitude (acceptance), writing and application strategies toward finding and landing a federal job by first-timers who REALLY NEED A GOOD, STABLE JOBS!

One: Jobseekers will accept the complex announcements and become federal job announcement interpreters and background researchers. In order to understand a federal job announcement,  a federal jobseeker must look up an agency or office mission to read a job announcement in context.

Here’s my advice: If you find an announcement that seems right for your qualifications, do some background study on the announcement or office.  Interpret the words in the job announcements, so they can apply for the job successfully.

As an example, for the Contact Representative job announcement, many agencies need Contact Representatives to talk by phone to the American Public who need help with Medicare, Taxes, Financial Aide, Passports, Immigration, and other government services. The Contact Representative job is a very good entry-level position and is quite similar to a Customer Services Representative for a corporation or business.

Here is a complicated duty statement and “specialized experience” for the Contact Representative: “The incumbent will provide technical assistance to individuals and/or businesses primarily through telephone interaction in a dynamic call center environment, and/or face-to-face contact.

My interpretation of this duty: You will talk on the phone or see people in person; answer questions and be very busy.

Your federal resume could include description similar to this one if you want to provide that you have this “specialized experience”: Communicate daily by phone or in-person with more than xx customers who inquire about products, services and problem. Listen to the information provided, research their inquiry in our databases, interpret rules and regulations as needed, and resolve problems. Refer some problems as needed to supervisors efficiently. Ensure customer satisfaction and attention to detail. Recognize priority and critical situations and use diplomacy to resolve complex problems.

Two:  Jobseekers can learn how to apply by practicing applying for federal jobs. It just takes practice to get good at anything – sports, cooking, computer skills. Same with applying for federal jobs. It takes practice and learning the hard way.

Here’s my advice for practicing: Practice applying for federal jobs. Practice applying for jobs that are NOT perfect for you, or maybe they are perfect, but expect to make mistakes in applying. This way you will be ready to apply correctly for the perfect job.  Or apply for a job in a state where you don’t want to live. And if you are referred to the position, you can wait and see what happens. If you do get an interview (amazing), you can decide what to do then.

Three:  Write your federal resume with federal job announcement keywords and learn how to paraphrase an announcement. First-timers can’t believe that the federal resume is on average two times the length of a private industry resume. An average federal resume IS 4 pages.  The reason the federal resume is longer, is that the resume needs to show that you have the skills for the position – in writing! That means, more words, more descriptions in your federal resume.

Here’s my advice for changing your language and writing style for your federal resume: Select your best vacancy announcement from USAJOBS. Go to the Duties section. Read the first 5 sentences and select 5 keywords that are nouns or verbs. Add these words to your resume – if they are true and you can add them.  The language of federal jobs is different than private industry job descriptions. In order to successfully “go federal”, you have to interpret your skills into federal language.

The USAJOBS announcement for a Program Assistant includes this set of duties:  “The incumbent will research, gather, assemble, analyze and consolidate program information to support organizational goals; analyze documents to ensure distribution, consolidation of comments, and needed follow-up action.”

Your private industry resume might include this sentence:

Research information and analyze documents for projects; compile information for comments.

Your federal resume should include a more detailed sentence, paraphrasing the announcement:

Gather, analyze and research data for project review.  Organize information to support project objectives. Prepare documents for distribution and final comments. Follow-up and handle details for project completion.

A recent article in the Washington Post highlighted the need for reform of the Federal government’s Senior Executive Service. The article summarized the findings of a report developed jointly by the Partnership for Public Service, and the consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, supports plans being developed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to overhaul the entire SES program, from selection to development to retirement. The report indicates that the SES, with an outstanding program concept for government executive leadership, has not reached it’s potential for a variety of reasons, including stagnation, lack of applicants and simply not enough attention to development and retention of exceptional leaders.

The report, and OPM’s proposal both recommend significant changes to the SES program, including rotational assignments, and a streamlined selection process. Additionally, the report advocates for development of an “elite” corps of managers that regularly move across agencies. Other recommendations call for OPM to recognize qualified executives for temporary or permanent assignments, especially to address natural disasters, emergencies, administration changes or other policy or technology changes already in place. OPM will begin to review and propose solutions to these issues through the development of an “SES office” that will serve as a clearinghouse for all senior executive issues within the government.

About the ECQs: The report describes the ECQs as essays where applicants write how they have demonstrated their competencies through work experience or training and development. Often times these essays run 10 pages or more. OPM has responded by developing 2 alternatives. One being the accomplishment record, the other being a strict resume-based application method.

As OPM begins to review and potentially change elements of the SES program, The Resume Place is your expert to assist you in developing a competitive application package. Our SES experts are tracking the OPM changes, and are providing feedback to OPM on recommended changes. We will be happy to work with you on changes to your materials if the selection process changes. If you are considering applying for SES positions — don’t wait for these changes — there are great opportunities out there today — call us for a consult or log on to http://www.resume-place.com/services/services-menu/ses/ to learn more.

Important SES Websites:

SES Salaries
http://www.opm.gov/ses/performance/salary.asp

Career SES Pay for Performance Awards – Charts
http://www.opm.gov/ses/facts_and_figures/SES_AnnualReport_FY2007.pdf

OPM’s Main Senior Executive Services pages
www.opm.gov/SES

Executive Core Qualification Descriptions
http://www.opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp

SES Job Vacancies
http://www.opm.gov/ses/recruitment/vacancies.asp

Performance and Salaries
http://www.opm.gov/ses/performance/index.asp

Partnership for Public Service
Read a pdf file of Reimagining the Senior Executive Service here:
http://www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications/viewcontentdetails.php?id=136

Susan Custard brings a unique perspective to her coaching — more than 30 years of experience working across HR functions. With this experience, Susan applies her in-depth knowledge of various government occupations and positions to develop and execute an effective career management strategy.  Susan also brings outstanding interview training to clients with expertise in behavioral interview training.  Susan has coached and worked with clients in career transition at all levels from entry-level to the C-suite.

Susan specializes in offering customized services to clients that can include consulting, coaching, resume development, and interview preparation. Susan’s consulting services  include comprehensive employment application development, content strategies, content analysis, discussion and brainstorming on leadership examples, competency analysis and decision-making, writing and focusing strategies.  Other clients can benefit from Susan’s approach to career coaching, which includes strategic career planning and counseling, focused on a particular area or level. Susan excels in developing effective partnerships to coach clients in creating a personalized career management strategy that will leverage opportunities and experience to an effective and satisfying placement.

LOOKING FOR A DOOR INTO FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT?
THIS OPPORTUNITY MAY BE FOR YOU.

THE POSITION PERTAINS TO MULTIPLE FEDERAL AGENCIES IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS.

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: PH-09-JL-290071

The title of the position is Contact Representative and is an excellent entry level position at the GS-05 level. The application period extends until December 31, 2009.

As a Contact Representative, your typical work assignments might include directing customers, issues, questions, or complaints to the appropriate person or place; using computer systems or applications to access, update, or retrieve data, files, or other information; providing direct and personal service to the public; maintaining security or confidentiality of records, equipment, or computer access; and searching files, documents, or other sources for information.

The qualifications required involve assisting individuals in resolving problems; researching background material; providing information on organizational policies or procedures; determining eligibility requirements for benefits or services; and reviewing records to resolve discrepancies. You may also demonstrate qualifications through education or a combination of education and experience. The knowledge, skills, and abilities questionnaire questions are centered around competencies such as managing and organizing Information, writing, interpersonal skills, speaking/oral communication, and customer service.

GO FOR IT AND GOOD LUCK !!!

Peter R. Orszag, head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) says that Federal civilian agencies should grow their acquisition workforce by at least 5% over the next 5 years. Last year, these agencies awarded and managed an estimated $138 billion in civilian contracts, according to the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Knowing this, would you like to change your job series from Administrative, Program Analyst, IT, or other job series and move into the Business and Industry Career Series? Would you like new challenges, training, customers, projects, and opportunities for growth? Why not consider analyzing the 1101 and 1102 job series? If you are interested, then it’s time to add contracting, life cycle management and acquisitions into your Federal Career Toolkit. First you will need to study the Qualifications, Education and Specialized Experience in order to build your federal resume or KSAs toward Contracts and Acquisitions work.

Sandra Lee Keppley, retired Human Resources Specialist and Director, Labor Employee Relations at Department of Labor joins Kathryn Troutman to answer Frequently Asked Questions by current federal employees about applying to the Contract Specialist job series.

Educational Requirements

What are the basic educational requirements: To qualify for positions at grades GS-5 through GS-12 in the 1101 or 1102 job series, you must possess either a bachelor’s degree OR have completed at least 24 semester hours of coursework in certain business-related fields. In order to qualify for positions at grades GS-13 and above, you must possess a bachelor’s degree AND at least 24 semester hours of coursework in certain business-related fields. The 24 hours may be included in, or in addition to, coursework taken to complete the degree program.

Does the phrase “a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree” mean I must have a degree, or just that I must be enrolled in a degree program? The phrase means you must possess a bachelor’s degree conferred or approved by an accredited U.S. college or university based on a 4-year course of study. Simply being enrolled and working toward a degree does not meet the qualification standard. Furthermore, “honorary” degrees or other degrees with no basis in coursework do not satisfy the standard.

Does the degree have to be a business degree? No. A qualifying bachelor’s degree may be in any field of study and may be of any type, such as Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Business Administration. The 24 semester hours, however, must be in some combination of the eleven fields listed in the standard.

When the degree AND 24-hour coursework requirements must be met for GS-13 and above positions, can I count courses taken as part of my degree program to satisfy the 24-hour requirement? Yes, coursework could simultaneously count for the degree requirement and the 24-hour requirement. For example, if you earned a business degree, you should have completed sufficient credits in the required fields to satisfy the 24-hour requirement. However, if your degree is in another field, such as sociology, you might need to take some additional courses in the fields identified in the qualification standard to complete the 24-hour requirement.

“Grandfathering” — The Exception Provisions

I am currently working as an 1102 in a civilian agency. Am I “grandfathered” for civilian agency positions based on having a certain number of years of experience (meaning the requirements do not apply to me)? The 1102 qualification standard does have some grandfathering features for the existing workforce, although none of those features are tied to a prescribed number of years of experience. Every 1102, regardless of grade, is considered to meet the standard for the position and grade held as of January 1, 2000, and is qualified for positions in other civilian agencies at the same grade without having to meet the educational and training requirements. In addition, an 1102 can be promoted through grade GS-12 without meeting the qualification requirements. There is no grandfathering provision that allows experience to substitute for education in order to qualify for promotions to GS-13 and above.

Do existing Federal employees in other series, such as GS-1105, have to meet the educational requirements to move into the 1102 field? Yes. The 1102 standard applies to every civilian agency 1102 position and must be met by individuals entering the series from outside the Government, or from other series within the Government. If you are a current 1105, you must meet the educational requirements to lateral or promote into the 1102 series.

What does this phrase mean: “Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12″? This statement is found in the “exceptions” paragraph for GS-5 through GS-12. Simply stated, it exempts employees hired by January 1, 2000 from the educational requirements for any position up to GS-12. If you meet neither the degree nor 24-hour requirement, you can still be promoted through GS-12. All individuals hired since January 1, 1998 should meet the educational requirements since they were hired under the former standard. However, many 1102s hired before January 1, 1998 do not have the education now required, and the exception accommodates those employees. Additionally, in the event someone was inadvertently hired into the 1102 series between January 1998 and January 2000 who did not actually meet the former standard, that employee would be covered by the exception.

Education Waivers

Can the qualification requirements for positions in grades GS-5 through GS-12 be waived? No. All new entrants into the GS-1102 career field at grades 5 through 12 must meet the qualification requirements. The requirements cannot be waived. However, if you are already an 1102 below grade GS-12 as of January 1, 2000, the “exception” language of the standard allows you to be promoted through GS-12 even if you do not have the education specified by the standard.

Do I need a waiver for any promotions up to GS-12? No. A waiver is not necessary for promotions under grade GS-13 because all promotion candidates would either meet the standard or qualify for the “exception” at those lower grades. Waivers only exist for the requirements that apply to positions at GS-13 and above.

I do not meet the educational requirements for a position at GS-13 and above. Do I have to obtain a waiver to apply for a job? No. The senior procurement executive of the hiring agency must grant a waiver only if the agency wants to select you to fill a position. If the vacancy announcement indicates that waivers may be granted, you can apply for the position. The human resource office will forward your application for review, along with the other applications, with a note that one or more applicants may need a waiver. At the agency’s option, the waiver may be applied to any of the educational, training, or experience requirements, or combination thereof, as specified in the vacancy announcement.

Can I get a waiver and “carry it with me” every time I apply for a job? No. A waiver is the prerogative of the hiring agency and would be granted based on the unique circumstances of a hiring action. “Blanket” waivers do not exist.
If I receive a waiver for a GS-13 position, do I need a new waiver for a GS-14 promotion, even if it is in the same agency? Yes. Waivers are specific to a selection action, so any selection for a future promotion would require another waiver if you still did not meet the qualification requirements.

As the government grows its acquisition workforce, more career opportunities will become available, and you should consider whether a move to the 1101 or 1102 job series is right for you. If so, now is the time to work on building a resume with the right education, qualifications, and specialized experience. I hope this FAQ helps you think it out!

Sandy Keppley comes to The Resume Place as a Human Resources Professional with over 25 years of solid experience as a manager, supervisor, team leader and technical professional in the field of Human Capital Management. Sandy began her Federal career in the clerical field at one of the lowest levels, GS-2. Through years of diligence, self improvement, and hard work, she recently retired as Director, Labor Employee Relations at Department of Labor, Washington, D.C. at the GS-15 level.

Her career spans various Federal environments such as Navy Supply, Army installations, Army Research and Development, Army Corps of Engineers, and Department of Labor, and she uses her knowledge of professional, scientific, administrative, clerical and trades occupations to help Resume Place clients present their qualifications effectively. Her own experience in leadership, human resources management, team and partnership building, and problem solving allows her to inspire applicants to develop application content on their own accomplishments. She also has experience in labor and employee relations (union and non-union); alternate dispute resolution; position management and classification; training; staffing; workers compensation; performance management; employee benefits; and employee recognition; she is a certified mediator.

Sandy’s expertise in federal application writing includes the federal resume as well as KSA narratives and self-assessment questions. She has comprehensive knowledge of automated staffing mechanisms such as RESUMIX, and has extensive first-hand experience with the federal hiring process.

This article was reprinted with permission from fedmanager.com

Attention!
ALJ Announcement opened, 900 applications were received, announcement closed after 30 hours.
Prepare your ALJ Application Ahead for next announcement!
Begin with Consultation.
New ALJ Writing Guide Coming Soon!

Experienced litigators and administrative law specialists take note—the U.S. Office of Personnel Management recently announced that the Administrative Law Judge exam is soon to open.

Thought to be one of the best jobs in government, ALJs are paid on a special pay scale that is commensurate with Senior Executive Service; but ALJs do not have direct supervisors and are not subject to participation in cursory performance appraisal activities. They have no production goals, and are not responsible for supervising others.

Some view the position as prestigious—the Supreme Court noted that for most Americans, an ALJ is the highest ranking government official they will ever encounter. For attorneys looking to leave the grind of private practice, especially in a declining economy, the ALJ position provides steady and interesting work at a stable and equitable salary, which tops out in 7 years at over $160,000.

You can’t talk about ALJ hiring without talking about the Social Security Administration. SSA employs around 90% of all ALJs in the federal government. As of March 2009, there were 1,422 ALJs employed at 30 federal agencies and sub-agencies. SSA employed more than 1,100 of them. Chief Judge Frank Cristaudo has stated that SSA will hire up to 190 ALJs in a variety of locations in fiscal year 2010. Those judges will be hired from the register created by successful applicants from the upcoming exam. Applicants on the register could also be hired by any of the other agencies employing ALJs. Join in the Social Security Administration Blog and read about ALJ discussions. Blog quote: “I urge those who want to become Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to study this notice carefully and to monitor the OPM website closely. The last time the register was opened, it only stayed open for a few days. Many who were interested in becoming ALJs failed to apply in time.”

Elizabeth Juge, a Senior Federal Career Consultant and Legal Application Expert at The Resume Place in Baltimore, MD, answers Frequently Asked Questions by attorney applicants about qualifications, the exam review process and how to prepare successful application materials.

Do I have to have prior judicial experience?
In a word, no. Most selected as ALJs have never been judges, although former state and local judges do fare well in the process. To debunk another myth, no political connections are required. ALJs are the only U.S. judges that are appointed solely based on merit. They are rated and ranked based on the information provided in the exam process. The minimum requirement is completion of a Juris Doctor, being a member in good standing of a state bar association in the U.S. (or one of a few territories) and 7 or more years experience as a practicing attorney. The best candidates have both litigation and administrative law experience. Other excellent attributes to feature are your ability to maintain a composed judicial demeanor and your knowledge of how a courtroom is run. Typically candidates with varied career experience fare well.

What is the deadline for applying? Is the exam timed?
When the announcement for the exam gets posted (which is rumored to be mid November 2009), the application will be open for a designated period of time (historically 2 weeks) OR until a maximum number of applicants is received. In 2008, 600 applications were allowed and that number was reached on the second day the announcement was posted. Plan ahead and get your materials in shape well before the announcement comes out. It is very unlikely you will have more than 2-3 days to apply.

You will submit your materials online at OPM’s website. The process of inputting your application is not timed. It is recommended that you do your writing in a word processing program and copy/paste into the online system to avoid errors or technological glitches.

What is the total application like?
The full application and “examination” requires answers to multiple choice questions (self-assessment questionnaire), a federal resume (which is typically 4-6 pages long), answers to the 6 narratives in the Accomplishment Record and 2 additional narratives that respectively detail your administrative law and litigation experience.

What does the Federal Resume look like for an ALJ Application?
The Federal resume is more detailed than your private practice resume. Most private practice resumes are two pages and do not include a great amount of detail describing your legal skills. The federal resume should contain more information in the Work Experience section of the resume. Your current position, and the past two positions should be described in detail. I would recommend that the current position be written in 1/2 to 2/3 of one full page. This is the most important position. The second and third positions can be somewhat shorter. But the Human Resources specialists will be looking for content and descriptions of your work as an attorney. Study OPM’s qualifications when writing your federal resume. They will be most interested in the last 10 years of your professional career. The biggest differences between private practice and federal resume will be in the Work Experience section with more details about the last 10 years of experience.

What comprises the ALJ Accomplishment Record?
The Accomplishment Record is made up of several competencies relevant to the job in which you will detail examples from your experience that demonstrate your competence in each area. Not all of your examples need to be from your legal experience. Other parts of your community and life experience can be effective too. Have you ever served on a board or commission? Made critical decisions as part of a review panel? Written a published work that was persuasive and well received? It’s all fair game for your accomplishments.

What’s the best way to write the “2 additional narratives”?
Detail your administrative law and litigation experience.

What are key words and do I really need to worry about them?
Key words are the buzz words and phrases that pertain to the top skills and most relevant qualifications for the job. They can be found right in the announcement and assessment questions. Because the applications are rated by Human Resources professionals and not fellow attorneys (nor ALJs), use of these key words points a lay person to how your qualifications match up to critical criteria. This is an area where many applications go astray. The use of legal jargon and complicated language can hurt your application. Understanding how to use the key words is vital. This process may make the application seem duplicative, especially because you will use the same key words in the resume and the narratives, but is effective and proven to yield good results.

Do you have to be an agency insider to have a real shot at this job?
No. Because of the merit-based principles, each applicant is rated solely on merit. In fact, being an agency insider can be a detriment if your agency work is viewed as less than stellar.

Will I get my veteran’s preference?
Yes. All the consideration of veteran’s preference apply, including the 5 or 10 points.

What happens after I submit my initial application?
If you are among the highest scoring applicants on the initial Accomplishment Record, you will be invited to OPM headquarters for the Written Demonstration and a Structured Interview. The Written Demonstration has been described as similar to a bar exam and each candidate will write a mock decision. The Structured Interview is just that—an interview where each candidate is asked the same set of identical questions. The combined score of all three steps in the process makes up your final score. A score of 40 or higher will land you on the register.

What does it mean to be on the register?
Those candidates whose applications have scored highly enough will be placed on the ALJ register – simply a list of high-scoring candidates — until an agency requests names of candidates who can be interviewed by the agency and hired. This second list is called a “certificate,” and it contains three candidates for every one position to be filled. You could be on the register for a few weeks or many months before being called by an agency for an interview. The current register will expire in October 2010. The timeline for the new register will be detailed in the upcoming announcement.

Why are so many ALJs being hired?
Because they employ so many judges, the Social Security Administration largely drives the process. SSA needs to decrease the backlog of pending disability claims from some 800,000 cases and also reduce the processing time for the almost 500,000 new cases annually.

How can I find a list of the agencies that hire ALJs?
Visit the website for the Federal Administrative Law Judges Conference at www.faljc.org . There you can find a list of agencies that hire ALJs, a copy of the 2008 application questions and other basic information about the application process.

What is the salary structure?
Starting salary ranges from $116,000 to $129,000, depending on locality. Full performance level is $162,000 and is reached in 7 years. Current or former federal employees who are earning more than the starting salary do not take a pay cut and may start with a small increase over their previous salary.

What areas of the country have these jobs available?
There are ALJs all over the United States and in Puerto Rico. When you apply for the job, you will be asked to select from 80-120 cities where jobs are available. You can preference as many as you like. Later in the process, you are allowed to reduce the number of areas you will consider. Once you submit your final geographic availability list, you may be offered a job in any of those locations.

1.  START NOW! The announcement may only be open 1 to 5 days, depending on how many applications they have set as their goal.

2.  Use PLAIN LANGUAGE and the KEY WORDS from the application.  Avoid complicated legal jargon.  Remember that your application will be rated by a non-attorney.

3.  Make sure your RESUME supports your Accomplishment Record.  The resume should feature your DUTIES that speak to the required skills as well as your unique career ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

4.  Apply the CCAR (context-challenge-actions-results) method to your Accomplishment Record NARRATIVES.

5.  Feature areas of ADMINISTRATIVE LAW in which you have experience that might be of benefit to the regulatory and enforcement agencies.  Examples are employment, immigration, disability, energy, etc.

Elizbeth’s links:

OPM’s press release:
http://www.opm.gov/news/opm-to-announce-opening-of-administrative-law-judge-exam,1487.aspx

OPM to Open Administrative Law Judge Exam
http://www.fedmanager.com/current_e-report.php#1400

OPM’s Qualifications for ALJ:
http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/alj/alj.asp

ALJ Pay System & Scale:
http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/HTML/ALJ-PaySystem.asp
http://www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/html/alj_loc.asp

The Administrative Law Judge job Announcement is not out yet.
Please search for it at www.usajobs.gov

OPM to Open Administrative Law Judge Exam
http://www.fedmanager.com/current_e-report.php#1400

OPM’s Qualifications for ALJ:
http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/alj/alj.asp

OPM ALJ Fact Sheet:
http://www.usajobs.gov/ei28.asp

Social Security Blog / News:
http://socsecnews.blogspot.com/search/label/ALJs

Elizabeth Juge

Elizabeth is trained in Federal Human Resources recruitment and selection. She has written professionally for 15 years and joined The Resume Place as a full time writer and career consultant in 2005. She consults with jobseekers to match their qualifications to targeted jobs and develops strategies for the job search and application materials. As a professional trainer working alongside Kathryn Troutman, Elizabeth has taught Ten Steps to a Federal Job and writing classes to numerous job seekers, military counselors and federal human resources professionals.

A specialist in federal legal applications and Senior Executive Service writing, Elizabeth was a contributing editor on Kathryn Troutman’s 4th edition Federal Resume Guidebook, editing chapters on resume writing and career development. She recently wrote the chapter on KSA writing and edited other chapters in Ten Steps to a Federal Job, 2nd edition. Her application writing work has helped numerous RP clients earn best-qualified rankings in their Federal Job applications.

October 1, 2009, ABC News Now’s Tory Johnson interviewed Kathryn Troutman for the Job Club yesterday. Kathryn discussed 4 critical steps to applying for a federal job. Page samples were from the Jobseeker Guide, 3rd Edition. The Ten Steps come from Ten Steps to a Federal Job, How to land a Job in the Obama Administration, 2nd Ed.

IMPORTANT TIPS FROM 4 OF THE TEN STEPS TO A FEDERAL JOB:
Step 5: Keywords can be found in the DUTIES section of the USAJOBS Vacancy Announcement.
Step 6: The best USAJOBS federal resume is The Outline Format which features keywords in ALL CAPS and small paragraphs.
Step 7: What are KSAs? KSAs are stories that demonstrate from your Accomplishment Record that you DO have a certain Knowledge, Skill or Ability.
Step 8: Applying for a federal job requires “reading the instructions”. The How To Apply page can be different, depending on the agency. Kathryn has produced a handy Resume Builder Chart with about 40 ways to apply to a federal job.

Last questions:

Tory: What’s a quick strategy to write accomplishments for KSAs?
Kathryn: Write a list of 5 of your best accomplishments form your last few positions, then use these for your KSAs.

Tory: How long will it be before you hear from a federal hiring official?
Kathryn: Each agency is different, but they are moving faster!

Tory said that there seemed to be Hope and Optimism for Federal jobs.

We have been asked to create a self-assessment sample in both the CCAR and OER formats. Many Army Civilian agencies are using the OER format for self-assessments. Both CCAR and OER are great becuase the structure recommends additional information in the self-assessment examples.Nancy Segal has written this JO and self-assessment sample for you to use as a template. The NSPS book has about 80 more sample JOs and at least 24 Self-Assessment Accomplishments for you to study while you are writing in our Job Objective and Self-Assessment Library.ASSESSMENTS WITH MORE DETAILS: Some people write just one or two sentences for each accomplishment and that may not be enough for the raters to understand the scope of the accomplishment (context), what you did to achieve it (efforts or actions), what obstacles you overcame (challenge), and what happened (results). If you don’t give write background or detail, they may not understand the example. The more background on the value of your performance to your mission, the better you will be rated.

RECOMMENDED:  WRITE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH ONE OF THE FORMATS:  C C A R   OR   O E R

IT’S OKAY TO WRITE ONE EXAMPLE, IF IT IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT!

This Sample Job Objective in this newsletter will have only ONE Accomplishment, because it is a MAJOR Accomplishment for the year and clearly demonstrate howshe exceeded her job objective this year. This works for MAJOR accomplishments. Otherwise, you can write two accomplishments that will average 1,000 characters.

The CCAR format is the original format recommended: Context, Challenge, Action, Results. Most of the samples in the NSPS book are in the CCAR format. They can be changed to OER easily. If you would like to use our Free CCAR Self-Assessment Builder, it could help you focus on your writing – add more details and background on the accomplishment. Then, you can edit back to 1,000 or 1,500 characters.

Supervisors/ Raters, Pay Pool Staff might appreciate the acronyms for easier reading:  C C A R  or  O E R   in the paragraphs. They will have a lot of assessments to read and understand about your performance this year.

Count your characters: You can write one, two, or three accomplishments in the 2,000 character space in the PAA 3.0.Make sure you check your self-assessments against the Expected and Enhanced Benchmarks. You can see the benchmarks and keywords from the descriptions at our very popular and free NSPS Keyword Tree. 30,000 DOD employees have accessed the Keyword Tree for writingself-assessments.

Good luck with your writing. If you want to see more JOs and self-assessments, the new book, Writing Your NSPS Self-Assessment, 2nd edition has many more examples.

You can see the Job Objective Library Table of Contents here.You can also practice your self-assessment writing by using the PAA 3.0 Fillable form. Then copy and paste the entire document into My Biz when it is all completed. The PAA fillable form is available here.

You can order the 2nd Edition of the book here – both print book (shipping end of this week), or eBook, available immediately!

SAMPLE JOB OBJECTIVE IN SMART AND SELF-ASSESSMENT IN C C A R OR O E R

Michelle Milton
Budget Officer, YA-560-2

JOB OBJECTIVES:

S M A R T FORMAT: SPECIFIC, MEASURES, ALIGNED, REALISTIC, TIMED.:

If your JOs are not in SMART this year, just wait until next year … rewrite them in SMART for your next performance year. It’s easier to write accomplishments against the SMART JO format!

Job Objective 1:  BUDGET GUIDANCE

S:  Budget guidance developed for supported organizations.

M:  Guidance from HQ interpreted accurately and applied appropriately for Command. Instructions to supported organizations are clear, concise and timely disseminated and contain examples of expected submissions; at least one follow up to each supported organization is made within 10 days of their receipt of instructions. Questions about instructions are acknowledged within 24 hours of receipt and responded to within 72 hours.

A:  Ensures that budget funds for mission accomplishment are appropriately requested and adequately documented.

R:  Assumes guidance received from HQ .

T:  Guidance drafted and submitted to supervisor within 21 of receipt from HQ; other timeframes as indicated.

Contributing Factor:  Critical Thinking

Character count:  778

C C A R Context, Challenge, Action, Results Format

Self-Assessment for Job Objective 1 – Budget Guidance

I exceeded this job objective, demonstrating my ability to analyze and distil complex instructions, identify relevancy for my command and communicate expectations effectively to my customers.

CONTEXT:  I support 8 organizations in my Command; these organizations have more than 600 employees and varying functions but all work on various weapons systems.

CHALLENGE:  The budget guidance from HQ was very general and this was my first year in this position. I needed not only to interpret the instructions but demonstrate my understanding of my organizations’ functions so that I could effectively apply the instructions to their varying needs.

ACTION:  I researched prior years’ Command budget instructions; I also solicited feedback from my customers about last year’s approach to understand what worked and what did not. Next I drafted instructions and solicited customer feedback on the draft and made adjustments accordingly to address suggestions. Using my critical thinking skills, I ensured that instructions were applicable to my customers and used their language to enhance understanding; I also created specific, relevant examples for each part of their submission. The instructions I issued were timely and complete. I followed up with my customers individually, consistent with the metric and created a 2-hour briefing for my customers to help them understand the instructions and answer questions. I offered the briefing four times over the course of 6 weeks to give my customers opportunity to attend at their convenience.

RESULTS:  I had 100% attendance at my briefings and the feedback I received was extremely positive. Typical comments from my customers included, “easiest budget call ever”, “you really explained the process; first time I understood it completely”, and “thanks for your help.” I also received positive feedback on the thoroughness and helpfulness of my responses throughout the budget preparation period.

Character count: 1,938

O E R  Objective, Effort, Results Format

Self-Assessment for Job Objective 1 – Budget Guidance

OBJECTIVE:  I exceeded this job objective, demonstrating my ability to analyze and distill complex instructions, identify relevancy for my command and communicate expectations effectively to my customers. I support 8 organizations in my Command; these organizations have more than 600 employees and varying functions but all work on various weapons systems. The budget guidance from HQ was very general and this was my first year in this position. I needed not only to interpret the instructions but demonstrate my understanding of my organizations’ functions so that I could effectively apply the instructions to their varying needs.

EFFORT: I researched prior years’ Command budget instructions; I also solicited feedback from my customers about last year’s approach to understand what worked and what did not. Next I drafted instructions and solicited customer feedback on the draft and made adjustments accordingly to address suggestions. Using my critical thinking skills, I ensured that instructions were applicable to my customers and used their language to enhance understanding; I also created specific, relevant examples for each part of their submission. The instructions I issued were timely and complete. I followed up with my customers individually, consistent with the metric and created a 2-hour briefing for my customers to help them understand the instructions and answer questions. I offered the briefing four times over the course of 6 weeks to give my customers opportunity to attend at their convenience.

RESULT: I had 100% attendance at my briefings and the feedback I received was extremely positive. Typical comments from my customers included, “easiest budget call ever”, “you really explained the process; first time I understood it completely”, and “thanks for your help.” I also received positive feedback on the thoroughness and helpfulness of my responses throughout the budget preparation period.

Character count: 1,925

Thank you for considering our NSPS self-assessment writing book.
Good luck with being inspired to write your accomplishments!
Sincerely,
Kathryn Troutman
The Resume Place, Inc.