(Baltimore, MD, March 26, 2003)-Capitalizing on the government's increased need for qualified workers in the wake of 9/11, a new crop of resume writers and entrepreneurs has begun marketing themselves as Federal job search specialists. However, being able to properly prepare the Federal application package requires a steep learning curve that only a handful of well-trained human resource professionals have scaled successfully. Federal employment trailblazer Kathryn Kraemer Troutman advises jobseekers to become savvy consumers when looking for Federal job application services.
"The person who prepares your application package should fully appreciate the difference between the Federal resume and application and the private sector counterparts," stressed Troutman. "Well-meaning resume writers and job coaches can do a disservice to their clients if they're not familiar with the Federal application process," she warns. Troutman, a 30-year industry veteran, developed the format that the Office of Personnel Management accepts as the standard for Federal resumes.
To make sure the Federal job application consultant you hire has mastered the learning curve, you'll need answers to some key questions. Here are a dozen questions that cover the basics you'll want to know.
1. What experience or training does the resume writer or consultant have in preparing Federal application packages?
Find out how many Federal applications the consultant has prepared. How many of his or her clients have been rated "best qualified" by potential Federal employers? Can the consultant provide references from clients who received best-qualified ratings? (Only "best qualified" applicants make it to the interview stage.) Also, ask to see sample resumes and application packages. In addition, inquire if the consultant has received quality professional training, such as certification in Federal job search techniques.
2. What are you getting for your money?
Be realistic about what your dollar can buy. Effective application preparation is a difficult and lengthy project that requires highly developed analytical skills. Can the service really do the job for the price quoted? Find out what the price includes. If someone advertises that they can prepare a Federal application for $250, for example, it's probably not a complete package.
3. How much time will the consultant spend with you, asking questions and clarifying how your skills translate to Federal service?
This is especially important because it's a discovery process for you as well as the consultant. The minimum amount of time a professional service will spend with you is three hours, including a one-hour interview. Another 10 to 20 hours are required to write the Federal application package.
4. Can the consultant prepare a resume consistent with the accepted
Federal format?
Forget what your career counselor said about confining your resume to one page. You've now entered a zone where 2, 3, 4, 5 or even 7 pages are actually preferred. In addition, instead of listing an inventory of duties, the resume must show accomplishments and key competencies.
5. What do they consider an achievable goal of their service?
Federal human resources persons will rate your application according to how well it matches the job announcement and complies with other requirements. Your consultant should be able to prepare an application that will earn a "best qualified" rating.
6. Are they well acquainted with the Federal occupational series?
While every job that exists in the private sector-and some that don't-can be found in government, the Federal Occupational Series is unique to the government. Does the consultant understand the Occupations Series well enough to tell if you're qualified for an announced job? Can the consultant identify the keywords related to your occupational series? Can they identify core competencies and demonstrate how your skills transfer to specific civil service job titles, even if your last job doesn't have an exact parallel in government?
7. What information sources does the consultant use to prepare the Federal application package?
If they don't cite Troutman's Ten Steps to a Federal Job as at least one of their sources, be wary. This is the benchmark and the only comprehensive guide on how to prepare the Federal job application package.
8. Can they help you interpret jargon and "Government-speak"?
The Federal government often makes job announcements and application instructions difficult to understand. Over generations of bureaucracy, the origins and meaning of some of this government language has been lost, even to human resources staff. Your consulting service should be able to help you understand jargon and difficult passages in announcements.
9. Will they write or can they help you write your KSA?
The KSA, or Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Statement, is a one- or two-page biographical essay intended to show how past accomplishments and KSAs apply to the job you seek. Many people find KSAs intimidating.
10. Do they offer different levels of service to suit your own level of writing skills or budget?
Perhaps you're budgeting and only want a resume critique for under $100. Or you just need help with the KSA. Or if you have the money, you may want the service to prepare your entire application package.
11. Does the firm have experts in your field who can write about your technical skills in a language that human resources persons will understand?
Human resources employees are generalists, unlikely to recognize the significance of some language in technical resumes. If you're in a scientific, medical, engineering or technical field, you need a specialist in your field to help translate technical descriptions into language that human resources persons can grasp.
12. What will you learn from this association with the firm?
You should walk away from this experience with a degree of knowledge that will at minimum enable you to make minor changes, so you can adapt your resumes and application package to other Federal jobs.
If you educate yourself about the Federal application process, you'll be better equipped to gauge the quality of services a Federal job application firm is offering. Consult Troutman's book Ten Steps to a Federal Job. Review the ten steps. Study the examples she provides for Federal and electronic resumes and KSAs. Familiarize yourself with your Federal occupational series.
"Time and, of course, money are especially precious for someone who's out of work," Troutman recognized. "If you use a job service to help you apply for a Federal position you're not qualified for-or use the wrong approach-you'll be wasting both your time and your money. It pays to be educated," concluded Troutman.
To interview Kathy Troutman, contact Sarah Blazucki (410/744-4324; sarah@resume-place.com) in Baltimore.
