 |
| Volume Number 2 - Issue Number 12 - Late August |
     |
|
This issue’s FEDERAL CAREER COACH FEATURE QUESTION TOPIC: "Translating Military Rank to Federal Civilian Grade" The FEDERAL CAREER CORNER(TM) is a free bi-monthly e-newsletter sponsored by The Resume Place, Inc., Kathryn K. Troutman, President; Jessica Coffey, Managing Editor, editor@resume-place.com. __________________________________________________________________________ WHAT'S IN THIS NEWSLETTER?
FEDERAL CAREER COACH FEATURE QUESTION  Federal Jobseeker Question: I’m currently an U.S. Navy E-6. What grade would I qualify for in government? Federal Career Coach Response: Here are three great resources you can use to determine your job title and grade, and analyze your qualifications for government jobs:
Do you have any great resources for translating military job skills into federal or private industry job language? If so, send your resources to editor@resume-place.com. Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ FEDERAL JOB NEWS
"On August 18, 2004, the Partnership for Public Service released a new national survey revealing that, despite the most polarizing campaign season in decades, Republicans and Democrats surprisingly agree on one thing: the value of federal government work." http://www.ourpublicservice.org/pressroom/pressroom_show.htm?doc_id=235774. (from OPM News Release, Brenda Bertrand, August 19, 2004) "From March 2003 through June 2004, OPM has hired 55 veterans out of a total of about 300 hires. Of the 55 OPM veterans hired, 10 are in supervisory positions, with 4 serving as senior executives. Compared to the civilian labor force, the federal government employs twice the percentage of veterans, over three times the percentage of Vietnam-era veterans, and over five times the percentage of disabled veterans." Get your federal job search questions answered via The Resume Place’s Federal Job Search Forum! This is a FREE service to facilitate communication about federal job search challenges by jobseekers, federal career professionals, and human resources managers. Kathryn Troutman, Federal Job Search Expert and Career Coach, will respond to your questions and other federal jobseekers may write back with insight they have discovered as well. There will be a lot of interesting, helpful information shared. Please join our forums at: http://www.federalresumeplace.com/forum/index.php?a=forum&f=5&PHPSESSID=5e8157f330a86c5eb6ccc73fb01351bc __________________________________________________________________________ INTERVIEW SAVVY with Jessica Coffey What to say and how to say it... First Impressions A lot can be said about the proper responses to interview questions, but before you even have a chance to sit down and talk with an interviewer, he or she makes assumptions about you based on the first impression he or she gets when you walk in the door. Without even speaking, you are able to convey certain messages about the type of person or worker you are by the way you dress for the interview, how you carry yourself into the room, and how you introduce yourself. When it comes to making a good first impression, confidence is the key. Prior to going into the interview, give yourself a pep talk to ensure that you will go in there with your head held high, your shoulders back, your eyes bright, and with a smile on your face to help convince the interviewers from the get-go that you are the right person for this position. Give them a nice, firm handshake and look each interviewer in the eye. If you believe in yourself from the start, the chances are good that they will begin to believe in you too, and you will set the tone for a positive interview experience. Hygiene and dress also figure big into the interview. You want to be well-groomed, smell good but not offensive (this may sound weird, but some people go in without bathing and others drown themselves in cologne or perfume -- you want to be remembered for your qualifications, not your odor!), and dressed appropriately for the position you are applying for. Stay tuned for the next issue where we will focus on non-verbals during the interview. Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ SES TIPS from Susan Custard Questions? -- We Get Questions! As Resume Place writers work with clients applying for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions, they get a lot of questions – so I thought I would capture some of the most popular, and provide the answers in this month’s column! What is the Senior Executive Service? The Senior Executive Service was established by the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978 and became effective in July 1979. The CSRA established a distinct personnel system for managerial, supervisory, and policy positions above grade 15 of the General Schedule. The SES was designed to develop a senior executive corps that has solid executive expertise, public service values, and a broad perspective of government. Members of the Senior Executive Service hold higher security clearances and are subject to detailed background investigations prior to appointment. In addition, Senior Executives are covered by Federal Government Ethics Standards and are required to complete annual financial disclosure statements (financial disclosure statements are kept confidential). What are the minimum qualifications for Senior Executive Service positions? The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established the minimum qualification requirements for Senior Executive Service positions as experience equivalent to General Schedule (GS) grades 14 and 15 in the Federal service; however, prior Federal experience is not required. Managerial positions at the GS-14/15 grade level in the Federal government, typically, have responsibility for directing major organizations, programs, or program segments that have a significant scope and effect on the Agency's mission or a major program. Manager positions at this level usually have responsibility for developing, issuing, and implementing program policies to support the strategic objectives established by the organization's executives. Managers at this level are also, generally, responsible for the effective management of their organization's and/or program's resources (i.e., financial, human, etc.), and are responsible for achieving broad program goals and objectives. A candidate's qualifications are evaluated based upon their possession of the SES Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and any technical qualifications identified. In evaluating the qualifications of candidates with no prior Federal experience, an assessment of the candidate's work experience (e.g., level of responsibility, complexity of organization led, complexity/scope of programs responsible for, etc.) is made in comparison with programs found in the Federal sector. What is the basic requirement for an SES application? The basic requirement is a well-written resume that clearly and succinctly demonstrates executive level experience as described above, combined with a well-developed narrative statement addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Are the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) a requirement? A narrative response to the ECQs is required for all SES vacancies – see the vacancy announcement for specifics. How long should my narrative response to an individual ECQ be? Some agencies list specific requirements for individual ECQ narratives – for example, that an individual ECQ may not exceed two pages. Other agencies use OPM’s guidance on ECQs, establishing a 10-page limit to the narrative response. Is there a limit on the total ECQ narrative response? The Office of Personnel Management has limited the total narrative response for Executive Core Qualifications to 10 pages, maximum. How long does it take to fill an SES position? If the position is filled through the merit-based open competitive process described above, the selection process from beginning-to-end may take up to six months to complete. Federal agencies undergo an extensive recruitment, candidate evaluation, and approval process before an appointment may be made. However, candidates are periodically informed regarding the status of their application throughout the process. Stay tuned to next month’s column for more questions and answers! Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ CAREER PRO INFO Helpful information for federal career advisors and trainers.
__________________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, & EVENTS The Resume Place will offer a FREE hour-long teleclass on Thursday, September 9, 2004 at 12 noon, EST. A great time to ask your federal career questions. Sign up now. Sign Up For Our September Classes!
__________________________________________________________________________ RESUME PLACE SUCCESS STORY
Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ THE RESUME PLACE PRODUCTS & SERVICES @ http://www.resume-place.com/shop/ "Student's Federal Career Guidebook & CD-ROM, Ten Steps to Top Jobs and Internships in Government" Authors: Kathryn Troutman and daughter Emily Troutman Accepting Pre-Publication Orders –$21.95 – Available in September! COPIES WILL BE AUTOGRAPHED FOR FIRST 300 BOOKS SOLD Call (888) 480-8265 to Order Now! Have you written your Federal resume, but would like a professional editor and designer to improve your draft? Send us your draft and for just $250, we'll edit and design your federal or private industry resume. http://www.resume-place.com/shop/?page=shop/browse&category_id=49b4819720199bb90ab4820dab6b7eec Get ready for your next interview with general interview prep materials, position-specific questions to practice with, a telephone mock interview, plus a critique and Q+A session. Work with an expert Interview Coach to learn strategies that will help you Win the Job! www.resume-place.com/shop/?page=shop/browse&category_id=8ff6b75552eeed41fffc4ab8099a1f6f __________________________________________________________________________ SHARE THE NEWSLETTER WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND COWORKERS Please share our newsletter with friends, customers, and co-workers! Simply copy and paste the text between the stars below and send the e-mail! The entire newsletter can be read on-line! Suggested Subject Line: From your name - The Federal Career Corner Newsletter, Late August 2004 ************************************ FEDERAL CAREER CORNER™, Volume 2, No. 12, Late August 2004 The latest Federal Job Search news from The Resume Place, Inc. and Kathryn Troutman, Publisher Featuring: Translating Military Rank to Federal Civilian Grade, Federal Job News, Interview Tips, SES Info., and much more! Read the entire online newsletter here: www.resume-place.com/newsletter/vol_2_issue_12.html Sign up here for our free bi-monthly newsletter: lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs.aspx?customerid=18651 ************************************ Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FEDERAL CAREER CORNER NEWSLETTER Please write to us with websites, success stories, job search tips, article ideas, and questions that we can use in the Federal Career Corner Newsletter. Send your ideas to Jessica Coffey, Managing Editor, at editor@resume-place.com. Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ THE MAILING LIST Please refer our free bi-monthly Federal Career Corner newsletter to your colleagues and friends. Sign up now for the mailing list. Back to Top  |
|