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| Volume Number 2 - Issue Number 7 - Early June 2004 |
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The FREE Federal Career Corner is back to twice a month in order to keep you up-to-date with Federal Job Info! The newsletter will be shorter and easier-to-read! 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. 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, Early June 2004 ************************************ FEDERAL CAREER CORNER™, Volume 2, No. 7, Early June 2004 The latest Federal Job Search news from The Resume Place, Inc. and Kathryn Troutman, Publisher Featuring: "Using www.avuecentral.com to Apply for Federal Jobs," Federal Job News, KSA and Federal Resume Writing Tips, and much more! Read the entire online newsletter here: www.resume-place.com/newsletter/vol_2_issue_7.html Sign up here for our free bi-monthly newsletter: lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs.aspx?customerid=18651 ************************************ __________________________________________________________________________ WHAT'S IN THIS NEWSLETTER? WHAT'S NEW FROM KATHRYN FEATURE ARTICLE -- Using www.avuecentral.com FEDERAL JOB NEWS Q & A WITH KATHRYN TROUTMAN FEDERAL RESUME AND KSA WRITING TIPS THE WORLD OF ACRONYMS AND AGENCIES UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, & EVENTS A RESUME PLACE SUCCESS STORY SPECIAL OFFER FROM THE RESUME PLACE! Receive 20% off the cover price of the Federal Resume Guidebook & CD-ROM, 3rd Ed.! __________________________________________________________________________ WHAT'S NEW FROM KATHRYN  Dear Federal Jobseekers, My job has changed! As the President of The Resume Place and a busy Government Contractor Trainer to federal agencies, the training side of my business has slowed down dramatically. The old days of teaching new automated application systems, training employees to survive competitions and base realignment & closures, and helping employees advance their careers with a great “fedres” and KSA have changed. P.S., I’m still available and the need is still there! I do travel … when asked. But in the meantime, to stay busy, I’ve created a couple of web seminars that have been very popular for federal employees. People still want help with writing the best possible federal resume. So, they can afford a 90-minute web course, if not an entire day’s training with travel. I’ll be teaching an SES Application Writing course this week and then another series in July. I also have a Federal Resume & KSA series coming in September. Only $300 for 3 or 4 courses and no travel! My daughter, Emily, and I are working on a new book – Student’s Federal Career Guide – coming out in September. In fact, we’re in Chicago, IL right now ready to go to the Book Expo of America! Great inspiration for small press publishers and authors. And … the Monster.com Public Service Board was shut down by management. It was replaced by a Networking Board that is free for 3 months, then there will be a nominal charge. Change again! I’ll have a Federal Job Search Forum on our website in a few weeks. More on that soon! Keep reading and we’ll keep you up-to-date on what’s new in federal hiring! Are you ready for change in your career? You better be! Start looking for your next opportunity now! Keep getting training and make sure that resume is up-to-date and looking snappy! The old dependable job that will always be there has totally disappeared. You and I have to keep dusting off our skills and think of new opportunities to keep the kids in college and tennis shoes. Thanks for reading the newsletter, Kathryn Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ FEATURE ARTICLE Using www.avuecentral.com to Apply for Federal Jobs -- Kathryn K. Troutman, Resume Place President & Federal Job Expert Searching for federal job listings that are perfect for your interest is a real challenge! www.avuecentral.com is another website (totally free) you should visit and use just like you would use www.usajobs.opm.gov. In fact, they have most of the same job listings. But the database is managed a little differently. These are the features I like:
Some job listings are easier to read on this website. Their agency customers post their announcements here. For example, the US Forest Service has many job announcements and the U.S. Coast Guard uses this website more extensively than USAJOBS from what I have analyzed. More on www.avuecentral.com to come. -- Kathryn Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ FEDERAL JOB NEWS
QUOTEWORTHY "Where you start is not as important as where you finish." – Zig Ziglar Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ Q & A WITH KATHRYN TROUTMAN The Waiting Game: Q: On 7 May I received email that an application I submitted to a federal agency was sent on to a "selecting official" and that I would be contacted for an interview. So far I have heard nothing. I do realize that the hiring process can be quite slow, but what is considered a reasonable time to be contacted? I am currently working overseas for a different agency and was very pleased to be considered for this position, but am anxious to hear something. I don't want this opportunity to slip away A: When you are referred to the selecting official, that means the supervisor can select who they will interview. So it's still a waiting game. It is good news though. A least a month should pass before you inquire about the status. Things move slowly, especially if it is a DOD or homeland Security agency. OPM’s asking for 45-day hiring time! Wishful thinking?! Q: I saw a few lines of an article in The Federal Times the other day and it said something to the effect that the Director of OPM sent memos to agencies requiring that the hiring process be cut to no longer than 45 days. I didn't get a chance to finish the whole article. Has anyone else heard about this? Perhaps I misunderstood because I didn't finish the whole article. Thanks. A: This would be great. I hope this will help decrease the time to hire. But just because OPM writes a recommendation and system, doesn't mean that it can or will be implemented quickly. It's good that they are recognizing the time to hire problem that exists for people. That's encouraging. Announcement Language Interpretation... Q: I have been searching for jobs on usajobs.com, but the descriptions can be so confusing...using terms I don't understand. What does it mean when it says, "1 year specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level..."? Where are the descriptions of the grade levels? Also, it says experience or education...education including a certain number of semester hours in certain types of classes. Do I send in my transcripts? It doesn't say to send them in. Also, if I apply online, then do I mail in my transcripts separately? Also, what is the time frame between the closing date and hiring someone? Thank you in advance!! A: You don't really need a description of the grade levels. Have you had experience equivalent to the job that is described in the job announcement? Or even higher level experience? for one year? 40 hours per week for 52 weeks? If so, then you have that experience. If you are applying for a job that you have experience that is relevant, then the courses won't matter. Some people will qualify for jobs based on education and courses. Others qualify for certain jobs based on their relevant experience. Sounds like experience is what you have that will help you stand out and get Best Qualified. So you probably do not have to send transcripts. But follow the directions on that one. Yes, if they ask for transcripts, you will have to mail or fax separately. Put your name, SSN and announcement number on all attachments. The time frame between the closing date and actually hiring someone is usually around 3 MONTHS. Good luck and keep up the good work with the questions and research.Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ FEDERAL RESUME AND KSA WRITING TIPS Before and after writing samples to assist you in your resume and KSA writing: Before: OBJECTIVE: To obtain an Electronics Engineer position, using to its fullest potential, my Bachelor of Science in Communication and Electronics Engineering Technology and over 10 years of customer service skills to enhance a cohesive team of engineers and technicians. After: OBJECTIVE: Position Title, Grade, Announcement Number Try to avoid flowery statements that may sound good but do little to sell actual skills or abilities. The "Objective" should be straight-forward and state the position you are applying for. You can use the "Summary of Skills" or "Professional Summary" section to highlight what you can bring to the position and set you apart from your competition. We will take a look at "Summary of Skills" statements in next month’s Federal Career Corner. Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ THE WORLD OF ACRONYMS AND AGENCIES GSA - General Services Administration, http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/home.do?tabId=0 The government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world! 14 jobs open to people who have no prior federal or military experience today! 58 jobs open to people who are currently work in the government! HRSA - Health Resources and Services Administration, http://www.hrsa.gov/ HRSA's mission is to improve and expand access to quality health care for all. It's goal is to move toward 100 percent access to health care and 0 health disparities for all Americans. Job Opportunities for the General Public: 36 Family Physicians and 4 Dentists for the National Health Services Corps! 2 Public Health Analysts! 1 Supervisory Medical Officer! HUD - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, http://www.hud.gov/ HUD seeks to increase homeownership, support community development, and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination. Most HUD positions are filled as permanent career civil service jobs. Job listings are available at USAJOBS, where you can search by state and program area. 97 jobs are currently listed! Back to Top __________________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, & EVENTS
__________________________________________________________________________ A RESUME PLACE SUCCESS STORY
__________________________________________________________________________ THE RESUME PLACE PRODUCTS & SERVICES @ http://www.resume-place.com/shop/
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  |
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