Kathryn Troutman rolled out the 2nd edition of the Military to Federal Career Guide, 2nd Edition at the Book Expo of America in NYC last week. The second edition is VERY different from the first edition. The new book is 130 pages and is $18.95 and STILL contains a CD with sample in Word to use as templates. The samples are all from E-5 and E-7 military careers that are transitioning into federal services. It is easy to read and will be very helpful to the returning and separating military. Photos by Zoey Troutman.

The expected turnout of librarians was really disappointing, but we always learn something about book publishing to bring back to our publishing and distribution services at The Resume Place, Inc. We found out the librarians have to PAY to come to the BEA now. And the librarians usually come to BEA on weekends. But we will find other ways to meet with librarians.

Since Fleet Week was going on in NYC at the same time, we took 10 of our books down to the Iwo Jima and signed and gave away books to the military personnel on the ship and the CH53 helicopter crew chiefs. Read more about the Autographing.

Zoey Troutman and Kim Schmitt are looking at the Miltiary book at Justin’s sample resume. This is the lead sample in the Book. CH 53 Helicopter Crew Chief, E-5, Jeremy is leaving USMC to go back to finish college degree. And is seeking Program Analyst position at Government Printing Office. We featured TEAMWORK, CRITICAL THINKING, PLANNING, COORDINATING and other competencies that are transferrable to a civil service position.

I met Joe McCarthy, author of Checks for Vets, a guidetook to help wartime service veterans and their surviving spouses receive VA pensions to pay for long-term care. Tips for Veterans are posted on his website.

The Military to Federal Career Guide, 2nd Edition will be available in all major booksellers in August 1st. There are a few pre-publication copies available for previewing. Please write to kathryn@resume-place.com for a free copy of the book.

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.

Where the Jobs Are 2009 is an excellent, free online guide that will give you hope and information about realistic position and agency possibilities for your federal job search.

The Partnership for Public Service just published their annual free online guide: Where the Jobs Are 2009: Mission-Critical Opportunities for America which lists agency-by-agency, the specific number of jobs that will be hired (in each job category) for 2010-2012!

There is a light at the end of the job search tunnel – just in time for 9.7% unemployment in America (and way more in some cities – Yuma, AZ 26%). Thank you, Partnership for Public Service!

ABOUT WHERE THE JOBS ARE – DOWNLOAD THE SHORT VERSION:
You can download the beautifully-designed 12-page version of the longer on-line guide, Where the Jobs Are Brochure, an easy-to-read synopsis of the hiring numbers. The guide is designed to help a broad audience of job seekers, policy makers and agency leaders, identify nearly 273,000 mission-critical employment opportunities that will be available in the federal government from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2012.

LEARN ABOUT HIRING OF ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT JOBS (0300 SERIES):

For instance, the guide features Administration and Program Management Jobs. Here is glimpse of planned hiring for these jobs, including the number of current employees, hires for 2007-2008, and planned hires for 2010-2012.

This occupational category includes human resources, equal employment opportunity, management/program analysis, telecommunications and a variety of clerical support activities. The projected hires will be 17,287 for 2009!

YOU CAN FIND THE REAL, OPEN JOB LISTINGS FOR THESE JOBS AT USAJOBS.GOV. On the BASIC SEARCH PAGE, look for “Browse by Occupation”. You can see that today there are 1,874 job listings (all over the world) for “Management, Administration, Office and Clerical” jobs.

LEARN ABOUT THE NUMBER OF NEW EMPLOYEES TO BE HIRED BY OCCUPATION IN EACH AGENCY:

For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has 2562 total positions now in that job category – Management and Administration. They hired 296 people in those positions in 2007-2008. And they will hire 271 in 2010-2012.

Department of Homeland Security is going to be hiring 1,850 Program and Management Analysts from 2010-2012. They currently have 8,383 in those positions. In 2007-2008 they hired 276. DHS is hiring more analysts to analyze programs to ensure our nation’s security.

The Department of Health and Human Services will be hiring 992 Health Insurance Administrators. They currently have 2,151. They hired 235 from 2007-2008. HHS is hiring more Health Administrators to administer the needs of healthcare for Americans and health insurance challenges in America.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development will be hiring 600 more Clerical Employees. They currently have 813 people in these positions. Last year they hired 450. The government is hiring more housing staff to help with the housing problems in America.

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs will be doubling their Human Resources staff. They currently employ 2019 in this career field. They hired 527 in 2007-2008. They will be hiring another 2854 in 2010-2012. WOW. The human resources personnel manage military personnel services, a growing need.

PLUS, INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE TURNOVER OF EMPLOYEES IN THE GOVERNMENT (which could mean jobs for YOU):

Click on the button “turnover” and see how many people will be retiring from government in 2010-2012.

Department of Agriculture: In 2009, 633 are eligible to retire. In 2012, 1074 are eligible to retire. In 2007-2008, 401 did retire and the average age was 49.

IN SUMMARY – THIS BOOK IS ALL ABOUT FEDERAL JOB HOPE AND REALISTIC POSSIBILITIES FOR YOU! The Where the Jobs Are report is an invaluable FREE Guide for your federal job search for 2009-2010. Review this Guide frequently against information on USAJOBS periodically to keep your vision of federal employment clear and hopeful.

The “how to apply” job instructions in the Vacancy Announcements in USAJOBS are complex, but based on this positive report, will be worth your time, determination and persistence. This Guide can help you focus on and consider the agencies that are hiring the most people, the highest turnover projections, and learn about the missions that best match your past experience and interest.

I recommend that every federal jobseeker study this Guide and use it as an invaluable resource for learning about federal positions and the future of federal hiring. I recommend that you use this Guide to strategically plot the selection of your federal agency and position search. Kathryn Troutman, President, The Resume Place, Inc. and Author, Federal Resume Guidebook, 4th Ed.

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ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT FEDERAL JOB ARTICLES FROM WASHINGTONPOST.COM BY STEVE VOGEL:

Officials Pledge to Fix Federal Hiring Process

In the meantime? “For people who are looking today, they need to be persistent,” he said. “I would encourage people to stick with it, even though the process is cumbersome.”

By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 4, 2009

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Federal Government Needs Massive Hiring Binge, Study Finds

By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 3, 2009

The federal government needs to hire more than 270,000 workers for “mission-critical” jobs over the next three years, a surge prompted in part by the large number of baby-boomer federal workers reaching retirement age, according to the results of a government-wide survey being released Thursday. … the survey makes clear that the majority of new hires will be needed in five broad fields — medical, security, law enforcement, legal and administrative.

The survey results are to be posted Thursday at http://www.wherethejobsare.org, according to the partnership.

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The Partnership for Public Service and its founders, Samuel J. Heyman and Ronnie Heyman, are profiled in the premier philanthropy publication The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Private Industry jobseekers want federal jobs!

At The Resume Place, Inc. we are dedicated to helping you land a federal job. There are quite a few major challenges to this mission. Our current average jobseeker client is:

• Out of work or with an impending layoff looming;
• 40 to 55 years old;
• A professional with a strong work history, often with a decade or more of employment with the same organization;
• Experienced in private industry, government contracting or military with NO familiarity with federal civilian employment.

First-time federal jobseekers face the following challenges:

Their resumes are too short and lack the detail necessary to qualify for federal positions.  They have a private industry resume that is about twice pages long, but the average federal resume is three to five pages, so they need twice the amount of content added into the new resume.

They don’t know what job titles and grade levels they qualify for. These clients don’t know anything about federal job titles, how jobs in the federal government are organized, or what experience is necessary to qualify for specific grade levels. If they made $60K in their last position, they don’t know whether they are qualified for that same salary in a government position.

Follow the Directions. The application for government is at least 10 times more complex than private industry, with applications involving federal resume; Knowledge, Skills and Abilities narratives; essays and self-assessment questionnaires; and a myriad of fax instructions

Complex job announcements. Our clients don’t know how to interpret the job announcements found on www.usajobs.gov, which can be up to 16 pages long. The position descriptions are often written in language that is difficult to translate into everyday job duties.

The government is hiring!

More than 60 % of the current feds WILL retire within five years – leaving lots of jobs open.

With the President’s Stimulus Plan, more federal positions are opening every day to manage the grants and contracts associated with these projects.

The new government is converting many of the former contractor positions to permanent civil service positions.

Once you have a government job, you could keep that for your entire career. The federal government offers many opportunities for advancement, promotion and training, as well as excellent benefits, for its employees.

What does it take to land a federal job?

Understanding of the federal hiring process. Read about federal employment processes and federal agency missions to be sure that you are doing all that you can to put your best foot forward in the federal job search process.

Knowing federal job titles. Knowledge of federal job titles and the qualification requirements for certain grade or salary levels is a critical component to matching your resume toward a federal vacancy announcement.

Federal Resumes. Your federal resume will need to be detailed and focused toward a federal job with the right language and keywords for the position.

Samples. Look at successful federal resume samples and KSAs to learn how to write an application for the job. The federal application is somewhat like applying for a grant or master’s degree. It involves filling out information, writing narratives and getting references.

Vacancy Announcements. Taking your time reading the vacancy announcements, reading the agency’s mission and interpreting the position based on your skills.

At The Resume Place, Inc., we can help you in these ways to apply correctly to federal jobs. Our goal is to ensure that your resume is found Best Qualified and is referred to a supervisor. Additionally, we build your resume to stand out on the supervisor’s desk, so that you will be selected for an interview. We can also coach you in the interview and through the salary negotiations.

In addition, please also check out the following resources:

Our latest book, Ten Steps to a Federal Job, 2^nd Ed.

Our one day training in a computer room, www.resume-place.com/training

Our two-hour federal career consultation with a retired HR Specialist, www.resume-place.com/consultation

Our federal resume writing services for your first federal resume: www.resume-place.com/fedres

Our KSA writing and consulting services to advise on the KSAs and essays: www.resume-place.com/essays

Our USAJOBS submission service to help you apply correctly to complex online applications: www.resume-place.com/builders

Our website also has several FREE resources, including the federal resume and KSA builder, articles on federal resumes, KSA writing and application processes.