By Nicole Schultheis

After I posted my blog two days ago about the USAJOBS 3.0 transition, I learned about some important updates regarding the USAJOBS 3.0 transition for another Resume Place, Inc. Blog. I am very glad to see these updates and would like you to share the dates, times and access to USAJOBS info with your colleagues and federal job-seeking friends.

During the transition to USAJOBS 3.0, please be aware that:

>> The transition will begin at 5:00 pm EDT on October 7 and extend through the Columbus Day Holiday Weekend. OPM has worked hard to compress the schedule to just the Columbus holiday weekend.

>> There will be announcements posted to USAJOBS prior to and even during the transition. OPM requested agencies close their announcements before October 6th. Many agencies chose, however, to leave announcements open over the transition period. So, during the transition, a listing of open announcements will be available on USAJOBS.gov, but not the robust search function.

>> The search and apply functions will continue to be available until 5:00 pm EDT on October 7, 2011, at which time the transition will begin.

>> Jobseekers can access USAJOBS during the transition. In fact, we suggest they visit USAJOBS.gov for daily status updates.

>> Jobseekers will NOT be able to upload/build a resume or check status during the transition, because the data is stabilized during the transition – nothing is added, deleted or changed until after the transition is complete.

>> Who’s doing the update: OPM has an IT staff (the Human Resources Tools and Technologies staff in Macon, GA) that focuses specifically on building and maintaining secure, scalable HRIT systems for OPM, as well as other Federal organizations. Different personnel within that organization work on the different systems HRTT builds and maintains. USAJOBS and USAStaffing are just two of the systems maintained by HRTT. The USAJOBS staff within HRTT will execute the transition of USAJOBS along with the USAJOBS program office staff. Note: USAStaffing is an OPM-owned Talent Acquisition System (TAS); Monster and other vendors also offer TASs. TASs interface with USAJOBS, but are the “back-end” systems used by HR specialists within the federal agencies.

>> OPM will extract, validate and convert five billion lines of data (not documents) before loading it into USAJOBS 3.0.

>> USAJOBS 3.0 will no longer capture social security numbers as previous versions did in the account profile. Some applications submitted through USAJOBS, however, may request SSN based on the hiring agency’s requirements.

>> Still a good idea: Before the search and apply functions are taken offline on Oct. 7, you may want to consider downloading and backing up the latest versions of your resumes posted in USAJOBS.

• No new announcements will be posted Oct. 1, 2011 to Oct. 12, 2011.
• No access to USAJOBS will be allowed Oct. 6 to Oct. 12, 2011.

Five billion documents are being reviewed and re-uploaded into a new USAJOBS system in Macon, Georgia by USAStaffing IT specialists. The USAJOBS IT specialists will be downloading, analyzing, and re-uploading over 5 billion documents from jobseekers who have their resumes and documents loaded into USAJOBS 2.0; eliminating your Social Security Numbers; doing something with passwords (you will probably have to reset your password with your same email account after the Oct. 12 reset); and set up parameters for Resume Mining by HR specialists.

There won’t be a totally new look and feel, but there will be some new features that are better for you and for the HR customers who post the positions.

Before the site is down on Oct. 6, you may want to consider downloading and backing up the latest versions of your resumes posted in USAJOBS.

If you are an active federal jobseeker, what can you be doing while USAJOBS is down for six days, and there are no new announcements for almost two weeks?

Below is a list of suggested activities that will keep your federal job search moving forward and prepare you for when USAJOBS becomes available again:

Activity #1: Review and edit your federal resume versions.

Copy out your resumes from the builders and then update and improve the content. Work on new accomplishments that should be featured on pages 1 or 2 of your resume (since KSAs are now in the resume). Review your keywords for each of your occupational series targets. You can look at the OPM Classification Standards for keywords since USAJOBS will be down.

Activity #2: Prepare for a Federal Job Interview.

Work on your Top Ten List of Accomplishments so that you can be more prepared for the Behavior-Based Interview in October to December of this year. Use the KSA CCAR Builder designed by the author of this article. Tell your story in a compelling way with the Context, Challenge, Action and Result principles. Practice your stories and get ready to land a federal job.

Activity #3: Read the American Jobs Act.

Check over the information to see whether there is something that could affect your job, your payroll taxes, or other jobs-related info. I like the Short Fact Sheet. Some of the ideas are highly useful.

Activity #4: Read new reports on Merit Systems Protection Board website.

Browse excellent Federal Employment-Related Studies that could help the federal jobseeker to gain insight into federal jobs and federal employment “language” include Job Simulations: Trying out for a Federal Job and A Call To Action: Improving First-Level Supervision of Federal Employees.

Activity #5: Read the latest reports from Partnership for Public Service.

The latest publication posted on 9/8/11 is a white paper on Best Places to Launch a Career in the Federal Government Snapshot.

Activity #6: Set up an account and look for jobs on www.avuecentral.com.

This is a separate website for federal jobs for certain agencies. Avuecentral.com will have some federal jobs posted for their client agencies: Peace Corps, Forest Service, US Marshals, Millennium Challenge, Library of Congress, USAID, and a few others. These agencies are “clients” of Avue and post on avuecentral.com. You can apply for Avue positions without touching USAJOBS.gov. You can set up an account here, and search for job titles that could be of interest to you. You will find that at avuecentral.com the position descriptions are listed for the posted job. This is an interesting source for keywords and language for your federal resume.

Activity #7: Say Good-Bye to DONHR’s CHART website.

On Oct. 12, 2011, the Department of the Navy’s Civilian Hiring and Recruitment Tool will no longer be accessible to the general public. The CHART site has been posted since around 2000 and is one of the last Resumix automated recruitment sites. CHART recruited for US Navy and USMC Civilian positions. All of the CHART job posting will be moved to USAJOBS and applicationmanager.gov after Oct. 12, 2011. According to the website, “Applicants are strongly encouraged to save a printed and electronic copy of their CHART resume and transfer this information to an USAJOBS account by 30 September 2011.” See the fact sheet on how to move your resume from CHART to USAJOBS.

Activity #8: Read GovExec for articles on federal hiring topics.

Excellent Government Executive writers will write about federal jobs, federal employment, USAJOBS 3.0, Resuming Mining, Veteran’s Hiring, and many other topics about federal hiring for 2011 and 2012.

Activity #9: Read and join GovLoop.

This is a new government website where federal employees and managers write about federal job topics. You can write about your own background with the popular INTRODUCTION membership feature.

Activity #10: Read FedManager.

This resource contains informative articles on federal employment, security clearances, employment case law, and Tips of the Week by Kathryn Troutman.

Activity #11: Check out your federal retirement benefits.

You can find more information about federal retirement benefits on Scott Thompson’s popular website, www.myfederalretirement.com. You can even calculate your retirement with his handy-dandy retirement calculator.

First Edition

Second Edition

Third Edition

Brian Moore designed Covers for First and Second Editions. Paulina Chen designed the cover for the Third Edition.

The first edition book won Best Careers Book of the Year, Ben Franklin Award.

Did you know that the idea for the book Ten Steps to a Federal Job was essentially started because of the events of 9/11?

Starting on the day after the attack, concerned US citizens were calling our office at The Resume Place, Inc. to ask for help with applying for federal positions. We saw that Americans needed a quick step-by-step guide to federal jobs in order to understand the complex application process and successfully apply for the anti-terrorism, emergency management, and law enforcement careers. I wrote and published the first edition of Ten Steps to a Federal Job within months after Sept. 11, 2001.

US citizens would call and say, “I want to have a job that will make a difference. I want to help protect our nation’s security. I don’t want to sell computers, or cars, or financial services anymore. I want a job with a federal agency that can make a difference for America. I don’t know anything about federal jobs, but I want a job where I can help make America more secure, somehow, some way.”

Jobseekers were in a hurry to land a job where they could make a difference in America against terrorism. They wanted jobs where they could contribute their skills to new careers in security, safety, disaster preparedness, analysis, data, and communications to increase information about and reduce terrorism toward America.

Financial job seekers from the New York City financial district were calling to find new careers using the financial background that they developed for many years in NYC. Their businesses were gone, many colleagues were lost during the attacks, and thousands of jobs were wiped away. We helped many financial analysts and financial specialists relocate and redirect their careers into financial services in government agencies. Hundreds of new public service job seekers were asking about first-time federal jobs where they could make a difference. Agencies and jobs that were of the most interest were:

1. FBI – Police and law enforcement people wanted to help the FBI track terrorists.
2. TSA – This agency was formed very soon after 9/11, and many police personnel retired and security and law enforcement personnel flocked to TSA.
3. FEMA – Emergency preparedness, disaster preparedness, and EMT personnel were seeking positions to take care of emergencies that may occur in America following this day.
4. CIA, NSA, NGA – People from all walks of life were interested in intelligence positions, including language specialists, especially Arabic language speakers.
5. DHS, including CIS, CBP – People wanted to be part of change in immigration, customs and border work to help monitor those who came to the country safety.
6. HHS, CDC – Public interest spiked in epidemiology, biology, and forensics as related to possible terrorism in America.
7. Military services – Thousands of brave Americans volunteered for the active duty and reserves services and would deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan for many tours over these past 10 years to protect America.

Ten Steps to a Federal Job gave thousands of patriotic, public service-oriented Americans the steps they needed to try to begin a public service career that could help improve our watchful eye against terrorism, to serve expert skills in counter-terrorism; assist with emergency preparedness; design continuity plans; and help manage disasters that we hope won’t occur.

The Ten Steps to a Federal Job curriculum is still being taught in military bases around the world to military personnel and spouses who are currently serving America to ensure the safety and security of US Citizens.

A message of sincere appreciate also goes out to the military personnel who have served for the last 10 years and sacrificed SO MUCH to protect America in Iraq and Afghanistan. We at The Resume Place, Inc. are dedicated to helping the military and public servants continue to protect the security of Americans.

Sincerely, Kathryn Troutman, Author and Publisher, Ten Steps to a Federal Job, now in 3rd edition.

If you find the USAJOBS federal job application system frustrating and difficult, there’s some good news coming your way. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is about to give the government jobs website a complete makeover. The newly redone website is set to make its debut on October 13th. Agencies will be closing all announcements by October 6th, so the old system can be taken off line and the new one set up, and all data moved over. OPM is promising a few new changes that job applicants should like.

First, according to OPM associate director of employee services Angela Bailey, OPM will be able to search resumes for specific applicant information. This is a process that currently takes months. The result will be quicker, more efficient, better-targeted recruiting efforts. Agency recruiters will be able to find and use data and information much more quickly.

In addition, the goal is to make the system more user-friendly. Job seekers will only have to enter personal information once. Users will also be able to expect improved search results with details about salaries, grade levels and job categories.

OPM is working on more changes to streamline the federal hiring process, including a skills testing tool, to replace the Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs) statements that applicants are currently trying to squeeze into their resumes. Stay tuned. It looks like more change is on the way.

The Leadership Journey chart, used by OPM (*acronyms are translated below), is the focus of a chapter in the new book, “The New SES Application” (publication date September 2011 by Kathryn Troutman and Diane Hudson Burns).

The Leadership Journey serves as a road-map for leadership development and walks a professional through his career via leadership steps, with a goal of attaining SES. The chart covers all 28 leadership competencies required of OPM to be selected for SES. The model is used to help individuals and federal agencies build the development segment of employees’ succession plans.

The core Leadership competencies are basic competencies for all employees (Managing Yourself) – these are the cross functional competencies that are the foundation of leadership and personal management: Interpersonal Skills; Oral Communication; Continual Learning; Written Communication; Integrity/Honesty; Public Service Motivation. Research indicates that without these core competencies, success at upper levels is not possible.

The Leadership Journey illustrates the customary levels of management and leadership. Associated with each level are related competencies that are critical for success at that level, and form a developmental step for the next level of management or leadership. There are key experiences at each level that are designed to reinforce the associated competencies. These key experiences eventually serve as building blocks for the ECQs.

As the model’s steps move upward, Managing Yourself, moves to Managing Projects (equivalent to GS 5-11 positions). Employees in this stage of their careers build project management skill sets and five additional leadership competencies in Team Building; Customer Service; Technical Credibility; Accountability; Influencing/Negotiating.

At the next level, Managing People (GS 11-13 equivalent), employees gain an additional five leadership competencies attributed to the ECQs: Human Capital Management; Leveraging Diversity; Conflict Management; Developing Others; Problem Solving.

From this level, employees move into more senior leadership and management roles (Managing Programs / GS 14-15 equivalent) focusing on six additional leadership competencies: Technology Management; Financial Management; Creativity & Innovation; Partnering; Political Savvy; Flexibility. At this stage, most career professionals have some 12 to 20 years of experience.

Combining all of the previous 22 leadership competences with six more: External Awareness; Vision; Strategic Thinking; Entrepreneurship; Resilience; Decisiveness, professionals who have climbed the steps of the Leadership Journey are ready for SES and Leading Organizations.

To attain SES, candidates must submit an SES level resume and Executive Core Qualifications for review by the Qualifications Review Board, which determines if candidates meet the requirements for SES and demonstrate the 28 requirements leadership competencies to Lead Organizations.

As an employee moves through the steps of the Leadership Journey – combined with a succession plan that may include training, certifications, education, and specialized detail assignments to gain all 28 leadership competencies, the individual’s resume will evolve as it begins to express stronger leadership and management skills. The accomplishments (as opposed to duties) selected for an individual’s resume seeking more senior level positions, will demonstrate leadership and senior management roles, focusing on managing people, projects, and programs. As the employee gains more leadership skills, the resume will need to convey more focused and stronger accomplishments.

If you would like to learn more about the Leadership Journey and development of the SES five-page resume and traditional ECQ resume package, please join us in Baltimore on September 8 and 9, 2011 for the SES / ECQ development workshop. The book, The New SES Application is the base curriculum. You will experience hands-on, interactive training with four instructors during two days, with a goal of completing several ECQs and the five-page SES resume.

* OPM = Office of Personnel Management

SES = Senior Executive Service

ECQ = Executive Core Qualifications

Find out more about our SES Application Writing Workshop. Order The New SES Application book today!

Leaving a military career after 5, 10, or 20 years is traumatic. The career transition out of military is difficult no matter what your rank. The good news is that the federal government is basically just “the other side of the desk.” You’re going to take the “hands-on” skills and technical training from your military experience and convert it over to the policy, program, support, and administration side of the work you have been doing – maybe. The first federal resume after military is your most important resume and the most complex because you will translate your skills for a new career, mission, and customer.

Veterans are perfect for federal civil service positions because of their dedication to public service, the nation’s security, specialized expertise, knowledge of certain missions, technical skills and training, leadership, dedication, work ethic, attitude and willingness to learn and start-over. What’s more, these skills allow you to add 5 or 10 preference points to your application score.

However, sometimes transitioning veterans rush through the federal application and make several mistakes when applying for public-sector jobs

TOP 10 MISTAKES

1.) I only apply for jobs on USAJOBS (or CPOL or DONHR or WHS).

If you limit your search to just one agency or website, you are truly restricting yourself.

There are at least five major sites where you can create a profile, set up a resume builder, answer questions, and apply for a federal job:

- www.usajobs.gov – The official government jobs website, includes Air Force civilian positions
- www.cpol.army.mil – The website where all Army jobs are posted and where you would apply for an Army position
- military.com/careers – A commercial site that manages resumes and job postings for federal agencies.
- www.donhr.navy.mil – The website for Navy and USMC civilian positions
- www.whs.mil – Department of Defense civilian jobs are posted here as is the resume builder and application.

2.) I only apply for jobs without KSA narratives.

If you limit your search to applications that do not require KSAs, you will cut out many job opportunities with the Departments of HHS, VA, Interior, Commerce, Justice, Labor, Transportation and others. You will need to learn how to write KSA narratives and questionnaire essays for a successful federal job search. KSAs are just examples that demonstrate you have a certain Knowledge, Skill or Ability. You can use the KSA Builder developed by The Resume Place to write your “stories” that will demonstrate that you do have a certain knowledge, skill, or ability.

3.) I have never written a resume and I don’t know how to get started.

It’s time to find the position descriptions, old SF-171s, evaluations, NSPS self-assessments, training documents and build your federal resume. The author of this article has developed a free federal resume builder where you can build your work experience, education, training, accomplishments, certifications, and other information.

4.) Service before self. That’s what we are taught. I’m not used to bragging, so I usually don’t select the highest level in the questionnaires (or go on and on about accomplishments).

When you read the selection of self-assessment answers, be very careful to think about all of the experience you have. An EPA federal human resources specialist said this about the questionnaires and your choices: “Give yourself all of the credit that you can in selecting the answers in a Questionnaire.” The questionnaires are scored like an examination, so your skills at the highest level will be important to get referred for a position.

5.) My job was totally unique and I can’t write about all that I did in the last 5 years, etc.

This is a challenge because there is a unique military language with its own acronyms. However, you can write about the skills that you have, including instruction, planning, leading a team, mentoring, personnel operations, administrative operations, problem-solving, negotiations, advocacy, interpersonal skills, and technical skills. The military-to-federal resume requires a translation of skills to the new agency. Your past mission may not match, but the skills CAN match. And you can prove one year specialized experience, as long as that one year doesn’t require special mission knowledge. In other words, if you change from military to transportation, the transportation announcement may require experience in transportation.

6.) I have used the resume I developed from TAP class and it’s not getting me referred although I’m qualified for these positions.

The private-industry resume is shorter than a typical federal resume. The bullet style, one-line description resume won’t be as effective for a federal resume. The recommended format is the outline format. This features your top skills that are transferable to the new position. You could write your description in five or six small paragraphs with headings such as: trainer / instructor; team leader and supervisor; emergency operations planner; interpersonal skills and liaison; administrative operations. These five skills are the most transferable. After you create the outline of your duties with five or six sentences to describe each, you can add two or three accomplishments that will include your outstanding services in your operation.

7.) I didn’t know I had to tweak and edit my resume for each announcement.

With the Army website, www.cpol.army.mil, you could apply to 10 jobs in one day very easily because this system is a Resume Only application with a Self-Nomination online form. But you really should slow down and read the announcement carefully to find the keywords for your resume because the HR specialist will be looking for these keywords throughout your resume. If you haven’t edited each resume with keywords, your resume may not get referred. You can apply quickly, but why bother if you don’t edit and tweak the resume to make sure the keywords are included?

8.) I have accomplishments embedded in the duties section.

Military personnel will write one huge “block of information” for their duties and include the accomplishments somewhere in the middle of the paragraph. This type of content will be difficult to read and difficult for the busy human resources specialists who want to find the best qualified applicants. There is a difference between a regular duty and an accomplishment. They are both important on the federal resume. But the accomplishments are critical if you are to stand out as the most qualified candidate.

If you have had a job for over two years then you have probably been involved with special projects, problem-solving, new programs, new initiatives, new computer programs to improve efficiency, and staff changes. Accomplishments might include your assignment to a task of managing a special operations, situation or program, implementing new processes, and achieving a result. These accomplishments should be written separately from the duties, so that it is clear you have performed more than your position description and you are worthy of a promotion. Furthermore, you want to let the HR specialist know that you’re a federal employee who can resolve problems, take care of customers very well, and achieve and exceed support to the mission.

9.) I didn’t realize that my 5 or 10 point preference really makes a big difference.

Yes, most military personnel will have 5 point preference for service within the last 3 years. Military personnel with disabilities may have a 10 point preference for their application. Your 5 or 10 point preference can give you an advantage over a candidate that does not have preference points.

10.) I can’t take personal credit for the work of my team, so what should I write?

The “team mentality” of federal employees and supervisors is not going to get you hired. It’s time to take credit for your contributions as a leader. Before you apply, ask yourself the following questions: Would the project have been successful without you? Did you set the agenda? Establish priorities? Assign tasks? Solve the problems as they occurred? Brief senior executives on status? Manage resources throughout? Create reports and analyze progress? Lead the team members to meet deadlines and review the quality of their work? Did you “babysit” the group on occasion? Then you need to take credit for leadership, innovation, new ideas, methodologies, policies, procedures, project management strategies that YOU developed and implemented. You are the leader of the team, program, project or group. Write about your leadership and the outcome of the group you lead.

The government has on average 100,000 jobs everyday posted on the main website: USAJOBS.GOV. Consider these positions seriously. They are worth your time and patience. There are good books on federal resume writing and federal job search strategies. Studying federal resume samples and KSAs can help you master the federal job search process and result in a career that can change your life.

Need help with your veteran federal resume? Ask for a Free Federal Resume Estimate from The Resume Place!

Consider the Military to Federal Career Guide Print Book or eBook … Order Here!

Hello Federal Job Seekers!

Introducing the new $49.95 & Under Federal Career Resources written and produced by expert federal resume writers, publishers and curriculum designers.   $49.95 & Under Product List. We have organized our most affordable resources into an easy to review $49.95 & Underproduct page, so you can find and consider the best resources published by The Resume Place, Inc. and written by Kathryn Troutman. While you are working on your federal resume for USAJOBS applications, gain the latest education, information and insight into federal job search, Ten Steps to a Federal Job, sample federal resumes (Online Fedres Database), and Federal Career books for under $49.

Need Help with Strategy and Fedres Writing? After listening to the Ten Steps eLearning curriculum or viewing samples, you may decide you want more help with the actual writing of the resume, or have a consultation on a federal career strategy. Our professional Federal Career Consulting and Federal Resume Writing Services could make a difference in your entire campaign.

Not Sure? Ask for Free Professional Services Estimate. Please answer our federal career questions and upload your resume. We will give you recommendations for the best service for your federal job campaign by our Certified Federal Resume Writers and Consultant. Start here with the Federal Resume Profile for your Free Estimate.

Thanks for coming to The Resume Place, Inc. for your Federal Career Information and Services. We are dedicated to helping you get Best Qualified, Referred, Interviewed and Hired into a Federal Career. Sincerely, Kathryn Troutman, Founder and President

MORE CURRENT FEDERAL CAREER EBOOKS, WEBINAR AND SAMPLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR UNDER $49

The application process is still complicated, but if you can play poker, golf, bridge, monopoly, or another game with complex instructions and a little strategic thinking, you can compete for a federal job. Here are a few of my favorite tips and insights about what’s new and important in federal hiring after the hiring reform of last year:

1. The written narratives as part of the government jobs application – KSAs – are mostly gone.

This is the best news about the hiring reform that was implemented in November 2010. Before then, government job applications required half-to-one-page written narratives for about four or five required skills for the position, such as: how you can “communicate orally,” “plan or coordinate,” or provide technical expertise in your field.

2. Time for applying for federal jobs is cut in half.

Many more jobseekers are applying for federal positions now that the narrative KSAs are eliminated. This change means that the total time investment required to apply for each position is roughly half of what it would have been under the old system.

3. Now is the time to apply.

The government agencies finally got their budget for 2011. But the budget year will be over at the end of September 2011. So this is a great time to look at announcements and apply for positions. They’ll still be hiring after the budget year ends, but right now there are more positions posted.

4. The government job application process is totally online, with a resume builder and upload system.

I recommend that you copy and paste your resume into the builder, even though it will take you 30 to 45 minutes to set up your first resume. The resume builder will prompt you to give certain resume details that are critical for your qualifications, such as month and year of employment dates for at least 10 years, hours worked per week, supervisor’s name, phone numbers of employers, and salaries for positions going back 10 years.

5. Federal positions are the best in the country.

The entire application process — from finding the best announcement through using the resume builder, completing the questionnaire and uploading both the cover letter and transcript — will take time, determination, and patience. But the end result could be an outstanding career for you, security for your family, and an opportunity to provide service to America.

Tips for Applying

Set up your accounts to apply for government jobs. There are usually two parts to each application:

1. The Resume Builder in USAJOBS.gov; and
2. The Questionnaire in ApplicationManager.gov

Both systems require a user name and password. The Questionnaire can have between 10 and 80 questions, but they are multiple choice, so they don’t take too long.

Give yourself as much credit as you can. Read the multiple-choice questions and determine your answers carefully. You will be self-scoring your skills for the human resources reviewer. You will usually have 5 choices for each question, and can often choose one of the following:

1. I have no experience or education in this skill area.
2. I have education in this field, but have never done this work.
3. I perform this work closely supervised.
4. I perform this work independently, with little or no supervision.
5. I am an expert in this work. I supervise others or I am the person who is consulted in this area because of my expertise.

Your resume must match the answers to your questionnaire. If you select the “5″, or the highest score, your resume must demonstrate this expertise. Edit your resume slightly for each application, so that the resume shows that you have the skills that are listed in the announcement and the Questionnaire.

Order your college transcripts right away. You do not have to upload originals. You can scan all of your transcripts into one file and upload them into USAJOBS.gov. Later the agency you are applying to might ask for an original, but they are not needed for the applications.

Write a cover letter now with your application. You can upload this into USAJOBS or ApplicationManager. This is another step that you can take with your federal application according to recent Federal Hiring Reform regulations. The letter is optional, but could help you stand out.

For up to date advice, tips, and news regarding federal jobs and the federal application process, “like” The Resume Place on Facebook and follow Kathryn Troutman on Twitter.

Developing and writing a Senior Executive Service (SES) application package with Executive Core Qualification statements (ECQs) is a challenging process that requires dedication and hours of preparation. The process is also very rewarding – a journey that reaps high rewards, when seeking employment among the ranks of some of our government’s top officials (.04% of the total federal workforce).

Since 2008, the Office of Personnel Management has introduced a new method of applying for SES – the five-page resume-based application with the ECQs integrated into the position descriptions. Agencies may use either the traditional SES application method (a senior-level federal resume and set of Executive Core Qualification statements (ECQs) – a 15- to 25-page resume and essay package) or the five-page resume-based SES application.

The five-page resume-based SES/ECQ application requires evidence of the ECQs in the text of the resume. (The ECQs are Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, and Building Coalitions. Each ECQ is an umbrella header for the 28 leadership competencies that OPM has identified for the SES. The 28 leadership competencies must be evident throughout the five-page resume combined with a structured/behavior-based interview).

Developing and writing this five-page resume that persuasively demonstrates decision-making and leadership abilities may require summarizing some 15 to 20 pages of ECQ essays written for the traditional SES/ECQ essay application package, into a coherent five-page document, which tells a story of senior leadership by covering all 28 leadership competencies, but not actually identifying the ECQ categories. (The 2010 Guide to SES Qualifications by OPM states: Candidates should keep the ECQs in mind as they write their resumes, but it is not necessary or even advisable to annotate the resume with “Leading Change”, “Leading People”, “Results Driven”, “Business Acumen”, or “Leading Change”).

Within this context, and understanding these new requirements for applying for SES positions, I worked with a client who required both the traditional ECQ essay application package and also a five-page SES/ECQ resume.

I worked with my client to identify her specific leadership accomplishments. Conducting a thorough interview, I gleaned the details of these accomplishments, guiding my client to focus on leadership initiatives with large scope organizational impact. I asked my client to describe the results that affected organizational performance with far reaching influence across her agency and across barriers (externally to other agencies or internationally).

Once the achievements were identified, we began adding content to each example in the CCAR (Context, Challenge, Actions, and Results) format, developing and writing the stories as essays. We refined the stories ensuring the essay package clearly displayed the leadership competencies required by OPM.

While drafting the ECQ essays, I also outlined my client’s five-page resume with the following elements: a short Executive Profile; position descriptions detailing my client’s leadership operational scope for each position held in the past 10 years; and a section following each position description titled: Leadership Initiatives – this is where I added the mini-ECQ stories/bullets. The resume also included Education, Advanced Training, Public Speaking Engagements, Publications, Memberships, and Awards.

After the full ECQ essays were written (about 10 pages max.), I began to summarize and edit each story into short five to eight-line bullets/ paragraphs.

Knowing that the evaluators are looking for demonstrated evidence of my client’s ECQs and the 28 leadership competencies woven throughout the entire five pages, I focused on challenges, some actions, and results in the short ECQ bullets – as the context is addressed in the position description on the resume. We also addressed specific requirements from the ECQs: conflict management, technology integration, human capital management, financial management, and diversity.

Since we recognized that the resume-based application process is considered a screening method, to be used in conjunction with a structured interview, and she would be assigned a rating, we were certain to identify my client’s executive leadership experience considering the complexity of the position/situation, scope and breadth of the results/outcomes, and the time horizon (how the result affect future issues/events). Consequently, we developed the full CCAR essays, and then summarized each story for the five-page resume based application, to provide my client clearly articulated stories to prepare for the interview process. Here are a couple sample short bullets that we prepared for the five-page resume (She was applying for a position with DHS):

҉ۢ Spearheaded the information-sharing program, exponentially increasing the number of shareable information / records from 15 to more than 80 million in response to continued high-level Congressional demands for enhanced inter-agency information sharing after 9/11. Introduced the vision and focus to establish programmatic governance framework, while navigating challenging institutional inertia and agency cultures, gaining consensus at all levels. Guided design of tools and incentives at the institutional, leadership, and workforce levels including executive committee and working groups. Conceived a disciplined process to engage other agencies, and led my staff in accelerating the creation of more than 80 regional information-sharing partnerships with 1700 agencies and other external organizations across the nation. (Results Driven)

• Drafted effective and diplomatic responses to repeated inquiries from the Appropriations Subcommittee during two years, demonstrating executive-level political sensitivity about the scope, status, benefits, and goals of the e-Government program (15 individual initiatives in three broad portfolios worth $78M) relative to the Agency. I defined success benchmarks for the Agency regarding its participation in e-Government, and gained consensus at the congressional level for additional funding to support this growing program. (Business Acumen & Fundamental Competencies)”

Since we also prepared her full CCAR ECQ essays, she was able to refer to the essay stories to prepare for the interview. The exercise of developing CCAR stories is an excellent technique to prepare for the entire application process from resume development, to networking, to the interview – validating leadership skills and abilities across the spectrum of the required 28 leadership competencies.

The Resume Place is offering a comprehensive two-day workshop describing the five-page resume based SES application package, the traditional SES/ECQ application package, and other application formats. Participants will receive instruction in development of the resumes, ECQ essays, and the structured interview process. Click here for full class details.

Thanks to Diane Hudson Burns for this special guest blog! Diane is a career management strategist and career coach focusing on job-search-proofing. An international conference speaker and train-the-trainer on career-related topics, Diane specializes in composing quality career change, military transition, private industry and federal resumes from mid-management (GS-12) to Senior Executive Service.