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.

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.