CURRENT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR USAJOBS ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE NOW AND WILL BE FURTHER STALLED: For thousands of active federal jobseekers who currently have applications submitted on USAJOBS, their applications will be further stalled for weeks and months if the human resources specialists are furloughed. The federal hiring process is long and complex, even without a furlough. The furlough will be very difficult for human resources specialists and managers who are trying to hire for new positions.

CURRENT POSITIONS THAT ARE POSTED ON USAJOBS WILL BE CANCELED: Many current vacancy announcements will be cancelled, due to the time of the deadline of the position closing, the lack of time to review the applications and manage the hiring process. If the HR Specialists are furloughed, they cannot handle the new applications efficiently or at all. The positions will eventually be re-posted, but it will be a couple of months from now, in order to catch up with hiring activities that are in progress at the time of the furlough. Many jobseekers who have applications in process will check their application status and find that the position is cancelled. This is happening now.

CURRENT FEDERAL JOBSEEKERS ARE WAITING FOR WHAT’S NEXT: Thousands of current federal jobseekers are waiting for responses to their active applications. The HR specialists have already notified jobseekers that they are Best Qualified or Referred to a Supervisor, but that’s it. Activities have stalled due to lack of budget. The positions may be cancelled. This is very discouraging for jobseekers who are waiting for responses and who need a job to pay for their mortgages and their bills.

FEW JOBS POSTED ON USAJOBS: Currently the number of active positions posted on www.usajobs.gov is very light. Many agencies have frozen all job postings or hiring, due to the lack of budget and uncertainty of the budget for next year for hiring new employees. Today there are 1117 jobs available in Washington, DC open to All US Citizens. There are 2238 positions open to Status jobseekers. The “Status” applicants are current federal employees, veterans and persons who can take advantage of special hiring programs (some spouses, individuals with disabilities). These positions could get cancelled if there is a furlough.

SLOW RECOVERY OF FEDERAL HIRING: When the FY12 Budget is finally passed the vacancy announcements will be posted, and the hiring will go back to normal. But the process will be slower, due to the time needed to catch up on the thousands of jobs that the government typically hires. With Federal Hiring Reform of 2011, the HR specialists were really speeding up with the hiring process. But now if furlough happens, they will be backed up with applications, announcements and processes.

LESS INDIVIDUALS HIRED IN 2011: The government hired approximately 309,000 new positions in 2009, the latest full-year statistic according to Office of Personnel Management. So, for 2011, if the government was on track to hire about 300,000, they may have trouble doing this with the available funds until the end of the Fiscal Year, Sept. 2011.

LOSS OF JOB SEARCH MORALE: With the job market being uncertain already, unemployment at just under 9%, Americans need permanent, temporary or term government jobs to return to normalcy in America. The federal hiring process is already complex, long, especially with possible security clearances. This slow budget process, threat of furlough is dramatically affecting the morale of jobseekers who aren’t seeing timely responses to their applications.

BIG PROBLEMS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AFFECTED BY BRAC: Thousands of federal employees are seeking new positions due to their agency BRAC programs. The furlough will cause major job search and relocation problems for federal employees and managers who are continuing to manage changing organizational missions, relocate, and maintain a daily working morale through difficult organization and program mergers and relocations. The employees affected by BRAC may be furloughed, and this will affect their agency relocation plans, as well as job search efforts.

A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AND FURLOUGH WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECTIVE ON THE JOB RECOVERY IN AMERICA. A government shutdown and furloughs of government workers, which includes hiring managers and human resources specialists, will hurt the job market and the unemployment rates of America. This will NOT be a positive step toward recovery and jobs for Americans. The government needs to stay in business and get back to business with a working budget today!

Even so, it is still important to demonstrate in your federal job application that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform a job. How do I recommend that you do that? Include the KSAs in your federal resume! In fact, vacancy announcements are already listing KSAs in the qualifications section with the note that the KSAs should be included in the text of the resume.

The best way to make your KSAs stand out in the federal resume is to use our recommended Outline Format Resume for USAJOBS and other online builders. The sample federal resume in this article, which is in USAJOBS format, includes the KSAs found in the vacancy announcement.

Recommend Format for KSAs in the Federal Resume

The Outline Format for your federal resume was first developed in 2000 when Department of Defense agencies introduced the Resumix system. The Resumix system is a keyword system and is still the resume format used today by Army, Navy, and Department of Defense agencies. The Outline Format features keywords that could be the search terms used by the human resources specialists and supervisors.

The KSAs can also be highlighted in the Outline Format by carefully selecting KSA keywords as the paragraph headers, then formatting these headers in ALL CAPS so that the information is very clear to the human resources specialist. The sample federal resume below clearly features the KSAs from Duties; Qualifications; and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities statements listed in the announcement.

Readability is Key to Success for KSAs in the Federal Resume

Federal resumes posted in USAJOBS are read by federal human resources specialists, not a machine or artificial intelligence system. Being able to easily find the KSAs in the federal resume will make it easier to determine that you are Best Qualified for a certain position. Using a limited amount of ALL CAPS in your USAJOBS or builder resume can help HR and the supervisor see your KSAs and specialized experience.

How to Include KSAs or Qualifications in Your Federal Resume

1. Find the KSAs in the announcement in the Qualifications section. 2. Copy them into a Word file. 3. Copy the KSA into your resume. 4. Match your current resume duties and accomplishments to the KSAs. 5. Create the Outline Format, so that the KSAs stand out for the HR specialist. 6. Write a description of your skills in each KSA area and give a short example if you can. It is important to give an example that demonstrates your past performance for each KSA. 7. Write the KSA information within the Work Experience section of your resume. 8. Emphasize the KSA skills within the last 10 years if you can. 9. Emphasize the KSA skills within the most recent one or two positions if you can. 10. Give example for the KSAs if you can. This will improve your chances of being best qualified.

KSAs in the Resume – Sample Outline Format from USAJOBS

The KSAs for this position are the following: – TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM SUPPORT to an analytical workforce. – DATA COLLECTION: Gather, evaluate, and compile variety of data and information to report progress. – REPORT PRODUCTION AND DATABASE ADMINISTRATION – CUSTOMER SERVICES AND OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

SARA JACOBS 4567 Dandelion Way Washington, DC 20009 Mobile: 202-222-2323 Email: smjacobs@verizon.net

WORK EXPERIENCE Federal Bureau of Investigation, Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate 8/2009 – Present Washington, DC US Grade Level: GS-07 Salary: 52,794 USD Per Year Hours per week: 40 Management and Program Assistant, 0344

TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM SUPPORT to an analytical workforce. As the sole Management Assistant to 10 Analysts, I support higher-level analysts in research and analysis of weapons of mass destruction. Conduct special research projects as assigned or as a team member. Support analysts with administrative tasks and assist in conducting studies concerning research on weapons of mass destruction.

DATA COLLECTION: Gather, evaluate, and compile variety of data and information to report progress. The analysts depend on me to compile and write drafts of final reports to include editing for obvious omissions or errors, as well as compliance with established format. Produce charts and graphics with content provided by analysts and original research.

REPORT PRODUCTION AND DATABASE ADMINISTRATION: I am the quality-control check and proofread reports and other documents for correct information. Coordinate administrative requirements with other Dept. of Homeland Security offices. I maintain the WMD databases, identify trends/patterns, compile reports, and apply data-gathering methods to collect information.

CUSTOMER SERVICES AND OFFICE ADMINISTRATION: I am the primary point of contact for the Directorate Analysts. I also hold primary responsibility for administrative programs and ensure compliance with all procedural requirements.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

+ Updated the WMD database with more than 2 months of data collected by the analysts. Created a spreadsheet with the updated information to summarize data collected, as well as news summaries from major news outlets. Received recognition from my supervisor for attention to detail.

+ Developed a spreadsheet to maintain project status of the Analysts’ research, which was posted for easy access and 24×7 viewing. This resulted in less repetition in research and immediate information on available date. (Contact Supervisor: Yes, Supervisor’s Name: Joette Zimmerman, Supervisor’s Phone: 202-222-2222)

*Sample from the Federal Resume Guidebook & CD-ROM, 4th, Edition, Publisher: JIST, Inc.; Author: Kathryn Troutman

Last evening, I listened closely to President Obama’s speech for new ideas about jobs for Americans that would give us all hope.

I heard about clean energy jobs, something President Obama discussed during the election, but it was not clear where the jobs would be coming from, or even what jobs might be.

I also heard about ideas for small businesses getting help in the form of tax breaks and SBA loans so they could hire more people. I listened closely to this topic because of my recent difficult experience with it. I am the president of a small business, and two weeks ago I got an SBA loan to grow the business and hire more staff. BUT, it took me one year to get the SBA loan, and collateral I had to put down was disproportionately huge — four times the amount of the loan. Basically, the SBA and the small community bank could take over everything I own if anything ever happens to me or to my business. Very few small business owners have this amount of collateral to support a business loan. So, I was understandably skeptical about Obama’s ideas regarding the SBA loans as a way to create more jobs.

Needless to say, I did not come away from the speech with much positive news to share with you.

This morning I took a new approach. I decided to look past the political rhetoric and examine the actions actually being taken right now to generate more jobs for Americans. So, I read the transcript of last night’s speech to compare Obama’s NEW JOB IDEAS with the NEW AND PROPOSED BILLS that will support those ideas.

This is what I found out:

PASSED BILL (2009):

Recovery Act (passed) to create Construction Jobs This bill has been passed last year and is in action.

BILLS PASSED RECENTLY OR WILL PASS:

New GI Bill and Military Family Bill for more Military Family / Vet Services Jobs This bill has passed, and these jobs will begin to appear very soon.

New Education Bill to create more Education Jobs This bill will probably pass and will create more education / teaching jobs.

BILLS IN PROGRESS:

The Jobs Bill - $154B Bill for Transportation and Instructor Training Jobs This bill has not passed yet.

SBA Loans for Small Businesses ($30B to community banks) to create new Small Business Jobs The Main Street Lending Restoration Act was just proposed in December 2009.

Doha Bill for more Global Exporting / Business Jobs This problematic bill has been in the works for a long time and may not pass.

Climate and Energy Bill to create new Clean Energy Jobs This bill has not passed yet the Senate yet.

and … A NOTE ABOUT THE SPENDING FREEZE: For those of you who have been worried about a spending freeze, the one piece of solid good news I can give you is that the spending freeze will not start until 2011. Let’s move forward with hope that the programs will begin to have a positive impact on our jobs situation soon.

SUMMARY:

My feeling last night was right: the speech did not say much about REAL JOB CREATION TODAY. So, moving forward, I will continue with my federal job search counseling, training, book publishing and other activities as I have been doing. I will continue to encourage jobseekers to write the best possible resume and federal resume. And I’ll keep encouraging people to stay strong and focused toward the future. Don’t think or worry about what the government is doing. It’s all up to each person to figure out their way to a new job and to solve their financial issues. If the government does come up with programs that will help us, that’s GREAT! But I am not going to sit around and wait. I will continue to be the entrepreneur that I am!

Thanks for reading. Good luck with your job search. – Kathryn Troutman Author of several books on federal job search; Founder and President of The Resume Place, Inc. for 35 years; and the lucky recipient of an SBA loan!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Write your Senators in support of the Jobs Bill, which has already passed the House. This bill COULD make a difference for you and millions of America’s jobless.

• Find out how to contact your Senator »
• To watch the speech or read the transcript »

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’s 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.

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.