FEDERAL RESUME PROFILE™ | Your Cart is Empty | Log IN | Help     
      
Questions? (888) 480-8265 (No Toll) | resume@resume-place.com
     
Home » Blog » Archive

Posts Tagged ‘Federal Resumes’

Hot Keywords for Supervisory Forestry Technician (Hotshot)

Posted in Federal Resume Writing
by Kathryn Troutman on December 30th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

Hotshot firemanAre you a Hotshot Supervisory Forestry Technician? If so, better include these keywords in your federal resume if you want to get Best Qualified. Look at the descriptions of the Duties, Specialized Experience and then the keyword list. These words are critical for the performance of this position.

Department:Department Of Agriculture, US Forest Service

SALARY RANGE:

$38,117.00 to $54,879.00 / Per Year

SERIES & GRADE:

GS-0462-07/08

DUTIES:

Serves as a highly trained and specialized fire suppression crewmember. Performs incident response to the “hot” portions of the fireline, operating under the pressure of unpredictable, changing conditions.

Performs the administrative and human resource management functions relative to the staff supervised. Plans, schedules, and assigns work to subordinates. Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff members; provides feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance. Provides advice, counsel, and/or instruction to staff members. Recommends or approves appointments, selections, or reassignments to positions appropriate to the selection authority delegated. Effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area. Carries out Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies and program activities.

Keywords:

  • Incident response to the “hot” portions of the fireline
  • Working under pressure of unpredictable, changing conditions
  • Perform administrative and human resources; staff supervision
  • Carries out disciplinary and EEO functions

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

I have 90 days on-the-line wildland firefighting experience gained through containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. I have documented this experience with specific dates in the Work Experience, Additional Information portion of my application, or Resume.

To determine your eligibility for a primary firefighter position, indicate whether you meet the following age requirement: I am under age 37; OR, after subtracting the months of Federal Service worked in a primary firefighter/law enforcement position, I am less than age 37; OR I am a veterans preference eligible, I am older than age 37 and am requesting a waiver to the maximum age requirement.

Keywords:

  • On-the-line wildland firefighting
  • Containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire
  • Primary firefighter / law enforcement

Specialized experience is defined as: GS-07: Performed interdisciplinary tactical methods and techniques, related to wildland fire operations for use of water and other additives in controlling and mopping-up fires in order to efficiently and effectively accomplish operations where water was in short supply. Served on a specialty crew (hotshot, helitack, engines, etc.) or assigned to lead fire suppression under the most adverse conditions of climate, fuels, and terrain.

Keywords:

  • Tactical methods and techniques related to wildland fire operations
  • Use of water and addictives in controlling and mopping up fires
  • Efficiency and effectively accomplish operations where water is in short supply
  • Specialty crew (hotshot, helitack, engines
  • Adverse conditions of climate, fuels and terrain

New SES Book Explains How to Join the Government’s Senior Executive Service

Posted in ECQs
by Kathryn Troutman on November 17th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

The New SES Application -- book coverWant to join America’s most elite group of senior professionals, the Senior Executive Service (SES)?

Already there and eying another position? The Federal Government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) estimates that as many as 50% of federal senior executives employed at the start of 2011 will leave government by the end of 2015. The mass departure of these Baby Boom-generation federal executives will create a crucial need for strong new Federal workforce leaders. But if you want to join the SES, you first must learn how to jump through many application hoops. These are not easy jobs to get.

The New SES Application, the latest title from noted Federal Career authors Kathryn Troutman and Diane Hudson Burns and award-winning Federal Career Publishers, adeptly covers the challenges and intricacies of applying for the best Federal jobs available today, the Senior Executive Service (SES). This just-released book covers all new changes in SES applications since the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) decision in 2008 to pilot a new method for SES applications, adopted by many agencies since 2009. Now is the time to think SES, as the OPM predicts a surge of retirements by senior executive Baby Boomers over the next four years.

Part of the challenge is that these are the most senior Federal civil service jobs, and have highly demanding technical and leadership qualifications. Another challenge comes from President Obama’s 2010 initiative calling for improvements in federal recruitment and hiring. Applying for SES positions can be confusing.

“The process of applying for SES has changed a lot recently,” notes Federal Job Guru Kathryn Troutman, one of the co-authors of The New SES Application (Fall 2011, $21.95, 189 pp.). “They’re trying to get rid of the separate essay-style narratives, the 10-page Executive Core Qualification Statements (ECQs), and they created a comprehensive five-page SES federal resume to replace it. Not all the agencies are doing it, so the book was created to cover all the various possible requirements.”

Her co-author Diane Hudson Burns notes that applicants need to scrutinize their selected vacancy announcements carefully. The announcements will reveal which SES application format should be used. Chapter 3 explains how to analyze announcements and it describes the different formats in use.

“However I would suggest you prepare a full SES application in advance,” Hudson Burns says. “Then, when an announcement is posted, you can customize the documents to fit the specific opening. Otherwise, you might be scrambling and miss an application deadline.”

Books from Federal Career Publishers, a division of Troutman’s Resume Place, are known for their top-rate samples of resumes and other application pieces, and this most recent title is no exception (see Chapter 9). Another helpful feature of The New SES Application is Chapter 7, “Lessons Learned.” It’s the “What Not To Do” chapter. “It’s based on actual feedback applicants received from OPM,” reveals Troutman, “and includes crucial writing tips and the main reasons an application might be rejected.”

This book presents a process for writing the application package based on years of in-class training experience. The authors recommend kick-starting the writing by drafting a list of your Top 10 Accomplishments (Chapter 4). “Thank you, David Letterman,” Troutman joked. “When you write your accomplishments, and spell out what you’ve done, it gives you a solid starting place.”

Wondering if you’re SES ready? “The Leadership Journey” chart at the beginning of Chapter 2 can help as it displays the competencies required at the different management levels in federal government. The chart can also help you plan for a federal senior-executive career. Additionally, the book is a great resource for employees being groomed within a government agency for SES through a Federal Candidate Development Program.

The SES hiring process uses the application and the interview together to score candidates. “The structured interview format is the most popular for SES,” notes Troutman (see Chapter 8).

A two-day intensive SES workshop run by the Resume Place utilizes The New SES Application as a text. The workshop offers support on application writing and interview prep for federal managers and administrators, military officers and senior enlisted, as well as private industry executives considering SES careers. Attendees learn about the SES corps, develop a 5-page SES federal resume, and practice their interviews using video and class feedback. The next scheduled SES Application Writing Course is January 17-18 in Catonsville, MD.

It can take 20 hours or more to write a SES application package. Troutman’s firm also offers consulting and writing services for time-pressed executives and others who need support beyond the book. Bryan Hochstein is an SES applicant who decided to turn to the Resume Place for help in writing his application and prepping for the interview. “They obviously have the experience, and understand the process,” he observed. “Out of fifty candidates, I was among the top five who qualified for an interview.” Another one of Hudson Burns’ clients received three SES job interviews and two job offers after working with her on a SES application. “I have been dreaming of obtaining an SES position for 25 years,” the applicant revealed. “You helped me achieve a personal goal.”

“Writing the SES application is really about articulating leadership,” explains Hudson Burns. “It’s a complex process, but it is necessary to meet the SES requirements. The book explains all the nuances of the application process clearly, including development of what I call the ’super resume’, the new five-page SES/ECQ combined resume.”

More information and easy online ordering »

Big Discount For Federal Resume Writing Projects Due To USAJOBS 3.0 Debacle

Posted in Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing, www.USAJOBS.gov
by Kathryn Troutman on November 1st, 2011 | 1 Comment - Make a comment »

USAJOBS You have all heard by now that the USAJOBS 3.0 transition did NOT go quite as well as we had hoped. The devastating result this has caused today for job seekers is that currently there are VERY FEW positions being posted.

I have heard this anecdotally from others, but today I put this to the test. I used the USAJOBS 3.0 Advanced Search to find IT Specialist positions for a client. My search was: IT Specialist, Washington, DC, GS 12/13, and Federal Employee. Search results: 119 positions. BUT … only 9 positions were IT Specialist positions; the rest were Contract Specialist, EEO Specialist, Public Affairs Specialists, etc. This number could be a historic low; I normally would find well over 100 IT Specialist positions using this type of search.

I do believe that in the next couple of months, as the USAJOBS 3.0 issues get resolved, there will be a backlog of vacancies that will be posted.

What does this mean for you NOW? Get ready for a potential influx of job announcements! The next few months may well present one of your best opportunities to land a government job.

The government will be hiring again. Get ready to compete with a targeted federal resume written toward specific occupational standards.

While we wait for USAJOBS 3.0 to get fixed, we are offering a special price to get your federal résumé the best it could possibly be with the help of our certified writers.

We are offering $100 to $130 savings on our already-discounted packages for federal resume consulting & writing, cover letters, and USAJOBS submissions. Take advantage of this USAJOBS 3.0 debacle to get expert help with a good discount. The silver lining: take advantage of the great timing to get your federal resume written, targeted, posted in the USAJOBS 3.0 resume builder before the holidays. You’ll be done before the holiday rush.

This discount will last only 30 days. So don’t wait; check out our services and order your federal resume writing package. SAVE NOW!

– Kathryn Troutman, President, www.resume-place.com and www.fedjobtraining.com

Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities with the Schedule A

Posted in schedule a hiring
by Kathryn Troutman on October 30th, 2011 | No Comments - Make a comment »

troutman_norwicki

On October 5, Krista Nowicki and Kathryn Troutman teamed together to present a program to encourage both supervisors to consider and hire more people with disabilities, and for the applicants to write a better federal resume for their Schedule A applications.

Krista Nowicki collects and manages the resumes of Schedule A applicants for this agency in Battle Creek, Michigan and serves as applicant advocate as well as supervisory consultant on hiring through the Schedule A hiring authority. Krista’s goal is to match the best qualified candidates with positions that will be a win-win for both the employee and the supervisor.

More than 100 supervisors, employees and applicants attended the workshop to learn more about why supervisors should be reviewing the resumes and considering candidates that are currently sitting in the Disabilities Program Manager’s folder of Targeted and Non-Targeted Disability candidates.  In just the last 60 days, DLA Logistics Information System has hired five targeted employees with more candidates under consideration following this program.

The President’s Executive Order

The President has urged all federal agencies to embrace the federal hiring practices in a more user friendly way as the percent of hires and total workforce with disabilities are below 5%. The President has asked all federal agencies to step up to the plate to hiring more qualified individuals with disabilities including the war veterans.  Please make this your status quo and your priority to making a difference in your hiring practices.

“Individuals with disabilities currently represent just over 5 percent of the nearly 2.5 million people in the Federal workforce, and individuals with targeted disabilities (as defined below) currently represent less than 1 percent of that workforce.” … As the Nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government must become a model for the employment of individuals with disabilities.  My Administration is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in the Federal workforce through compliance with Executive Order 13163 and achievement of the goals set forth therein over 5 years, including specific goals for hiring individuals with targeted disabilities. Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-increasing-federal-employment-individuals-with-disabilities

+ Tip for Applicants

Follow the laws, executive orders, articles having to do with hiring people with disabilities. Stay in tune with the agencies that are hiring and writing about this topic. Pick up the names of Disability Coordinators in various agencies and write to them, sending your Schedule A package.

Supervisors have a very unique opportunity to hire high quality individuals who may have a disability.

These individuals have been screened through their respective Disabilities Coordinator and are well qualified to work. By going through you Disabilities Coordinator, you as a supervisor not only have a unique opportunity to hire an individual with a disability with skills, abilities and are qualified but are also very reliable and highly productive citizens.

+ Tip for Applicants with Targeted or Non-Targeted Disabilities

Write your federal resume toward one or two specific occupational series / positions in government. Research the government job titles and the agency’s mission to determine how you could best fit into an agency. Include a cover letter which states what kind of positions you are seeking, and your top 5 skills that you can offer this agency.

Your Disabilities Coordinator is your Schedule A Hiring Consultant.

Your Disabilities Coordinator will assist you in utilizing the Schedule A process which not only streamlines the hiring process to bring employees on board quickly and faster than the competitive process but also give you the opportunity to give back and to give others a chance and a opportunity to be working and pay taxes and not be reliant on public support as you and I are paying for out of our taxes.  The more we can get these individuals who want to work and be productive citizens the less taxes we all pay.

+ Tip for Applicants

Be an advocate for yourself and others who are disabled. Share information about what you learn on social networking so that others can be educated about the Schedule A process. You will learn by communicating with your Disabilities Coordinator various lessons, tips and strategies to get your resume in front of supervisors in their agencies.

Hire faster!

When the hiring opportunity comes up in these circumstances that require quick turnaround time to fill your position(s).  When you are given an opportunity to hire and at times it’s in a very short timeframe, your Disability Coordinator is an excellent resource to turn to on a monthly basis or as needed basis. Refer to Schedule A as your hiring resource as you don’t have to advertise your vacant position through the Schedule A process.  By utilizing the Schedule A process, you will cut your hiring timeline process in half especially when u have a direct hiring and a hiring freeze in place.

+ Tip for Applicants

Send the resume and cover letter and Schedule A letter to the Disability Coordinator, but also apply for jobs online through USAJOBS. Just submit the same package applying for positions that are posted. Follow all the directions and apply for Schedule A positions online.

Get to know your friendly, hard-working Disability Coordinator.

By keeping your communications open on a regular basis (monthly) will also increase your chances of filling your positions not only in a timely manner but also making a difference for others whom will do the same once hired and off the public support roles.

+ Tip for Applicants

Get to know the agency’s Disability Coordinator. Send your resume and cover letter and follow up. Ask questions about the types of positions that are available and write your resume to include skills that will help the Disability Coordinator market your specialized experience.  Follow-up once every 2 or 3 weeks, to see if there is any interest, or if the Disability Coordinator has had the chance to present your resume to any supervisors.

Photograph: Krista Nowicki is the People with Disabilities Program Manager for Defense Logistics Agency Logistics Information System in Battle Creek, Michigan. Kathryn Troutman is the author of Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition which contains a new chapter on applying for federal positions with the Schedule A Hiring Authority.

USAJOBS 3.0: How to Get Your Resume Adjusted

Posted in Federal Job Search, Federal Resume Writing, www.USAJOBS.gov
by Kathryn Troutman on October 18th, 2011 | 1 Comment - Make a comment »

USAJOBS 3.0 Home Page

USAJOBS 3.0 went up last Wednesday!  Have you checked it out?  Our reviews have found some important updates to USAJOBS that you will want to be aware of. We have certainly heard some complaints about accessing the new site and the advanced search function.  However, the resume builder has clearly been improved with new features and additional space. This change can make a big difference for the savvy federal job search applicant who can adjust their resume to take advantage of these improvements.

Find out what you need to know and what you need to do to improve your resume visibility in USAJOBS 3.0. Join our upcoming webinars to get the details of our review and our recommendations. Our USAJOBS 3.0 webinars are being offered once a month for the next few months.  The first webinar is THIS FRIDAY–don’t miss this opportunity to get ahead of the game! Register now »

Here are some immediate improvements to USAJOBS that we want to make sure you know about:

  • USAJOBS will now be searchable by HR recruiters!
  • USAJOBS 3.0 allows you to customize your job search.
  • Your USAJOBS account is now managed by your email ID.
  • USAJOBS 3.0 has a new Profile format with five pages of questions to answer to update your information.
  • Work Experience Block space limit has increased from 3,000 characters with spaces to 5,000 characters with spaces.
  • Work Experience job listings are now at the top of the Work Experience page. This helps resume writers to quickly see which jobs they have already listed without having to scroll down to the bottom of the page.  The same improvement has been made for the Education section.
  • Now there are expand and shrink functions that allow you to see up to 50 lines of type in the Work Experience block, a huge increase from the previous 15 lines, making it easier for resume writers to get the full picture of their writing.
  • Training and Publications increased to 5,000 characters with spaces from previous 3,000 characters.
  • Final Resume View comes up automatically for you to quickly preview your final product and get a look at how the recruiters will view your resume. Make sure you use this opportunity to proof your resume carefully and make changes to improve the readability of your resume.
  • Resume Upload: Now you can upload a Word document version of your resume into USAJOBS to be searchable by recruiters. There is even a sample federal resume that is acceptable, and tips for writing a good federal resume on this page.

Learn how to translate these changes into federal job search success in USAJOBS 3.0.

Join our webinars

Here are some of the questions we will answer in our webinars:

  • How can you make the most of the additional space for your resume?
  • What changes should you make to your resume to make it more searchable in the new system?
  • What does it mean that you can customize my job search?
  • What is this feature? How can you use it to improve your chances of getting your resume recognized?
  • What are the tips you should know for filling out the five-page profile section to make your information more visible to HR recruiters?
  • What should you be careful about when managing your account information in the new system?
  • How are the hiring eligibility and preferences fields being used by HR?
  • What do you do with your Social Security number in USAJOBS 3.0?
  • What do you writing the 500 character personal information block?

Overall, the improvements in the Profile, Resume Builder, and Resume Upload are very good. I especially like the restructure of the Work Experience and Education pages, so that the listing of jobs and education is on the top screen. And the 5,000 characters are now great (especially for former CHART resumes), and I like the Expand and Shrink work experience blocks. AND … the final preview of the resume before the FINISH button is really nice.  That is a great finale for a lot of hard work!

Thank you, USAJOBS 3.0 Resume Builder Team. This is a great improvement for thousands of resume builders who would like to land a federal job or internship! Kathryn Troutman, Author, Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Ed.

Register Now »

« Older Entries