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.

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!

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.

Long KSA narratives may be on the way out, but this KSA written by Kathryn Troutman is a Fourth of July classic!

This KSA features the Context, Challenge, Action, Results (CCAR) format preferred by federal human resources specialists. See our free KSA CCAR Builder to create your KSAs in the CCAR format.

Read the original blog with the historical background to this inspiring story here: Star Spangled Banner Inspiration.

Star-Spangled Banner: Classic KSA

Candidate: Francis Scott Key, Sept. 14, 1814

Position: Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Congress

KSA: Ability to Communicate in Writing

AUTHORED THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

Context: As an attorney and aide-de-camp to General Smith, stationed near Upper Marlboro, MD, I found out my dear friend and elderly, Dr. Beane, who was captured by the British Army during a party at his home in Upper Marlboro. I was on a British vessel flagged for truce by President Jackson, on my way to pick up a captured friend in Marlborough. We got as far as the mouth of the Patuxent and then we were not permitted to return lest an intended attack on Baltimore by the British should be disclosed. We were brought up the Bay just across from Fort McHenry and there we were compelled to witness the bombardment of Fort McHenry, which the Admiral had boasted that he would carry in a few hours, and that the city must fall.

Challenge: We watched the flag at the Fort through the whole day with more than 500 bombs from British ships to Ft. McHenry. In the night the smaller weather flag was flying while we watched the Bomb shells in darkness not knowing that the American Military had secretly planned 4 barges, which the British did not detect. These barges attached the British militia and sent them running, some with tugs assisting. At the early dawn our eyes were surprising greeted by the proudly the 15-star flag of our country (late to be known as the Star Spangled Banner).

Actions: By morning, I was compelled to pen a poem that reflected my thoughts of the war and particularly of the flag, “Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light?” was my first thought.

I wrote four verses that reflected topics about the day before and my vision of the flag in the morning. The first verse reviews the dawn’s light and the flag with broad stripes and bright stars that was still flying in the morning; the second verse reviews the dread silence and how the flag was fitfully blowing; the third verse reviews the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion; and the final and fourth verse celebrates the victory and peace that preserved our nation.

Results: I witnessed the last enemy fire to fall on Fort McHenry and in this memory, I wrote the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry,” which has been renamed to “The Star-Spangled Banner” and has become a well-known American patriotic song. The poem and song were recognized for official Navy use in 1931 and became the national them by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 and signed by President Herbert Hoover.

+++++++++

Defence of our Nation, Patrick Henry

One year ago, John Berry, Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and President Obama made bold moves to improve the application process for federal jobseekers by eliminating the dreaded Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) narratives from federal applications. Kathryn Troutman and The Resume Place, the leading experts in Federal Resume Writing and Career Consulting, witness firsthand the effects and confusion that government job applicants face regarding Federal Hiring Reform and the supposed elimination of KSAs in federal applications. Receive advice and tips from Ms. Troutman and The Resume Place on how to handle KSAs in the federal resume with the newly published fifth edition of the “Federal Resume Guidebook.”

Federal Resume Guidebook, 5th Edition by Kathryn Troutman

It’s no secret that the federal application process is a daunting task for most jobseekers, especially considering that applying for federal jobs is a totally different beast than applying to positions in the private industry. The separate KSA narratives required to apply for government jobs have kept many highly qualified applicants from applying for these positions. The Resume Place provides expert advice regarding federal resume writing and how to deal with KSAs in the applications for federal positions.

One year ago, President Obama published an Executive Order mandating human resources specialists eliminate the dreaded Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) narratives from the first-time federal application by November, 2011.

On Thursday May 19, 2011, Kathryn Troutman addressed the National Press Club to discuss how the lingering effects of the recession combined with the Obama administration’s reform of the federal hiring process, has resulted in more Americans than ever applying for federal positions.

In his recent speech at a panel discussion in Washington, DC, John Berry declared, “We have gotten off of KSA island. It’s an amazing leap forward.”

The OPM Press Release published on Tuesday, May 18, 2011 listed the following hiring improvement statistics: “Since the launch of the Hiring Reform initiative in May 2010, OPM has supported federal agencies with 351 training sessions in 66 cities for 17,300 people involved in the hiring process. Successful outcomes from this effort have included:

• Hiring based on resumes and cover letters 91 percent of the time;
• 96 percent of job opportunity announcements no longer require KSA essays;
• Hiring managers now have more choices
• Applicants are now seeing shorter, easy-to-read job announcements;
• 86 percent of announcements in plain language;
• 66 percent of announcements are five pages or fewer.”

However, today, a USAJOBS Vacancy Announcement listed KSAs as a requirement to apply for a position. This Department of Health and Human Services advertisement for a GS-343-11/12/13 position, salary: $62,467.00 – $115,742.00 per year, for a Program Analyst included this information for applicants: “Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): 1. Ability to design and conduct studies; 2. Ability to monitor grantee performance; 3. Ability to communicate orally.”

The KSA listing in this HHS job announcement statement can be puzzling for federal jobseekers, who have heard that the KSAs are eliminated from requirements. Federal job applicants are trying to follow the directions, but there are no directions in some of the USAJOBS announcements regarding the submission of KSAs.

KSAs are obviously still important to the human resources specialists when determining the Best Qualified candidates. For savvy federal jobseekers, the KSA listings in the announcement are important clues to writing a Best Qualified application.

Since the KSAs are not required as separate written narratives, recommendations for including knowledge, skills and abilities competencies in the federal application are given by Kathryn Troutman, the leading federal career consultant and author of several federal job search publications including the recently released fifth edition of the “Federal Resume Guidebook.”

Kathryn Troutman recommends that the federal jobseeker include KSA accomplishments in the work experience section of their federal resume. The KSAs can also be briefly covered in the cover letter. The job applicant can prove their KSA skill level in the questionnaire multiple-choice selections. Finally, the KSAs could become interview questions in the government job interview.

“’Don’t ignore those KSAs, even though they are eliminated,’ said Kathryn Troutman, whose company, The Resume Place, helps federal job applicants.” wrote Joe Davidson in his Washington Post article on May 19th, 2011.

2011 Hiring Reform eliminated KSAs – maybe. They are 96% eliminated as separate written narratives but KSAs are still listed in most federal job announcements. Kathryn Troutman recommends that the government job applicant include KSA accomplishments in the USAJOBS federal resume, cover letter, best selections in the multiple choice questionnaire, and as preparation for the federal job interview.

For tips on how to include KSAs in the federal resume, please read The Resume Place’s article on how to properly include KSAs in the Federal Resume.

Many BRAC-affected Department of Defense (DOD) workers send their resumes to the PPP to help land a new federal position. This resume, needed for the PPO service, is similar to the USAJOBS federal resume, but there are distinct differences. The tips below will help you maximize the services of the PPP human resources specialist in locating a position for you.

1. Study Chapter 10 of the DOD PPP Operations Manual (1998). Determine the match between your occupational series and the option codes. Option codes are used for registration for the PPP, to more specifically define qualifications and help clarify job requirements.

Your PPP federal resume needs to demonstrate specialized skills in 2 or 3 occupational series for which you are qualified. This will ensure that your PPP counselor and panelist can help you land a new federal position that you will be qualified for, while utilizing your experience and qualifications.

View Chapter 10 of the DOD PPP Operations Manual.

2. Write a statement of “objective” on your PPP Federal Resume. The statement of “objective” listed below is an example of an individual who was classified as an Electronic Technician, but performed IT Specialist duties for many years. He was successful in landing an IT specialist position through the PPP.

CAREER OBJECTIVES: Information Technology Specialist (Customer Services, Networking, Application Systems), GS-2210-11 OR Electronic Technician GS-0856/0802-11. PPP Skills Options Codes include: CSP, NET, ASW. Competencies include: Customer Service, Interpersonal Skills, Team Lead, Problem-Solving and Technical Competencies.

3. Find the classification standard used by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for your occupational series. Identify keywords in OPM’s classification standard that can be used to write your federal resume duties and responsibilities sections.

4. Add accomplishments to demonstrate you have specific experiences and competencies. The accomplishments will help the PPP human resources specialists understand the complexity and level of your experience and provide them the information they need to select your next position.

5. Format the PPP federal resume for a human resources specialist – not an automated system. Your resume for PPP can be a printed, formatted resume. It can include bold type, underlines, indentations and bullets so it is easy to read, but don’t overdo it. Use at least 11 point font. There is no particular length for the PPP federal resume, but it is recommended to keep the length between four to six pages.

Your PPP federal resume is important for your next career move following BRAC. Follow these tips, so your resume will stand out and result in a position referred from the PPP.

View general PPP information.

The big challenge of adding KSA accomplishments into your USAJOBS federal resume is space. Each work experience section in the USAJOBS Resume Builder allows 3,000 characters, including spaces. You have to decide how much space will be dedicated to your keywords, duties and responsibilities, and how much will be dedicated to your KSA accomplishments. How do you describe an impressive KSA accomplishment when you may have been in your position for 5 to 10 years? Last week, during a federal resume writing class I recommended that applicants write 1,500 characters about their job responsibilities and 1,500 characters on their KSA accomplishments, or any combination that will add up to 3,000 characters. But, both duties and KSA accomplishments are critical to get best qualified for a position.

Many accomplishments in federal resumes are too short and do not include enough detail to prove you have the knowledge, skill or ability at the level and complexity of the target position. For instance, the following is a single sentence description of an accomplishment: “I was lead staff to evaluate the district’s request to provide $9 million in funding to electrify 13 diesel rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes at the Port of Baltimore.” That’s interesting, but doesn’t include the result of the evaluation of the request.

One option is to use the old, long KSA style, which included the popular Context-Challenge-Action-Results (CCAR) formula and write a mini CCAR. With the limited space, you cannot include a full page blow-by-blow description, and careful writing and editing must produce a story that engages the HR specialist and the supervisor, and proves your past performance. Include your role or title during this project or activity, a few actions, a short challenge and a result.

A State of Maryland Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Engineer wrote about her KSA accomplishment in support of environmental quality. The KSA required in the announcement stated: “Ability to direct internal and production control reviews and validity studies.” The applicant wrote the following 527-character KSA accomplishment in her USAJOBS federal resume:

“PRODUCTION CONTROL REVIEWS: Wrote EPA Program Guidelines to support production control reviews and implement requirements to best prevent fraud and to set up internal controls. I was lead staff to evaluate the District’s request to provide $9 million in funding to electrify 13 diesel rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes at the Port of Baltimore. I discovered that the current engines in the RTG cranes had not been certified to the standards for new off-road engines. I informed the District the project could not be funded, as Baltimore does not fund projects in which the applicant is not in compliance with current regulations.”

This writing technique will provide critical information to the human resources specialist and help them determine if you are qualified or best qualified for the position. Additionally, the supervisor receiving your resume, along with many others, may be impressed with your KSA accomplishments, which could lead to an interview for the position.

When writing your federal resume in USAJOBS, be aware of the space limitations and make a decision as to how to divide the 3,000 characters between your duties and accomplishments. A total of five to seven KSA accomplishments are recommended for all of your work experience sections. Remember, supervisors will read the accomplishments to determine if they want to interview you for the position.

My book and curriculum, Ten Steps to a Federal Job™, is a favorite because of the 10 steps “campaign process” for this highly complex job search method. The curriculum is utilized in hundreds of military bases worldwide because it is easy to teach, learn, and follow.

I created the “Numbers Federal Job Search Strategy” curriculum when my daughter, Emily, and I were teaching senior NASA Engineers how to write Senior Executive Service applications. We had two days to get two ECQs written. We examined the numbers – 5 ECQs, 28 Leadership Competencies, 10 pages, 2 pages, and set time-lines for each and every writing step. In two days, the engineers had written at least two ECQs and were actually having a great time with their production and ideas.

Which numbers are your favorites? I have underlined my typical training numbers.

FEDERAL JOB SEARCH PROCESS

10 – number of Steps to a Federal Job, developed by Kathryn Troutman

USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER

5 – number of resumes in the USAJOBS builder

WORK EXPERIENCE IN USAJOBS

5 – average number of pages for a mid-career federal resume

3,000 – characters for the USAJOBS Work Experience “job block”

2,000 – characters for duties (recommended for Job #1)

1,000 – characters for accomplishments (recommended for Job #1)

7 – maximum number of jobs (recommended, but not a limit)

10 – years to write details about your work history

20 – years to write fewer details about (write less about the second 10 years of your work history)

30 – years to write even fewer details about (try not to include dates back to 30 years)

KSA ACCOMPLISHMENTS

340 – characters for a good KSA accomplishment length in a federal resume

CLOSING DATES FOR JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

11:59 pm ET – typical closing date time for most USAJOBS job announcements

APPLICATION SCORES BY FEDERAL HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALISTS

110 – top score for a veteran with a disability

105 – top score for a veteran with veteran’s preference

90 – minimum score for Best Qualified

80 – minimum score for Qualified

70 – minimum score to be referred for any federal job

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRES

3 – possible ways to receive an E, the highest level in the ApplicationManager.gov Questionnaire

INTERVIEWS

2.5 – minutes for the average length of an answer to a question in a Behavior-Based Interview

30 – minutes for the average length of a Behavior-Based Interview

5 – the best possible score for an answer in an exam format Behavior-Based Interview

FEDERAL JOB SEARCH APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT TIME

3 – hours to find your documents

5 – hours to write your first federal resume

3 – months to find a federal job

10 – hours per week to search for job announcements and apply for jobs

30 – applications to submit before getting an interview (maybe)

SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE APPLICATIONS

5 – Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for a Senior Executive Service (SES) application

28 – Leadership Competencies for the ECQs for an SES application

KATHRYN TROUTMAN

9 – authored books on federal resume writing

1996 – wrote first book on Federal Resumes – Federal Resume Guidebook

1996 – created the first website for federal resume writing, www.resume-place.com

True or False?

USAJOBS resumes are scanned for keywords by an automated system.

NOT TRUE.

USAJOBS federal resumes are scanned real people, by HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALISTS who actually read the resumes. And HR specialists do read for keywords. The HR specialists either read the resumes on the screen or print them to review, then determine the Best Qualified and prepare the List of Certified Eligible Candidates for the supervisor.

True or False?

On USAJOBS announcements, the KSAs were eliminated on Nov. 1, 2010.

MOSTLY TRUE.

Most federal agency Human Capital Officers are attempting to comply with the 11/1/10 Executive Initiative by President Obama, to eliminate the separate written narratives – KSAs – from initial applications. This is a recommendation, not a law. So, you will still find the KSAs written in the vacancy announcement. There could be instructions to include examples or language in your resume or it’s possible that you may have to write them later if you are referred to a supervisor.

Additionally, the KSA accomplishments will be critical for your Structured Interview with a federal agency. Here is some good news: The long written KSA narratives will mostly be eliminated, but the short four- to six-line mini-KSAs are going to thrive with these accomplishments inside the federal resume.

True or False?

When you apply for a job through USAJOBS, you never hear from anyone after you apply for a federal job.

NOT TRUE, USUALLY.

The USAJOBS Answer Tracking System is good for tracking the application. In President Obama’s initiative, he asked federal human resources specialists to communicate more and more frequently with jobseekers. You can see all kinds of information, i.e., if you are found eligible, best qualified, referred, did not meet minimum qualifications or were best qualified, but not among the most qualified.

True or False?

You have to add the street addresses for each employer for your entire career in the USAJOBS federal resume.

NOT TRUE.

You only have to add city, state and zip of employers in the last 10 years.

True or False?

You have to include your college and high school years of graduation in the USAJOBS resume builder.

NOT TRUE.

You do not have to add college and high school graduation dates, which in some cases could indicate ages of applicants who are over 50. I recommend not including dates in 1970s and ’80s on the resume.

True or False?

Your USAJOBS resume is your life history.

NOT TRUE.

The official instructions for “What to Include in your Federal Resume” state that you should include Recent and Relevant positions for the job. Recent in this case means 10 years. You can add positions older than 10 years, but keep those jobs shorter and don’t include anything over 20 years old. Relevant would be any job that demonstrates specialized experience for the position. The former application form, SF-171, was considered to be a life history application.

True or False?

When you apply through ApplicationManager.gov or USAJOBS.gov, you can’t get the score of your federal resume.

NOT TRUE.

You can get your score. Sometimes your resume / questionnaire score will be posted in application tracking pages of both of these automated application sites. Sometimes the HR specialist will simply write that you were Eligible, Best Qualified or Referred without the score.

If the score isn’t posted, you can request your score by emailing the HR representative from the same email address that is in your application. This information will help you on your future applications. For instance, if your score is 99 and you were not referred to a supervisor, it might indicate a veteran had extra points and the veteran’s application rose to the top of the list. Or, if you are Eligible but not Referred and your score is 89 or 92, you might want to work on the resume to improve it and make it match the announcement better. Some of the specialized experience could be missing.

True or False?

You can simply upload your private industry resume into the USAJOBS builder now and start applying for federal jobs.

Technically, yes, you can do this.

BUT if the resume you upload does not include all of the information required on the federal resume, you will not be considered for a federal position. To be considered, the resume must contain: work experience, month and year; hours per week worked; supervisor’s names and contact numbers; city, state and zip of employers. Additionally, the uploaded resume may not upload along with the various questionnaire systems that different agencies use. The Resume Builder is a safer application.

True or False?

When you apply for a position with USAJOBS, if you check off that you will accept a Permanent position, you will also be considered for Temp or Term positions.

NOT TRUE.

You must check off each type of position you will consider. It is advantageous to check of as many types of positions that you can accept, because Temp or Term positions may be convert to Permanent positions later.

You can also check out this article in FedSmith.com.

More federal job search myths can be found in this article posted on AOL Jobs.