As a federal career consultant and federal resume writer, I consult many federal job seekers who have submitted between 100 and 400 job applications for government positions on USAJOBS.gov by uploading their private industry resume.
If you want to get the best qualification for a federal position and hopefully be referred to a supervisor, you need to write a federal resume of very specific style, content, and format.
Applying for a federal job, like doing any business with the government, is complicated. Of course, the federal resume is NOT the same as the 2 page resume that a person uses to look for a job in private industry.
14 OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS FOR WRITING A SUCCESSFUL FEDERAL RESUME
1. LENGTH: Most federal resumes are 4-5 pages long. Mid-career professionals with 15-20 years of experience will have a 5-page federal resume. A 2 page resume from private industry WILL NOT WORK.
2. MORE DETAILS: You should include more details about your duties and achievements in your last or most relevant position. The typical private industry resume will have 8-10 bullet points of information about each position. The homework section of the federal resume details what you did, usually in complete sentences. The position most relevant to the federal position could take up a whole page.
3. SIZE: Make sure the resume is readable for HR specialists who have hundreds of resumes to review to determine who is most qualified for their positions. Many private industry resumes consist of short bulleted statements. Many current federal employees write their resumes in large block type based on job descriptions. The best format is a resume in reverse chronological format. The outline format presents the main skills needed for the position. For a Public Affairs Specialist, the main skills could be: Media Specialist, Writer-Editor, Researcher/Analyst, Media Events Coordinator.
4. TYPOGRAPHY: Present top skills in ALL CAPS, so the busy HR reviewer can find the skills they’re looking for.
5. KEY WORDS: Add the language and keywords of the vacancy announcement Duties and specialized experience on your federal resume. You can find keywords by looking for words that are repeated several times in the ad; these can be technical terms or phrases that describe specific skills.
6. SHOW YOUR EXPERIENCE: You’ll see USAJOBS job postings telling you they want to see one year of specialized experience in a certain field on your resume. The ad will also suggest types of examples that can help prove your expertise.
7. 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: Federal HR specialists typically read/scan the last 10 years of experience on your federal resume. Years prior to age 10 can be added to the resume, but keep that information shorter.
8. RECENT AND RELEVANT: Human resource specialists will look for recent and relevant experience in their Work Experience Section.
9. MONTH, YEAR AND HOURS PER WEEK: It is imperative that you add the month and year and hours per week for your jobs. Since they need to see that you have a year of specialized experience in positions and levels similar to this job, you will need to add this information to your resume.
10. SALARY: The federal resume at USAJOBS.gov requests your wages for the past 10 years. They need to see your salaries to see your experience and judge the grade level you might be qualified for in a government position.
11. LETTER OF PRESENTATION: You can add a cover letter to your USAJOBS account now, after federal hiring reform. We recommend a cover letter to emphasize your specialized experience and the most relevant training or experience for the position.
12. RECENT AND RELEVANT JOBS: You do NOT have to add all jobs in your USAJOBS Resume Builder. If you have short-term positions that were taken to earn cash for invoices, you can skip these. Yes, it will leave some blank time, but the HR specialist is really looking for the specialized expertise.
13. 5 US JOB SUMMARIES: USAJOBS will allow you to upload 5 resumes. Create multiple resume versions for each ad. Your original resume may be slightly modified to match a few keywords for each new posting.
14. FEDERAL SHEETS SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON AN OCCUPATIONAL SERIES WITH DIFFERENT KEY WORDS: If you are looking for a Program Analyst position, use the keywords and skills for the position. The keywords for the Program Analyst will be: Analyst, Research, Studies, Efficiency and Effectiveness, Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis, Reports. If you are also looking for an Administrative Officer position, your keywords will be different: Operations, Budget Management, Supervision, Client Services, Project Management.