When the new-and-improved USAJobs site comes back online this Thursday, it will now offer you more vacancies from which to choose!
USAJobs is the federal government’s official one-stop source for federal jobs and employment information. The Navy and US Marine Corps online application system, CHART (Civilian Hiring and Recruitment Tool), will be rolled into the USAJobs site, now making it easier than ever to apply for civilian jobs with these military services.
What does this mean to you?
If you are a USAJobs user who had not previously been looking through the civilian hiring and recruitment tool for vacancies, you will now have even more jobs available. And if you have been using CHART, your job search will become much easier, no longer having to jump back and forth between the two sites!
If you have indeed been using the CHART system, you might be wondering, what happens to the data on that site? Also, are there differences between applying to vacancies between the sites about which you should be aware?
Here is the breakdown of what you need to know:
PREPARING FOR THE MOVE
~ Create a USAJobs account at www.usajobs.gov and either upload a resume or build a resume using your current CHART resume information. The Department of Navy (DON) created a specific fact sheet outlining the key steps to transfer your information. It is available at www.public.navy.mil/DONHR/employment/hiringreform.
~ Check out the online applicant tool kit and FAQs located at www.public.navy.mil/donhr/Employment/hiringreform/Pages/ApplicantToolkit.aspx.
~ Non-Department of Defense (DoD) employees: Before October 12, 2011, make a final check of CHART information and any related status updates.
~ DoD and DON employees: Before December 30, 2011, make a final check of CHART information and any related status updates. (Access will remain via CAC.)
MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHART AND USAJOBS
Keywords are still important but are no longer king: It is still important to have your resume filled with all the right keywords but there will be no keyword searches used to choose the best-qualified candidate. That decision will be made by people reading the resume as a whole.
The document submission process will be more interactive: USAJobs has you use their Resume Builder to populate your resume information; fill out questionnaires about your knowledge, skills, and abilities; and upload any required documents.
Less is more: Applicants may detail their individual work experiences in 3,000 characters or less. (The 3,000 includes spaces.)
You’ll have to move fast: Most vacancies are open for 5 days, though some have longer options. (This is another good reason to call us today so you have your resume prepared sooner rather than later.)
Position requirements: Vacancy announcements are usually more specific for a particular position, detailing what you need to prove in terms of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs), specialized experience, and questionnaire answers.
People reading people: The days of “the computer” scanning resumes are gone. People do the jobs of reviewing all applications. Your resume should be as user-friendly as possible and feature only small paragraphs with added accomplishments. (Now you see why the character count is only 3,000.) It is vital for each small paragraph to be filled with keywords and accomplishments, making it easier for you to stand out.
Best qualified: Pay close attention to the questionnaires, which are used to develop your first scores. Be sure to rate yourself well on these multiple choice exams—now is not the time to be shy. But also be honest, as your resume will need to back up any claims made. Your questionnaire score will be added to your resume score to determine if you are truly Best Qualified.