Most everyone applying for a federal job must upload their resume to USAJobs. Learn more about how to craft a federal resume for USAJobs.
A federal resume is part of the official application for job openings within federal agencies and organizations. A federal resume has many specific requirements that are typically not included within resumes used for private sector positions. Federal resumes include character counts for each section and rely on keywords, core competencies, and specialized experience that usually aren’t part of the process in the private sector. Details about former employers’ addresses, contact information, salary, dates of education, and other information are mandatory.
Crafting a federal resume can be difficult. Federal resumes are incredibly detailed, complex in format, and range in length from three to five pages in a federally formatted resume, and even longer if you populate a USAJobs resume builder. There are up to six blocks for your work history, where you document your job descriptions, skills, experiences, keywords, core competencies, and accomplishments with a 5,000 character limit for each position.
All federal resumes, whether for a civilian, a transitioning military member or Veteran, or even a candidate for the Senior Executive Service, must include basic information about the applicant. This includes job history, personal and contact information, references from past employers or supervisors, and specific information about certifications, degrees, awards, special accomplishments, memberships in organizations, publications, and other characteristics that make the applicant qualified for the position.
Standard resumes normally given to private-sector hiring managers should never be submitted for a federal job. Format, length, font, content, and structure of a federal resume differ tremendously from nonfederal resumes. In fact, a standard resume submitted to a federal agency will be rejected immediately, regardless of how qualified and competent the applicant may be. A non-federal resume is just not in compliance with federal application requirements.
Writing a great federal resume is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It involves both art and science. Art and creativity is needed to turn a dry document into something that hiring decision makers find appealing, interesting, and readable. The science is more practical. It’s the specific information that indicates your qualification for the position to both machines (applicant tracking systems) and humans. It’s the intentional and thoughtful combination of the components – the way the puzzle pieces fit together – that gets your resume read and produces interviews that lead to job offers.
Like a jigsaw, creating a standout federal job application can be complicated and time consuming. With corporate resumes, there’s pressure to pack a career’s worth of information into a cramped space – two pages of 11 point type. It’s still necessary to be concise when writing a federal resume, but the challenge involves precision more than compression. There are lots of pieces to a federal job application and they must fit together in a fashion that’s coherent and makes your unique qualifications immediately evident.
Anyone who has glanced at an opening on USAJobs knows that the position descriptions found there can be lengthy, with detailed qualifications that a candidate must meet to qualify for the job.
To be considered for the position, your experience, background, and credentials must meet the prerequisites which are detailed in the vacancy announcement. You’ll have to provide the details and the process is designed to weed out applicants that can’t follow instructions and/or who don’t demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualifications. If you don’t meet the criteria and include all of the specifics that are required, your federal job application will wind up in the digital trash.
Assuming that none of the components are missed and you meet the qualifications for the position, your application undergoes a second evaluation and is rated and categorized according to how closely it meets the criteria for the position:
It’s easy to guess which category is most likely to get an interview and receive an offer, so the obvious question is how to write an interview that is likely to receive a “best qualified” rating.
How much qualitative difference actually exists between the top 5% of candidates and the top 15% or the top 25%? Some, but it’s equally likely that extremely well-qualified candidates may fall into the lower qualification levels simply because their capabilities aren’t clearly communicated. Getting the edge in a tight competitive field may come from the way your information focuses on the key requirements and how easy you make it for decision-makers to recognize your fit for the position.
What works? Here are 7 resume tips for government jobs to help you piece together the federal resume puzzle:
Keywords and phrases are pretty easy to recognize, but you can also use an online platform like textalyzer.net or tagcrowd.com to confirm your selections. Keep the list nearby as you compose your federal resume. Use the keywords appropriately and avoid “keyword stuffing.” Overuse of keywords probably won’t game the ATS systems, and human readers make the final decisions about interviews and federal job offers.
To impress hiring managers and showcase your abilities to perform a government job, you will need to tailor every aspect of your federal resume writing to the employer’s needs. However, this process is more complicated than tailoring a private-sector resume. Resumes for government positions require precise formatting, sufficient content, keyword research and additional information you wouldn’t include on a standard application. CareerProPlus utilizes the HEADLINE FORMAT that leads off each paragraph in each job and matches the experience required or keywords in the federal job vacancy announcement.
Use the following guide as a starting point in crafting your federal resume’s formatting and content.
Federal resumes also known as USAJobs resumes can be entered in the online builder on USAJobs.gov. Deviating from the expected federal resume format and especially the important content which is critical in demonstrating you are qualified for the job in which you are applying are the essential elements to include an applicant’s federal resume. The following categories must be populated into your federal resume to ensure compliance.
Other federal resume elements include a specialized experience to match the job vacancy, skills, experience, keywords and core competencies. This information can be wrapped around an accomplishment or story describing how you improved quality, reduced costs, came in under budget and the result of your hard work. Every resume has job descriptions, but it’s especially important in a federal resume to showcase your accomplishments. The level of experience you display on your federal resume will equate to the general series and grade in which you qualify. Our clients advise it’s the best thing they’ve ever done by hiring a professional service who is skilled and masters in applying for federal jobs.
As mentioned above, federal resumes follow a format far more stringent than that of a private-sector application. Here are some best practices to keep in mind as you format your resume to federal standards:
We recommend viewing several samples of federal resumes before beginning your application to make sure you include all the required sections and format them correctly.
Learn everything you need to know about federal resumes by checking out some of these resources:
Most everyone applying for a federal job must upload their resume to USAJobs. Learn more about how to craft a federal resume for USAJobs.
Navigating through USAJobs can be confusing. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of frequent questions and answers to help you familiarize yourself with the USAJobs interface.
In order for your resume to be considered, you’ll need to explain why you’re qualified for the position in a certain format on your resume. Learn more about how to develop your executive core qualifications.
The federal government has an established process to hire employees. Read more about the steps of this process and how to navigate the federal hiring landscape.
Crafting a federal resume on your own is tough and may hurt your chances of getting hired by the federal government. Industry experts Barbara Adams and Lee Kelley have developed the perfect resource to help you write a stellar resume.
One thing many people forget to consider is how long a federal resume should be. Read this resource to learn more about how much you need to write on your resume.
This federal agency is hiring now; read more about the job opportunities available to you through Customs & Border Protection.
If you have military experience, you may be eligible for special Veteran’s preference when applying for a federal position. Learn how to craft the perfect military-to-federal resume that will land interviews.
Federal resumes are often compared to private sector resumes. Learn more about the differences between the two and what makes them unique to their application.
CareerProPlus gives you access to almost four decades of experience and a writing team holding certifications such as Master Military Resume Writer, Master Federal Resume Writer™, and Master Career Advisor. We ensure that your resume is not only well written, but also relevant to the types of jobs you are seeking. You will be assigned a dedicated Master Federal Resume Writer™ who will consult with you throughout the resume writing process. Our writers benefit from a comprehensive initial training program, ongoing refresher training, an abundance of in-house support and resources, and a skilled support network.
CareerProPlus has developed a comprehensive Quality Management System with detailed processes as part of our best practices. We’ve developed a signature Headline Format style for our federal resumes that has been welcomed by government Human Resources professionals because of the how easy it makes it for them to match candidate qualifications to job vacancy requirements.
When you choose CareerProPlus, you’ll partner with a career management service that offers:
We provide federal resume writing services for people seeking employment at all levels within the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of State, Department of Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Internal Revenue Service, Forestry Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Social Security Administration, and all other agencies. We prepare federal resumes each and every day and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the federal hiring landscape.
The federal resume writing service offered by CareerProPlus can provide you with the tools you need to hold your own in the highly competitive federal job market. Since 1986, CareerProPlus has proudly served candidates for jobs in both the private sector and federal government, military personnel seeking post-service employment, and current federal employees seeking a promotion or career change. Our professional federal resume writers have written more than 70,000 military, civilian, and federal resumes, resulting in many of our clients landing interviews that lead to job offers. If you’re having trouble getting through the application process, CareerProPlus can refine your federal resume and get you in the right place at the right time.
Our goal is to help you reach your career goals. To ensure you are completely satisfied with our professional resume writing services, we offer a 5-Point Guarantee. Our resumes are proven to succeed because they are not cookie-cutter but custom, content-rich, and strategically developed to deliver a fast return on your investment. Additionally, we offer world-class customer service, as evidenced by our 99.6% customer satisfaction rate.
For a personalized consultation or to learn more about creating a federal resume, call CareerProPlus.com today at 833-684-1520 or click the link below.
