Many people believe applying for a federal job is a difficult and complicated process, but it is actually very achievable.

The search process for federal government jobs can last about 6-18 months, which can be lengthy for many people.

But most find it is worth the effort and the wait — federal government jobs include healthcare, vacation and sick time, life insurance, pensions, training, and other benefits.

To be successful, you must apply only for jobs for which you are truly qualified by using a targeted federal-style resume, and, of course, you must also be patient.

Do not pay a third party to provide access to the “hidden” federal government job market. Usually these “services” just link you back to USAJOBS.

For the vast majority of federal positions, you must be a US citizen. Green card holders are not typically eligible to apply for federal jobs.

Understand the Civilian vs. Federal Job Search Process

There are many similarities to applying for a federal job and a position in the private sector such as:

• Having the right experience and using the right keywords for the job you are applying for.
• Highlighting your achievements or accomplishments (how you added value to your employers).
• Quantifying your accomplishments using metrics or numbers to provide context (think about how many people you supervise, the number of reports per month, the dollar size of your budget, etc.).

However, important differences exist, too, like:

• The amount of information required about job candidates.
• The use of occupational questionnaires.
• The benefit of veterans’ preference.
• A federal resume is usually longer than a civilian resume — 4 to 6 pages is not uncommon or unexpected.
• The vast majority of job announcements are posted on one website: USAJOBS.gov.
• A job posting is called a “job announcement” or “vacancy” in the federal government space.

Types of Federal Government Jobs

Federal government jobs are divided into 3 categories:

1. The Competitive Service.

This service is the largest federal service and typically what comes to mind when people think of government jobs. Jobs for this service are the focus of the process described below.

2. The Excepted Service.

This service is for positions outside the “traditional” government jobs which can include positions in the intelligence agencies or other authorized agencies.

3. The Senior Executive Service (a.k.a. “SES”)

These are the executive level of our government, just below the top Presidential appointees. This is the smallest service with only about 8,000 members nationwide.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a major employer which fills jobs outside of the typical federal process. Access those jobs through USPS Careers. USPS also offers special consideration for veterans.

More: Working in Government: Pros, Cons, and Types of Jobs

How Do Federal Salaries Work?

Most federal agencies use the General Schedule (GS) pay system, but note that there are other pay systems in the government as well. It can be difficult to tell where you might fit if you are unfamiliar with the various grades.

In essence, GS grades 5 to 11 are considered relatively entry-level level; grade 12 and 13 are mid-level; and grades 14 and 15 are senior level. Positions in the Senior Executive Service (SES) are at the executive level.

Instead of focusing on the grades and trying to figure out if you’re qualified, focus on the experience required (especially the specialized experience); if you have what the job announcement is asking for, then you should apply. Let the agency Human Resources (HR) office determine whether you meet the grade requirements.

If selected, most agencies will start you are the lower end of the grade’s pay band. However, if you are offered a job, salary is negotiable but recognize that agencies have many choices of applicants so they may not be open to your counter salary offer.

8 Steps to Land Your US Federal Government Job

This is the hiring process used to fill the majority of federal government jobs, those in the competitive service.

1. Create your USAJOBS account (applicants MUST apply through USAJOBS.gov)

If you don’t already have a USAJOBS account (USAJOBS.gov), create one. You must have complete a profile to apply to any job on USAJOBS. Because this will be used for all job applications, it is important to be accurate and thorough.

With a USAJOBS account and profile you can:

• Save jobs that interest you to review or apply later.
• Set up and save automated job searches.
• Upload your resume files, or use the USAJOBS resume builder to create one. USAJOBS allows you to store up to 5 resumes in the system.
• Upload and save required documents.
• Apply to job announcements posted on USAJOBS.
• Review and track your application status.

On any given day, USAJOBS includes as many as 10,000 job announcements. Announcements are posted daily, so it is important that you look at USAJOBS frequently.

2. Search for the right federal jobs.

USAJOBS uses your profile information to improve your job search results, so it is better to create an account before searching and, also, to search while signed in to USAJOBS. However, you can also search without having an account.

Available jobs can be searched by typing in a keyword or location and can be further narrowed by pay grade, salary, job series, agency, and more.

3. Review the Job/Vacancy Announcement

After finding a job you are interested in, review the announcement to see if you are eligible and meet the qualifications. Read the entire “vacancy announcement,” including the occupational questionnaire, before starting your application.

Keep in mind that for each job, there are specific qualifications each applicant must meet.

• Read the Who May Apply section to determine whether you are eligible to apply for the job.In most cases, if you are not a veteran and have never worked for the federal government before, you should only apply for positions open to U.S. Citizens or “all sources.”
• Read the Qualifications section to see if you meet the required job qualifications.If you have the requisite experience, you should apply. Although you may qualify for some jobs based on your degree(s), the government typically values specific work experience over education. If you have both education and experience, apply based on your experience.

There are some jobs (accountants, engineers, social workers, contract specialists, and more) that require either a degree or a certain number of college credit hours; the job announcement will spell this out, when education is required.

NOTE: DO NOT APPLY unless you have the required education.

4. Sign up for daily emails when you find a (job title, agency, location) that you prefer.

As mentioned above, after entering certain job criteria, USAJOBS will automatically look for jobs that match your desired criteria. You can then request that USAJOBS email you the search results daily, weekly, or monthly.

Request daily updates for faster, more effective information.

Since some jobs are only posted for a short period (as little as one week), the frequency can make a difference.  Because many job announcements are only available to receive applications for as few as 3 days, it is important that you check USAJOBS on a daily basis so that you do not miss an opportunity.

Late applications are not accepted, regardless of reason.

Do not read anything into the fact that a job announcement is only open for applications for a few days. Given the number of applications received for each posting, federal HR offices are trying to limit the number of applicants.

5. Apply immediately, but very carefully.

Competition is stiff, so apply immediately when you find a position that you are qualified for. Don’t waste your time applying if you don’t meet the requirements.

Read the How to Apply section of the job announcement before starting your application so that you are fully prepared to respond completely. This section tells you what is required to apply, including any required documents. To have your application considered, be sure to meet each of the requirements specified.

After you begin the application (and your resume and documents are uploaded and complete), the system will take you from USAJOBS to the agency online application system.

Then, you may be required to complete other agency-specific required steps such as:

• Providing more personal information.
• Providing additional documentation.
• Answering eligibility questions.
• Completing an occupational questionnaire. Tip: look for a preview of the questions under the Qualifications OR Required documents section before you begin so that you can ensure your resume content supports your answers to the questions.

The time it takes to apply varies and depends on the job and the agency’s requirements. Allow yourself at least an hour, maybe a little longer if you are new to the process.

After submitting your application, go back to the Application section of your USAJOBS account and verify that your application is indicated as received by the agency. The application status field should display “received” if the application submitted correctly.

Note: The agency may take a few hours to update the application status. Sometimes, the resume and other documents have to complete a virus scan or similar security check before they show as “received” on USAJOBS.

References are not generally required. If you included references in your application, it is unlikely that they will be checked before you are interviewed.

6. Check to see if you have been “referred.”

Once the job announcement is closed, the hiring agency will review your application.

Applicants typically will then be placed into qualification categories:

• Qualified
• Highly qualified
• Best qualified

These quality categories can be thought of as bronze, silver, and gold.

When your application has been put into a qualification category, the hiring agency may update your application status to “reviewed,” but not all agencies provide this level of detail on the status.

The hiring agency will then send the highest qualified applicants to the hiring official, and those applicants may see their application status updated to “referred.” Applicants not being considered further will see a “not referred” status.

7. The federal job interview process begins.

Hiring officials will review applications and decide who to interview based on agency policy. Interviews can include:

• A panel interview
• In-person interview
• Video interview
• Phone interview

The agency will contact applicants directly to schedule the interviews. This may take some time depending on the number of applicants. In most cases, there will only be one round of interviews (although more are allowed).

Federal interviews are highly structured; all candidates are asked the same questions in the same order. And, all interview questions are job related.

Interviews can be over the phone or in person and typically last between 30 minutes and 1 hour. References are usually checked after the interview and before the offer.

8. The preferred candidate is selected, and a job offer is made.

The hiring agency will select the qualified candidate — and contact him/her to start the job process.

Only HR can make an official job offer. HR will offer a salary and grade (if the job was posted at more than one grade). This is negotiable, but agencies are not required to do so.

Once a candidate accepts, HR will initiate the security clearance process. This can take an additional 3-6 months, depending upon the type of clearance required.

The job offer is final only when the background investigation and additional security checks are completed. The hiring agency will contact the candidate directly to determine a start date.

Applicants who were not selected will see their application status updated to “not selected.”

Bottom Line on Finding a US Federal Government Job

Getting a federal job is doable, but success requires these 3 things:

1. Applying for jobs for which you are truly qualified,

2. Using a targeted, federal-style resume, and

3. Patience!

This is NOT your private sector job search — in terms of process, time frame, or paperwork.

For More Information:

• Job-Hunt’s Guide to Federal Government Job Search articles on Job-Hunt, which includes —
  • How to Escape the USAJOBS.gov Resume “Black Hole”
  • How to Avoid Common USAJOBS.gov Mistakes
  • Don’t Let Your Email Address Ruin Federal Job Opportunities
  • The 6 Secrets to Success in Federal Job Interviews
  • Federal Job Search for People with Disabilities
• Job-Hunt’s Veterans’ Online Job Search Guide

About the author…

Nancy Segal is a Certified Federal Resume Writer and Certified Employment Interview Consultant who has spent more than 30 years in Human Resources with the US federal government, serving as Personnel Officer, Deputy Regional Administrator, and Special Assistant in the Departent of Defense, the U.S. Treasury, and other government agencies. Now, Nancy is a career coach, speaker, and trainer on the federal hiring process, from entry level through Senior Executive Service. Learn more about Nancy on LinkedIn and through her website SolutionsfortheWorkplace.com.

The post 8 Steps to Land a US Federal Government Job appeared first on Job-Hunt.

If I received a dollar for every time a client asked me the question above, I’d be rich.

The federal job hiring process is very formal and well-documented.

The goal is to find and hire the best qualified job candidates while avoiding discrimination.

As a job seeker, if you cannot follow the steps in the hiring process, you may not be able to successfully follow the processes required by a federal job. Federal hiring managers have many choices to make among candidates.

Why They Don’t Call You for That Federal Government Job Opportunity

The process for filling federal government jobs is substantially different than the non-government (a.k.a. “private sector”) hiring process. Not understanding the difference between the government and the private sector hiring processes is the reason many qualified job candidates are ignored.

These are the mistakes I have seen most often:

1. You don’t CLEARLY meet ALL of the requirements.

As an applicant, you should carefully review the stated required qualifications and the specialized experience requirements. If you meet the basic qualifications but not the specialized experience, you will likely not be rated as well qualified.

Also, if your past experience is in a different field altogether, while you may meet the basic qualifications (e.g., a bachelor’s degree), you are not likely to meet the required specialized experience.

Hiring organizations in all sectors routinely receive hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of applications for every job. An early and main candidate screen is for those who are a match for all of the criteria, eliminating those who do not match all criteria.

While you may match half the criteria desired, from a hiring manager’s perspective, why should they pick YOU, when they can have one or more candidates who (at least on paper) are a 100% match? From a fairness perspective, if your application was considered with only half the qualifications, it would stand to reason that everyone who meets only half the qualifications would be considered.

2. Your experience was too long ago.

Another common question is, “I did exactly what they’re looking for 10 [or 15 or more] years ago, so why was I not called for an interview?”

The answer: While in this instance you may meet all of the qualifications and be rated as qualified, you may not get an interview because the hiring manager may see your experience as dated. Again, from a hiring official’s perspective, should they want the person with updated experience (and perhaps even performing that job NOW), or the person who has not done it in 10 years or more?

3. If you are a current federal employee, forgetting to provide the required supporting federal documentation.

If you currently work for the U.S. federal government, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) assumes that you have gained experience appropriate to your official occupational series, position description, and pay grade.

If you want to be credited for experience outside your official position description, whether at a higher grade or in a different job series, your temporary work (often known as a “detail”) must also be documented.

Such documentation could include an SF-52 or SF-50 which documents an official detail or an assignment.

Or, it could also include a signed letter from your supervisor. That letter must state the nature and length of the temporary assignment and provide detail about the duties performed (full- or part-time) and the percentage of time other (non-qualifying) duties were performed. This documentation should also be included in your Official Personnel Folder (OPF).

You should also submit the official documentation, along with your resume, when applying for positions where the temporary experience may be needed to support your application, confirming your qualifications for the position.

4. If you are NOT a federal employee, you don’t make your qualifications clear.

If you are not currently working in the federal government, please understand that you must clearly state your full qualifications and experience in your resume.

Unlike the private sector, where reviewers of your resume will often make assumptions or draw conclusions based on your job title, etc., federal government resume reviewers are not permitted to make assumptions or draw inferences:

• If you supervised someone, say so.
• If you managed a budget, include that in your resume, along with the size and other relevant metrics.

Do not make the mistake of assuming that reviewers will automatically understand that you did these things based on your job title or level.

Fine-tune your resume for every job to ensure your resume is customized using the language of the announcement and questionnaire.

For example, if your resume talks about “cybersecurity” and the job posting uses the term “information security,” you should change your resume to include the words “information security” instead.

Don’t dishonestly claim something you didn’t do or a skill you don’t have, but do, when appropriate, match the language used in the posting.

5. All the required documentation was not included.

You failed to submit all required information. Perhaps you forgot to include your college transcript (for positions requiring them), or did not get your DD214 to include it by the announcement deadline (for veterans).

Without all of the required documents, your application may not receive full consideration or the highest rating.

Federal resumes are require the inclusion of hours worked per week, names of prior supervisors, contact information, and salary. While not all federal Human Resources personnel will eliminate your resume from competition if you do not include all required information, they can — so why give them the opportunity!?

6. You are too modest on the occupational questionnaire.

Don’t underrate yourself on the occupational questionnaire. This is not a place for modesty.

If you did not rate yourself highly on the questionnaire, it is unlikely that your application will be scored at a level to be referred to the hiring manager.

Even if a question’s wording is not an exact match for your work, you may still cross-walk your skills and score yourself highly. As long as you can explain your answer, you are good.

7. You don’t have the required experience.

You have “time-in-grade” but do not meet the specialized experience requirements. Without the requisite specific “specialized experience” as defined in the announcement, it is unlikely that your application will be considered best qualified and referred.

Again, be sure to spell out your experience in your resume that aligns with the specialized experience stated in the announcement requirements.

8. You used too much jargon.

When your resume is acronym-laden and full of technical language, reviewers have a hard time telling whether you are qualified or not. Remember, the first audience for your resume is HR, and they are not experts in your field.

If HR does not understand your resume, it will be hard for you to be referred. Even if you are applying within your own agency, connect the dots between technical terms and the job’s requirements.

9. Your resume is too short and lacks important detail.

You are not likely to achieve success when applying for federal jobs with a 1-2-page resume. A typical federal resume is 4-6 pages.

Again, from a federal HR perspective, if it is not on your resume, you did not do it.

Federal HR Specialists are not allowed to make assumptions or draw conclusions about your experience—you need to be clear and specific. Include your experience and accomplishments relevant to this position.

10. Your resume is too long and includes irrelevant information.

If your resume is 10 or more pages long, your resume has far too much content, which could mean you have included too much irrelevant information. The exception would be a scientist with multiple professional publications, and others with similar related documents.

Make good use of your resume “real estate;” everything on your resume should be focused on the job you are applying for. Anything else should be eliminated.

There is no need for your resume to go back 15, 20, or 30 years. Ten years is the main focus.

Older work can be included in a short list (without specific dates so as to not “date” your age) of only job titles and employer names, or not at all. There is usually no requirement to share every detail about your career.

11. Your resume lacks proof of your qualifications.

If your resume is only a list of duties and does not include any measurable accomplishments, it’s like saying, “I do this. I do that. Trust me — I do it well…”

Instead, “prove” your qualifications. The strongest resumes include specific accomplishments for each job you have held in the last 10 years.

Accomplishments should demonstrate the “so what” by clearly documenting how you added value or made a difference to your employer. And, if at all possible, make your accomplishments qualitative or measurable — percentages, dollar amounts, number of staff managed (or clients served), or other measures of improvement.

PRO TIP: do NOT spell out numbers (i.e., “ten” vs. “10”), even for small numbers. The metrics and scope will stand out better with numerals and symbols ($, %, etc.) where applicable.

Your resume has no metrics. Without specific metrics, readers of your resume do not know if the budget you manage is $1, $100, $100,000, or $1,000,000. Your resume should include metrics so that reviewers of your resume understand the full scope of your work.

12. You are applying through the wrong channel.

You are not applying under the appropriate hiring authority or mechanism. If you have federal “status,” you should apply as a status applicant. If you do not have status, you should be applying under delegated examining or all citizens announcements.

If you are eligible for specialized appointment authorities, make sure your USAJOBS Profile appropriately supports your eligibility and your resume clearly demonstrates that eligibility.

There are times that you can apply under multiple hiring authorities. Apply for all you are eligible for so that you can be considered on as many best qualified lists as possible (separate lists are made for different hiring authorities).

The Bottom Line on Federal Government Job Applications

A successful job search depends on being strategic about the jobs you apply for. Do not waste your time or resources applying for every job that strikes your fancy. Instead, focus your energy on those opportunities for which you are a perfect (or nearly perfect) match for the stated criteria. Then, for a federal job, make your qualifications for that specific job very clear in your resume by providing all of the necessary information and required documentation.

More About Successful Federal Job Search

• 7 Steps to Land a US Federal Government Job
• 9 Federal Resume Myths to Ignore
• How to Escape the USAJOBS Resume Black Hole
• How to Avoid Common USAJOBS Mistakes
• 6 Secrets to Success in Federal Interviews
• Don’t Let Your Email Address Ruin Federal Job Opportunities

About the author…

Nancy Segal is a Certified Federal Resume Writer and Certified Employment Interview Consultant who has spent more than 30 years in Human Resources with the US federal government, serving as Personnel Officer, Deputy Regional Administrator, and Special Assistant in the Departent of Defense, the U.S. Treasury, and other government agencies. Now, Nancy is a career coach, speaker, and trainer on the federal hiring process, from entry level through Senior Executive Service. Learn more about Nancy on LinkedIn and through her website SolutionsfortheWorkplace.com.

The post 12 Common Federal Job Application (USAJobs.gov) Mistakes appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Many of those myths are associated with the resume you submit when you apply for a Federal job.

Federal and private sector resumes do share some similarities such as the use of appropriate and relevant keywords and the inclusion of your accomplishments to demonstrate the skills and experience claimed.

However, substantial differences exist between federal and private sector resumes — in the resume length, the level of detail, and the actual content.

Common Myths About Federal Resumes and Hiring

One myth we learned in school was that a resume should be no more than two pages — and one page is even better! This shows just one of the major differences between federal and private sector resumes.

Take a look at this and other myths about resumes:

1. Less is more — well, sometimes.

As far as federal Human Resources (HR) specialists are concerned, if any experience is not on your resume, you did not do it.

Federal HR reviewers cannot make any assumptions or draw conclusions about what you did or did not do. Exactly spell out your experience so that it is clear. A good federal resume is usually four to six pages, while a strong private sector resume is only two pages.

2. Resumes do not need to include names of supervisors, starting and end months, hours worked per week, etc. — again, sometimes.

As you have seen above, federal resumes require much more details about experience and qualifications than private sector resumes.

This includes information such as:

• Citizenship
• Hours per week worked
• Supervisors’ names (and whether they can be contacted)

This information should not be included on a private sector resume. If you use the USAJOBS resume builder (rather than uploading your resume), the builder will require you to include all information.

Known as “compliance” information, federal HR personnel can eliminate people from consideration who do not include all required information — do you really want to take that chance?

3. Uploading resumes is always better than using the builder — wrong!

Resume builders are used for private sector organizations for a reason: application reviewers want to see this information in a specific order. Although it may take more time to copy and paste from your Word document into the resume builder, this is sometimes how organizations want to view it.

The USAJOBS resume builder requires you to include the information HR is looking for.

4. Resumes should reflect your duties — yes, and…

Also include the accomplishments related to those duties to demonstrate how well you performed your job, regardless of whether the target is federal or a private sector position.

Showing that you simply have done a task is not sufficient. Show your accomplishments so that reviewers see the value you brought to that organization while completing your work.

All accomplishments should show how your experiences mattered and made a difference for that organization.

5. Generic resumes work — wrong.

ALL resumes should be customized for individual job postings, meaning it includes all of the job posting’s key words.

If you are not sure how to find the key words, you can use a “word cloud” application like Wordle (www.wordle.net) which provides a visual display of words appearing most frequently in a text.

6. Your email address doesn’t matter — except that it does!

For example, if you are still using aol.com or bellsouth.net, that shows that you have not updated that part of your life, and begs the question whether you have updated other parts of your work life.

The smartest approach is use a professional email address, preferably, one that has your name (without the year of your birth). Also, verify that the display name is appropriate (avoid nicknames). Your email is the first impression most resume reviewers will have of you — make it count!

[More: Don’t Let Your Email Address Ruin Federal Job Opportunities.]

7. Formatting should be attractive — it depends.

Typically, private sector resumes can be a bit more creative; however, most application systems will not accept embedded tables, certain fonts, PDFs, and borders.

Federal resumes are not heavily formatted, and the USAJOBS builder does not accept formatting such as bold, underline, small caps, italics, etc.

For federal resumes, use short paragraphs and use capital letters to highlight key words. At times, it is also wise to avoid bullets, as online systems might turn the bullet graphic to unintended symbols.

8. Your resume should include every job you ever held — wrong!

Most recently, resumes (federal and private sector) only refer back roughly 10 years.

If you are using experience from more than 20 years ago to qualify for a position, you will not likely be rated as best qualified. Many things you learned 20 years ago are assumed to be out-of-date now.

9. Education belongs at the top of a resume — not usually.

This is only acceptable if you are targeting an academic position. Most employers want to see your experience rather than your education. Your experience is valued more highly.

However, the exceptions are those who have just finished school and have limited experience, or those interested in positions in the academic field.

Bottom Line on Federal Resume Myths

This is NOT your private sector job search — in terms of process, time frame, or paperwork. Carefully follow the directions provided. Make sure your resume matches the target position to optimize being considered for it.

For More Information About Federal Hiring and USAJobs.gov:

• Job-Hunt’s Guide to Federal Government Job Search articles on Job-Hunt, which includes —
  • Effective Federal Governent Resume
  • How to Escape the USAJOBS.gov Resume “Black Hole”
  • How to Avoid Common USAJOBS.gov Mistakes
  • Don’t Let Your Email Address Ruin Federal Job Opportunities
  • The 6 Secrets to Success in Federal Job Interviews
  • Federal Job Search for People with Disabilities
• Job-Hunt’s Veterans’ Online Job Search Guide

About the author…

Nancy Segal is a Certified Federal Resume Writer and Certified Employment Interview Consultant who has spent more than 30 years in Human Resources with the US federal government, serving as Personnel Officer, Deputy Regional Administrator, and Special Assistant in the Departent of Defense, the U.S. Treasury, and other government agencies. Now, Nancy is a career coach, speaker, and trainer on the federal hiring process, from entry level through Senior Executive Service. Learn more about Nancy on LinkedIn and through her website SolutionsfortheWorkplace.com.

The post 9 Common Myths About Federal Resumes and Hiring appeared first on Job-Hunt.