Fundamentals of a Federal Resumé

How are Federal Resumés different?

In the Federal Government hiring process, your resumé serves as your job application and is used to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for a job announcement. Unlike “civilian” resumés, the Federal resumé has some key differences:

• Length: Longer, at 4-5 pages in length, due to the detailed information requirements, whereas a traditional resumé is typically 1-2 pages and is a concise overview of related experiences.
• Required Information: Includes extensive details such as job announcement numbers, and other information about the position you are applying for, and all prior positions held.
• Format & Key Words: Highly structured, aligning with the USAJOBS application system, emphasizing key words and details for knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs); there is less flexibility in design and formatting

Best Practices by Resumé Section

Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) Information

• Formal name of the role you are applying for
• General Schedule (GS) grade and identification number

Candidate Information

• Full Name
• Contact information: Physical address, email address, phone number
• Country of Citizenship, if different from U.S.
• Veteran Preference (if you serve on active duty in the Armed Forces)
• Do not include any hyperlinks (e.g., LinkedIn Profile)

Work Experience

• Job Title, Grade (if Federal), Rank (if Military)
• Employer Name and address
• Start and end date (month, year)
• Optional: Salary – required for some job postings; Occupational Series number and starting and ending grades – only if you previously held federal government positions.
• Average hours worked per week
• Supervisor’s name and phone number
• Acknowledgement that Supervisor may be contacted
• Responsibilities and accomplishments:
  – Show how your skills and experiences meet the qualifications and other requirements listed in the JOA to be considered for the job.
  – Describe your level of experience (e.g., were you a team lead or team member?)
  – Address every required qualification to prove that you can perform the tasks at the level required as stated in the job announcement.
  – Match your relevant experience and accomplishments with the language in the job announcement.
  – Use quantitative data (numbers, percentages, dollars) to describe performance metrics and accomplishments.
  – Include hard/technical skills and soft skills

Education

• School name
• Location – City, State, Zip Code
• Degree(s) obtained or pursuing
• Completion date or expected date of completion
• Pursuing major(s), minor(s), and/or concentration(s)
• Credits (if not part of a degree plan)
• Optional: Grade-point average, relevant coursework, academic papers or projects, key presentations, honors received, licenses and certifications

Additional Sections (Optional)

• Job Related Training – classes, seminars, coursework, certifications, or training related to skills and experience the position requires
• References – professional or personal references, their title and employer, and contact information
• Skills – functional, technical, language
• Affiliations – professional associations, societies, boards, clubs, or other organizations and duties and accomplishments
• Professional publications – publication names and dates
• Honors and Awards
• Volunteer Experience

Need to Know Tips:

1. Create an account in USAJOBS and use the Resumé Builder to start to ensure that all essential information is included and formatted in accordance to Federal hiring standards. Download your Federal Resumé from the resumé builder, exporting it to a Word document, to clean up formatting to make it more readable and address any additional resumé requirements that the job posting asked for.
2. Read each Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) closely to make sure you are including all required information on your Federal Resumé. Information may be optional for some agencies (e.g., Salary, References) and required for others.
3. Include all previous experiences: work experience (full-time, part-time, internship, co-op), volunteering engagements, community involvement, and leadership positions on/off campus.
4. Tailor your experiences to each JOA: Use the same key words and phrases from the “duties” section from a job opportunity announcement in your resumé.
   Example: If a JOA qualifications section says you need to conduct “data analysis,” your resume should include a bullet point that explicitly discusses this skill: “Conducted data analysis aligning career service initiatives with 3000+ graduate students’ preferences, utilizing Python and data visualization tools, to improve career outcomes and develop career support resource guides.”
5. Avoid using confusing jargon or acronyms: Make sure your resume is easily understandable by a wide audience. Avoid using industry-specific jargon or acronyms without providing clear explanations.
6. List experiences in reverse-chronological order