Tips for Applying for Federal Jobs

Tips for Applying for Federal Jobs

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Important facts about the federal hiring process

– The only place to apply for Federal Jobs is online at USAJOBS (https://www.usajobs.gov). – Applying to the Federal Government is more complicated than simply sending in a resume. It requires your resume to be translated onto a standard job application. – The information you enter into USAJOBS will be used to determine if you have met a 

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Important facts about the federal hiring process

pre-defined list of qualifications that align with the job announcement. If you have not addressed all the questions in the application or given details that are needed to verify your qualifications, you will not be deemed qualified for the position. – Including your resume as an attachment is encouraged! A resume including cover letter, CV and statement of career 

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Important facts about the federal hiring process

goals can provide added context for the search committee (but it won’t help if you don’t qualify, so be sure to read the qualifying section below). – Once the hiring agency has determined that you are qualified, they may use other assessments such as interviews or testing to select employees.

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Qualifying for a Federal Job

Federal jobs usually require that you have experience in a particular type of work for a certain period of time.  You must show how your skills and experiences meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. It is critical to Include dates, hours, level of experience and examples for each work 

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Qualifying for a Federal Job

experience. HR needs to see that you worked full time for a certain amount of time to qualify you. For each work experience you list, make sure you include: – Start and end dates (including the month and year). – The number of hours you worked per week. For example, if you worked a 40-hours-per-week job and do not specifically 

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Qualifying for a Federal Job

write “full time 40 hours per week,” your application will be rejected. – The level and amount of experience—for instance, whether you served as a project manager or a team leader/member—helps to  helps to illustrate your level of experience. – Examples of relevant experiences and accomplishments that prove 

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Qualifying for a Federal Job

you can perform the tasks at the level required for the job as stated in the job announcement. Your experience needs to address every required qualification.

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Tips for Submitting the Right Materials

The basic things you need: Resume, education transcripts (unofficial is OK), and cover letter. Below are some tips to make sure you have all the right materials to make your application shine! Resume format: Upload this as a standard PDF, even if you're also prompted to fill in the USAJOBS resume questions. PDFs are much 

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Tips for Submitting the Right Materials

easier for reviewers to read. Resume content: Make sure to list the month/day/year of each job, not just the year. Many good candidates can get inadvertently disqualified at this stage, if HR isn't sure they've completed the minimum time requirement for a certain kind of experience (e.g. "1 year at the postdoctoral level" or "1 year at a GS-12 equivalent"). Again, to make 

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Tips for Submitting the Right Materials

sure HR can see that you’re qualified, make sure your resume explicitly ties your experience to everything listed in the “Specialized Experience” section. Transcripts (unofficial is OK): Upload all of your higher education transcripts, including undergraduate transcripts. Sometimes jobs have a specific number of semester hours required for a certain field, 

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Tips for Submitting the Right Materials

and if you don't include your undergraduate transcripts, HR may not know that you've completed them. (Pro tip: If you want to make it extra easy for HR, list the classes you've taken that meet each coursework requirement. The application reviewers will love you for doing this.) Foreign transcripts: If you obtained any degrees outside the U.S., provide documentation 

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Tips for Submitting the Right Materials

explaining their equivalency to U.S. courses and degrees. For scientist applications: List any relevant grants you've received, with the title, amount, award number and funder. (This may not be relevant for all applications.)

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Common snags

The job closed before you applied. Some USAJOBS ads are only open for a few days. Have a set of general documents ready to apply for federal jobs, and then customize them as needed for each job. You didn’t include the number of hours you worked per week, or the number of months and years you worked, for the job that qualifies you 

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Common snags

under the specialized experience statement. Your specialized experience wasn’t clear to HR, who are not specialists in your field. Be explicit about what your experience includes, use straightforward language (such as the language in the USAJOBS ad specialized experience statement) and don’t be afraid to elaborate as much as you need to. This is 

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Common snags

where a lot of good candidates get blocked. Your application package is missing documents. Double check before submitting, and frequently log back in to your USA Jobs account to see if HR has flagged any missing documents.

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