Federal Government Resume Example

Tailor Your Federal Resume To The Job

If youre applying to several different types of jobs, make sure to tailor your resume to each of them.

A very common mistake job seekers make is that they create a single resume for dozens of positions.

This is effective at times, but it very rarely works for the type of job youd LOVE to have.

So how do you tailor the resume? its pretty straightforward. Look up a job youd like to apply for, and read the responsibilities and skills required in great detail.

Then, cross-reference it with your resume.

In many cases, youll see that you DO have a lot of the required experiences , you just didnt mention them because you didnt have space, or because you thought other types of experiences were more important.

Now all you have to do is add the relevant information to your resume, and youre good to go!

Key Takeaways For A Government Worker Resume

Last Check On Your Federal Government It Specialist Resume

Before sending out your resume, do a final resume check through this list.

• Make sure your resume contains your contact details.
• Write a striking summary statement.
• List your areas of expertise, skills, or core competencies to further prove why youre fit for the job.
• Highlight your work history relevant to your target job.
• Mention your achievements to serve as support for your work experiences.

Above all, know that you can ace your job hunt. Review the best federal government IT specialist resume examples above and youll surely land the job. Use our resume builder to ease your writing. Do you need help in writing your resume? and well help you right away. Our expert resume writers build the most notable resume in the business. Check out our best resume writing services now.

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Cv Skills Example: How You Excel

Every resume should include a section listing skillsthat are relevant to the job. Master chess player? Interesting, but probably not relevant. The skills section should typically include a mix of technical skills computer knowledge, advanced expertise in your field, etc. and soft people skills like customer service, a knack for sales or public speaking ability.

Avoid clichés like team player or self-starter. Try to describe your skills in language that other resumes wont have. These examples illustrate how to give generic skills a more original twist:

• Expert computer programmer

A Federal Resume Writing Service Featuring Top

CareerProPlus gives you access to 30+ years 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. Weve 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, youll partner with a career management service that offers:

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Choose The Correct Federal Resume Format

Although its not mandatory, its advisable to use a reverse-chronological format in your federal resume because it is recognized by all the federal recruiters and is a popular choice among job-seekers.

As for your federal resume template, simply ensure that the template checks out the following points:

• 1 margin on all sides
• Left-aligned margins

About The Outline Format

FIRST . do you need to write your first Federal Resume? Use our easy Federal Resume Builder: click here.

How This Format Was Created

The Resume Place, Inc. and Kathryn Troutman, President and acclaimed author created the Outline Format in 1999. All of our book samples and services feature this format.

Is the Outline Format Recognized by the Federal Government?

YES! This is the Federal Resume format that human resources recruiters like to see. It is easy to read, and they can find the keywords and qualifications EASILY when they are reading hundreds of applications.

What Makes This Outline Format Work?

Writing a federal resume is very different from writing a private industry one. Most federal resumes are 3 to 5 pages long. The challenge is to present large amounts of information in a clear, organized way that is easily scanned by both people and computers. The OUTLINE FORMAT succeeds because both the federal human resources staff or the online application programs can effectively identify that the experience you have meets the desired job qualifications.

Our Federal Resumes Feature Accomplishments!

Write your accomplishment stories with our awesome CCAR Accomplishment Builder!

Check out our free 30-minute Federal Resume Writing Webinars Especially Writing Your Corporate America Resume and Ten Steps to a Federal Job.

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Federal Resume Education Example: College And Other Knowledge

Federal governments hire workers from a broad range of educational backgrounds, from scholars with doctoral degrees to people who never finished high school. Study the requirements of government jobs in your field, and make sure you have the required education before you apply. List your educational credentials on your resume in reverse chronological order, along with any special certifications in your field.

Typical education required and starting salary for U.S. government workers, by selected General Schedule level

GS Level Education Level Starting Salary, 2020

GS-1 No high school diploma $19,543

GS-3 High school diploma $23,976

GS-4 Associates degree $26,915

GS-5 Bachelors degree $30,113

GS-9 Masters degree $45,627

GS-11 Doctoral or professional degree $55,204

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, federalpay.org

Click here for the U.S. governments advice on how to report your educational credentials when applying for a federal job.

Below is the education section from our Federal resume example.

Whats A Federal Resume

A federal resume, as the name implies, is the type of resume you need to make in order to apply for US federal positions.

It is similar to the conventional resume in the way you describe your experiences. You include all the must-have sections in your resume, and describe your skills and past experiences.

There are, however, some differences from a conventional resume that make creating a federal one a bit trickier.

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How To Build A Federal Resume

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

A federal resume template is different from an ordinary resume template because it requires a particular format and structure thats necessary for government jobs. In this article, we discuss what a federal resume is, the differences between a federal and regular resume and how to build a federal resume.

Before You Get Started

Read the entire job announcement. Focus on the following sections to understand whether or not you qualify for the position. This critical information is found under:

• Duties and Qualifications
• How You Will be Evaluated

Make sure you have the required experience and/or education before you apply. Hiring agencies use the job announcement to describe the job and the required qualifications, including:

• Level and amount of experience

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How To Write A Federal Resume In 2022

Creating a federal resume is a lot trickier than a conventional one.

For starters, you need to make it way more comprehensive .

You also have to add very specific details, such as your GS rating, clearance, and more.

Want to learn how to create/build a federal resume the easy way?

• Whats a Federal Resume & How Does It Differ From a Conventional One
• How to Write a Federal Resume in 6 Easy Steps
• How to Look for Federal Jobs

And more!

So, lets get started.

Use Numbers To Highlight Your Accomplishments

Use numbers, percentages or dollars to highlight your accomplishmentsyou can find this information in things like your performance reviews, previous job descriptions, awards and letters of recommendation.

When explaining your accomplishments:

• Include examples of how you saved money, earned money or managed money.
• Include examples of how you saved or managed time.

Examples

• Improved efficiency of document processing by 25 percent over the previous year.
• Wrote 25 news releases in a three-week period under daily deadlines.
• Managed a student organization budget of more than $7,000.
• Wrote prospect letter that has brought in more than $25,000 in donations to date.

These statements show in concrete terms what you accomplished.

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Government Worker Education Resume Example

The education section of your government worker resume is a simple listing of your academic degrees. Start with your high school diploma and list your degrees and majors.

If you have any certifications relevant to your job, list those here as well.

If you have publications, awards or professional memberships that will add to your candidacy, consider creating a separate section to highlight them if you have the space. Your resume should not be more than 2 pages long.

Below you will find an education section resume example as a formatting guide.

Resume Layout And Design: Keep It Simple

If you dont want your job hunt plan to fail, hold your resume to one page. If you think thats just not feasible because you have to list so many skills, then learn a new one: brevity.

Keep your resume layout and design simple, straightforward and elegant. Avoid gimmicks, splashy colors or excessive decoration. Strive for a professional, eye-pleasing look that says, Read me. Make room for some white space by trimming your text. Some resumes are too sparse, but most are too dense. Strive for the Goldilocks zone thats just right.

Do not use any format except PDF unless requested to do so by the employer youre targeting . What looks fine in one application on your computer may open in a different application on another computer and look awful.

Also, remember those pesky ATS programs that can reject your resume without so much as a human reading? They dont like buggy document formats either, so beware.

You can take the guesswork out of all design questions by using the buildertool and templatesat resume.io, created by experts and proven effective in the field. Just one note: While some of these templates include room for your photo, the U.S. government specifically requests that you not include a photo in its advice on What should I leave out of my resume? So youll want to choose a template that doesnt include a photo.

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Important Facts About The Federal Hiring Process

• The federal government does have a standard job application. Your resume is your application.
• Hiring agencies use the job announcement to describe the job and list the required qualifications and responsibilities.
• After applying, the hiring agency uses the information in your resume to verify if you have the required qualifications stated in the job announcement.
• Once the hiring agency has determined who is qualified, they may use other assessments such as interviews or testing to determine the best qualified applications.

Get The Interviews And Offers You Deserve

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 60,000 military, civilian, and federal resumes, resulting in many of our clients landing interviews that lead to job offers. If youre having trouble getting through the application process, CareerProPlus can refine your federal resume and get you in the right place at the right time.

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Include Dates Hours Level Of Experience And Examples For Each Work Experience

For each work experience you list, make sure you include:

• Start and end dates .
• The number of hours you worked per week.
• The level and amount of experiencefor instance, whether you served as a project manager or a team member helps to illustrate your level of experience.
• Examples of relevant experiences and accomplishments that prove 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.

Example

• Experience/Accomplishment

Key Points From The Blog

• A federal resume is specifically written for federal government jobs in the US and is different from a conventional resume.
• While a conventional resume is only 1-2 pages long, a federal resume needs to be at least 4-5 pages with thorough details.
• Use the reverse chronological format and ensure that your federal resume template is formatted with appropriate margins, spaces, and fonts.
• Begin your federal resume summary with the years of experience and mention your professional title.
• Quantify your achievements and include data points wherever possible.
• Use power verbs and frame your sentences with a cause and effect relationship while describing your past experiences.
• Read the qualifications and evaluation tab thoroughly to get a better idea of what you need to highlight or skip in your federal resume.
• Add your specialized technical skills, languages you speak, and other details like professional associations in the additional information section of your federal resume.

You can also use Hirations Resume Builder to create an impressive federal resume for yourself. If you need further assistance, write to us at .

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Organize Your Resume To Make It Easy To Understand

You need to organize your resume to help agencies evaluate your experience. If you dont provide the information required for the hiring agency to determine your qualifications, you might not be considered for the job.

• Use reverse chronological order to list your experiencestart with your most recent experience first and work your way back.
• Provide greater detail for experience that is relevant to the job for which you are applying.
• Show all experiences and accomplishments under the job in which you earned it. This helps agencies determine the amount of experience you have with that particular skill.
• Use either bullet or paragraph format to describe your experiences and accomplishments.
• Use plain languageavoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood.

Government Job Market And Outlook

Because this is such a broad category, theres no one statistic that will tell you what your chances of getting a government job are. You may choose to start your search on USAJobs, where all federal job openings are listed.

Why work for the government?

Yes, there is red tape and the process of getting hired can be tedious, but a civil service job has its benefits, too. Here are some of the biggest pluses:

• Job security and stability

• The resume skills section
• The education section

Each government agency, sector and level is different, but it is best to strike a serious tone. Investigate the department you wish to work for to get a better understanding of its mission and how it functions. This will help you develop a message that resonates with the hiring managers in that department.

The best government worker resumes will do the following:

• Align with the agencys mission by addressing its needs in each CV section
• Choose a crisp, readable layout that conveys your professional nature
• Use keywords and phrases that will elevate your resume over the ATS hurdle.

Personalize to beat the ATS

USAJobs, where you will apply for a federal job, and many state and local governments use an Applicant Tracking System. This software is programmed to search for the keywords and phrases an employer believes are most important for the advertised job. Then, the ATS ranks your resume against all the resumes for the position.

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Write An Impressive Federal Resume Summary

When recruiters receive thousands of applications for a single vacancy, be it in private or government sectors, recruiters dont spend a lot of time going through a resume.

Most recruiters simply read the resume summary. Therefore, the need to make your federal resume summary a compelling one.

Highlight your most impressive skills and accomplishments in not more than 3-4 lines and showcase your potential.

You can begin your summary by mentioning the years of experience you possess, followed by your professional title.

Given below are two federal resume summary statement examples:

6+ years experienced accountant with a prolific track record in auditing & budget management. Proficient in preparing financial statements and publishing them on time while simultaneously handling monthly, quarterly, and annual closings. Highly skilled in computing taxes and preparing tax returns in compliance with financial policies and regulations.

Certified database administrator with 4+ years of experience in managing LAN and WAN infrastructure while ensuring 24×7 server uptime. Skilled at inspecting security vulnerabilities and suggesting improvement opportunities to ensure maximum data privacy. Adept at troubleshooting complex database problems to ensure maximum database performance.