The Federal Resume Part Four: Do’s & Don’ts

The Federal Resume

Part Four: Do’s & Don’ts

By: ResumeEdge.com

In some ways, federal resumes are similar to those you might create for a job in the private sector. However, there are also marked differences. Keep these guidelines in mind.

DO:

• Follow all instructions carefully and completely (resumes will be scanned, so this is important).
• Limit your resume to three pages (plus the separate page for supplemental information).
• TYPE your resume, ensuring that it is clear and legible. Handwritten resumes will NOT be accepted. A typewritten original or a high-quality photocopy is acceptable.
• Provide a laser-printed original if you do not use the official Resume Builder for your agency. Avoid dot-matrix printers, bubble-jet printers, and low-quality copies.
• Type with black ink on 8.5″ x 11″ white bond paper, printed on one side only.
• Use a minimum margin of one inch on all sides of your printed resume.
• Use standard business type fonts, such as Courier or Times New Roman, in 10-12 point.
• Use capital letters for section headings, as long as the letters do not touch each other.
• Proofread for any errors. Pay particular attention to spelling.
• Be specific when naming the computer software or types of equipment with which you have experience (e.g., Microsoft Word, Lotus 1-2-3, Excel, Unix, Oracle, computer-assisted design equipment, etc.).
• Describe your experience with specific words rather than vague descriptions.
• Be truthful! Falsification of your resume could result in termination or withdrawal of an offer of federal employment, and it may be punishable by fine or imprisonment. If selected, you will be required to sign a statement that all application materials are correct, complete, and made in good faith, and that no information has been falsified.

DON’T:

• Staple, fold, bind, or punch holes in your resume.
• Use vertical or horizontal lines, graphics, or boxes.
• Use two-column format or resumes that look like newspapers.
• Use fancy treatments such as italics, underlining, shadows, or bullets.
• Use unknown acronyms or abbreviations. Only use acronyms that are well-established and commonly understood.
• Submit your resume on colored paper.
• Submit your resume as an attachment to an e-mail, unless the agency specifies that it wishes to receive resumes in that manner.
• Fax your resume.
• Submit any documentation not specifically requested.
• Expect your resume or any documents submitted to be returned.

Read More

• Part 1: An Introduction
• Part 2: Self-Nomination
• Part 3: Supplemental Information

The Federal Resume Part Three: Supplemental Information

The Federal Resume

Part Three: Supplemental Information

By: ResumeEdge.com

Resumes submitted to certain agencies without supplemental information will be rejected. Supplemental information may differ from agency to agency. You must carefully follow agency directives in providing this information, which should be submitted on a separate sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ white bond paper, printed on one side.

Information To Be Submitted Along with Your Resume

The following requirements are reprinted from the Human Resources Service Center Web site.

If the information does not apply to you, please respond with “N/A.” At the top of the page, repeat your Name and Social Security Number for identification purposes (do not repeat if submitting your resume via e-mail).

• VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER (if applicable)
• CURRENT/FORMER FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES:
  • Type of appointment (i.e., career, career-conditional, temporary, term, indefinite)
  • Type of position occupied: Competitive Service; Excepted Service
  • Highest permanent grade held (include pay plan and dates held, from month/year to month/year).
• MILITARY SERVICE AND VETERANS’ PREFERENCE:
  • Discharged from the military service under honorable conditions: No/Yes
  • List dates and branch for all active duty military service. If all your active military duty was after October 14, 1976, list the full names and dates of all campaign badges or expeditionary medals you received or were entitled to receive.
  • Retired Military: No/Yes
  • Rank at which Retired
  • Date of Retirement
• If claiming Veterans’ Preference, indicate eligibility: 5 Point; 10 Point/Disability; 10 Point/Compensable; 10 Point/Other; or 10 Point/Compensably Disabled, 30% or more.
• If you are claiming 10 Point Preference, you are required to provide documentation at the time of application to verify eligibility, e.g., DD-214(s) (Member-4 Copy), Application for 10 point Veterans’ Preference (SF-15), and supporting documentation listed on the reverse of the SF-15.
• If you are sending your resume or self-nomination via electronic means, you must mail in required documentation separately. Be sure to include the vacancy announcement number you are applying for.

REMEMBER: MAIL COPIES, NOT ORIGINALS.

Finding Agency Requirements Online

In all cases, it is best to review agency requirements carefully before submitting a resume. You can find specific branch requirements at the sites listed below.

• Air Force, DoD/OPM
• Defense Finance
• Army
• NASA
• Navy
• Marines

Read More

• Part 1: An Introduction
• Part 2: Self-Nomination
• Part 4: Do’s and Don’ts

The Federal Resume Part Two: Self-Nomination

The Federal Resume

Part Two: Self-Nomination

By: ResumeEdge.com

Self-nomination is the act of indicating the specific vacancy announcements for which you want to be considered. There are certain steps you must take to nominate yourself for a federal position. As agency requirements may differ, you must carefully follow requirements as provided by each agency.

Vacancy Announcements and Self-Nomination

The following is reprinted from the Defense Finance & Accounting Service Web site.

All applicants must indicate the specific vacancy announcements for which they want to be considered. We call this self-nominating. You will only be considered for the jobs whose announcement numbers you provide in your first resume or by submitting a Self-Nomination form. Before submitting your resume for the first time, or before self-nominating subsequent to submitting a resume, locate the vacancy announcement(s) for Resume Builder position(s) for which you want to be considered.

The federal Resume Builder is an online tool with which you essential build your resume on the agency’s Web site. Certain job vacancy announcements will require you to use the Resume Builder.

For each Resume Builder announcement you’ll need the:

• Vacancy announcement number.
• Location(s) of the position(s).
• Grade level(s) being filled.

It doesn’t matter whether the vacancy announcement is a one-time announcement or an extended announcement. You need to self-nominate for both kinds of announcements.

There is no need for you to repeat a vacancy announcement number for an amended announcement. For example, if announcement XH-0001-01 has been amended once, it will also be shown as XH-0001-01A on the list of vacancy announcements on the Web site. Do not list both XH000101 and XH000101A; list only XH000101.

There is no limit on the number of vacancy announcement numbers you can submit at one time. You can also submit new self-nominations as often as you wish. All the new self-nominations are appended to the existing data. In other words, new data is added to the old data, which continually accumulates as new self nominations are added.

Read More

• Part 1: An Introduction
• Part 3: Supplemental Information
• Part 4: Do’s and Don’ts

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Federal Resume Tips : An Introduction

Federal Resume Services

How Government Resumes Differ from Private-Sector Resumes

Federal resumes are similar to private-sector resumes. However, there are some important differences.

Data unique to the federal resume:

• Social Security number
• GS numbers and grades for current or past federal jobs
• Hours worked weekly at each job
• Annual salary at each job
• Supervisor’s name, phone number, and permission (or refusal of permission) to contact
• Employer’s physical address
• Veteran’s preference
• Name of high school attended and whether a diploma was received

Data Organization

On a federal resume, work history is provided in reverse-chronological order. Academic data should be presented with the highest level of education placed first, followed by previous schooling, including high school. If you have completed college coursework, but have not attained a degree, provide the number of course hours that have been completed (e.g., “Business Administration, 35 course hours”).

Federal Resume Writing: Length

Electronic federal resumes are generally longer than private-sector resumes, which rarely exceed two pages. However, electronic federal resumes often do have some length restrictions. For example, resumes submitted to OSD, Defense Agencies, and DoD Field Activities can be no more than three pages, plus a separate page for supplemental information. It’s always wise to check agency sites for length restrictions before you start writing your federal resume.

Formatted federal resumes are generally longer than private-sector resumes as well. For senior positions, a formatted federal resume may exceed six pages. Again, before you begin your federal resume writing, check specific agency guidelines about length.

Scannable Federal Resumes

Scannable resumes used for the Resumix scanning system should follow these guidelines. Remember, though, that specific agencies may have their own requirements, which must be carefully followed.

• Use in 11-12 point type (generally Times New Roman or Courier).
• No bolding, italics, tabs, bullets are used.
• The entire resume is flush left.
• Margins are one inch.
• The current job title begins the resume and is followed by all previous titles that relate to the current job search (i.e. if the client is a paralegal, but once worked at Baskin Robbins as an ice cream server, the server position would not be included).

Electronic or Printed Federal Resume Services

Formatted federal resumes can be sent as attachments or by regular mail. These are the closest to what you might submit when applying for a job in the private sector. They differ only in the following areas:

• Data is more comprehensive and personal (e.g., Social Security Numbers, hours worked per week, annual salary, company/agency physical location, veteran status, etc.).
• High school data is included within the Education section.
• The resume will often exceed two pages. Remember that agency requirements must be followed

Read More

• Part 2: Self-Nomination
• Part 3: Supplemental Information
• Part 4: Do’s and Don’ts

Part One: An IntroductionBy: ResumeEdge.com

Crafting a federal resume is your first step in the application process. Federal resumes are used:

• To seek promotions within the same government agency (e.g., CIA Advisor to CIA Senior Advisor).
• To make lateral moves across government agencies (e.g., Systems Director of the United States Post Office to Systems Director of the Food and Drug Administration).
• To seek government employment for the first time, whether previous employment was in the military or in the private sector.

Keep in mind that for certain federal positions, you must use the government Resume Builder, located on the agency’s website. Check the requirements of your job announcement to see if you are required to use it.