Posts Tagged ‘resume preparation’

How to Compete in the Competitive Federal Job Market

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

By David Jensen, CPRW, CARW, CEIP, ResumeEdge.com Editor

Employment with the Federal Government can put you on a rewarding career track and now is a good time to pursue government employment. Many long-time government employees are preparing to retire and government agencies are often the least affected by a recession. Despite the growing career opportunities with the Federal Government, it is a competitive endeavor. To obtain a job offer with a government agency, you need to know how to compete in that arena.

Competing for government jobs can be more challenging than competing in the private sector because government agencies commonly hire and promote from within. However, you can become a top contender if you devote time to ensure that you have the necessary qualifications and are steadfast and proactive in your pursuit. In order to improve your chances of gaining employment, you might be tempted to pursue several agencies. However, with government employment, you better your chances by focusing on only one or two agencies and devoting more time and effort to obtaining the necessary qualifications and mastering the application process.

Obtaining the Necessary Qualifications

To obtain the skills sought after by an agency, start by assessing the transferrable skills you already have with your current work. If you are skilled at a specific trade, look at the other tasks you perform to do your job. Determine what percentage of time you spend doing actual tasks as opposed to the time you spend talking to people, coordinating and scheduling projects, and solving problems. Communication, project management, and problem resolution are all transferable skills.

Study Vacancy Announcements

To be competitive in the Federal Government job market, you need to ensure that your knowledge, skills, and abilities are the best match for an agency’s job description. One way to boost your candidacy is to study government vacancy announcements (job postings). Often it is tempting to quickly review job postings to obtain the right keywords to place in your résumé. This is counter productive. The more you know about the position and the agency, the better your chances are of winning your desired job. Vacancy announcements are long, but it’s worth your while to gain a thorough understanding of the job and agency. Make sure you complete the application process exactly as it is stated, and without copying and pasting, use the same keywords and terminology in your résumé.

Be Proactive

Networking is extremely important in pursuing government employment because the competition is stiff. To get exposure in your desired organization prepare yourself by seeking out volunteer opportunities and meeting people in the agency by attending seminars related to the agency’s objective. More face-to-face contact with the people in your target agency greatly improves your employment prospects.

Getting hired with the Federal Government is often a complex process. However, you can boost your competitive edge by thoroughly preparing yourself to work in a specific agency, which includes a stellar federal resume. If you are diligent and persistent in your efforts, you can land your desired position and enjoy a fruitful career in government service.

To request David for your resume, simply key in his last name (Jensen) in the ’select your editor’ field of the online form.

Promoting What You Know and Can Do for an Employer

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

by Marina Ricci, JD, ResumeEdge.com Editor

Instead of waiting for a job posting to encompass all of your passions and talents, be proactive and convince the employer to create a position that will be beneficial to everyone involved. When you have a passion for something, your heart and soul goes into the work, and that’s why you need to show the employer he not only needs the service you’re offering, but he needs you to provide the service for optimal results.

If you already have a job but want a different position with the same employer:

On your own time (not on company time), draft a proposal for your supervisor for your idea. Examples of these can include an accountant having a great marketing idea for a product at a company that does not have a marketing department. Be sure to provide clear objectives, cost-saving goals and graphs that pinpoint how the business will benefit from the position and why this would be beneficial for everyone involved. Next, make sure to include your experience in the field and the positive results you’ve had had working in the same capacity for others.

Employers are always looking to get ahead of their competitors so this could be a perfect way for your employer to distinguish himself from everyone else. Volunteer to work on your own time to further the objective within a specific timeframe (i.e. 30 days). If you get results, the employer will give serious thought to hiring you on a more permanent basis in the new capacity.

If you do not have a job or want to change employers:

Write a letter (or formal e-mail) to the employer you’re targeting and let him know what your skills are and how you think you can help his company succeed even more so than at present. Then, in the letter, make sure to put that you are willing to work on an internship basis (even for free) in order to show the company how they can benefit from this new service that you’re willing to provide them.

If the company accepts your offer, you can use the position as a possible road to permanent employment. However, even if the company hires you as an intern and makes it clear they will not have a paid position for you, use the internship as something that you can put on your resume to aid you in your search for a permanent position in that specific field.

Note: Bigger companies that don’t have specific positions to fit your passion may be more willing to take you on as an unpaid intern, and big company experience looks great when you’re trying to gain permanent employment with other companies in the same field.

To request Marina for your resume or cover letter, simply key in her last name (ricci) in the ‘select your editor’ field on the online form.

Why a Standard Résumé Won’t have a Chance with the Federal Government

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

By David Jensen, CPRW, CARW, CEIP

Government jobs are plentiful even in a down economy. They are also good career-oriented positions with advancement opportunities. Landing a government job is a complex process, but it is well worth the effort if you desire to work in the public sector. Many private-industry job applicants use a standard resume thinking it is the same or just as effective as a Federal resume when applying for a government job. This is not the case. There is certain information that needs to appear on a Federal resume that you would not include on a private-sector resume. The human resource professionals need to see certain information in your application materials in order for you to be considered for further review as an applicant.

Federal Résumés Require More Personal Information

The information you need to provide for a government application (often called a vacancy announcement) includes your full name, complete mailing address, social security number, and your country of citizenship. Vacancy announcements contain a list of what to include in your résumé. If you leave any information out such as your social security number, you might not be considered for the job.

Federal Résumés Need to Align with the Job Announcement

With a standard resume, you might use a qualifications summary to outline your skills and experience that relate to the job you are applying for. With a federal résumé, you use an objective statement that needs to include the job title and department, the position’s grade level (the job’s level of difficulty), and the job announcement reference number. Following the objective statement you include a list of your qualifications that apply to the requirements listed in the job description.

Adhere to all Application Guidelines

Each vacancy announcement includes a “How to Apply” section that tells exactly what application process you need to follow and what information you need to include. It is critical that you provide information for every category in this section because most résumés are electronically scanned before a hiring manager reviews them. The required information often includes your past supervisor’s name and phone number and if that person can be contacted. This section often asks for your highest employment grade level whether you are a veteran or a civilian employee. You won’t be able to provide this information if you are transitioning from the private sector so you could enter N/A. Do not leave any categories blank.

Standard resumes are commonly one-to-two pages. Federal résumés can range from two-to-six pages and must comply with the guidelines required by the government personnel offices. Federal employment can be a good career opportunity if you are prepared and willing to produce a Federal résumé package that promotes you as the “best qualified” candidate for your selected government position.

To request David Jensen for your federal resume product, simply select his name in the drop-down menu of the ’select your editor’ field.

The Importance of Including Quantified Accomplishments

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

With so many individuals competing for jobs these days, the only thing that will differentiate you from the rest of the equally-qualified crowd is what you achieved while on the job. But be warned – an accomplishment must be quantified in order to hold any weight with the hiring manager or recruiter.

Too many times I see resumes where the individual writes: “Reorganized an entire department per management instructions.” That’s not an accomplishment, that is a daily duty. An accomplishment would read like this: “Generated savings in excess of $25,000 annually by reorganizing the marketing department and employing temp workers, rather than full-time staff.”

The above speaks to what a hiring manager and/or recruiter wants to see – how you can make them money and how you can save them money.

To further strengthen your resume, make certain to put at least one, preferably two, quantified and relevant accomplishments in the opening summary. This is especially true if you use the word ‘proven’ to describe yourself. For example, you write:

Accounting professional with comprehensive experience and proven results in negotiations with the IRS.

Proven by whom? You? That’s not enough proof for a hiring manager or recruiter. They want more. It’s better to write:

Accounting professional with comprehensive experience and proven results in negotiations with the IRS as evidenced by the $.5 million in savings, resulting from the 2009 audit.

The above clearly states that you saved your company a half million dollars through your expertise. That speaks volumes to hiring managers and puts you well above the others competing for the same position.