Posts Tagged ‘Resume’

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.

How Knowledge Gained From a Hobby Can Land You a Job

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

by Kristen Coria

Find something you love to do and figure out a way to get paid for it! This sentiment has been echoed so many times on television, in movies, and throughout our lives. Most people never believe it. They brush it off thinking the only way to make a living and pay the bills is to go through the daily grind at their current jobs. When people live their lives according to this philosophy, they miss out on the fulfillment that true job satisfaction brings to their lives. We all need a reason to get up in the morning and heading off to a job you love is one of the keys to happiness and success in the workplace.

Another one of the keys to happiness in your life is passion. The Merriam Webster dictionary describes passion as “a strong liking and devotion to some activity, object, or concept”. As you can clearly see, passion comes in all forms—business, pets, hobbies, cars, books, music, television, crafts etc. It is an innate desire that we all have to tap into because it is one of the driving forces in our lives. Passion is also one of the key elements to being successful from a career perspective. If you don’t have passion for your work or career, you won’t be as successful as you could be. It seems logical that one of the secrets to success is merging your career with your passion.

In this economy, people are turning to their hobbies to generate additional income. Maybe you are a novice jewelry designer that will sell your pieces at local craft shows. During the craft shows, you could network with customers that may be scouting new talent for high end jewelry designers like Tiffany or more mainstream places like Lia Sophia. Maybe you are a car enthusiast that will open a car wash/detail shop on the weekends. Before you know it, you could land big accounts with local dealerships to wash/detail their fleets of cars. Maybe you are someone that loves to travel. You could parlay your love of globe trotting by launching a travel agency. Or you might write articles about the locales you visited and sell them to travel magazines.

We all have passion for a hobby. Now is the time to take advantage of this knowledge and make it work for you from a financial perspective. While pursuing your passion for hobbies, you can help generate additional income from clients that are in need of your services or products. Once you find something you love to do and figure out a way to get paid for it, your job satisfaction will rise. It will allow you the opportunity to network with professionals or customers in the field that could propel your career in a whole new direction. And the best part is that you will be successful because you have the passion to succeed at something you love.

To request Kristen for your order, simply choose her last name (Coria) on the drop-down menu in the ‘request your editor’ field of the online order 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.

Economical and Rapid Methods of Updating Your Skills for the Current Job Market

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

by Marina Ricci, JD, ResumeEdge.com Editor

If unemployment or underemployment has given you more free time than you would normally have, take advantage of that time to make yourself more marketable in the current job scene. 

One of the best ways to increase skills that could be readily used by future employers is to freelance.  Freelancing can include anything from writing to editing to graphic design.  Anything that can be done outside of the office on your home computer is considered freelancing.  This is the perfect opportunity to bring already-refined skills into the open.  Even if the work is unpaid, having work that is published or prominently displayed for future employers in a magazine or Web site is a great way to make your work stand out from the rest of the applicant pool. In addition, the more practice you have in a certain skill area will make your expertise even better.

Another great way to sharpen skills is to obtain a certificate for a certain skill-set at a nearby community college or skill center.  Certificates range from Speed-reading to Leadership.  Not only are these classes discounted because they are in a neighborhood community college, they will also teach or sharpen your skills.  Then, you can use these certificates to obtain an advantage when applying to jobs where most people have the same type of skills at the forefront. 

The best way to sharpen skills and obtain experience that is crucial to future employment, especially in a field outside of your expertise, is to intern.  Internships are up as companies need more staff and have fewer funds.  Thus, unpaid or underpaid internships are everywhere and can be created by companies.  Therefore, if you want to go into an industry where you have little experience, this is an opportunity to obtain it.  In these types of situations, if your work is really phenomenal, there may be a position that opens up in the company during the internship.

When sharpening up skills in this economy, it is important to make your skills and talents stand out from the rest of the applicant pool.  Thus, obtaining publication, certificates or experience that others lack is the fast-track way to getting the job of your dreams. 

To request Marina for your resume or cover letter, please select her last name in the “select your editor” field on the online order. www.resumeedge.com