How to Create a Federal Resume

The official job site of the federal government, USAJOBS, contains the most federal job opportunities. The site allows you to search for jobs, create federal resumes and receive email alerts for jobs that meet your specified job search criteria. The resume builder contains required information that is not part of a private industry resume. It is probably the most efficient use of your time to use the site's resume builder to create a document that can best showcase your qualifications for the position.

Create an account and a personal profile on USAJOBS to utilize the resume builder or upload an existing resume. You do not need an account just to search for jobs.

Write Your Federal Resume

Because there is information in a federal resume that is required to demonstrate your qualifications for a job, a federal resume is longer than a private sector resume, averaging 3-5 pages. The resume builder contains information required by government agencies (such as citizenship and veteran's status). You can create and store up to five resumes using the builder; you can also upload up to five resumes.

As is true for any job for which you are applying, you must target your resume to the federal position. Review the federal vacancy announcement, which is the government's term for a job positing. Pay special note to any questions listed (sometimes called competency statements). Determine the keywords you will need to include in your resume so that you showcase your qualifications in the context of the job.

Target your resume specifically to the announcement, paying particular attention to the qualifications and keywords identified in the Qualifications and Evaluation section (especially Specialized Experience). Create different application materials for each job.

Highlight Your Accomplishments

Identify and weave keywords from the vacancy announcement into your resume. How do you know which keywords to use? Ask yourself what will adequately describe your capabilities to a hiring manager so that he/she can develop a full picture of you performing successfully in the position. Convey your workplace contributions in such a way to demonstrate that you are a qualified candidate. Tell your workplace story so that anyone who is reading your resume can visualize your performance at work.

When you are writing your resume, be aware that you are writing for at least three audiences: the computer, the human resources professional and the hiring manager. As in any electronic application system, a keyword search is conducted to scan for relevant keywords to place your application in the stack of qualified applicants. The human resources professional will review your application when it has cleared electronic screening to determine if your resume matches the requirements described in the vacancy announcement. Finally, the selecting official (hiring manager) will receive your resume to review and determine if you will be contacted for an interview.

Consider that the federal government receives hundreds and sometimes thousands of resumes for a single job posting. Make sure that your resume conveys your qualifications to all three audiences so that you have the chance to "tell your story" in person, through an interview.

In the next and final part of our series, we will discuss how to prepare for a federal interview.

Janet M. Ruck is a career consultant who has co-authored two federal job search books "Find Your Federal Job Fit" (Jist, 2011) and "Guide to America's Federal Jobs" (Jist, 2009).