What You Need To Know About Federal Resumes

If you plan to apply for a federal job, you will need to include some specific information in your resume that it might otherwise not contain. Many federal job postings refer to a federal resume, which is not a specific form but rather a resume that contains all of the specific information required when you apply for a federal job.

A federal resume requires you to include some specific information that the federal government requires of all job applicants. They ask for this information because it helps them process the hundreds of thousands of resumes they receive each year and ensure that they follow all legal requirements when filling open positions.

What are the elements of a federal resume?

The specific elements required in a federal resume may include any or all of the following:

Job vacancy information - The first requirement is generally to include the job vacancy information in your resume. This includes the job announcement number and the position title.

Personal information - The federal government requires more personal information from you than other potential employers do. Their requirements include your full legal name, address, social security number, citizenship details, and your veteran status.

Education - You must include all of your education information, including high school diploma, college degrees, and the dates of graduation from these institutions.

Qualifications - This section is where you specify all of your other qualifications for the position. It may include awards, recognition, accomplishments, training, special skills, or other performance information that helps to demonstrate that you are qualified for the position in question.

Read the job posting carefully to make sure you have included all required information in the manner specified. If you miss something or do not follow the directions exactly your resume will be screened out, so check, double check, and triple check to ensure you have put everything in there that needs to be there.

Tips and tricks

There is much more to a federal resume than just including the required elements as stated in the job posting. Federal jobs typically list KSAs - knowledge, skills and abilities - that are necessary for a candidate to be considered.

Some postings will require you to compose what is called a supplemental essay, in which you address your specific KSAs that correspond to the job requirements. You should detail your information using strong statements that include both actions and results. Be concise, be clear, and whenever possible use the same keywords and phrases in the job posting to describe your own qualifications.

There are some online tools to help you prepare a federal resume, and they can be quite useful. You will still need to print and mail your resume to the correct address as listed in the job posting, but it is well worth the effort to use whatever tools are available to increase your chances of success.

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