Making the switch to a federal job after working in the private sector is achievable if you take the time to put together a comprehensive federal resume. Resume writing for a federal position requires significant attention to detail and ruthless focus to ensure you include all the required information for the job while eliminating anything that's not relevant. When applying for a job with the federal government, it's quite possible that a decision will be made based on the resume alone without any one-on-one interviews or additional contact, so it's in your best interests to make sure that yours stands out from the rest.
Best practices for writing a federal resume differ from any other type of resume writing mainly in the government-specific information you must include. In addition to your contact information, you should also include your country of citizenship, any security clearances you hold or have held in the past, and the highest federal civilian grade held if you have worked in the federal system previously. If you're past federal employee, you should find all of the series and grade information you need on your most recent SF-50 form. The federal government no longer requires that you include your social security number on your federal resume for security purposes.
You must include specific information for the position you are applying for on your federal resume. This should include the job announcement number, department, agency, job title, series, and grade. Position this information prominently at the top of your resume following your personal contact information but before your work experience and education.
If you're a beginner at writing federal resumes, you might be inclined to include every job you've ever held, and that could be a mistake. Federal hiring managers want to see the jobs that are the most recent and most relevant to the one you're applying for. There is no need to go back any more than ten years, unless you feel there is some experience during that time that is highly relevant. Eliminate unpaid, short-term, or irrelevant jobs.
Add a knowledge, skills, and abilities statement, known as a KSA, at the beginning of your resume. This should be uniquely tailored to demonstrate how you're qualified for the job you're applying for. Make sure to include specific words that you see in the job announcement, such as team leader or planner.
Resumes for federal government jobs are different in some key aspects than those for the private sector. If you take the time to create a federal resume that's customized for the position you're applying for, you'll have a much better chance at landing that coveted job.
(photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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