Federal resumes do not have to be attractive. Federal resumes are not heavily
formatted, and the USAJOBS resume builder does not accept formatting such as
bold, underlining, small caps, italics, etc. The proper formatting for federal resumes
should include short paragraphs using capital letters to highlight key words. Always
avoid bullets since they limit and abbreviate pertinent information. The Outline
Format is preferred by stang specialists because it is easy to read and features
key words and accomplishments. Each paragraph represents a skill set that the JOA
requires. The KSAs that are required to get “Best Qualied” for the position are clearly
demonstrated in the resume. Every word in the Outline Format is carefully selected to
match the JOA and highlight the person’s employment experience and competencies.
The block style format was acceptable when machines read the resumes. The bulleted
format is not recommended, KSAs are too dicult to nd in the list of bullets, and
the functional style format will not suce for the federal resume because the duties
and responsibilities are not anchored with dates, locations, and job titles. You must
show that you have One Year Specialized Experience in a certain eld of work. Also, if
the duties are separated from the dates, you will be rated as ineligible. You can’t go
wrong using the Outline Format resume!
“You can transform your life and business in just seven
minutes a day.” If that statement makes you want to
read on, your resume should include the same type of
“hook” in describing your experience and competencies.
Hiring agencies state the qualication requirements that
you must meet in the JOA. These qualications include
education, training, level of experience, and amount of
experience. Once you have applied, the hiring agency uses
the information in your resume to verify if you have the
required qualications stated in the JOA, such as years
of experience, level of education, major eld of study,
semester hours completed, and training. Once they have
determined who the “Best Qualied” are, some agencies
may use the information in your resume for the second
step. Federal jobs often require that you have done a
particular type of work for a certain period of time. Be sure
to include the month and year that you began and ended
each job. Also, include the number of hours you worked
per week. Be sure to provide information on the level of
experience that demonstrates you meet the qualications;
use examples and be specic (i.e., project manager or a
team manager).
FEDERAL RESUME FORMAT
JOB OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (JOA)
USAJOBS.GOV HELP CENTER
https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/
Ensure that your format is correct
FEDERAL RESUME WRITING
THIS IS NOT YOUR
PRIVATE SECTOR JOB
SEARCH. CAREFULLY
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS
PROVIDED. MAKE SURE
YOUR RESUME MATCHES
THE JOB OPPORTUNITY
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR
THE TARGET POSITION
TO OPTIMIZE BEING
CONSIDERED.