Federal Job Resumes
Dateline: 03/06/98
This feature is intended primarily for persons now in civilian, private sector jobs who are interested in getting a job with in US Federal Government.
Under new rules adopted in January of 1995, applicants for most US Federal Government jobs have the option of submitting one of the official federal job application forms (OF-612 or SF-171), or a resume.
Your first thought may be, “Hey, I got my old resume right here on the PC! I’ll just spiff it up and go with that.” Sounds easy. Won’t work.
Your Civilian Resume Probably Won't Get a Government Job
What do you want when you send a private company your resume? An interview, right? A chance to sit down with the employer and convince them, face-to-face, that you’re the best one for their job. Now think about the things you’ve been taught about your resume. Keep it short and concise. One page, never more than two. Hit the highlights, forget the detail. I promise you, that resume will never get you a federal job.
Whereas private sector firms make hiring decisions based almost completely on an interview, federal agencies hire based almost completely on the application or resume. In fact, interviews for many, if not most, federal jobs are optional. As a result, a resume for a federal job must be longer and contain much more detail than a private sector resume.
In a very real sense, the federal resume should be like your “interview on paper.”
Here’s a Successful Federal Resume from The Resume Place.
What Your Federal Resume MUST Include
Your federal resume must include several “non-standard” pieces of information, like:
- Full name, mailing address (with ZIP Code) and day and evening phone numbers (with area code)
- Social Security Number
- Country of citizenship
- Veterans' preference
- Reinstatement eligibility
- Highest Federal civilian grade held
And that’s not all. Here are some more with details.
Advice from the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
OPM is the federal government’s HR Department. You’ll want to get to know them. OPM publishes a document called “Applying for a Federal Job”. Here’s an excerpt from it:
“Although the Federal Government does not require a standard application for most jobs, we need certain information to evaluate your qualifications and determine if you meet legal requirements for Federal employment. If your resume or application does not provide all the information requested in the job vacancy announcement and in this brochure, you may lose consideration for a job.”
So,
The best way to make sure you have provided all the “information requested in the job vacancy announcement” is to apply for the job using either the OF-612, or SF-171 rather than a resume.
Either way, the bottom line is that the more they can read about you and your job experience and qualifications, the better your chances are of getting the job.
Good Luck!
Other Federal Employment Resources
Job Openings in Federal
Government
Links to application forms, resume tips, plus government and private online
job listing services.
Job Openings at Specific Government
Agencies
Links to dozens of Federal agency job posting and HR web sites. Also, latest
Federal pay rate table. Updated often.
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