Interested in pursuing a federal job? You should prepare yourself just like for any other job search. Familiarize yourself with the different resources to help you succeed.

The application process for the federal government consists of several steps. It is straightforward, but takes careful preparation. Be ready to spend time reading the vacancy announcement job description thoroughly, reviewing your qualifications, preparing a federal resume, and answering questions based on your experience and education. Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and deadline dates. Your documents represent you and will help determine your chances of landing a position. No matter how good the quality of your documentation, if you miss the date and time for submission, your application will not be considered.

Step One: RESEARCH

• Start by finding vacancy announcements on: www.USAjobs.gov, the Fedscope web site where you can research agencies located in your state, and individual agency listings on the Internet through www.usa.gov.

• Carefully review the job description to determine if you meet the requirements. Your opportunities for obtaining a position are greatly enhanced by how closely your education and experience match the stated qualifications. Research the agency to see if the job and agency are a match for you and if the agency has similar positions not listed on www.USAjobs.gov.

Step Two: DOCUMENTATION

There are three basic components in the application process: federal resume, questions about your background, and supporting documents. Follow the application instructions completely. When applying for a certain job, submit a customized resume that elaborates your skills and qualifications pertaining to that job. Practice and edit your answers for the Knowledge, Skills, and Ability questions (KSA) or questionnaire. Supply additional forms or documents, if they are requested and apply to you.

Resume:

A federal resume requires more details than a standard resume. The federal resume will ask you questions about the job opening, personal information, education and coursework, work experience, dates and numbers of hours worked per week, location of position and supervisor contact information, and other qualifications. Please be specific when creating your entries. Use keywords from the job description in your resume. This information is essential because it is used to determine if you qualify for the position, for the minimal background check, and it helps determine your pay. You can also use your own resume, but we recommend that you use the government’s resume format, to ensure that you are providing all the information that is needed.

You can create a federal resume online at USAJOBS.gov. This website is a great resource to create a dynamite document. Also you can save up to five resumes, which can be adjusted for subsequent openings. For a sample federal resume, click here.

Knowledge Skills Abilities (KSAs) or Questionnaire:

Most agencies’ applications currently require a questionnaire or short essays. The essays are called KSAs and are designed to help the applicant describe specific skills. This will also illustrate your competence in written and oral communication, and demonstrate technical ability. KSAs allow the agencies to narrow down the best qualified candidates. The responsibilities noted in the KSAs are an indication of what the job entails and what skills or experience the agency is seeking. The KSA's are due to be phased out by November 1, 2010 for initial applications. However, they may be used when candidates are placed on a short list. For that reason, you should still be aware of how KSA's should be written.

Your KSAs should make you stand out as a candidate. Focus on what you can bring to that particular agency, how you will perform if offered the position, and how you have used your skills and experience in the past. It is very important to use words from the job description (keywords) in your KSAs and resume.  

To write a strong KSA, use the CCAR method: Context, Challenge, Action, and Result. 

• Context - Describe the specific problem you had to address. What did you have to solve, resolve, respond to, or handle?
• Challenges - Describe the factors that contributed to a particular challenge, such as lack of resources, institutional reform, new goals from supervisors or professors, etc.
• Action - Describe the steps you took to solve the problem. Stay away from the ordinary — be extraordinary in your response. Give details on your actions.
• Result - Describe the outcomes of your actions, using quantification where possible, e.g., improvement in grades, more participation, increase in sales. What difference did you make — highlight it.

Each KSA should be written in the first person point of view and no longer than ½ to 1 ½ pages. Please remember to use keywords from the job description, relevant examples, plain language, and avoid acronyms or slang. Make sure the readers know that you understand the position responsibilities and remember to MARKET yourself. Your campaign should scream: I am the best candidate for the job!

Here is a guide to writing a great KSA. A sample KSA using the CCAR method is provided below:

Subject:  Ability to Communicate in Writing

Context- As the Newsletter Editor in my living-learning community, I was responsible for writing articles and editing all submissions published in our monthly newsletter.

Challenges- Our community wanted to use the newsletter as a means for reaching out to alumni of the program with the goal of increasing their involvement in the community. Before I started as Editor, we had never had a submission from an alum.

Action- I decided to focus the first newsletter of the year entirely on accomplishments of our alumni, with a message throughout encouraging alumni to submit articles and pictures.

Result - Over the course of the academic year when I was Newsletter Editor, we received an average of 5 alumni submissions per newsletter. Additionally, alumni and program participants rated the quality of the newsletter higher than any other year.

Questionnaire:

The occupational questionnaire is requested in some applications instead of KSAs. It assesses a candidate’s qualifications and level of expertise through detailed multiple choice or yes-or-no questions, each with four or five possible responses.   The responses range from very little expertise to highly qualified.  Read through each answer and select the one that fits your level of experience. Be honest, and don’t worry if you select the lowest answer for some of the questions. The questionnaire can contain as many as 100 questions, so you are not expected to be at the expert level on each inquiry. Your responses may be used during your interview to help determine your overall skill level.

Sample Statement: Serve as a primary point of contact for a specific subject matter.

Sample choice of responses:

a) I have not had education, training or experience in performing this task.

b) I have had education or training in performing the task, but have not yet performed it on the job.

c) I have performed this task on the job. My work on this task was monitored closely by a supervisor or senior employee to ensure compliance with proper procedures.

d) I have performed this task as a regular part of my job. I have performed it independently and normally without review by a supervisor or senior employee.

e) I am considered an expert in performing this task. I have supervised performance of this task or normally the person who is consulted by other workers to assist them in this task because of my expertise.

Additional Documents:

An agency may request additional forms or documents such as transcripts, copies of licenses, or samples of your work. Submit exactly what is requested to demonstrate your quality as a candidate.

Step Three: FOLLOW UP

• Contact the representative listed in the vacancy announcement to learn the status of your application. The contact number can be found at the bottom of the vacancy announcement page. Also, be sure to print out the announcement for your records.  After the deadline date has passed, this information cannot be retrieved.

Step Four: RESPONSE TIME

• It can take weeks to months before you will hear back about an application. A recent executive order has mandated no more than 80 days from the closing of a job announcement to selection of a candidate. Steps are also being taken to provide feedback during different stages of the application process.
• Keep all of your documents (records, transcript, awards, writing samples, references, etc.) for the next steps, such as interviews and/or background investigation for clearance. If you are not successful, KEEP TRYING! Do not underestimate persistence.

Step Five:  INTERVIEWS

An interview for a federal position is very similar to one in the private sector.  There are no special rules or formats to follow.  Research is essential, just as it would be for a job with a corporation.  Look over the agency’s web site and publications to learn more about what they do and their mission.  Familiarize yourself with the job announcement, especially the job description.  Review your application and be able to articulate how your skills and/or education are a match to the job requirements and an asset to the agency. 

When arriving for the interview, be sure to leave enough time for security measures at the building’s entrance.  Make sure you have a photo ID with you, such as a state-issued driver’s license or a passport.  You should bring the usual items:  copies of your resume, list of references with contact information, note pad, and pen.  You may meet with the human resources manager, hiring manager, or a group of managers.  When you arrange the interview date and time, try to determine how long you will be at the facility and with how many managers you will interview.  Be sure to get a business card from each person involved in your interview.  Thank-you notes sent within 24 hours are essential as a follow up technique in any job search situation. When sending a note to a federal employee, it is best to send it electronically.  Because of concerns caused by an anthrax scare a few years ago, written mail directed to federal offices are irradiated and may be delayed in reaching its destination.  The speed of electronic thank-you notes is a better way to go.

Step Six:  SECURITY CLEARANCE

Some federal jobs require access to sensitive information that requires security clearance for employees.  There are three levels of security clearance:  Top Secret, Secret, and Confidential.  Investigators consider your international experiences and contacts, any former drug use (not necessarily a disqualifier), financial history, and disciplinary record (college infractions are not an automatic disqualifier).  In many instances, you can obtain a temporary clearance until the entire clearance process is completed.  This varies from agency to agency. To learn more about the security clearance process, click here.

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