Federal Resume Guide
Introduction
Are you a current federal employee looking to move up the career ladder? Maybe you want to
make a lateral move to another department or agency? Or perhaps you are seeking a transition
from the private sector or active military service to the civilian workforce? Whatever your
background, your federal resume will serve as the first step in advancing your career. It is your
personal presentation and marketing piece to potential employers, and therefore critical to your
future success. Your resume represents an opportunity to convey that you are both a confident
and qualified individual, and deserve the position you are seeking. For this reason, it is
important to invest enough time in your resume to ensure it is adequately planned and
organized, and represents a superior product, i.e. you!
Overview of the Federal Hiring Process
USAJOBS is the U.S. Government’s official system/program for Federal jobs and employment
information. Open position listings within the Federal Government, i.e., vacancy
announcements, are advertised on this website for at least two weeks. USAJOBS offers the
option to upload an existing resume or use their ResumeBuilder tool to generate an entirely new
resume. It is recommended that you use the ResumeBuilder, as some vacancy
announcements may not accept an uploaded resume. USAJOBS will allow you to store up to
five distinct resumes online.
Due to the volume of applications received for any given vacancy announcement within
USAJobs, your resume will most likely be processed through an electronic filtering mechanism
before reaching human hands. Your resume will also be ranked according to certain
preferences (e.g., veterans, disability, etc.) and rated based on the extent and quality of your
experience, education and training described in your online resume as it relates to the duties of
the advertised position. Due to this computerized ranking and rating system, it is essential
that you tailor the experience listed on your federal resume to the specific position to
which you are applying.
For more information, consult the General Services Administration’s page on getting the most
out of USAJobs: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/105310
Once your application is rated, a quality review will be conducted by the Human Resources
Department and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME). Resumes will then be forwarded to the Hiring
Manager for interview consideration. Once a hiring decision has been made, applicants will be
notified and debriefs will be offered to those who interviewed but did not receive the position.
The Importance of the Federal Resume
In the private sector, resumes are tailored to illustrate a wide variety of skills and abilities in
hopes of getting a candidates’ foot in the door and obtaining an interview. They are used to
create a good first impression and generate general interest. This is not the case for federal
resumes. The federal resume‘s sole purpose is to demonstrate that you possess the necessary
qualifications for the position. You must show in your writing that you meet eligibility
requirements and are the best candidate for the position, as more often than not a decision-
panel designates their primary candidate for a vacancy before an interview even takes place. If