Where Federal Jobs are

With all the new government jobs opening as part of the new stimulus package , you might consider looking into getting  a job with Uncle Sam.  If you don’t know where to start here are a few tips.

First, Federal jobs are not concentrated in Washington – there are actually only 15% of government jobs located in the capital. Federal jobs being mostly located in big US cities, the best way to find if there are openings near you is to visit Uncle Sam’s official job site, USAJobs.com, and look for jobs by city and state.

The other important thing to know is which types of jobs are available. The Federal jobs created by the new administration will mostly be found in fields such as health care, energy, environment, education and infrastructures while specialties will vary from IT to engineering, finance, management, etc …

As for applying to the job, the competition being pretty fierce and the application process pretty complex, it is recommended to hire a professional Federal resume writer to prepare your Federal resume and accompanying documents such as KSA’s.

Choosing the right resume package

When looking into getting your resume done professionally, you might have to choose which package will be best for you. if you’ve been browsing online, comparing various services, you might have noticed that most of them offer similar packages so you just need to know what you need.

First, you should know what resume writing level you need. Most services offer 3 levels such as entry, mid-career and executive, which are mostly based on the number of years of experience and your career level. Choose wisely and don’t try to cut costs by choosing the cheapest one if you have 15 years of experience or you will undervalue yourself.

Second, look at what’s included in the package. Some services just offer the resume while others will include a cover letter and even a thank you letter. So find out what’s the best value for you.

Finally, if services offer special resumes for your field – for example Federal, engineering, etc … – pick these packages from these companies rather than from companies that only offer generic resume services, without the ability to customize them for your industry.

Including keywords from a job ad in your resume

With the employment market currently being so competitive, it is more imperative than ever to have your resume closely matches the job announcements you’re applying to. This means doing the extra work of customizing your resume writing for each position, which you can do by not only focusing on the experience and education they’re looking for but also by including keywords present in the job ads.

Including these keywords is essential as it will show employers you have what they’re looking for. In addition since most HR use resume scanning software to filter out unqualified applicants, having the right keywords will ensure your resume makes the cut and is actually read by the employer or HR person.

Federal Resume Requirements

When applying to a government job, you need to submit a Federal resume, which is a resume that is specifically formatted according to goverment guidelines. Not following these guidelines would get your application disqualified even if you meet all the job requirements.

Here is a list of elements that should be included in your Federal resume:

The job information: announcement number, job title and grade title.

Your contact information: Full name, phone number, address, e-mail, country of citizenship and social security number.

Veteran’s preference: if you’re eligible for it (available for retired Military personnel).

Reinstatement eligibility: if you’re eligible for it (available for former Federal employees).

Education: from high school to your highest degree.

Experience: job titles with dates and duties, usually listed in chronological order.

Related trainings, certifications and awards

The importance of Turn Around Times

When looking into professional services to prepare your resume, there are several factors that you should take into consideration. Turn around time is one of the most important factors as you want to make sure you will be able to submit your application before the ad is closed.

To give you an idea, resume writers usually need somewhere between 3 to 6 days to prepare a good resume. Not only do they need time to process your information and write your resume but they also need time to make revisions that you might require, after having received the first draft.

However, if you need your resume sooner than that, most resume writing services offer rush services that go from a few hours to a day. Of course in that case, there is an additional fee, but it’s usually a small additional expense that is wirth the investment.

Having versions of your resume in different formats

When preparing your resume, it’s common sense to prepare it in a Word format as it’s the standard.  In addition, it’s helpful for the resume writing process, to make sure both grammar and spelling are correct.

However it is recommended to have your resume formatted as well in other formats such as text only and html. Having a text only version is indeed useful when it comes to copying and pasting your information in online resume application fields.  As for having an html version of your resume, it allows you to publish it on any website.

Adding references to your resume

A few readers have been asking me if they should include references in their resume, so I wanted to clarify that point:

The usual resume writing rule is that you shouldn’t include references in your resume, especially if they don’t ask for them in the announcement. What you can however do is add a line at the bottom of your resume such as “references available upon request” but this isn’t necessary.

If employers want references, they usually ask you to include them in the application they make you fill out before the interview. In some cases, they even wait until you’re in the top 3 to ask for them.

If they ask for references in the announcement, do not include them in your resume. Put them instead on a separate page that will follow you resume or add them as a separate attachment.

Why you shouldn’t use resume software wizards and templates

Using a software to prepare your resume might seem like a good solution at first. Rather than hiring someone to prepare your resume, this allows to do it yourself by simply copying and pasting your experience and education into fields. But even though, it might sound pretty cheap and easy, this also means taking the risk of getting your application rejected.

While resume wizards and templates might somewhat work for entry-level positions, you  will need to have a resume that corresponds to your goals and level, if you’re serious about your career.

Using resume writing software might be bad for several reasons:

·    if you just spend 10 minutes writing your resume, employers will notice it. Not only will your resume writing not look professional enough but, because they receive hundreds of applications, they will recognize the cookie-cutter template, which will most likely result in your application getting rejected.

·    If you want to stand out from other candiates, your resume needs to stand out as well, which .you certainly won’t accomplish this with a cheap resume wizard.

·    Since your resume will make your first impression, do you want it look like you don’t care enough about the job to have a professional-looking resume?

Rather than sounding banal, your resume must be customized to the job you’re applying to. It must also look unique and should convey your confidence. To achieve this, using a software or a template won’t do the trick. You either need to write it yourself or should use the services of a professional resume writer.

The 2 types of Resume Writing Guarantees

For those of you who are shopping around online, looking for a resume writing service, there are several factors to consider when making a decision.  One of the most important one is the guarantee that these services offer. Resume writing companies can be classed in 3 categories when it comes to guarantees.

First, there are the companies that do no offer any type of guarantee. I would recommend staying away from these.

The second and most common types are companies that offer free rewrites as a Guarantee. To assess them, check out how many rewrites they offer – for example is that only one or s unlimited?

Finally, there a few rare companies that offer a resume writing money back guarantee. These are the companies I would recommend using as they put their money where their mouth is. They guarantee results with their resumes, otherwise they refund your money. Since their guarantee is based on the honor system, you know that they are confident that their resumes can get results (results are usually interviews or even job offers).

The importance of success rates and testimonials

Following the post How to know your resume writer is qualified I just wanted bring up a couple complementary points.

First, another way to know if a Resume writer or resume writing service is qualified is to check if they have a success rate. If they say they have a 60% success rate, this means they aren’t that good. However, if they say they have a success rate higher than 90%, you know that you’re in good hands. Second, make sure they provide testimonials – the more the better. With all this data, you should then be able to find a good resume writer you can trust.