Tips for Writing a Federal Resume

Creating a federal resume that brings your qualifications to life and shows that you are a perfect fit for the job can be a challenge. The federal resume can either open doors or eliminate you from the running. Be sure to demonstrate how your skills, experience, training and education match the employer's needs. Avoid misspelled words and bad grammar. Few of us like to write and even fewer enjoy writing about themselves, but it is something you have to do if you want to succeed. Following are a few ways to make this easier.

Prepare

Attend job assistance training prior to departing the service. Contact your Transition Assistance Center as soon as possible and sign up for a TAP Workshop. If you are not near a Military Transition Center, you may use the services at Transition Assistance Offices operated by the other military services. Use your transition counselors. They have the tools and knowledge you need. If available, get their help in creating your first resume or filling out a draft application. Ask them to critique your work and then make the changes they suggest.

Focus

Set an objective and identify the kind of jobs you are interested in. How you present your skills and experience in your resume will help determine whether or not you are invited to interview for a job.

Tailor

One size never fits all. Do not assume that you can use one resume for many jobs. If you do, you will not succeed. As you apply for jobs, tailor your resume to the employer's requirements. It is important to portray yourself as a "doer" whose skills match the requirements of the position and demonstrate the ability to do the job. This is easy to do when you include results, achievements and accomplishments.

Translate

Minimize the use of military terminology, abbreviations, acronyms or jargon in your resume.

Format

Resumes are generally presented in one of three formats: chronological, functional or a combination of chronological and functional. While your counselor can help you to select the format that will best display your abilities, which you choose will depend, in part, on the type of work you have performed and whether or not you are going to continue to do the same work.

• Chronological resumes list work experience according to date, with the current job appearing first. Chronological resumes work well if your career has been progressive and you plan to continue in the same line of work.
• Functional resumes are organized by the skills you have used on the job. Functional resumes work well if you are contemplating a new career, do not have a lengthy work history, or have held a number of different positions because they sell your abilities based on the skills you have acquired during your career.
• Combination resumes both describe your work experience and highlight your skills. Combination resumes usually provide the most comprehensive overview of your career.

Content

The federal resume must include information that is not needed in the private sector. Your federal resume should include the following:

• Job announcement number, job title, and job grade of the job for which you are applying
• Your full name, mailing address, day and evening phone numbers and home e-mail.
• Last four digits of your Social Security number
• Country of citizenship
• Veterans Preference - List your Veterans Preference points. Ensure that you attach or upload supporting documentation (e.g., DD214 or Statement of Service if still on Active Duty; SF-15, Application for 10-point preference; and Disability Rating Letter of 30% or more from the VA, if applicable).
• Education - Include: college name, city, state, zip code, majors, type and year of degrees held or number of semester hours completed, and high school name, city, state, zip code, and date of your diploma or GED, if requested. Keep in mind that your military training may qualify you. Your Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) document (DD Form 2586), is the best place to start your training and education inventory.
• Work experience (paid and unpaid) - Include: job title; duties and accomplishments; employer's name and address, including zip code; supervisor's name and phone number, starting and ending dates (month and year); hours per week; and salary. List each experience as a separate entry on the resume. Forget about military job titles or occupational codes. Instead, look at what you did. Your VMET document is a great place to start. Employers prefer proven performers, so make sure you know what employers are looking for in comparison to your military work experience.
• Indicate if your current supervisor can be contacted.
• Job-related training courses (title and year).
• Job-related knowledge or skills - Showing how your skills fit the company's requirements starts with an extensive inventory. Skills fall into three categories:
  
  1. self-management skills refer to the way you manage yourself on the job (e.g., dependable, resourceful, etc.);
  2. functional skills are the skills you use on the job or have used in previous jobs (e.g., operate equipment, supervise, analyze, etc.); and
  3. technical skills relate to specific skills required to perform a described task (e.g., computer programming, accounting, sales, etc.)
• Current job-related certificates and licenses - Make sure you understand the licensure and certification requirements for your job objective.
• Job-related honors, awards, special accomplishments, leadership activities, memberships, or publications.

Appearance

Once you have spell checked your resume, take a good look at its overall appearance. Is it appealing and easy to read? Is there enough white space? Are the margins appropriate? Have the headings, font and formatting style been used effectively? Keep in mind that your resume is an employer's first impression of you. Make sure it makes the best one possible.

Remember Review the job announcements carefully for key words. Use verbs and adjectives (e.g., managed, implemented, created) that match key words identified in the job announcement. Eliminate military lingo (use words such as personnel instead of squad or platoon). Include your accomplishments; do not be shy, be truthful. Focus on the mission of the agency and translate your experiences. Your positive attitude and genuine enthusiasm goes a long way.

A Federal Resume Template You Can Follow

First and Last Name
Address
Town, State and Zip code Email address
Phone Number

Citizenship: (Yes or No, Work Visa)
Special Hiring Authority: (Veteran preference or Person with Disability - Schedule A)
Federal Experience: (Yes or No and Indicate Military, Federal or State Gov)

Clearance: (Indicate what level and if it's still active)



OBJECTIVE: To obtain a full time position in public service with (Indicate the federal Agency and
sub Agency) as a (Indicate the position including announcement Number if there is one)



SKILLS SUMMARY: (Has 3 elements: An introductory paragraph, list of skills directly related to the position, and your skills you have acquired throughout your career, that you want to highlight)




(1st Element: The introductory paragraph - Must be specific and highly detailed for each job series and position you're applying to. You need to outline all the specific skills you have that are directly related to the position you are seeking including Key Words identified in the positions description.)




Focused and highly motivated management professional, with 12 + years of extensive experience in Strategic Workforce Planning, EEO, OHR and Diversity Mgt. Utilizing my background in Disability,
Accommodations, Business Operations, Project Management, and Statistical Analysis to develop comprehensive programs based on the employment needs and mission of the agency. Deploying metric based solutions and maximizing our ROI. I'm an innovative and energetic team player, relationship builder, and highly effective communicator.




(2nd Element: List of skills directly related to the position and the Key Words you identified - Back up your skill summary with specific examples from you career or education. Identify specific accomplishments, length of time, highlight numerical results and awards derived from those duties and skills. This is the most critical area of the resume. You are relating an activity in your career to that of the position you are applying and showcasing your accomplishments.)

• Develop and create a Strategic Workforce Planning program to ensure were accurately utilizing all available resources. Good Example

• Expert in Diversity Mgt. and Employee Relations assisting managers and staff in identifying and solving EEO Policy questions on Accommodations, for the past 9 yrs. Better Example

• As Diversity manager I trained a staff of 100+ internal and external personnel on diversity rules and regulations. This lead to a 70% reduction in violations and improved the overall atmosphere at ABC Co. Best Example

(3rd Element: Acquired skills - These are skills you want every employer to know you possess and feel they are what defines you as a model employee. Remember you MUST quantify and qualify every  statement you make.)

• Analyze, develop, test and incorporated IT business solutions to enhance business process control and tracking. Good Example

• Supervised, motivated, mentored and lead by example, using experience backed judgment, strong work ethic, and irreproachable integrity, derived from my 12yrs as a Department Manager at ABC Co.  Better Example

• Developed and implemented a supply inventory program, which tracked our use of production and office materials. This provided us detailed reports of our available inventory at all times. Allowing us to make more informed purchasing decisions. Resulting in ABC Co. to save 500,000 per year. Best Example

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY




Name of Employer
Position & Title
GS level or Salary and Years of Service




(This section should be identical to skill summary. Write up a brief description of duties, and identify your major roles and responsibilities. Describe in detail each position you held for at least the last 10 years and quantify and qualify each statement).




TIP: Describe each duty like you are teaching it to someone for the first time. HR Specialists are not allowed to assume you can or can't do anything.




Ex: Cashier: A cashier can perform numerous duties, if you only list cashier they can only interpret that as someone we collected and distributed money).




As Diversity Manager I analyze develop and manage programs and projects related to the successful deployment of our department's initiatives. My duties included ensuring we provided an inclusive work environment, free from discrimination and ensuring we met all federal and state regulations. This was accomplished by collecting, analyzing human capitol data and statistics from various sources to get an accurate analysis of the programs and work environment we provided our employees.

• Performed labor market Statistical analysis and employment projections locally and nationally to determine our recruitment strategy to ensure we were recruiting from a diverse population. Good Example

• Coordinated with our OHR and EEO managers to develop programs to improve our diversity in the workplace. We preformed detailed analysis of the current workforce, and developed a strategy to ensure we targeted a broader workforce. This had an immediate impact on our community relations and a 20% increase in local sales. Better Example

• Diversity manager for the past 7 yrs I was responsible for a staff of 20 employees. I coordinated with our OHR to develop and measure our recruiting efficiency, to determine our cost per employee hired and accurate ROI. We identified various key elements related to recruiting and performed a statistical analysis on how we could reduce our cost per hire. This lead to a yearly savings of 15% on our recruiting expenses. Best Example

ACCOMPLISHMENTS


(This is where you can identify any areas of your career you feel an employer will get a better understanding of who you are and your additional activities, to included honors received by organizations, exceeding specific goals on projects, etc.)

• 2013 Supervised and developed the Specialty Hiring Program NonCompetitive Direct Hiring program at DOJ
  
• 2011 Liaised with union and management on contract negotiations and labor dispute settlements with global manufacturer.  Avoiding the loss of 200+ jobs and saving the company 1.3 million dollars.
  
• 2009 The Minority Entrepreneur Network - Assisted 5 minority startup companies in researching, forecasting, and drafting their business plans and applications for SBL's and Angel investing.
  
• 2007 Restructured vendor contracts for a gross savings resulting in $375K.per quarter.

COMPUTER SOFTWARE




(List all software and applications you are experienced in and at what level. Please indicate an formal training and where you received that training)




ADDITIONAL TRAINING




(List any formal or informal training including accreditations and amount of hours in the specific
field)

• I have attended various seminars on EEO compliance and diversity Good Example
  
• Extensive EEO Compliance Training: Laws & Discrimination, Diversity in the Workplace, Workplace Relationships, EEO Complaints and Resolutions: (80+ hrs of training) Better Example
  
• Extensive Project Management Training specializing in large scale projects and developing the project plans and schedule. All training was done at PMI Institute 2007 thru 2014 (120 hrs) Best Example

EDUCATION




MBA - Business Management, xxxxxxxxx University, city, state: year graduatedand (GPA 3.93)
BA - Business Management, xxxxxxxxx University, city, state: year graduated and (GPA 3.87)
*Graduated Cum laude      *Dean's List: (5 times)




HONORS AND AWARDS




(Any formal awards you would like to share)



VOLUNTEER WORK & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT




(Depending on the type of work volunteering can count the same as formal on the job experience if related to the position)




(2010 - current) I hold Diversity workshops at the ABC community center in Newport, Rhode Island 6 times each month. I provide employers with information on developing an inclusive and diverse workforce.




PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS




AAPD - American Association of Peoples with Disabilities
HAVA - Honored American Veterans Afield NRA - National Rehabilitation Association PMI - Project Management Institute
Wounded Warriors Project - Warriors to Work

REFERANCES: (List at least 3 reference including their contact information)