Government Resume Guidelines

Because going to work for the Government is totally different then going to work in the private sector it therefore makes sense that a Government resume will be totally different as well. In order to give yourself the best possible chance at landing the Government position of your dreams you have to be sure that you are following proper guidelines with your Government resume.

Federal recruiters will grade your Government Resume using a very specific point system based on the FQS, or Federal Qualifications Standard method. Using this method the recruiters will match the most qualified applicant according to education and related work experience. Therefore it is of utmost importance that you follow the guidelines to the letter if you wish to have your resume reviewed.

Each Government resume must be structured so it will follow the Government guidelines and has to basically be custom tailored around the specific job announcement and must also include all the information that the announcement requires.

Though it is said that the standard resume should be no longer than a page unless absolutely necessary, a Government resume will contain much more needed information and will therefore be much longer. Here is what must be in every Government resume:

• Information about the Job: This will include the announcement number of the job and the job title.
• Your Information: You will be required to give your name, contact information, your social security number, and your country of citizenship.
• Government Experience: If you have any past Government experience you will be required to provide the highest grade you attained.
• Other Education: You will list all degrees you have obtained along with any training specific to the job posting.
• Your Experience: Here is the perfect opportunity for you to list anything and everything that is relevant and will show that you are the perfect candidate for the specific job posting. If you have relevant work experience in the private sector that will translate over to the Government job you are trying to get then be sure to list that.
• Everything Else: You can also list if you are a veteran. You will want to further include anything else that is relevant to the job announcement. Do not include anything that is irrelevant even if it is an outstanding award. Nothing gets a Government resume tossed faster than irrelevant information.

These days Government recruiters use a keyword searching software called Resumix in order to help weed through the sometimes hundreds of resumes that are turned in for one Government job posting. For this reason it is important that you use specific keywords that will relate to the job posting so that your resume has a better chance of standing out.

Depending on the job posting you may also need to obtain and fill out all the pertinent KSAs –Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities- and then turn those in with your Government resume. If KSAs are required, it will be listed as such in the job announcement.

While a Government resume is certainly more time consuming and much more detail oriented in comparison with a traditional resume, you must follow the guidelines for success. Failure to do so will have you disqualified at a rather fast pace and leave you to have to wait for the next time your dream Government job opens up.