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Participant Guide Federal Résumé Writing Workshop Foreword… This Federal Résumé Guide is published by the National Guard Bureau Office of Technician Personnel to assist employees in navigating the application process. Most importantly, this resource can help those applying learn how to market their strengths and accomplishments. The content of this Guide was developed from successful strategies centered on communicating what one has to offer through the written word. Your organization and choice of words will make a substantial difference in separating you from the competing candidates. Take your time in digesting the advice and career promotion tips herein. One of NGB’s goals has always been to recognize the special talents and contributions of our Technicians. You will surely pick-up some more ideas and learn better ways of making the best qualified list. The accomplishment of our mission and plans for the future depend on our ability to build and support the diversity of our workforce. Now, you have to do your part in helping yourself by using this workshop to your advantage. I wish you success in developing your career. William F. Kolbinger Colonel, USAF Chief, Office of Technician Personnel June 2007 Edition Federal Résumé Writing – Module 1 Why a Federal Résumé Writing Workshop? This is 4-hour session will provide an overview of steps taken in preparing a federal résumé for employment. Participants will gain skills through lecture, participant guide, and hands-on exercises. Audience The Federal Résumé Writing Workshop is designed for all National Guard Employees who wish to properly complete a federal resume. Instructor The workshop instructor is ________________________________ Timing The Federal Résumé Writing Workshop takes four hours to complete. Classroom Interaction All participants are encouraged to ask questions and be active in classroom exercises. Your active involvement helps others learn. Agenda PAGE Module 1: Welcome Lesson: Introduction Lesson: Objectives Module 2: What is a Federal Résumé?........................................................4 Lesson: What is a Federal Résumé? What must be included? Lesson: Example of Federal Résumé Module 3: Three Basic Types of Résumés & Getting Started Writing….13 Lesson: Three Basic Types of Résumés Lesson: Chronological Résumé Lesson: Functional Résumé & Combination Résumé Lesson: Using Buzzwords to Your Advantage Lesson: Self-Assessment: Sell Yourself With S-A-R Model Lesson: Behavioral Narratives Module 4: Formatting Your Federal Résumé………………………………..32 Lesson: Formatting Tips Lesson: Others Things To Remember Lesson: How a Federal Résumé is Different Module 5: What is a Cover Letter?..............................................................36 Lesson: What is a Cover Letter? Lesson: Cover Letter Tips Module 6: Writing KSAs ………………………………………………………..41 Lesson: What are KSAs Lesson: Preparing, Developing and Writing KSAs Lesson: KSA Samples Module 7: Conducting a Job Search………………………………………….52 Lesson: Using USAJobs Resources Competencies………………….........................................................................55 Internet Websites………………………………………………………… …..........57 Scannable Résumés…………………………………………………………….... 58 Non-Federal Résumé Formats………………………………………………........59 Workshop Evaluation……………………………………………………………..63 Federal Résumé Writing 2 Learning Objectives Workshop Goal Objectives After completing this program, participants will be able to: 9 Properly complete a federal résumé to improve effectiveness 9 Write clear, brief, and complete descriptions of work experience 9 Identify the three basic types of résumés 9 Understand the benefits of a federal résumé 9 Understand the importance of a “cover letter” 9 Write effective knowledge, skills and abilities statements Federal Résumé Writing 3 Module 2: What is a Federal Résumé? A federal résumé is a document for starting or advancing your government career. It is also a marketing piece, career summary, and personal presentation. It should be focused, well-written, and clearly organized. It is a professionally presented career package. What are the Benefits of a Federal Résumé? Helps career changers—you can target the announcement with your relevant experience, education and skills on the first page. Provides a flexible format—you can use your favorite word-processing program to create a resume instead of filling out a form. It looks great. The federal resume averages 3 to 5 pages, is easy to read, and looks attractive. It highlights your background. The federal résumé can support unique experiences by giving you the opportunity to list and describe. It focuses the résumé with a profile statement and is your introduction and the answer to the question, “Tell me about yourself.” It emphasizes accomplishments and results and highlights critical job-related Information. The federal résumé application package usually requires supplemental statements known as KSA’s: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. Federal Résumé Writing 4 7 Points to Success Research. Why are you writing your résumé? Remember to research and use investigative skills in seeking the position description and the particulars of the target job. Words can be motivating and influential. Choose them carefully! Review Job Descriptions. Compile your personal and professional work experience information. Reviewing performance appraisals, job descriptions, and letters of recognition can jog your memory on useful content. Use the information selectively. Fill your résumé with content that is specific to the target job. For help in elaborating on your experience and functions, research the topic (e.g. management – review books like The 10 Day MBA to insure you use appropriate lingo; or for education/training experience – research teacher/trainer résumés and job descriptions.) Keep It Reader-Friendly. Layout your information so that it is pleasing to the eye! Don’t stress too long on format. Writing about your accomplishments is where you want to spend your time. Use 20 lb. Bond paper (8 ½ X 11) with no smudges and only conservative colors (e.g. off-white, buff, grey). Fonts – it is best to stick with traditional type styles that are 12 point in size (not less than 10 point). Strive for one inch margins. Use bold and all caps in your headings and sections. Choose The Proper Style Résumé. Consider the chronological, functional or combination style/format. What does the receiving entity require? Some employers may require a specific format like the chronological resume. Generally, the chronological format is the preferred style for federal résumés. Objective Statement. Don’t just crank out résumés! Use objective statements that are specifically written for the target job/employer (e.g. Objective: NGB Management Analyst where customer service has been rated by States as being outstanding for three years in a row.) Show that you know something about the target employer in your résumé through research and by integrating your experiences/interests with that employer’s mission. Federal Résumé Writing 5 Length. The length of the résumé is another choice you will have to make. If you have advanced education and experience, a two page resume will probably fit your needs better. However, remember that you cannot possibly include everything in your résumé. Stay focused on the target job requirements and write to those. Many times employers screen out job candidate résumés and only give the résumé a cursory review. Make all your words count! Gaps in your employment history will have to be explained (so be prepared to handle this!). Priority for experience and education sections. Experience sections should come first, before education, in most every case. This is because you have more qualifications developed from your experience than from your education. The exceptions would be 1) if you have just received or are completing a degree in a new professional field, if this new degree study proves stronger qualifications than does your work experience, 2) an undergraduate student, or 3) someone who has just completed a particularly impressive degree from an exceptionally impressive school, even if they are staying in the same field, for example, an MBA from Yale. NOTES______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 6 Overview What is a Federal Résumé? The Federal Résumé is one of three documents accepted as an official Application for position vacancies within the Federal government. The other two are the OF-612 and the traditional SF-171. The SF–171 is considered “obsolete”, no longer available and some agencies prefer it not be used; however some agencies prefer it. It is not always easy knowing which one to use. We recommend going with the “latest and greatest” Federal résumé, as this tends to be the most widely accepted and it can help your image to go with what is current. Read the job vacancy announcement VERY carefully. Some agencies have their own requirements for presenting your experience. If a Federal résumé is permitted, please read the format for constructing it as explained in this document. Federal résumés should be developed in the “Chronological” résumé format. The Federal staffing specialist who reviews the resume for initial qualifications must know where, when and how long you were at the position mentioned, along with a lot of other information. The Functional résumé format will not work for a Federal résumé. What Information Must Be Included? The Federal Résumé must include additional information that is not typically requested in the private sector and if you don’t supply this information, your application could be rejected. Required information is as follows: Job Information (Announcement number, title, series and grade of job for which applying) Personal Information (Full name, mailing address w/ zip code, day and evening phone numbers w/ area code, social security #, country of citizenship, veteran’s preference, reinstatement eligibility, highest Federal civilian grade held) Education (High school: name, city, and state, date of diploma or GED, Colleges or universities: name, city and state, majors, type and year of any degrees received) Work Experience (Job title, duties and accomplishments, employer’s name and address, supervisor’s name and phone number, starting and ending dates, hours per week, salary, indicate whether we may contact your current supervisor) Federal Résumé Writing 7 Other Qualifications (Job-related training courses, skills, certificates and licenses, honors, awards and special accomplishments; for example, publications, memberships in professional or honor societies, leadership activities, public speaking and performance awards) More Specific or General? The purpose of the résumé in the private sector is to get an interview and is more general in nature. In the Federal government, the purpose of the résumé is to “show” your qualifications so that you can be “certified” by the Human Resources office, by meeting eligibility requirements. This means that your resume needs to include more specifics and language similar to the vacancy announcement, because the Human Resources Specialist is looking to see if you have the “specialized” or directly related experience requirements of the position for which you are applying. The purpose of the résumé in the private sector is to get an interview….. In the Federal government, the purpose of the résumé is to “show” your qualifications….. How Far Back Should I Go? It is suggested that you develop a résumé that covers about ten years, with lots of stories about what you did and how well you did it, or accomplishments. Focus on the position for which you are applying in a way that best reflects your competencies for the position. How Long Should My Résumé Be? The résumé that goes into the application package should be no more than three to five pages; plus the pages for your knowledge, skills and abilities statements and any other announcement-specific information, such as performance ratings. There are exceptions to this, of course, but try to define yourself by using fewer words whenever possible. Federal Résumé Writing 8 These items are REQUIRED. Veteran’s Preference is either “None,” or 5-Point or 10-Point. Federal Status, give your official job title, followed by your series and GS number. Mary Doe Any Town, 11111 USA (H) 111-111-1111 (W) 222-222-2222 marydoe@xxx.com SSN: 123-45-6789 Citizenship: United States of America Veterans Preference: 5-Point (DD 214 attached) Federal Status: Program Analyst, GS-343(Series)-12(Grade) Objective: Announcement #12345-SS, Program Manager, GS-301-13 Summary of Experience This should be a concise and concrete statement of work experience. Use of words like, “Over 11 years experience as a . . .” are OK, however, you want to watch how you “date” yourself. If you only have two years of experience, you may not want to bring this out in this summary. On the other hand, saying you have 35 years of federal experience can be just as ineffective. This summary should be about 6 to 8 lines and bulleted to quickly show what you want them to know about you up front. Use this as your “brag” time. Starting and Ending Dates— Month and Year Professional Accomplishments Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp, Washington, DC Office of the Director 123 Streets, Any Street May Contact Supervisor: John Doe, Phone: 333-333-3333 If you do not want the person contacted, say “Do not contact.” Give explanation in Cover Letter as to why. 8/99-Present 40 Hours per Week $79,000 per year Staff Assistant, GS-Series-Grade Optional; however very effective Summarize the job here. This is optional. If the hiring office knows about this kind of work, maybe you don’t need this. If they do not know about this work, this is the place to tell them, in a few concise sentences. Bullets need to focus on outcomes • Bullets should tell job duties in terms of what happened in your work or accomplishment statements. This is where your results from the work you have done in this position make you different from the other applicants. Each bullet should be somewhere between 4 to 6 lines. Federal Résumé Writing 9 • In some of the bullets, you can speak of your results in terms of “percentages”, “time”, or “dollars. “. . . as a result, the budget came in 9% under the projection.” “. . . the report was submitted 70 days before it was due." “My work in monitoring expenses for the program resulted in a savings of over $29 billion. • The position(s) you have held for the last five years typically should have more bullets (approximately 4 to 8 bullets), since this is the position that best relates to the position for which you are applying. The position you had five or more years ago typically does not add as much value to your resume, so reduce the number of bullets for this position to maybe two bullets, unless your previous experience is the only experience from which you are taking job-related experience. Bold only first line of organization name and dates so they stand out. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp, Washington, DC Covered Wagons Department Any town, Any State, Zip May Contact Supervisor: Steve Eod, Phone: 444-444-4444 5/95-8/99 40 Hours per Week $69,000 per year Program Manager, GS-Series-Grade Use a text box to summarize what you did in the position. Indent it so it stands out. • Same ideas about bullets as noted above. Don’t mix “Training with Education. Education Masters of Science in Wagon Wheels, University of Anywhere City, State Anywhere, Zip Code, 19XX Bachelors of Arts, Wheel Design, College of Anywhere City, State Anywhere, Zip Code, 19XX Name, City, State, zip code (if known) and date of diploma are required Diploma, Any High School, City Anywhere, State Anywhere, Zip Code, 19XX High School Info Required 2004 2004 Training Only required information is title and year; however adding name of school and hours completed could work to your advantage English Composition University of Maryland Graduate School, 3cr Computer Keyboard USDA Graduate School, 40 hrs over five days Federal Résumé Writing 10 2003 1998 1997 Conflict Management Price George’s County Adult Education Program, 1 hr Brain Surgery John Hopkins Medical School, First year medical student (part time) Basic Supervision DOT Connection, 40 hrs for First Time Supervisors Awards List all of your awards, starting with the most recent and working backwards. 5/06—Received $25,000 cash bonus for developing a new concept in traffic management of camels 10/05—Recognized for outstanding work in developing a new phone system for the office. Certificate presented by the President of the United States Certifications To be “certified” usually means did something special to get 1/06—Business Coach Certification awarded by the Nationalyou Association of Business it.. Classroom attendance and Coaches, Anywhere, NN. Certified to conduct coaching sessions and to train others the like do not count. in the techniques of coaching. 3/03—Wagon Bander. Certified to install steel bands on wagon wheels. Awarded by the International Association of Wheels. Current Only Use a standard format for citing references. Publications Doe, Mary. (19XX). How To Put Sails on Covered Wagons. New York: Any Publisher. Presentations “Will Oxen Remain the Prime Mover of Ox Carts.” Presented to the National Association of Cow Dealers, Any Town, USA, March 19XX. Federal Résumé Writing 11 NOTES_______________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Ask yourself: What ______________________________________ would make ______________________________________ someone the perfect candidate? ______________________________________ What special ______________________________________ abilities would this ______________________________________ person have? What would set a truly ______________________________________ exceptional ______________________________________ candidate apart from a merely ______________________________________ good one? What ______________________________________ does the employer ______________________________________ really want? ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ _____________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 12 Module 3: Three Basic Types of Résumé • • • Chronological Résumé Functional or Skills Résumé Combination Résumé Chronological Résumé The chronological résumé is used primarily for federal jobs. Most résumés use the chronological format. Your most recent experience is listed first, followed by each previous job. Advantage: It’s the simplest and quickest résumé style to write. It’s a good style to use if you have a good work history in jobs similar to those you want now. Disadvantage: A chronological résumé may display your weaknesses. It will quickly show an employer things like gaps in employment, frequent job changes, lack of work experience related to your job objective, recent graduation, etc. The following page has an example of a chronological résumé. Federal Résumé Writing 13 Federal Résumé Format – Sample Résumé John M. Pushrock 111 Narrow Street Anytown, CA 92655 Home: (949)XXX-XXXX Work: (949)111-XXXX Email: JMP@AAA.Com Social Security Number: 123-45-XXXX United States Citizen No Veterans Preference Highest Position: GS-512-13 Internal Revenue Agent (1998-2002) May Contact Current Supervisor: Shirley Mathematico Vacancy Information: Announcement number X77-20003 Job Title: Supervisory Accountant GS-511-14 Career Summary Have achieved progressively higher positions with more responsibility as an IRS Revenue Agent interpreting Revenue Codes and conducting computerized audits. Recognized as having proven strengths in communications and accounting principles with the ability to solve problems creatively. Work Experience Internal Revenue Service 2222 Avila Road, Suite 3333 May Contact Manager: Shirley Mathematico 40 hours per week 02/1997 to Present Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 (949) 360-XXXX $79,000 per year Computer Audit Specialist, GS-513-13 – Lead a team of Revenue Agents and Tax Auditors in developing and conducting electronic audits of taxpayer’s computerized records. • • • • • Reduced audit time by _______ without loss of revenue by ________. Received Commissioner’s Award for _______________ . Increased IRS Tax Auditor proficiency by __________________ . Developed and wrote manual for auditing procedures for ________ which resulted in special commendation from _________________ . Taught IRS Revenue Agent CPE courses in ________________. Participant evaluations rated my delivery as outstanding and above average. Federal Résumé Writing 14 Internal Revenue Service 2567 West Corolla Street May Contact Manager: Jerry Niselly 40 hours per week 06/1992 – 02/1997 Syracuse, NY 13222 (315) 468-XXXX $59,000 per year Internal Revenue Agent, GS-512-7/9/11/12 – Responsible for examining tax returns of individuals and small businesses of various sizes and assessing tax due penalties. • • • • Improved auditing procedures by developing case checklist procedures that was adopted nationally for use by all Revenue Agents. Strengthened Western Region Vita Volunteer Education Program by co-authoring newly revised training curriculum for 2004 tax season. Facilitated Annual Employee Satisfaction Surveys last 3 years. Coordinated 2003 diversity day celebration for Laguna Niguel Federal Building Employees. H & R Block Company 6666 Moulton Blvd May Contact Manager: George Grumpy 55 hours per week 10/1990 – 06/1992 Albany, NY 13444 (315) 677-XXXX $40,000 per year Senior Associate – Audited individuals and small businesses. This includes review of accounting systems, financial statements, work papers, tax and payroll records and other related documents. Prepared audit findings and summaries. Identified legal issues and apply the appropriate statute, rules and legal precedents. Researched and analyzed data for accuracy to insure compliance with State tax laws and regulations. • • • • Designed and developed a general ledger procedure manual. Enhanced productivity by automating the month-end reporting process. Developed $175,000 in new client business during first year. Saved firm over 8% of real estate lease expense by performing audit of lessor agreement and surveying area market lease rates. Education Diploma 1979 Bachelor of Science, 1986 Major: Accounting Minor: Information Technology Federal Résumé Writing MLK High School Albany, NY University of Rochester Rochester, NY 122 Semester Hours 15 Other Qualifications Certificates and Licenses: • • Certified Public Accountant Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Microsoft Corporation, Redding, WA 1989 1997 • Public Management State University of Albany, Albany, NY 1995 Memberships • California Institute of Certified Public Accountants Orange County Chapter • San Diego Tax Preparers Association Former President Relevant Training Abusive Schemes and Tax Reform Act Training Internal Revenue Service 2003 Lexis-Nexus Advanced Computer Searching for Assets Internal Revenue Service 2002 Tax Law Updates California Institute of Certified Public Accountants Managing Change University of California at Irvine Every Year Since 1990 1999 Other Skills Fluent in Spanish End of Résumé Sample What résumé style is used in the federal sector most often? ___________________________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 16 FUNCTIONAL OR SKILLS RÉSUMÉ A well-done skills résumé emphasizes skills that your job objective requires. It emphasizes skills that you are good at and want to use. Advantages: A skills résumé allows you to present accomplishments from all of your life experiences. A well-written résumé presents your strengths and avoids showing your weaknesses. Disadvantages: Because a skills resume can hide details that can be used to screen people out, some employers don’t like them. The skills résumé can be much harder to write than a chronological résumé. Capture your notes here _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 17 Example Functional Or Skills RÉSUMÉ JAMES ETHAN JOBBER 486 Longview Drive Apt #3 Roswell, Georgia 30075 Telephone: 789-012-3456 Cell: 789-012-3456 Email: jethans@Comdoc.com Social Security Number: 111-XX-1111 Citizenship: United States Veterans’ Preference: None Vacancy Announcement Number: VA-006-235 CAREER OBJECTIVE Seeking a position as a graphics designer and webmaster Notice that this sample does not contain much of the usually required information for a Federal Résumé. Do not use this format, unless you know for sure that it is acceptable to the screening agency. PROFILE Experienced in using Quark, PageMaker, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Computer-to-Plate process. Provide consulting skills to several companies. WORK ACCOMPLISHMENTS 9 Designed websites and established hosts for six small companies and one mediumsize business. 9 Managed design projects for real estate company. 9 Developed database for residential and commercial properties, resulting in 100 percent access within seconds to current listed properties. 9 Designed Annual Reports for three small companies. 9 Developed and designed sales catalog for small retail sales company resulting in initial sales from eight percent of catalogs mailed. AWARDS 9 Runner-up in cover design for sales catalog. SPECIAL TRAINING 9 University of North Florida: completed six courses in computer graphics, design and illustration. 9 Completed workshops and seminars on using Quark, PageMaker, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. WORK HISTORY James Ethan Jobber Web Design (Self-employed) 486 Longview Drive Apt #3 Roswell, Georgia 30075 Federal Résumé Writing 6/2005 – Present 18 INCLUDE BUZZWORDS AND ACTION VERBS MANAGEMENT administered analyzed assigned attained chaired consolidated coordinated delegated developed directed evaluated improved increased organized oversaw planned prioritized produced recommended reviewed scheduled strengthened supervised COMMUNICATION addressed arbitrated arranged authored collaborated convinced corresponded developed directed drafted edited enlisted formulated influenced interpreted lectured mediated moderated negotiated persuaded promoted publicized reconciled recruited spoke translated wrote identified inspected interpreted interviewed investigated organized reviewed summarized surveyed systematized RESEARCH clarified collected diagnosed evaluated examined extracted Federal Résumé Writing I'M NOT SURE I'M EXTRAORDINARY AT ANYTHING You have a bigger problem than simply writing your résumé. Anyone who has this concern has done a less than perfect job of choosing their career direction. What an employer pays you for is to perform some special function or functions. Everything one might do at work, from flipping burgers to understanding the most obscure abstract data, is a specific work function. Most careers involve combining a few different functions together. So, decide on what you have done well and highlight that. This is most likely part of your natural born talent. Remember, most of us aren’t perfect, and we all have strengths and weaknesses! 19 TECHNICAL assembled built calculated computed designed devised engineered fabricated maintained operated overhauled programmed remodeled repaired solved upgraded TEACHING adapted advised clarified coached communicated coordinated demystified CREATIVE acted conceptualized created customized designed developed directed developed enabled evaluated explained facilitated guided established fashioned founded illustrated initiated instituted integrated informed instructed persuaded set goals stimulated trained introduced invented originated performed planned revitalized shaped HELPING advocated assessed assisted clarified coached counseled demonstrated diagnosed educated expedited facilitated familiarized Federal Résumé Writing Ask yourself: What would make someone the perfect candidate? What special abilities would this person have? What would set a truly exceptional candidate apart from a merely good one? What does the employer really want? guided motivated referred rehabilitated represented 20 CLERICAL OR DETAIL approved arranged catalogued classified collected compiled dispatched executed generated implemented inspected monitored operated organized prepared processed purchased recorded retrieved screened specified systematized tabulated validated What if you don't quite have your degree or credentials yet? You can say "Eligible for U.S. credentials," or "Graduate studies in Instructional Design, in progress," or "Masters Degree anticipated May, 2008." ACCOMPLISHMENT achieved expanded improved pioneered reduced (losses) resolved (problems) restored spearheaded transformed Using 3 different action verbs, write three short statements that highlight some aspect(s) of your work accomplishments or performance. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 21 Self-Assessment: Writing To Sell Your Skills This section will help you learn to organize your thoughts and your written words. The process of writing a good résumé or information essay (also known as KSAs) about yourself is best started by doing your own self-assessment. You will be using feedback you have received from a variety of sources including your last appraisal, your supervisor’s and co-worker’s comments, and communications from your customers both internal and external. This self-assessment phase is your first opportunity to begin writing powerful statements about your performance--your accomplishments—the things you do everyday! It’s when you begin to quantify and qualify the work you have completed. Over time, you have utilized your skills to achieve results and accomplishments that have benefited you, your employees, and your employers. Accomplishments identify skills, talents, capabilities and potential for solving problems. Being able to articulate in writing your past accomplishments plays an important role in convincing a selecting official that you can use these skills to be successful in a new position. Any activity is an accomplishment if you: • Improved operations by making things easier or better. • Resolved a problem/situation with little or no increase in time, energy, dollars, people, etc. • Effectively acted as a liaison between departments which helped to make things run more efficiently. • Produced reports/data that enabled management to make more informed decisions. You must first identify the results of your work efforts in terms of contributions, impact and skills, rather than position, titles or job descriptions. Using a behavioral model to describe your accomplishments will help you clarify your work strengths and successes and increase your awareness of your marketable skill(s). S – situation you faced A – action you took R – result(s) of your effort Federal Résumé Writing 22 How to write using S –A –R Example: 1) Model Situation – new administrative personnel need training in local office procedures Action – teach office procedures Result - efficient administrative team 2) Put your accomplishments in a sentence. a. Writing the sentence is important to: • • • • Communicate that you demonstrate the required skills and knowledge. Show how your skills and abilities can make a positive contribution to a new position. Have an inventory of things you have done well. Have a database to identify your skills and accomplishments. b. Use action verbs: • Select verbs that best capture the action described in “the action you took” and “the result of your effort.” From the answers to the S.A.R., begin to write that information into sentences using action verbs. c. Record efforts in terms of your organization’s results such as: • • • Increased employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction Time saved, better procedures, more efficient processes Enhanced business results in terms of positive impact on your agency. 3) The sentence Good sentence: New administrative personnel received training. Better sentence: I trained all new administrative personnel on office procedures, resulting in an organized and efficient administrative team. Federal Résumé Writing 23 Best sentence: I trained 4 new administrative personnel on local office procedures, resulting in an organized and efficient administrative team within two weeks from their reporting date. The “Best” sentence is considered best because it clearly identifies the action taken and by whom. It provides a time period, the number of trainees and the results. Good Sentence S new administrative personnel. A trained all. R ______________________ . Better Sentence all new administrative personnel. S A trained all on office procedures. R team is organized and efficient. Best Sentence S 4 new administrative personnel A trained all 4 on local office procedures R team is organized and efficient within two weeks Situation: During my time as a recruiter, I noticed that attendance at our community events had dropped off by 30% over the past 3 years. Action: I designed a new promotional packet to go out to the local community businesses. I also included a rating sheet to collect feedback on our events and organized internal round table discussions to raise awareness of the issue with our employees. Result: I ended-up using some of the great ideas we received from the community, made our internal systems more efficient and visible and raised attendance by 18% the first year. _____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 24 Using “I” statements, clearly describe your accomplishments. When describing work on a team or in a group, describe your personal actions as part of the team and results you contributed to. Example1: To solve a problem with document flow, I encouraged creative thinking from my work team. They proposed a solution which solved the problem and increased productivity by 20%. Example2: BEFORE: I performed a multitude of administrative functions, such as preparing for Command Inspections, assuming responsibility for office functions in the temporary absence of Directors, scheduling conference room functions, advising staff members of recommended policies and established procedures. AFTER: Planned and prepared for Command Inspections representing the Directors in their absence. Advised staff members of inspection policies and procedures; scheduled conference rooms and meetings; coordinated efficient logistics. Use specific and clear action verbs to describe your actions so that the person reading your narrative can visualize you doing what you describe. Avoid unclear or vague phrases and verbs like the following: 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 assist with process forms/cases work forms/programs/cases manage my workload have experience provide information/assistance am responsible for work with have the authority to responsible for all aspects of provide the leadership to Instead replace vague phrases with one verb or choose a verb that clearly describes what you did. What are behavioral narratives? Behavioral narratives help you support your statements with pertinent facts of your success in a past performance. This narrative writing style will help to show your value as an employee by demonstrating the impact of your performance actions on the National Guard mission and overall organizational objectives. Well written narratives contain specific goals or situations and objectives, examples of achievements and the results of significant accomplishments. Federal Résumé Writing 25 8 Step Process STEP ONE - Learn about the job. Identify examples pertinent to your current job or the position for which you are applying. STEP TWO - Gather Work Examples. Read performance evaluation narratives from your current and previous jobs, past self-assessments and job applications, and letters of appreciation or awards you have received. BRAINSTORM. STEP THREE - Begin Writing. Using the S-A-R model, write each example on a separate sheet of paper or create a Word document with a heading for each work example as a heading in your file. Review your history and write notes in your own words about what you were doing. Make notes for your examples and concentrate on capturing the information. STEP FOUR - Add Content that Shows Support for the Mission. Look at the Situation in each example. How was that Situation affecting your organization or the mission? Make a special note of that information in your example. Now look at the Results of your actions. How did those Results affect your organization’s goals - mission? Write clear statements about this effect. STEP FIVE - Revise and Refine Examples. Review each example to be sure you have fully described each aspect using the model of your choice. For better use of space, adjust, realign, combine related examples or delete weaker ones to gain space. Proofread, proofread, proofread everything carefully! STEP SIX - Organize Examples by Competency. Move each example under the competency it is most closely related to in your opinion. Chances are good that an example is related to more than one competency. Use your own judgment and do not spend much time debating this. As long as the statement is included, it will be read and considered. Federal Résumé Writing 26 STEP SEVEN - Get 2 Reviews. Ask two people to review your document. Select one person who knows your work and can point out things you may have forgotten and one who may not be familiar with your work and can point out jargon or confusing statements. STEP EIGHT - Fine tune and perfect. Continue to revise your narratives based on feedback from reviewers and make them more effective. TIP - Avoid Belief and Judgment Statements A belief or judgment statement is nothing more than your opinion without the support of facts. These statements do not give the ranking panel or your manager any real information about how well you performed, unless they are supported by a behavioral example. Examples: • • I am a people-person. I am a self-starter who enjoys seeing a project through complexities and day-today problems to completion. • I always lead a group in working on our programs. • My skills caused the group’s quality to increase 35%. • My leadership caused the team’s productivity to increase. 1) ORIGINAL: I keep lines of communication open with my outside and remote staff. The results are a successful work environment. I have interacted successfully with all external and internal customers. BEHAVIORAL: As a leader of staff located both locally and remotely, I was faced with the responsibility of ensuring effective communication among all team members. This meant that I was faced with geographical and time zone differences in addition to the usual communication barriers. To accomplish this, I established regular conference calls and staff meetings. During the calls and staff meetings, all staff members are given an opportunity to share concerns and provide feedback. For example, during one conference call, one of my staff members identified outdated procedures being used by the remote staff. This had caused many problems and down time. Current procedures were provided to everyone and they were immediately put into use. As a result, all problems and downtime have been eliminated. Down time went from 12% to 2.5 % per week and my staff received a letter of appreciation from headquarters. Federal Résumé Writing 27 2) ORIGINAL: I have worked as project manager for many assignments. One of my projects was end user CBT (computer based training). I met and worked closely with the IT Department to ensure a smooth coordination of “just in time training” for approximately 2000 employees. BEHAVIORAL: As a Project Manager, I partnered with the IT Department on the “just in time” Y2K end-user Computer Based Training (CBT) project. This was a highly visible project due to fact that over 2000 employees were to be trained between January and November 1999. In addition, potential problems related to Y2K were receiving national attention almost daily. We developed and delivered the training within the required time frame. Participants were asked to complete evaluations of the training. Evaluation results revealed that 90 percent of the employees stated that the training was much needed and could be used on the job. The evaluations also validated that there was very little down time as a result of receiving the training “just in time.” 3) ORIGINAL: I was responsible for training for the entire Operation. One example of good teamwork was design and coordination of my team of the first employee CPE conference for 700 employees held over nine days. BEHAVIORAL: As the Operation’s training coordinator, I led an all-employee training initiative for the entire Operation. This training initiative was especially challenging due to the number of new procedures and changes being implemented. In addition, 6 out of 14 instructors were replaced with new instructors due to promotions and retirements. My first priority was to integrate the new instructors into the cadre. I accomplished this by teaming up each experienced instructor with a new instructor. Next, I made assignments based on areas of expertise. A project assignment chart was developed and monitored to ensure that the project stayed on track. As a result, the cadre successfully designed and implemented a nine-day, 700 participants CPE conference. Managers and employees gave positive feedback and requested more of the same. Our conference was adopted by other Operations as a best practice and we were asked to assist them in presenting similar CPE’s. 4) ORIGINAL: I coordinated training space and resources for the project. The scope of this training included many challenges, among them, a brief turn around time. BEHAVIORAL: I successfully coordinated off-site training space and resources for approximately 500 participants and instructors within a three-week period. Adequate training space was not available on-site and training had to be completed by November 30 to ensure that critical program completion dates were met. I worked directly with hotel staff on a daily basis. I coordinated accommodations, including hotel and classroom space and all resources to support the classes. I solved every problem to the customer’s satisfaction as reflected in written feedback comments from the project manager, participants, and instructors. As a result, I was asked to host another class which I accepted with confidence and achieved the same positive results. Federal Résumé Writing 28 SUMMARY. Writing behavioral narratives that appropriately describe your performance can ensure that you get the job you are applying for. Relating your performance to competencies can effectively show that you already have strong related skills to build on for a job. Using S.A.R. is an effective way to change belief statements into real examples. CHANGING BELIEF STATEMENTS INTO BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS. Your team will work together to change one of the belief or judgment statements below to a Behavioral Narrative. • I am a people-person. • I am a self-starter who enjoys seeing a project through complexities and day-today problems to completion. • I always lead a group in working on our programs. • My skills caused the group’s quality to increase 35%. • My leadership caused the team’s productivity to increase. Refer to the Behavioral Narratives we covered for an example of changing a belief statement to a behavioral example. Select a scribe and table spokesperson. Take about 5 minutes to discuss as a table team what information is needed to verify the original statement. Rewrite the statement as a behavioral statement with facts to support a belief or judgment. Debrief and report out by table. (10 minutes) Federal Résumé Writing 29 Writing tips: • Block out some time devoted only to writing the narrative. Isolate yourself if possible. Find a quiet place to work. • Have all necessary materials. Plan, since good preparation will speed up your work. • Start by “just writing,” try not to procrastinate. Reduce interruptions by avoiding distractions. • Make every effort to meet your deadline ahead of schedule. Include specific examples. • Be clear and concise. Focus on what’s relative to the job or position. • Relate performance to your organization’s mission and goals. Relate your accomplishment to the competency or responsibility. • Avoid overusing certain words like ensured, implemented. Avoid the use of unnecessary or redundant phrases. • Try not to over-use the same examples. Avoid stretching your narrative just to fill pages. • Never underestimate the value of using a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Proofread your document several times. • Allow someone else to proofread your document. Quickly edit, correct and prepare your final document. Federal Résumé Writing 30 Work individually to write a narrative about a task you performed on the job using the S-A-R behavioral model. You will have 7 minutes to do this! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 31 Module 4: Formatting Your Federal Résumé Grammar, Consistency, and Proofreading Avoid mixing verb tenses – separate the present tense from the past tense…list current responsibilities first; then list the past tense. Proofreading – use your spellchecker; get the assistance of a friend/co-worker that you trust; complete package early to get feedback in time to make corrections. Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers Your final document should look like one package. A header or footer can be added on the second and following pages of your resume. The information can be added on one line or two lines. Include page numbers on every page except page “1”. Page numbers can be centered or right flushed. Line Breaks and Page Breaks Be careful not to leave a single word on a line by itself. Consolidate two lines if possible. Change page margins to expand the line length, etc. Packaging Your Application The order: 9 9 9 9 9 Cover letter Résumé KSA’s Last supervisor’s evaluation SF-50, DD214, SF Form 15 (Veteran’s Preference) and other required/requested forms 9 List of courses/training. Federal Résumé Writing 32 More Formatting Tips Did you use bullets, bold, italics and underlining to highlight key strengths? If you know your résumé will be scanned, did you omit columns, italics and underlining? Is the information listed in order of importance and relevance to the position? Does your objective (if used) state clearly the functional areas in which you seek employment? Do most phrases begin with action verbs such as “developed”, “initiated”, etc.? If you were the employer, would you call for an interview? Is a cover letter included? Are all documents required by the announcement included? Neatly type the envelope and include the vacancy number on the outside. All documents are unfolded in the envelope and are not stapled. Save application to your hard drive and/or disk. Proofread all documents several times … also have someone else proofread. Lack of Experience or Qualifications. Write about anything that does have relevance, wherever you might have gotten it. This might include volunteer work, family responsibilities, education, training, military experience, or anything else that you might present as legitimate activities that support your ability to do the work that you feel you can do. Federal Résumé Writing 33 Workbook Exercise 1. What’s the fastest way to improve a résumé? 2. What are the common mistakes made by résumé writers? 3. What’s the first step in writing a résumé? 4. How far back should you go in your work history? Capture your notes here ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 34 How a Federal Résumé Is Different Special personal information is required for government security reasons. There is mandatory information that you typically would not include in your private industry resume. Make sure to include the following: Social Security Number Supervisor names and phone numbers Beginning and ending salaries Street address, city, state, and zip code Military status Zip codes for Colleges (academic institutions) High school name and the year you graduated Capture your notes here _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 35 Module 5: What is a Cover Letter? Cover Letter Checklist *NOTE; sometimes a cover letter is known as a letter of application Use this checklist to ensure that your cover letter is complete: 9 One to two pages and focused on reader’s needs 9 Type-written or word processor, with spell check and proofing the copy 9 Written to someone specific, with the name and title spelled correctly 9 Agency name and address are correct and complete 9 Quality bond paper, 8 x 11 inches, ideally same as your resume 9 Closes with “Sincerely” or “Respectfully” 9 Signed with blue or black pen 9 Place the résumé behind and fold in tri-fold, no staples 9 Type address on envelope 9 Seal the envelope 9 Conservative stamp on envelope 9 Final step: do not forget to follow up, or all the other steps will be in vain! Federal Résumé Writing 36 Workbook Exercise 1. A cover letter reflects your ________________ , _____________________ , _________________ , ____________________ , and ____________________________________________________ . 2. A cover letter should request ___________________________________ . Capture your notes here ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Federal Résumé Writing 37 Example Cover Letters Legal Assistant, GS-986-5 DEBRA JOBHUNTER ______________________________________________________________________ 1234 Career Avenue, Constitution City, New York 13209, (315)777-7777, debrajobhunter01@ABC.com March 24, 2007 U. S. Attorney’s Office 615 Chestnut Street, Suite 123 Constitution City, NY 13209 Attention: Chris Lister, Human Resources Specialist Dear Mr. Lister: Please find enclosed my résumé for the position of Legal Assistant, GS-986-5, Announcement Number 03-EDNY-07. My relevant qualifications include the following: • Currently enrolled at Palmyra College in the Legal Assistant Program studying Legal Research, Lexis/Nexus, Editing, and Document Management. I will graduate from this two-year program in May 2007. • Computer skills include: Microsoft Office 2003; MS Windows NT, and MS Outlook; system back-ups and file management practices. • Typing skills of 12,000 ksph in Ten Key Data Entry; keyboard speed of 35 wpm and 9,500 ksph in Alphanumeric Data Entry. I would be an asset to your organization because: • I am a quick learner and eager to learn more about the law, especially in a government agency. I would like new opportunities to use my current knowledge and expand my knowledge of the law. Federal Résumé Writing 38 • I am available to meet with you to discuss your objectives and my background. You can contact me at the telephone number listed above, or email address. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Debra Jobhunter Enclosures End of Cover Letter Sample Federal Résumé Writing 39 Cover Letter Example MARISUE M. CAREERY 776 Horizon Terrace, Lincoln, NE 67798, 555-555-5555, mmcareery@Tufmail.com April 24, 2007 Federal Emergency Management Agency 500 C Street, SW, Room 1125 Washington, DC 20909 Attention: Florence Smithsonian Dear Ms. Smithsonian, I am submitting this application for the position as a program specialist advertised in your announcement, FEMA-98-483326-MAJ. This announcement indicated that several positions will be filled in the GS-11-12-13 range. I would appreciate your consideration and believe that my education and experience make me qualified at the highest level. This packet contains all information requested in the position announcement. I have included a complete federal résumé, my DD214, SF50 and most recent appraisal. My knowledge of federal, state, and local government operations has developed through both my education ( a political science major) and seven years of progressively responsible work for state and federal agencies with interwoven responsibilities. My ability to conduct research and develop reports is reflected in both a senior thesis, “The Legacy of Failure in Educational Policy”, and in reports prepared in junior positions at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. One of these was cited by my current supervisor in proposing me for the Secretary’s Award, which I won this year. Recent responsibilities have included service on an interagency task force that required evaluation of national security contingency plans. Thank you for your consideration, and I am eager to provide any additional information that you might need to evaluate this application. Sincerely, Marisue M. Careery Federal Résumé Writing 40 Module 6: Writing KSAs WHAT ARE “KSAs”? “KSA” is an acronym that stands for Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (also called ranking statements, evaluation criteria, quality ranking factors, rating factors, narrative statements and job elements) required by government and public sector organizations in addition to a resume or application when applying for a job vacancy. KSAs are qualities needed by applicants to successfully perform their job and are used in the Merit Promotion process to distinguish the “highly qualified candidates” from among the “qualified” candidates. KSAs are defined as: Knowledge: An organized body of information, usually factual or procedural in nature. For example, “knowledge of the concepts and principles of accounting” could be used as a KSA for an Accountant position. When responding, applicants should indicate what accounting principles they are familiar with, discuss how they applied these principles in the work environment, and describe other significant situations they were involved in. Skill: The proficient manual, verbal, or mental manipulation of data or things. For example, “Skill in Operating Personnel Computers” could be used as a KSA for a Computer Assistant position. When responding, applicants should indicate what type of personal computers they have operated, discuss the various types of software programs they have used, and describe how these programs were applied in their work environment. Ability: The power or capacity to perform an activity or task. For example, “Ability to Identify Signs of Discord, Tension, or Abnormal behavior” could be used as a KSA for a Correctional Counselor position. When responding, applicants should discuss the various signs of suspicious behavior they have encountered, how they responded, and indicate what impact it had on the work environment. Federal Résumé Writing 41 WHY ARE KSAs IMPORTANT? KSAs can be EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in the applicant evaluation process since they are scored. Poor responses may prevent you, as an applicant, from being considered among the “best qualified” group. Remember, your score for experience is based solely on your responses to the KSAs, not the information included in your résumé, or OF-612 (Optional Application for Federal Employment). The federal résumé or application is the information that tells the decision-maker if you are qualified for the job and KSAs describe your skills using concrete examples so that the hiring manager can determine if you can perform their job. PREPARING RESPONSES TO KSAs Prior to responding to KSAs, gather and review information on past and present experience. Remember, you do not have to restrict your responses to your present position, but can discuss related past experiences. Check the following sources that are available to you when preparing to respond to KSAs: ¾ Read the vacancy announcement thoroughly. Review the experience requirements in the announcement to determine if you have related experience. ¾ Update your current résumé or Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF-612) so that it does not conflict with your KSA responses. ¾ Gather documents which will give you information that could be included in your KSA responses (e.g. college transcripts, training records, awards, documents you have written, etc.) ¾ Review weekly or monthly status reports regarding work performed you may have written to provide information regarding past assignments, projects, or activities that need to be addressed in your KSA responses. ¾ Review previous performance or progress reviews. ¾ Scan your computer directories and disks to help you remember past work assignments. Federal Résumé Writing 42 ¾ Interview someone currently in the position/discipline in which you’re interested if possible. It may help you determine whether there is any correlation between your experience and the position for which you are applying, prior to addressing the KSAs. ¾ Maintain a personal notebook, table or journal. Record major accomplishments, projects or activities as they occur. When it is time to respond to KSAs, you will have information at your fingertips. DEVELOPING KSA RESPONSES One of the most common errors made in addressing KSAs is to start switching randomly or haphazardly. Applicants may jot down thoughts with no organization and structure, and in some cases, no relationship to the KSA. What is written initially is put on paper and attached to the application package. Prior to responding to each KSA, brainstorm and think about what type of tasks you performed and why you performed them in relationship to the KSA. Think about for whom you performed the tasks. Ask yourself whether you made any major accomplishments. When performing these tasks, did a significant impact on the work environment occur? By asking these questions, you think critically and objectively about the task you performed. In addition, it will help remind you to think “only” about tasks directly related to the KSA. There will be times when a particular task performed will apply to more than one KSA. In those situations, you may discuss the same task under different KSAs, but be sure to show the direct relationship of the task to the additional KSAs, and to show a different phase of the activity. To reinforce the idea of organizing your thoughts when responding to KSAs, ask yourself the five standard questions as a checklist regarding individual task performed: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) What actions were performed? Why was the action performed? For whom was the action performed? What were the accomplishments? Did the action produce a significant impact on others or the work environment? When preparing KSA responses, you sometimes may write a long list of examples of tasks for each KSA. If the responses become too long, identify those tasks which are most critical, highest level or most impressive. Federal Résumé Writing 43 KSAs can include: Paid and unpaid experiences Education: degrees, course and research projects Awards and recognitions Quotes from letters written by people who think you are great. How should you decide which examples of tasks to keep in comparison to those that can be discarded? Use the following type of tasks to represent your experience, when possible: LEADERSHIP Use tasks that demonstrate your leadership, organization, or management skills. For example, applicants should discuss their role on committees/taskforces; discuss how they planned activities and events; or discuss their responsibilities in managing groups of individuals in various settings (e.g. office, classroom, organization/club, correctional environment). FUNCTIONING IN A STRESSFUL ENVIRONNENT Use tasks that demonstrate your ability to effectively deal with stress related events/activities. For example, applicants could discuss their responsibility for transportation security issues or discuss how they dealt with critical deadlines. COMPLEXITY AND/OR CREATIVITY Use tasks that demonstrate complexity or creativity. For example, applicants could describe how they designed programs for personal computers, prepared papers on technical subjects, or used formulas to derive solutions. PERTINENCE TO THE POSITION MAJOR IMPACT OR SIGNIFICANT OUTCOME Federal Résumé Writing Frequently, applicants apply for positions outside their own discipline. However, applicants who have experience directly related to the position and include this in their resp