Anybody have great tips on landing a federal position?

CDR Derek Reeves — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:48:27 -0400

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2016 11:55 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:55:53 -0400

Check USAJOBS and fill out a resume

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Jun 28 at 2016 12:00 PM

SSG Carlos Madden — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 12:00:55 -0400

What position title are you looking for specifically? Is there an agency you have in mind?

Response by SPC Paul Jennings, J.D. made Jun 28 at 2016 12:24 PM

SPC Paul Jennings, J.D. — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 12:24:17 -0400

My wife got a program manager GS-13 position after she left the Army as a Captain. I've posted some tips before for getting a GS job, but surprisingly people on here always claim that I'm wrong and don't understand the system. As such, if you want any advice just send me a message.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jun 28 at 2016 12:36 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 12:36:22 -0400

CDR Derek Reeves, from your profile I see you already have a private sector job with a good company. I suggest you carefully evaluate the need to move to a government job. I made that move and was very glad I did, but not everybody is as fortunate as I was in finding a government job that's a good fit with their skills, abilities, and aspirations.

Best way to find a government job is USAJOBS. You may be able to get some leads on government jobs through networking, but the application process almost always goes through USAJOBS. Networking is important because it may help you understand the environment in which the job exists and any unwritten requirements.

Here's my tips to Federal Government job seekers based on my experience as an Army Civilian and a hiring manager:
-Read the job announcement carefully. You may not be eligible for some jobs, so don't waste your time applying. If the job is for current employees of agency XX or requires a PhD in physics then you may not be qualified. (Be careful about education requirements because you can substitute experience sometimes.)
-Make a list of the key words in the announcement. Words that appear repeatedly that define qualifications are key and the automated resume screening systems may be set to look for them.
Examples of key words: management, project, communication, Army, degree, engineer, transportation
-Construct a chronological resume for each job application. Include the key words from the announcement in your resume often.
-Show job responsibilities and accomplishments
-Spell check the résumé, then read it backwards to catch the words the spell checker won't
-You can use some jargon and a few acronyms (spell out first time used) if you are applying to an agency that deals with your functional area or the Navy frequently
-Be persistent. If you want to work for a certain agency or in a certain area, then apply for as many jobs in as many different grades and specialties as meet your minimum requirements and you might be qualified for.
-As a retired O-5, the veterans preference isn't a deciding factor for you. It may not be applied at all because of your retired grade. (Read the info on USAJOBS.)
-If you find a "dream job" at a lower pay grade than you want, apply for it anyway. It can be a gateway into the organization or location. Your chances of getting a job in a higher grade is greater if you're on the inside.

Search my responses to similar previous questions for more information.

Response by SGT David T. made Jun 28 at 2016 12:45 PM

SGT David T. — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 12:45:34 -0400

Thoroughly read the job announcement. Tailor your resume to every job announcement. Make sure you talk to everything in the how you are evaluated section as well as the questionnaire. Also, don't take the questions literally. If you have done something quite similar that you are an expert about say you are an expert. Generally, you don't want to mark anything other than expert if you can avoid it. Don't lie, but most times if you break out what you actually did to the overarching concepts, you can qualify for a lot more. Also, translate military terms in to generic civilian terms. Even if you are applying as a civilian to one of the military services, do not assume that the selecting official was in the military.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Jun 28 at 2016 1:06 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 13:06:30 -0400

Get in the system how ever you can. If you can make contact with someone who hires within the system, have them already looking at you for one of their positions...even, or maybe especially, for Federal positions the old adage still holds true.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2016 1:52 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 13:52:55 -0400

Lie cheat and steal like VA execs and politicians do.....but seriously, USAJOBS.com and have a good clean record.........unlike the VA execs and politicians.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2016 9:15 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 21:15:16 -0400

Have an appropriate level clearance for the job. Have a real degree, often online colleges are laughed at (as my cousin inva high level state dept job recently informed me). Have a professional resume, if you really want the job pay a professional to prepare it for you. Do not use military terms, instead choose words like "projects" instead of "missions". Apply for jobs that require a lot of travel to get your foot in the door and get experience. Know a second language and look for jobs that need someone fluent in it.

Response by MSgt Michael Smith made Jun 29 at 2016 9:18 AM

MSgt Michael Smith — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 09:18:25 -0400

My tip would be to not be afraid to take a contractor position in the interim while you build your skills and experience in the civilian world. Networking is such a huge factor in hiring practices, and working around Federal Employees in civilian clothes increases your networking. It sometimes takes a long time to break into the Federal System, so be patient and keep applying!

Response by LtCol Roni Meyerhoff made Jun 29 at 2016 10:44 PM

LtCol Roni Meyerhoff — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 22:44:08 -0400

Your resume must be detailed (mine is 10 pages, documenting 25 years), it's a wordsmith game to achieve certification followed by a selection panel review to score against other candidates. Leverage USAjobs position description to augment your word picture in resume. Finally, work to get an advocate inside organization to which are applying, that will help increase chances for interview. Good luck!

Response by Col Wes Weston made Jun 30 at 2016 3:13 PM

Col Wes Weston — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 15:13:10 -0400

A few thoughts, not necessarily in order of precedence. 1) Know the gaps. What are the trending areas for job growth in career areas you are interested in? Do they match what you want to do and where you want to locate? What's your trade space? 2) Network. LinkedIn and other military sponsored or friendly sites can help you start your network. 3) In deference to the comment on a contractor position as an interim step, there are a number of firms that are military friendly, i.e Booz Hamilton where I got my second career start. 4) Overseas posts are hard to fill and they do pay COLA. If you don't mind living overseas this could be your opening. After a few years you can look to transfer to CONUS, but will now have GS status and priority placement. 5) Regarding USAJobs, do yourself a big favor. Copy your questions and responses to a running master word doc you can pull from later. You will find that very similar or identical questions are asked on different job position applications. You can cut paste your new responses in and tailor from there. 6) Always tailor your resume and cover letter. Make sure they speak directly to the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) of the job. There is no one size fits all resume. 7) Make sure you get help translating military skills and jargon int recognizable language, Good advice for being hired for a contractor or the GOV. If the average Joe can't understand it, then it's wasted personal marketing space. 8) I am very sorry to say this, but no one owes you a job (it happens to all of who have proudly served). You will have to work for it. Your number one job upon transition is getting your next job.

Good hunting and contact me if interested in SoCal.

S/f W

Response by CDR Derek Reeves made Jun 30 at 2016 3:43 PM

CDR Derek Reeves — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 15:43:27 -0400

Thanks to all for the comments. I have been searching for a position in the Federal Gov’t for about a year now, and I’ve tooled and re-tooled my resume. I used the Federal Resume writing guide for tailoring tips, and I have basically married up my resume to the individual announcement on a case by case basis. I’m also rated above 30%, so even though I retired as an O-5, I am still eligible for the 10 pts. Where I’ve been getting hung-up is at the referral stage in the process. Specifically for my case, I got pass the initial wickets, but never seem to get contacted, and I even have some jobs that closed in October that I was referred to that haven’t updated their status. Back in 2008, when I was the hiring authority for some positions, there seemed to be defined rules on the process to promote transparency, but I guess that varies from organization to organization. I’m fortunate to have a contractor position now, and I’ve been getting steady pings on my LinkedIn profile, but I was just curious as to what others are experiencing, in a constructive and productive way.

Response by CDR Derek Reeves made Jul 1 at 2016 12:37 PM

CDR Derek Reeves — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 12:37:31 -0400

These are the emails I quite often receive regarding my applications:

"Your application for the above referenced position has been received and processed.

Although you were considered among our best qualified candidates and your application was referred to the selecting official for further consideration, we regret to inform you that you were not selected for the position."

Almost perfectly timed for this discussion, I received this notice about 20 minutes ago, lol. This position closed in December 2015, and I had to ping the POC several times, with the latest being about a week and a half ago. Anyway, I hope everyone has a pleasant and relaxing 4th!