By Alex Harrington
It didn’t surprise me that our August webinar, “How to Apply and Interview for a Federal Job,” was attended by nearly 200 job seekers, surpassing all our other webinar attendance by over 130 percent. When it comes to looking for a federal career in the U.S. Government, a job seeker’s number one challenge is writing a marketable federal résumé.
I can truly identify with all those job seekers…like you…who have to conjure up the willpower to write a federal résumé.
When I wrote my first federal résumé, I must have pulled out most of my hair! It took me weeks to learn how to compose a correct federal résumé. And there were many times during my federal job search process I received a notification in the mail that indicated my résumé was incorrect. However, I kept forging ahead and applying for federal jobs. Then, after many months, I landed my first federal position – an overseas appointment in Japan.
So, to help you push on and write your federal résumé, I have put together some helpful online resources that will help you compose an eye-popping federal résumé.
First, let’s start with some government online résumé resources.
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- “Tips for Writing a Federal résumé” provided by the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Human Resources, provides advice on content, format, and differences between a federal résumé and a private sector résumé.
- “What should I include in my federal résumé?” This USAJOBS.gov article – along with “What should I leave out of my résumé?” – helps you understand the basic components of a federal résumé.
- “Writing Your Federal résumé”, by USAJOBS.gov, is an online video that basically describes the key components of a federal résumé.
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Second, here’s a couple resources from two not-for-profit groups.
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- Go Government provides some basic tips on writing a federal résumé at Writing Your Federal résumé.
- Guide to US Federal Government Job Search is an excellent resource provided by Job-Hunt, which provides more than a dozen articles on the federal job search.
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Also, the following are good resources from Indeed.com and FEDweek.
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- “How to Write a Federal résumé”, by Indeed.com
- “Now is a Great Time to Update Your résumé”, by Nancy Segal, a contributor to FEDweek.
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Last, one of my favorite federal career coaches, Lily Whiteman, penned the following blogs on Career Matters, Federal Times.
The above online resources pack a lot of great information to help demystify the federal résumé writing process.
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To get updates on upcoming workshops and career coaching sessions, visit https://Federalcareerconnection.com.
Author: Alex Harrington is currently a Federal civil servant and a Certified Career Services Provider and Global Career Development Facilitator. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a Persian Gulf War veteran, and is currently fighting Stage IV Melanoma Cancer.
