Provides a short explanation of how-to analyze a federal vacancy announcement.

1. Find Your
Federal Job Fit

2. Objectives
At the end of this workshop, participants will be
able to:
• Implement a basic model for reading and
analyzing a federal job opportunity
announcement,
• Understand the importance of specialized
experience for qualifying for a federal job, and
• Leave with a clear idea of how to find their
best federal job fit.

3. Reminder: You don’t need an
account on USAJOBS.gov to
complete a federal job search
3

4. USAJOBS: Home Page/
Basic Search
4
Search term:
0343
Location: DC

5. 5
Refine your search further by using
the filters on the left

6. Using the U.S. Department of State
as a filter
6

7. USAJOBS: Advanced Search
7
Advanced Search Tutorial

8. 8
https://help.usajobs.gov/images/0/07/Advanced%20Search%20Tutorial.pdf
Advanced Search
Tutorial

9. Series Search
9

10. Who May Apply?
U.S. Citizens
10

11. Who May Apply?
Federal Employees
11

12. The Anatomy of a
Federal Job
Opportunity
Announcement
12

13. Are you eligible to apply?
13

14. 14
Are you eligible to apply?

15. Are you qualified to apply?
1. Education requirement?
2. Experience requirement?
3. Combination of the two allowed?
15

16. 16
Do you meet the
conditions of
employment?
(Add these as appropriate, but your main focus should be on specialized experience)

17. 17
Your résumé must support the rating you give
yourself on the questionnaire – your résumé is a
stand-alone document.

18. 18
These things MUST be documented
in your résumé.

19. 19
Did you follow the application submission
instructions explicitly?

20. 20
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS Listed on the EdHires Site:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/appendix.html

21. 21

22. USAJOBS
“My Account”
22

23. My Account
Open an account
– Create a Profile
Build a résumé (up to 5)
Upload up to 2 résumés (Word docs)
–Create saved searches (up to 10)
–Save jobs (up to 25)
–Save documents (up to 10)
–Track application status
23

24. Using the Federal Résumé Builder
24

25. Some Screen-out
factors
25
• Received by closing date – and time?
• Outside the Area of Consideration
• Incomplete/missing documentation, ie.
Transcripts
• Not enough time in grade
• Lack required education, licenses, or certificates
• Failure to follow How to Apply instructions

26. Standard Rating/
Ranking Points
90 - 100 points = Exceptional experience for the
position for which the applicant is being considered.
Typically assigned to applicants at the "A" quality level
80 - 89 points = Good experience for the position for
which the applicant is being considered. Assigned to
applicants at the "C" quality level
70 - 79 points = Minimally qualifying experience for the
position for which the applicant is being considered.
Typically equated with minimum qualification, "E"
quality level
26

27. 27
Classification Standards
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-
qualifications/classifying-general-schedule-positions/#url=Standards

28. Functional Guides
28
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/classifying-
general-schedule-positions/#url=Functional-Guides

29. Ranking Factors
29

30. http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-
oversight/classification-
qualifications/classifying-general-schedule-
positions/functional-guides/gsadmn.pdf
30

31. Using the USAJOBS.gov
Résumé Builder
to Highlight Your Skills
31

32. Sample Federal Résumé
32

33. Tips for Addressing Your
Skills and Accomplishments
• Use the specialized experience information reflected in the Qualifications section of
the vacancy announcement
• Describe your experience with concrete words rather than vague descriptions. For
example, say "managed a team of software engineers" not "responsible for
managing, training....”
• Use words and phrases that define the level and complexity of your experience and
skills:
• write up to 10 complex technical documents per year;
• prepare 1-2 complex policy statements annually;
• prepare 2-3 routine correspondence documents per week;
• speak before groups of 100 or more on an annual basis;
• manage and provide oversight for multifaceted $?M dollar projects;
• work with groups or 6-12 members to build consensus; etc.
• Use modifiers to define the frequency at which you perform tasks, i.e., occasionally;
regularly; once or twice a year; monthly; weekly; daily, etc.
33

34. Tips for Addressing Your Skills
and Accomplishments,
continued
• Carefully review the Evaluations section. Determine if it reflects any
competencies that will be reviewed.
• My suggestion is to copy and paste each competency to a Word
document. Write a 5-7 sentence paragraph addressing each
competency. You can use first person for these.
• Follow the CCAR method; Context, Challenge, Action, Results:
1. Identify the Skill (Challenge);
2. Describe the Circumstances(Context);
3. Cite an Example (Action);
4. Reinforce with Measurable data (Results);
5. State the Results (Results).
34

35. Tips for Addressing Your Skills
and Accomplishments,
continued
• Review the duties section to determine if you already have
some of the skills/ competencies included there.
• The skills listed in the duties section are categorized as
general experience. If you have the specialized experience
required for the position, you have already demonstrated
the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills listed in the
duties section.
• Addressing duties is much less important than addressing
specialized experience, but can be included in your federal
resume as appropriate.
35

36. TP3 Method
(from Derrick Dortch)
• T – Target the right federal
position for your skills.
• P – Prepare the right package that
sells your skills.
• P – Persistence. Keep trying.
• P – Patience.
36

37. Fun Stuff:
Social Networking for
Federal Jobs
37

38. There really IS an app for that!
http://apps.usa.gov/usajobs.shtml
38

39. https://www.facebook.com/USAJOBS
39

40. 40

41. 41
RSS Feeds/Email saved searches from your job search

42. You Tube
42

43. Feedback Counts!
Your feedback helps ASTD continue to provide top-notch
educational programs that help you stay on top of a changing
profession.
Evaluation forms for this session are available via the mobile app
and at the following link: www.astdconference.org/attendees.

44. Contact information:
• http://www.tayloryourcareer.com
• http://karoltaylor.wordpress.com/
• http://www.linkedin.com/in/tayloryourcareer/
• https://www.facebook.com/tayloryourcareer
• https://www.facebook.com/fedjobfit
• @Federal_Job_Fit
• @KarolTaylor