Pursuit of federal employment

Your Pursuit for Federal EmploymentBased on 10 Steps to a Federal Job by Kathlryn

Troutman

Navigating the federal job system for transitioning military members, spouses, veterans, and civil service employees

WELCOME & ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES

A&FRC MarketingBreaksBathroomsSmoking AreasCell PhonesEmergency Exits SIP

PRE-ASSESSMENTPlease complete the Pre-Assessment. At the end of the briefing you will complete the Post Assessment and the correct responses will be provided.

The A&FRC uses this Pre & Post Assessment to ensure you have met the learning objectives we have outlined to be covered during today’s presentations.

The additional questions at the end of the Post Assessment are used for the purpose of meeting your needs and customer services demographics.

Thank You for your assistance in improving our programs and services.

What Are the Steps to a Federal Job®?• Review Job Search Process• Network – Who Do You

Know?• Research Vacancy

Announcements on USAJOBS

• Analyze Your Core Competencies

• Analyze Vacancy Announcements for Keywords

• Write Your Outline Format and Paper Format Federal Resume

• KSAs in Your Federal Resume and Assessment Questionnaires

• Apply for Jobs with USAJOBS

• Track and Follow Up• Interview for a Federal

Job

What Are the Steps to a Federal Job®?

WHY GO FEDERAL?• Serve the public interest• Benefits are great

–Health & life insurance–Retirement–Vacation & sick leave

• Pay is competitive• Stable employment• Great workplace flexibility programs (e.g., telework, alternative work schedule)

REVIEW THE FEDERAL JOB PROCESS

AgenciesJob Titles

Grade and SalaryHiring Preference

WHAT ARE YOUR TARGET AGENCIES?

View entire list at

U.S. Government Departments and Agencies

Choose 2 or 3 agencies to get started

Learn their application process

Learn agency missions

Occupational Groups and SeriesClassification Standards for White Collar Work

GS 000 – Misc positions - includes US Marshal and Police OfficerGS 100 – Social Science - Intelligence jobsGS 200 – Personnel Management, including Military Personnel GS 300 – General Administrative, including Secretary, Clerical, Management and Program Analyst – popular analyst positionsGS 400 – Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences GroupGS 500 – Accounting and Budget Group

Occupational Groups & SeriesFASCLASS

WHAT IS YOUR TARGET OCCUPATION?

Occupational Groups and SeriesClassification Standards for White Collar Work

GS 600 – Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health GroupGS 700 – Veterinary Medical Science GroupGS 800 – Engineering and ArchitectureGS 900 – Legal and Kindred GroupGS 1000 – Information and Arts GroupGS 1100 – Business and Industry GroupGS 1200 – Copyright, Patent, and Trademark GroupGS 1300 – Physical Sciences Group

Occupational Groups & SeriesFASCLASS

Trades, Craft, and Labor Positions

2500 Wire Communications Equipment Installation and Maintenance Group

2600 Electronic Equipment Installation and Maintenance Group

2800 Electrical Installation and Maintenance Group

3100 Fabric and Leather Work Group

3300 Instrument Work Group

3400 Machine Tool Work Group

3500 General Services and Support Work Group

3600 Structural and Finishing Work Group

3700 Metal Processing Group

3800 Metal Work Group

3900 Motion Picture, Radio, Television, Sound Equipment Operation Group

Trades, Craft, and Labor Positions

4100 Painting and Paperhanging Group

4200 Plumbing and Pipefitting Group

4300 Pliable Materials Work Group

4400 Printing Group

4600 Wood Work Group

4700 General Maintenance and Operations Work Group

4800 General Equipment Maintenance Group

5000 Plant and Animal Work Group

5200 Miscellaneous Occupations Group

5300 Industrial Equipment Maintenance Group

5400 Industrial Equipment Operation Group

5700 Transportation/Mobile Equipment Operation Group

WHAT GRADE LEVEL AND SALARY IS RIGHT FOR YOUR EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION?

GS Schedule

SOME AGENCIES USE PAY BANDS FOR SALARIESINSTEAD OF THE GS SCHEDULE (VARIES BY AGENCY)

• GS-4 – Two years above high school (or AA Degree)• GS-5 – Based on Bachelor’s Degree• GS-7 – One full year of graduate study • GS-9 – Master’s degree or equivalent• GS-11 – Ph.D.

How to determine your grade by education ONLY

FEDERAL HIRING PROGRAMSAND PREFERENCES

Direct Hire• Jobs are not required to be posted online

• Under Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Authority authorized by Part 337, Subpart B, Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations (5 CFR). The Rule of Three, Veteran's Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to the Direct Hire process

FEDERAL HIRING PROGRAMSAND PREFERENCES FOR VETERANS

Veterans Recruitment Appointments (VRA)Up to GS-11 or equivalentVeterans are hired under excepted appointments to positions that are otherwise in the competitive service

30% or More Disabled VeteransMay be appointed to any position for which he or she is qualified, without competition

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)

Gives eligible veterans access to jobs otherwise available only to status employees

FEDERAL HIRING PROGRAMSAND PREFERENCES FOR MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS

Military Spouse Employment Preference (MSP)Gives priority to military spouses relocating as a result of a military member’s PCS

Noncompetitive Appointment of Certain Military Spouses

Qualified military spouses maybe hired without going through competitive process

DoD Military Spouse Preference Program (PPP) Program

PPP provides hiring preferences for DoD job vacanciesSpouses of active duty military on PCS who have never worked for the federal government can register for PPP

NETWORK N WHO DO YOU KNOW?

“Your Network is your Net Worth”

Who Do You Know and Why Is It Important?

NETWORKING – WHO DO YOU KNOW?

• Other people, especially current and former Federal employees, are the best source of basic information and insider tips.

• Who do you know?

• Can they hire you now?

• If not, how can they help you?

• What connections do you need to make?

SOCIAL NETWORKING – ARE YOU LINKEDIN?• Business people and HR managers use

LinkedIn to check out potential job candidates.

• People with more than 20 connections are 34 times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity.

LinkedIn

RESEARCH VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS ON USAJOBS

Critical Vacancy Announcement Features

Sample Vacancy Announcements

More than 20,000 jobs are posted everyday!

EXCEPTED SERVICE AGENCIESDO NOT HAVE TO POST ON USAJOBS

EXCEPTED SERVICE AGENCIESDO NOT HAVE TO POST ON USAJOBS

LEARN HOW TO SEARCH USAJOBS BY KEYWORD AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

• Easiest search – USAJOBS home page:

• Enter keyword and geographic location• Try to use keyword specific to your unique

skill set or the correct job title in “quotation marks”

LEARN HOW TO USE ADVANCED SEARCHAdvanced search: • What occupational family does your targeted job

fall under? You may be qualified for more than one job title.

• Search by occupational family by entering the first two numbers of the family.

• Also, search by location, pay grade, agency, etc.

Important sections in the federal vacancy announcement:

• Agency Name• Title of Job, Grade, and Geographic Location• Closing Date• Who Can Apply• Duties• Qualifications and Specialized Experience• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities• Questionnaire• How to apply or the APPLY NOW link

ANALYZE YOUR CORE

COMPETENCIES

What are the value-added competencies you can offer a supervisor?

ONE YEAR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

If you have applied for a federal job and were found “Not Qualified,” it is because your resume does not highlight the one year specialized experience.

Attention to Detail

Reading Comprehension

Interpersonal Skills

Teamwork

Self-Management

Decision-Making

Customer Service

Accountability

Core Competencies

ARE THESE CORE COMPETENCIES IN YOUR FEDERAL RESUME?

ANALYZE VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR KEYWORDS

Find Keywords in Duties, Specialized Experience, Qualifications, Questionnaires, and KSAs

ANALYZE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR KEYWORDS FOR YOUR OUTLINE FORMAT RESUME

Stand out with keywords

• Keywords can result in referrals, selections, and interviews

• HR specialists read for keywords

• Use at least 5-7 keywords, more is better

WHERE TO FIND KEYWORDS

Vacancy announcements• Duties and Qualifications sections• KSAs and Quality Ranking Factors• Specialized Experience section• Questionnaires

OPM Classification Standards

Organization mission

Core competencies

USAJOBS

KEYWORDS FROM A MISSION STATEMENT

KEYWORDS FROM DUTIES AND QUALIFICATIONS SECTIONS OF THE VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

KEYWORDS FROM OPM CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS

KEYWORDS FROM THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE SECTION

KEYWORDS FROM A QUESTIONNAIRE

WRITE YOUR OUTLINE FORMAT FEDERAL RESUME

Conquer the most challenging step by understanding the

Outline Format for your resume

DON’T USE JUST ONE RESUME!

Do not write one federal resume and use it to apply for all positions.

Do not just submit your TAP resume as your federal resume.

Do not upload your resume into USAJOBS. Use the resume builder instead.

PRIVATE INDUSTRY AND TAP VS. FEDERAL RESUME

OUTLINE FORMAT FEDERAL RESUME IS EASY TO READ

• Use small paragraphs for readability.

• ALL CAPS keywords should match the keywords in the announcement.

• Add accomplishments

• Copies and pastes into USAJOBS

BEFORE FEDERAL RESUMEBIG BLOCK – HARD TO READ

BEFORE FEDERAL RESUMEBULLETS – TOO SHORT

AFTER VETERANS FEDERAL RESUMEOUTLINE FORMAT

ACCOMPLISHMENT FREEWRITING:

Negotiated a contractTrained a new employeeInstalled equipmentImproved performanceAnswered customer requestsSupervised othersPresented briefingWrote reportTeam memberDealt with difficult problem

Launched programImproved filing systemCalculated budgetCollaborated with different agency/companyMentored othersLowered costsPurchased suppliesMonitored programs

WHY ARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO IMPORTANT IN YOUR RESUME AND YOUR INTERVIEW?

• Help you get the job• Set you apart from your competition• Boost your rating• Help you get Best Qualified and

Referred to a Supervisor!

Most importantly, they’re the basis for selection

WHAT DO SUPERVISORS CONSIDER WHEN MAKING SELECTIONS?

7

10

20

34

36

38

39

69

71

19

19

37

28

41

44

46

36

25

Written tests

Reputation of school

Recommendations

Major field of study

Reference checks

Level of education

Quality of the application

Interviews

Prior work experience

Great extent

Moderate extent

YOUR FIRST RESUME DRAFT…

• Start writing your first draft using the Classification Standards

• Use Keywords and build• Write accomplishments• Then, later you can tailor this draft to

the vacancy announcement

STEP 7: KSAS IN THE FEDERAL RESUME

AND ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRES

Have you heard that KSAs may be eliminated? Learn the new formats

“Acing the test”

Presidential MemorandumThe White House | May 11, 2010

Improving the Federal Recruitment and Hiring Process

 Section 1.  Directions to Agencies.  Agency heads shall take the following actions no later than November 1, 2010:

 (1) eliminate any requirement that applicants respond to essay-style questions when submitting their initial application materials for any Federal job; (2) allow individuals to apply for Federal employment by submitting resumes and cover letters or completing simple, plain language applications, and assess applicants using valid, reliable tools; and

BUT … KSAS ARE NOW COVERED IN 4 SECTIONS OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS!

1. KSA accomplishments in the resume

2. KSA narratives to support the Questionnaire (on occasion 4,000 to 8,000 characters)

3. KSAs in the multiple choice Questionnaire

4. KSAs as part of the Behavior-Based interview

EXAMPLE: KSAS IN THE RESUME

EXAMPLE: KSAS IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE

EXAMPLE: KSAS IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

KSAS ARE PART OF YOUR BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Be prepared to talk about your accomplishments in the Behavior-Based interview.

Prepare and practice at least 5 accomplishments that are in the CCAR format!

COVER LETTERS

White House Memorandum states:

“…allow individuals to apply for Federal employment by submitting resumes and cover letters or completing simple, plain language applications, and assess applicants using valid, reliable tools…”

APPLY FOR JOBS WITH USAJOBS

Complete Online Application

USAJOBS and Self-Assessment Questionnaire Systems

Submit Supporting Documents (DD-214, Transcripts, etc.)

TRACK AND FOLLOW UP ON YOUR APPLICATIONS

How You Will Be EvaluatedCategory Rating

How People Are Hired:The Competitive Process

Identify Job and Assessments

Recruit and Announce Job

Accept and Review Applications

Assess Applicants

Certify Eligibles

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FILL A FEDERAL JOB?

Goal for Filling Federal Jobs: 90 to 120 days from the Date of Posting Job Announcement

• You may accept a position when you are terminal leave

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:YOUR RESUME WILL GO INTO ONE OF THREE BUCKETS

Best Qualified – This is the only group that will get Referred to the Supervisor.

Well-Qualified – not referred

Qualified – not referred

“If you’re not in the top bucket, you’re not in the game!” – Kathryn Troutman

REMEMBER, YOU MUST MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements established for the position are ranked by being assigned to the appropriate quality category based upon the job-related assessment tool(s) – the questionnaire!

Names of eligible candidates may be listed in any order (for example, alphabetical order)

HOW VETERANS’ PREFERENCE IS APPLIED

Let’s follow an example of 9 applicants, with 3 vets and 1 disabled vet

Anne (a non-vet)

Cory (a non-disabled vet)

Aida (a non-vet)

Dom (a disabled vet)

Sheila (a non-disabled vet)

Chris (a non-disabled vet)

Mario ( a non-vet)

Betty (a non-vet)

Suzie (a non-vet)

HOW VETERANS PREFERENCE IS APPLIED:FIRST, APPLICANTS ARE RATED

Status Rating

Anne Non-vet Best

Cory Non-disabled vet Good

Aida Non-vet Good

Dom Disabled vet Good

Sheila Non-disabled vet Better

Chris Non-disabled vet Best

Mario Non-vet Best

Betty Non-vet Better

Suzie Non-vet Good

HOW VETERANS’ PREFERENCE IS APPLIED:BEST QUALIFIED GROUP GETS REFERRED

Status Rating Preference Bucket

Anne Non-vet Best Best Qualified

Cory Non-disabled vet Good TP Qualified

Aida Non-vet Good Qualified

Dom Disabled vet Good CP Best Qualified

Sheila Non-disabled vet Better TP Well Qualified

Chris Non-disabled vet Best TP Best Qualified

Mario Non-vet Best Best Qualified

Betty Non-vet Better Well Qualified

Suzie Non-vet Good Qualified

How Veterans’ Preference Is Applied:CPS and CP rise to the top of the highest quality category

Qualified preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more (CPS) and those with a compensable service-connected disability of more than 10% but less than 30% (CP) are placed at the top of the highest quality category.

Note: Merging the highest quality category (Highest Qualified) with the next lower category (Well-Qualified) requires placing the qualified preference eligible at the top of the newly merged quality category.

HOW VETERANS’ PREFERENCE IS APPLIED:FINAL ORDER OF APPLICANTS

CP rises to the top even though rating was good, not best.

Status Rating Preference Bucket

Dom Disabled vet Good CP Best Qualified

Chris Non-disabled vet Best TP Best Qualified

Anne Non-vet Best Best Qualified

Mario Non-vet Best Best Qualified

Sheila Non-disabled vet Better TP Well Qualified

Betty Non-vet Better Well Qualified

Cory Non-disabled vet Good TP Qualified

Suzie Non-vet Good Qualified

Aida Non-vet Good Qualified

WHY WAS YOUR RESUME NOT BEST QUALIFIED?

• Your questionnaire answers may not have been at the highest level

• You checked off an answer in the questionnaire that made you ineligible

• Your resume did not show minimum qualifications (education or experience required)

• Your resume did not match the questionnaire• Your resume did not match the specialized

experience

INTERVIEW FOR A FEDERAL JOB

“It takes practice, research, and preparation for a successful job interview.”

The Federal Job Interview is a Test

THE FEDERAL JOB INTERVIEW IS A TEST – BE PREPARED, PRACTICE

• Be prepared for a test with your accomplishments that will prove your past performance.

• Use your list of accomplishments to help you remember all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished!

• Do practice runs with a friend or transition counselor.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS

• Telephone • Individual• Group/Panel• Video Interviews

EXAMPLE OF A BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTION

Competency: Conflict Management

Question: Describe a situation in which you had to deal with individuals who were difficult, hostile, or distressed. Who was involved? What specific actions did you take and what was the result?

Best Answer: A story about a conflict at work and how you resolved it!

GET HIRED!

• Physical presence – lean forward in chair

• OK to use your hands for gestures• Eye contact, professionalism, clear

speaking• Smile, have enthusiasm, and

demonstrate interest• The interviewers need to LIKE YOU!• Take a breath! Relax.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have completed allthe Steps to a Federal Job®!

You’re are on your way to getting:Best Qualified

Best Qualified and Referred to a SupervisorInterviewed

Offered a Federal Position!

Post Assessment

POST ASSESSMENT ANSWERS1. C

2. A

3. D

4. A

5. A

6. B

7. B

8. B

9. D

10. C