Jobseeker's Guide

by Kathryn Troutman, John Gagnon (With)

Overview

The Jobseeker's Guide is written for both separating/retiring military and family members who are seeking US government jobs ! The 5th edition includes a new hiring programs for military and spouses, as well as a highly-successful federal resume for and USAJOBS application instructions. The new edition continues to use a colorful workbook style loaded with pages of exercises, samples, and charts and is easy to understand.

The Jobseeker's Guide is the first ever publication for separating military and family members seeking federal employment.

The federal resume format in this book is highly successful with keywords and accomplishments that improve success with Best Qualified applications. The easy to use workbook style is useful for individual jobseekers and as a training tool for military transition counselors.

The 5th edition is updated with the latest 2011 federal hiring programs and trends for veterans, family members, Wounded Warriors.

Will appeal to Veterans who are separating (voluntarily and involuntarily) and retiring who have lost their jobs and are considering a federal job because of their veteran s benefits and/or the news about the President s initiative for veterans and federal jobs. Also, family members who are accompanying their military spouses as well as military transition and employment specialists in military bases all around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733407632
Publisher:	Resume Place, Inc.
Publication date:	03/11/2022
Edition description:	9th ed.
Pages:	110
Sales rank:	643,732
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Kathryn Troutman is the founder and president of The Resume Place, Inc., a service business specializing in writing and designing professional federal and private-sector resumes, as well as coaching and education in the federal hiring process. Troutman is an in-demand, government contract career trainer, who has trained thousands of federal employees in writing federal resumes, KSAs, Resumix, USAJOBS and Quickhire resumes for more than 150 federal agencies in the United States and Europe. Her Federal Career Training courses and publications are listed on the GSA Schedule for government agency purchase.

Table of Contents

Introduction & Sneak Preview of the Outline Format Federal Resume 5

Introduction Activity: How Many Hats Do You Wear at Work? 5

Cedrick Smith: US Navy Administrative Officer; Targeting DEA GS-7 (Resume Case Study #1) 6

Federal Employee Compensation Package: It's More than Just Salary 12

Step 1 Learn about Federal Jobs 13

Activity: Your Federal job Search Goals 13

Direct Hire Process (Faster Hire Process) 14

Competitive Hiring Process 15

Federal Job Titles and Series 16

Grade and Salary 17

Military Rank to Federal Civilian Grades 18

Federal Agencies 19

Types of Federal jobs 20

Veterans' Preference 21

Family Member Preference (Derived Preference) 22

When to Apply for Transitioning and Retiring Military 24

Step 2 Network & Use Non-Competitive Hiring 25

Ways to Get Hired Non-Competitively 26

Non-Competitive Hiring Programs 27

How to Network for Direct Hire Positions 27

Special Hiring Paths 28

Networking for Special Hiring Paths 31

Networking Contacts 32

Maxine Gomez: Derived Preference, Military Spouse; Targeting VA GS-5 (Resume Case Study #2) 33

Activity: Job Fair Script 41

LinkedIn Networking 42

Step 3 Search USAJOBS 43

Top USAJOBS Search Tip for Veterans 43

How to Search USAJOBS 44

Critical Vacancy Announcement Features 48

Sample USAJOBS Vacancy Announcement: Criminal Investigator, US Secret Service 49

Sample Vacancy Announcement Questionnaire, US Secret Service 56

Step 4 Find Keywords 57

Activity: Find 5 to 7 Keywords from the Training Administrator Position 57

4 Places to Find Keywords in Vacancy Announcements 58

Match Your Resume to the Keywords for Contact Representative 62

Step 5 Explore Your Core Competencies 63

Core Competency Examples 63

Senior Executive Service Core Competencies 68

Step 6 Write Your Federal Resume 69

A Federal Resume Is NOT a… 69

A Competitive Federal Resume Is… 70

Outline Format Federal Resume (Sample: Ammunition Test Engineer/Native Veteran Advocate) 71

What to Include in Your Federal Resume 72

Resume Case Studies 73

Julia Kelly: Ammunition Test Coordinator; Targeting VA Program Analyst GS-14 (Study #3) 73

Justus Martin: Dental Technician E-5; Targeting Park Service Info Specialist GS 7 (Study #4) 83

Joseph Robertson: Avionics Technician E-6; Targeting FAA Safety Inspector FG-9 (Resume #5) 90

Jonathan Craft: Medical Lab Technician E-4; Targeting VA Health Technician GS-5 (Study #6) 93

Gloria Hayes: US Army Military Spouse; Targeting Paralegal Specialist GS-7 (Study #7) 100

Step 7 Write Your Accomplishments 107

Top 19 List of Accomplishments (Cedrick Smith: Administrative Officer, Targeting DEA GS-7) 108

Two CCAR Accomplishment Format KSAs 110

Accomplishments: Before and After Samples 111

Cover Letters (and Sample) 114

Cover Letter Samples for Non-Competitive Positions (Schedule A or 30% or More Disabled) 115

Step 8 Apply for the Job! 117

Part One: Set Up Your US AJOBS Account 118

Required Documents Chart 121

Part Two: Apply for a Federal Job 122

Step 9 Track Your Application & Follow Up 127

Application Results: Check Your Emails 128

A Turnaround Story: From Ineligible to Selected by Writing to HR 133

Step 10 Interview & Negotiate 135

The Behavior-Based Interview Is a Test 136

Negotiating Your Job Offer 139

Sample Superior Qualifications Letters 141

Certified Federal Job Search Trainer / Certified Federal Career Coach Program 143

About the Author, Kathryn Troutman 144