10 Big Mistakes Vets Make Applying to Fed Jobs
Kathryn Troutman, Military.com
December 18, 2008
Leaving
a military career after five, 10, or 20 years is traumatic. Whether you’re enlisted or an officer, the career transition
out of military is difficult. The good news is that the federal government is basically just “the other side of the
desk.” You’re going to take the “hands-on” skills and technical training from your military experience and convert it over to the policy, program, support, administration side of
the work you have been doing – maybe. The first federal resume after military is your most important resume and the
most complex because you will translate your skills for a new career, new mission and customer.
Veterans
are perfect for federal civil service positions because of their dedication to public service, the nation’s security,
specialized expertise, knowledge of certain missions, technical skills and training, leadership, dedication, work ethic, attitude
and willingness to learn and start-over. What’s more, these skills allow you to add 5 or 10 points preference
points to your application score.
However,
sometimes veterans rush through the fed application and make several mistakes. This article is a compilation of the top 10
mistakes veterans and transitioning servicemembers make when applying for public-sector jobs.
Mistake 1: I only apply for
jobs on USAJOBS (or CPOL or DONHR or WHS).
If you
limit your search to just one agency or website, you are limiting your job search. There are at least five major sites where you can create a profile, set up a resume builder, answer
questions, and apply for a federal job:
www.usajobs.gov – the official government jobs website, includes Air Force civilian positions
www.cpol.army.mil – the website where all Army jobs are posted and where you would apply for an Army position
http://military.com/careers – a commercial site that manages,resumes and job postings for federal agencies.
www.donhr.navy.mil – the website for Navy and USMC civilian positions
www.whs.mil – Department of Defense civilian jobs are posted here and the resume builder and application is here.
Mistake 2: I only apply for jobs without KSA narratives.
If you limit your search to applications that do not require KSAs, you will cut out many job opportunities
with the Departments of HHS, VA, Interior, Commerce, Justice, Labor, Transportation and others. You will need to learn how
to write KSA narratives and questionnaire essays for a successful federal job search. KSAs are just examples that demonstrate
you have a certain Knowledge, Skill or Ability. You can use the KSA Builder developed by this author to write your “stories”
that will demonstrate that you do have a certain knowledge, skill or ability. www.resume-place.com/ksabuilder
Mistake 3: I have never written a resume, I don’t know how to get started.
It’s time to find the position descriptions, old SF-171s, evaluations, NSPS self-assessments,
training documents and build your federal resume. The author of this article has developed a free federal resume builder where
you can build your work experience, education, training, accomplishments, certifications and other information.
Mistake 4: Service before self. That’s what
we are taught. I’m not used to bragging, so I usually don’t select the highest level in the questionnaires (or
go on and on about accomplishments).
When you read the selection of self-assessment
answers, be very careful to think about all of the experience you have. An EPA federal human resources specialist said this
about the questionnaires and your choices: “Give yourself all of the credit that you can in selecting the answers
in a Questionnaire.” The questionnaires are scored like an examination, so your skills at the highest level will be
important to get referred for a position.
Mistake
5: My job was totally unique and I can’t write about all that I did in the last five years, etc.
This is a challenge because there is a unique military language with your own acronyms. But, you can
write about the skills that you have, including instruction, planning, leading a team, mentoring, personnel operations, administrative
operations, problem-solving, negotiations, advocacy, interpersonal skills and technical skills. The military-to-federal resume
requires a translation of skills to the new agency. Your past mission may not match, but the skills CAN match. And you can
prove one-year specialized experience, as long as that one year doesn’t require special mission knowledge. In other
words, if you change from military to transportation, the transportation announcement may require experience in transportation.
Mistake 6: I have used the resume I developed
from TAP class and it’s not getting me referred and I’m qualified for these positions.
The private-industry resume is shorter than a typical federal resume. The bullet style, one-line description
resume won’t be as effective for a federal resume. The recommended format is the outline format. This features your
top skills that are transferrable to the new position. You could write your description in five or six small paragraphs with
headings such as: trainer / instructor; team leader and supervisor; emergency operations planner; interpersonal skills
and liaison; administrative operations. These five skills are the most transferrable. After you create the outline
of your duties with five or six sentences to describe each, you can add two or three accomplishments that will include your
outstanding services in your operation.
Mistake 7: I didn’t know I had to
tweak and edit my resume for each announcement.
With
the Army website, www.cpol.army.mil, you could apply to 10 jobs in one day very easily because this system is a Resume Only application with a
Self-Nomination online form. But you really should slow down and read the announcement carefully to find the keywords for
your resume. The Army, Navy and DoD builders still use Resumix as their resume automation system. The HR specialist will look
for keywords in your resume. If you haven’t edited each resume with keywords, your resume may not get referred.
You can apply quickly, but why bother if you don’t edit and tweak the resume to make sure the keywords are included?
Mistake 8: I have accomplishments imbedded in the duties
section.
Military personnel will write one huge “block of
information” for their duties and include the accomplishments somewhere in the middle of the paragraph. This type of
content will be difficult to read and difficult for the busy human resources specialists who want to find the best qualified
applicants. There is a difference between a regular duty and an accomplishment. They are both important on the federal
resume. But the accomplishments are critical if you are to stand out as the most qualified candidate.
If you have been
in a job for two or five years or more, then you have probably been involved with special projects, problem-solving, new programs,
new initiatives, new computer programs to improve efficiency, and staff changes. Accomplishments might include your assignment to a task
of managing a special operations, situation or program, implementing new processes and achieving a result. These accomplishment
should be written separately from the duties, so that it is clear you have performed more than your position description and
you... are worthy of a promotion. Also, that you’re a
federal employee who can resolve problems, take care of customers very well, and achieve and exceed support to the mission.
Mistake
9: I didn’t realize that my five or 10 point preference really made a big difference. Yes, most military personnel will have five point preference for service within the last three
years. Military personnel with disabilities may have 10 point preference for their application. Your five or 10
point preference can give you an advantage over a candidate that does not have preference points.
Mistake 10: I can’t take personal credit for the
work of my team, so what should I write?
The
“team mentality” of federal employees and supervisors is not going to get you hired. It’s time to take credit
for your contributions as a leader. Before you apply, ask yourself the following questions: Would the project have been successful
without you? Did you set the agenda? Establish priorities? Assign tasks? Solve the problems as they occurred? Brief senior
executives on status? Manage resources throughout? Create reports and analyze progress? Lead the team members to meet deadlines and review the quality of their work?
Did you “babysit” the group on occasion? Then you need to take credit for leadership, innovation, new ideas, methodologies,
policies, procedures, project management strategies that YOU developed and implemented. You are the leader of the team, program,
project or group. Write about your leadership and the outcome of the group you lead.
The government has on average 100,000 jobs
everyday posted on the main website: USAJOBS.GOV. Consider these positions seriously. They are worth your time and patience.
There are good books on federal resume writing and federal job search strategies. Samples of federal resumes and KSAs can
help you master the federal job search process and result in a career that can change your life.
*To search for federal jobs or to connect with
veterans that work in the public sector, visit Military.com's Careers Channel
