Secrets to applying for a federal job

n Dec. 16, I mentioned that there were LOTS of federal jobs available in the technology sector.

One look at USAJobs is enough to intimidate the most creative and detail-oriented among us. It's just so much information, so many rules, and can leave a candidate with an uneasy feeling that you might not have clicked all of the links, seen all of the requirements, or answered all of the questions. And that's before you've started writing anything.

So, here are a few secrets to make the federal application process a bit smoother.

1. Pick one of the openings you found on USAJobs. Note the OPEN PERIOD category in the top right quadrant of the screen. Make sure the ending date is at least one week away from today's date. Unless you want to lose sleep, that is the least amount of time I recommend spending on a federal application.


2. Print everything. Starting with the Overview tab that shows the job announcement number, start printing pages. Even if you don't think you'll need it, even if you know the stuff, even if it looks like the same words you saw on another page, print it. Now, go on to the other tabs: Duties, Qualifications & Evaluations, Benefits, Other Info, and How to Apply. Print the main screen, click on every link, and print everything you find. Collate the pages by tabs.

3. Keep everything together. Put the paperwork in a folder or better yet, punch and file all of the pages in a 3-ring binder with a tabbed divider labeled with the job title. Add tabbed dividers as you find more jobs for which you want to apply. Even if you normally read everything on-screen, you're going to want hard copies of this.

4. Read every page and gather requirements. When you find one, copy and paste it to a Word document or text editor. Pay special attention to the ones that aren't necessarily contained in a section labeled "Requirements." For example, this statement appears in the job summary of a job I'm examining:
Applicants must provide transcripts if there is a Basic Requirement stating that a college degree or minimum college credits in a specialty field is required."
That's a requirement, but if you look for it in a requirements category, you may not see it.

5. Follow directions: Federal job announcements are highly detailed and require attention to specifics. For example, in the same announcement example, this paragraph appears:
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid work on the same basis for paid experience. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. To receive credit for such experience, you must indicate clearly the nature of the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the number of hours per week spent in such employment.

This means that in the example, you can include experience you might not think of using on a resume. For someone re-entering a career field or changing careers, this can be exactly the opportunity to grab.

6. Put together the pieces: Some job announcements appear to be puzzles you have to spread out on the table and put together. When you begin a puzzle by separating the border pieces from the inside pieces, you are identifying placement. In the job search announcement, that can take the form of knowing what to look for. In the example, this paragraph appears:

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
To determine if you are among the best qualified for this job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the qualification questionnaire. ... Your qualifications will be based on the following competencies:
* Skill in extensive and high-level writing and editing for various audiences.
* Ability to develop written products that articulate complex program and research findings.
* Ability to coordinate and maintain relationships with various and diverse groups.
* Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

The thing is that the supporting documentation and qualification questionnaire mentioned don't appear in the "How You Will Be Evaluated paragraph. Some people miss that entirely and as a result, their application is rejected.

So, where is this qualification questionnaire? You have to look. In this example, it is on the How to Apply tab. If you choose to apply electronically, which is optimal in almost all cases and required in some, there will likely be an Online Questionnaire link or list.

The mindset to have when applying for a federal position is one of literal interpretation and extreme detail orientation. Here are some related hints:

• Provide more detailed information than you would on a civilian resume.
• Make sure all information is relevant to the position for which you are applying.
• Answer as many questions as possible with concrete evidence of your skills and knowledge.
• Include all positions held but provide only relevant information within them.
• Provide a comprehensive skills list at the beginning of the resume.
• Determine the information requested in the online application fields and create your answers in a text document. When your information is complete and proofread, copy and paste it into the appropriate fields.