Federal Government Jobs

The 411 on SES Jobs with the Federal Government

Senior Executive Service (SES) positions are jobs at the the highest levels in the civil service - the people who run entire departments or an entire agency. In order to apply for most SES positions, you must have at least 10 years experience. For SES positions, you'll need to submit a federal SES resume and additional statements, plus Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) statements which outline your leadership competencies.

To apply for an SES position, you'll first need a federal SES resume, which includes considerably more information than a resume for a private sector job. You'll need to include the following:

Announcement number, and title and grade to which you're applying.

Personal Information, including: full name, mailing address, home, cell and work phone numbers, e-mail address, Social Security number, country of citizenship (most federal jobs require United States citizenship), veterans' preference, highest federal civilian grade held (give job series and dates held) and a professional summary written in the third person.

Work Experience, including each job title (include series and grade if a federal job, or level in military if a veteran), employer's name and full address, including street address, city, state and zip code, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and ending dates (month and year) [note: some formats require month, date and year, hours per week, salary, job duties and accomplishments.

Education, including colleges and universities' name, city, state and zip code, major plus type and year of any degrees received, GPA, total credits and types of credits earned, course list, and high school, including date of diploma or GED, high school name, city, state and zip code.

Other Qualifications, including job-related training courses - course title, date, course duration, certifications and licenses (include Secret or Top Secret clearance here), job-related skills (other languages, computer software/hardware, tools, machinery, typing speed ), job-related honors, awards, and special accomplishments (memberships in professional or honor societies, leadership activities, public speaking, and performance awards).

For many SES positions, you are also required to submit an ECQ statement (Executive Core Competency) that is similar to a KSA document. For more information, please refer to our other article here on ECQ's.

The exact format of your federal SES resume may differ, depending on the application requirements for the job to which you're applying. However, much, if not all, the information above is required for developing a federal resume. Sometimes, a cover letter is a good way to encapsulate your background and experience for the employer. Remember, however, that Federal Resumes - including the Federal SES Resume - must conform to specific requirements. You must include all of the information required, or the application will be rejected.

If you are looking for additional information on federal resumes, KSA and ECQ documents, and Resumix applications, check the other articles we have published here.

© Federal-Resume-Writers.com - specializes in writing federal, military and SES resumes including OPM approved, Resumix, KSA and ECQ documents. With certified federal resume writers on staff and government application specialists, and some of the finest editing staff in the industry, Federal-Resume-Writers.com has effectively helped thousands of clients break into a career in the federal government or obtain a promotion from within the US government. Any reproduction or reprint of this article must include this information.

Federal Job Postings Require Special Resumes -- Is Your Federal Resume Written for Success?

Resumes written for jobs in the private sector are geared to get the job candidate an interview. Resumes written in order to get a job with the federal governments must do more—they must clearly show that you can be certified as qualified by the Human Resources office because you meet the eligibility requirements for the job.

A federal resume needs to include a greater number of specifics than a resume in the private sector and should use language similar to that in the job posting because the HR personnel will be looking to see if you have the specialized experience required.

The federal government recommends constructing your resume in line with the requirements for presenting your experience that are stated for each job. Federal resumes should use a chronological format so that the staffing specialist who reviews your resume can easily see know where, when and how long you were in the positions you mention. A functional or skills-based resume does not work for federal positions.

In addition, resumes for federal posts should include information not typically given for other resumes, such as:

Job Information: The announcement number, title, series and grade of job for which you are applying.

Personal Information: Your full name, mailing address, day and evening phone numbers including area codes, your social security number, your country of citizenship, veteran's preference, reinstatement eligibility and the highest federal grade civil position you have held.

Education: The names, cities and states, and date of degree or GED for your high school and the names, cities and states and dates and majors for any college degrees you have received.

Work Experience: The job titles, duties and accomplishments, employer's names and addresses, supervisors' names and phone numbers and the starting and ending dates, hours per week worked and salaries for all the jobs you have held.

Other Qualifications: Any job-related training courses you have completed, skills you have developed, or certificates and licenses, honors, awards and special accomplishments you may have achieved including your published work, memberships in professional societies, leadership, public speaking and other awards.

Your federal resume should cover your work for about ten years and include references to what you did, how you did it and your accomplishments. It should be targeted to the position for which you are applying in a manner that demonstrates your qualifications for that position.

Your federal resume should be between three to five pages long not including pages that contain your statements of knowledge, skills and abilities—your KSAs. If you do not have enough work experiences to fill three pages, then your resume may only be one or two pages long.

However long it is, your federal resume holds your potential for federal job placement. Federal resumes are best left to professional resume writers who are very familiar with the desired federal format.

Professional federal resume writers can also help you with other documents in the federal application packet, so if your dream is being hired for a federal job, find a qualified professional who will help you get through this process successfully.

© Federal-Resume-Writers.com - specializes in writing federal, military and SES resumes including OPM approved, Resumix, KSA and ECQ documents. With certified federal resume writers on staff and government application specialists, and some of the finest editing staff in the industry, Federal-Resume-Writers.com has effectively helped thousands of clients break into a career in the federal government or obtain a promotion from within the US government. Any reproduction or reprint of this article must include this information.