When you first go to the Army Resume Application site where résumé builder allows you to create or submit a resume there is a training module. This can be accessed in an MS Word version to read, or an online video can be watched providing detailed instructions. The site is located at https://cpolst.belvoir.army.mil/public/resumebuilder/builder/index.jsp and is a valuable tool the Federal job hunter can use.

This system is created to assist users in entering their résumés into the centralized Army Resumix system. Supplemental data can also be entered here. The system is designed to be intuitive with easy to follow instructions and by entering a resume once an applicant is able to take full advantage of the system and apply for many positions as they be come available.

The system also includes a tool called ANSWER which stands for Applicant Notification System Web Enabled Response. This allows a complete tracking of resume status. Users are able to toggle back and forth between the Resume Builder and the ANSWER system.

The main thing that an applicant should keep in mind is simply that all instructions should be read and should be followed closely. Doing so will allow submission of a resume and KSA statements when jobs are located, will automate the entire process and become a great time saver for the applicant.

]]> http://www.federal-ksa.com/navigating_the_army_resume_application_what_you_should_know.html/feed http://www.federal-ksa.com/how_resume_errors_ruin_your_professional_appearance.html http://www.federal-ksa.com/how_resume_errors_ruin_your_professional_appearance.html#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:39:33 +0000 Tom Wilson http://www.federal-ksa.com/how_resume_errors_ruin_your_professional_appearance.html

If you were hiring someone for a position, would you even consider an applicant who had errors on their resume? When you are preparing yourself for a job interview, think about what you would look for in a possible employee and be sure to do it.

Having mistakes on your resume certainly gives a prospective employer a poor first impression of you. Errors on your resume will convey the following possibilities to the people hiring for the job:

• You are careless and fail to proofread documents, even important ones such as your resume.

• You are unable to even produce a one-page document without errors because you are inefficient or uneducated.

• You are always in such a rush that you don’t take time to review your work for mistakes.

• You are not concerned with the quality of your work and therefore don’t care if it has mistakes.

• You are so pompous that a prospective employer’s assessment does not matter and you don’t think you ever make mistakes anyway.

Is this what you want your resume to say about you to prospective employers? If you want your resume to be an accurate reflection of your attitude and abilities, make sure that you have no errors in your resume. The best way to ensure that your resume meets the standards of the most selective employers in competitive job market is to have a professional resume writer prepare it for you. After all, landing your dream job is well worth the small investment for having a professional prepare your resume correctly.

When you respond to the questions, be sure to carefully follow the instructions and provide as much specific information as possible. Read the job announcement carefully, and highlight key words or phrases describing the position responsibilities – you’ll want to use these words and phrases later when describing your abilities in the KSA. This is also an opportunity to add information that may not be included in your resume, like specialized training, leadership roles, student activities, or awards.

You’ll want to write your KSA in the first person, and use simple, concrete examples to illustrate your abilities. Especially important are examples that demonstrate your ability to take initiative. Make sure your answers reflect your level of responsibility in your previous jobs, and be specific about who you worked with and in what capacity.

As you write, try to limit each answer on the KSA to between half a page and a page in length. You want to be as detailed as possible, but remember that a busy HR employee will be reading your application, so try to strike a balance between too little information and too much. Read over your answers to make sure they’re short, to the point, and easy to read. Use plain language and don’t forget to proofread your KSA before you submit it. Ask a friend to read over your finished answers to ensure that you’ve included all of your relevant experiences, that your responses read well, and that there aren’t any typos or grammatical errors.

The important thing to remember is that you’re hoping to communicate the skills, experience and knowledge that will make you the best candidate for the job opening or career field for which you’re applying. Filling out a KSA is no more difficult than writing a first-person essay in English class – it’s just that, this time, it’s all about you and what a terrific, well-qualified and accomplished employee you would be.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is currently recruiting to fill the position of Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist.

Are you a highly-motivated, talented, and enthusiastic individual? Are you looking for a challenging public sector career with an excellent benefits package? Are you looking to join an organization with a diverse culture and work among a team of professionals? If yes, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a great place to work. The USPTO is conveniently located between two Metro Stations - Eisenhower Avenue (on the yellow line) or King Street (on the blue line); has excellent Quality of Work Life Programs, including a fitness/wellness center, Roundhouse Cafe and other eating accommodations nearby, USTPO museum, and offers an excellent benefits package and various flexible work schedules.

The USPTO located in Alexandria, VA has been serving the economic interests of America for more than 200 years. We are responsible for granting U.S. Intellectual Property Rights for patents and trademarks. Our efforts have provided inventors exclusive rights over their discoveries. It is an effort that continues to contribute to a strong global economy, to encourage investment in innovation, and to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit for the 21st century.

The Office of Public Affairs is looking for a talented and enthusiastic individual to manage its Public Affairs Office and direct the activities of staff engaged in conducting a comprehensive public information program.

To view the vacancy announcement for this position click here.

Order you resume click here

When you visit USAJobs to search for viable Federal employment opportunities, the first page that will be shown for each position is the Job Overview. The overview will include pertinent details about the job so you can easily determine if this is a potential position you might be interested in. The Federal job overview will include facts such as:

• official job title;
• salary range for the position;
• the open period of time you can apply for the job;
• series and grade;
• potential for promotions;
• locations where you can find job vacancies;
• basic factors for consideration for the job posted; and
• a summary of the job that includes the basic duties required to fulfill the requirements of the position.

Carefully reviewing the Job Overview will tell give you enough information to determine if the position is an option that interests you, if you are qualified to apply for the job and how long you will be able to apply for the position. If you determine the Federal job posted is a good option you are ready to move on to the next component of the Federal job vacancy announcement.

Knowledge statements refer to an organized body of information usually of a factual or procedural nature which, if applied, makes adequate performance on the job possible. A body of information applied directly to the performance of a function.

Skill statements refer to the proficient manual, verbal or mental manipulation of data or things. Skills can be readily measured by a performance test where quantity and quality of performance are tested, usually within an established time limit. Examples of proficient manipulation of things are skill in typing or skill in operating a vehicle. Examples of proficient manipulation of data are skill in computation using decimals; skill in editing for transposed numbers, etc.

Ability statements refer to the power to perform an observable activity at the present time. This means that abilities have been evidenced through activities or behaviors that are similar to those required on the job, e.g., ability to plan and organize work. Abilities are different from aptitudes. Aptitudes are only the potential for performing the activity.

KSAs……….Why You Can’t Ignore Them…..

Some job applicants, especially those looking for their first federal position, are not sure whether the KSA requirements apply to them or where a response is optional. There’s an easy way to decide when to pay attention to KSAs. In a word, ALWAYS.

Agencies may emphasize the most important aspects of a job by assigning relative weights to each KSA. Others will designate particular KSAs as being Mandatory (M) or Desirable (D). Obviously the job applicant will want to focus the most effort on responding to the more heavily weighted KSAs or the mandatory ones, but it is important to remember that you need to address every one on the list. If a vacancy announcement makes no distinction among the position’s KSA, the applicant should assume that all KSAs are equally important.

A key point to remember about all KSAs is that they must be job-related. An agency cannot ask for anything in a KSA that is not in the job’s position description.

Today we operate the world’s largest aviation system. We are responsible for the safety and certification of aircraft and pilots, for the around-the-clock operation of our nation’s air traffic control system, and for the regulation of U.S. commercial space transportation. We’re looking for employees to help us maintain our place as the world leader in aviation.

Disciplined, tough-minded, meticulous and driven - these are characteristics of the exceptional men and women who provide the safe and orderly flow of air traffic at airports and in our skies. The FAA will give you the training and encouragement you need to keep our air traffic system running smoothly. Qualification is challenging, but the support and satisfaction you will receive make this career worthwhile.
Qualifications

To qualify, you must:

1. Be a United States citizen younger than 31
2. Successfully complete the Air Traffic pre-employment exam
3. Three years of general work experience, a four-year degree or any combination of education and experience equaling three years of general experience
4. Pass a medical and psychological examination
5. Pass a security background investigation
6. Candidates must be able to-speak English clearly enough to be understood over radios,intercoms, and similar communications equipment.

Find out more about this career opportunity - Air Traffic Control Specialists

To help you do this, we have divided the process of writing KSA responses into 4 steps.

Step 1. Read the KSAs very closely.

You need to make sure you understand what the KSAs are and what they mean. This step is critical. If you do not understand each KSA, you will not be able to write good responses. A KSA by itself tends to be general in nature. The vacancy announcement usually contains a brief summary description of the duties of the position. Read this summary description very carefully.

Step 2. Review very thoroughly all the experiences you have had and look for things that relate to the individual KSAs.

This step is really a “brainstorming” session. You need to review your experiences and find things that relate to the KSAs.

Let us say the KSA that you are writing about is the ability to communicate orally. You need to think about all of the times when you use oral communication skills.

Examples: While you were a File Clerk you instructed other clerks on new filing procedures; as a Management Analyst you had to present recommendations on workflow procedures to members of top staff.

Also, consider relevant education, training and self-development activities, and any awards received.

Examples: A training program in effective briefing techniques that you completed or an award you received that relates to your ability to communicate orally.

Do not forget experiences you have had in non-work related areas (volunteer activities) or in school related activities.

Examples: While you were a Cub Scout Leader you acted as the Chairperson for a fund raising activity; while a student you were a student council representative.

These experiences are just as valid as work-related examples as long as they are relevant to the KSA about which you are writing.

Try reviewing your experience in order from the earliest experience to the most recent experience so as not to miss any job or experience that is relevant to the KSA. You should review your total experience both paid and volunteer, and training for each KSA and look for situations that apply to the particular KSA. This is because experience that you have in one job or one area may apply to more than one KSA.

Example: The KSA Ability to meet and deal with members of the general public and the KSA Ability to coordinate the activities of a subordinate staff- both involve skill in oral communications.

Do not worry about being repetitious in writing KSA responses. Each KSA is rated separately by the subject matter expert (SME)/promotion panel and as long as the information you give is relevant, it does not matter if you have used it already in another KSA.

To help you with this step we have attached a chart showing one method you can use to organize your thinking when you begin to review your experience.

Step 3. Analyze the experiences you have identified

This is where you scrutinize the experiences you identified in step 2 and zero in on the things that really matter in what you do or have done. It is where you identify how you use the knowledge, skill, or ability in your job or experiences. This kind of information is at the core of the KSA process. (This process is sometimes called “Task Analysis.”) You need to ask specific questions about the experience you have identified. The answers that you come up with will be used to complete the actual writing of the KSA (Step 4). Examples of the kinds of questions you need to ask about your experiences follow:

• What kind of knowledge or skills do I use in my job?
• What are the steps, procedures, practices, rules, policies, theories, principles or concepts that I use in my job?
• How do I apply the knowledge, principles or concepts that I use in my job?
• How do I apply the knowledge that I have to accomplish my work?

• What kind of supervision do I receive?
• How is my work assigned?
• What is my responsibility to accomplish work?
• How independent are my actions?
• How is my work reviewed?

• What guidelines do I use to accomplish my work?
• Are the instructions that I use to perform my work in written or oral form or both?
• Do I use procedural manuals?
• What other written procedures do I use?
• What kind of oral instructions do I use to perform my work?
• How much judgement do I have to use to apply the guidelines for my job?
• Are the guidelines I use very easily applied or do they require interpretation?
• How difficult are they to interpret?

• How complex is my job?
• What is the nature of the work that I do?
• For example: Tasks are clear-cut and directly related to each other; or the work involves different and unrelated processes and methods; or the work consists of broad functions and processes of an administrative or professional nature?

• How difficult is it to identify what needs to be done?
• For example: Little or no choice in deciding what needs to be done; or it depends on an analysis of the situation as there are many alternatives; or extensive analysis is required to even define the nature of the problem.

• How difficult or original is the work I do?
• How does my work affect other processes or individuals?
• Who do I have contact with on a daily basis?
• Why do I have contact with these individuals?
• What is my role in these discussions or meetings?
•  For example: To provide information; to receive information; to influence or advise someone; to convince someone of something.

If you have done a thorough job on steps 1, 2 and 3 in this process, you now have a good understanding of the KSAs and lots of facts about your experiences. You also have a better understanding of these experiences. You are now ready for the last step.

Step 4. Show how the facts you have gathered about your experience relate to the individual KSAs.

You need to tell about the experiences you have had in a way that clearly shows how they are related to the knowledge, skill, or ability. In other words, you need to show a link between your own experience and the KSA. Do not assume that the link is obvious to someone else even though it may be obvious to you.

1. your resume is not the proper length and fails to provide sufficient details – a federal resume is 2-3 pages long while most private industry resumes are crowded onto 1 page;
2. your resume does not include the right keywords to be considered for the position – it is essential to carefully review the job vacancy announcement for the keywords that describe the position you are applying for so you can use those keywords throughout your application;
3. your resume does not contain necessary compliance details such as your social security number, citizenship information, military experience, federal government experience or pertinent background about your work experience;
4. your resume is grammatically incorrect or contains spelling errors; and
5. your resume fails to comply with the requirement for Federal submission as detailed in the job vacancy announcement.

If the Federal job application process seems overwhelming, you can make a solid investment in your future by hiring an experienced resume writer. A professional resume can mean the difference between landing your dream government job or continuing to rewrite your resume to try to get it right.

A KSA statement actually stands for Knowledge, Skills and Abilities and outlines the qualities you possess that make you an ideal candidate for a certain Federal job. KSA statements are not questions but each one posed requires an answer because that lets a prospective employer know if you are a viable candidate for the position. Because your KSA statements show what you can do, well-written statements can get you the interview while poorly constructed responses will disqualify you immediately.

To write great KSA statements, you need to:

1. Respond completely to the statements, relating in detail how your skills relate to what is needed for the job;
2. Give specific examples of how and where you gained relevant experience;
3. Respond simply and in understandable language incorporating the keywords used in the job posting;
4. Incorporate all your pertinent experiences into your KSAs to maximize your potential and sell your best qualities; and
5. Make sure to proofread your KSAs so they are free of errors.

Hiring a professional resume writer who is familiar with Federal specifications can help you to construct effective KSA statements that mean the difference between opening doors or keeping them closed.