Federal Application Tips
Tips for Completing the Federal Application
By Barbara Adams, CPRW, CEIP, CMRC, CFRW
www.militaryresumewriters.com and www.careerproplus.com
When you apply for job openings you "MUST" differentiate yourself from the crowd. As competitive as the job market is today you "MUST" pull out all the stops. Throughout the development of your professional resume always keep in mind that your resume should be targeted to each position in which you apply. This one tip alone will dramatically increase your chances for an interview.
Carefully and thoroughly read the entire vacancy announcement. Provide ALL the information requested including documentation required for the position. Some agencies use automated systems and others accept resumes. Regardless of how they want you to apply, you must ensure your submission includes information in the following areas:
- Write a list of your main accomplishments for each job you held – limit job descriptions.
- Weave these accomplishments into challenge, context, action and result (CCAR) sentences.
- Keep all sentences in an active voice (not passive.)
- Answer ALL job-related questions to the best of your ability. Include accurate details of your experience, education, or training in the narrative input or supporting information fields provided.
- Use ALL portions of the application to provide unique and exemplary information that sets you apart from other candidates.
- Present your most important job-related competencies and accomplishments.
- Present information in a polished (and accurate!) manner.
- Address and incorporate all specialized experience the job vacancy announcement requests.
- Double check for typos and grammatical errors.
- Sell yourself!
For both paper and on-line resumes, you should use action verbs to show the degree to which you were actively engaged in performing work. Some suggested verbs to consider are:
Advised |
Delivered |
Investigated |
Analyzed |
Demonstrated |
Negotiated |
Arranged |
Developed |
Organized |
Budgeted |
Directed |
Performed |
Built |
Drafted |
Planned |
Computed |
Evaluated |
Presented |
Conducted |
Filed |
Repaired |
Coordinated |
Gathered |
Researched |
Counseled |
Improved |
Supervised |
Crafted |
Installed |
Typed |
Delegated |
Instructed |
Wrote |
