How to Apply for

Federal Jobs
Elaine Robles
Human Resources Advisor
Region 8

Getting Started:Tools

Office of Personnel Management website

www.opm.gov/job_seekers/
Information on internships and other resources

www.usajobs.gov
Federal Job search engine

Fedscope www.fedscope.opm.gov
Employment trends
Accession/Separation information
Diversity

Searching for Jobs

USAJOBS Search Engine

Maintains

thousands of Federal
vacancies at any given time.
Student opportunities
Schedule A hiring authority
vacancies:
Veteran
Disabled

Key Word Search

Positions

that fit your expertise

and experience.

Jobs

with specific titles

e.g. Environmental Engineer or Accountant

Location/Job Category
Search
Scroll

down and select specific

geographical location.

Tailor

to your personal skills/interest.

Select option that fits best

Salary and Pay Range

Search

Useful to filter jobs in a certain pay range.

Bachelors Degree

Generally a GS-5 to GS-7

Masters Degree
Generally a GS-9

May be different with extensive experience

or higher level degree.

GS-12/13+ One year specialized experience

at the next lower grade.

Search Notification

Ability to look at brief description of several

open vacancies for specific positions.

Save your search.

Sign up for emailed notification on future

vacancies.
Receive daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly emails.
Must create an account.

Application Process

Plan ahead
Allow plenty of time for application completion.

Select carefully
Tailor your resume for the position instead of
sending a general resume.

Prepare for a wait

It can take several weeks before receiving
notification from an agency.

Follow-up
Contact a representative to inquire on the status.

Application Process cont.

To

apply you must usually submit:

RESUME
ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Transcripts or College Course listing For positions
requiring absolute education.
SF-50 copy To determine MPP eligibility/Fed status.

Submitting Your Resume

Ability

to save up to 5 resumes in
USAJOBS.

Upload

existing resume.

Create

resume using Resume

Builder in USAJOBS website.

Tailor

resume to fit the position.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Application
submitted by
Closing Date

Submitted before Midnight

on the closing date.
Supporting documentation
submitted.

Position
Filled

HRS reviews
applications

CTAP/ICTAP determination
Determine competitive status or
eligibility under non-competitive
appointing authorities.
Other legal requirements.
Within area of consideration.

Selecting
Official
interviews &
makes
selection
Completes/signs cert.
HRS makes tentative
recommendation.
Formal offer letter sent by SSC.

HRS screens
applications for
eligibility,
minimum
qualification &
Selective Factors
Applicants responses
determine scores/ranking.
Conduct quality review
of responses.
Applicants notified of
status via email.

Applicants
rated and
Certs issued

If major discrepancies are

found in responses
adjustment in score.
Best Qualified referred
Non-comp. list referred
VRA Eligible list referred

Application Process

Applications reviewed to verify:

Entitlement to selection priority
CTAP Career Transition Assistance Plan
Internal consideration for displaced/surplus employees within
the same agency.

ICTAP Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan

Consideration priority for displaced/surplus employees at other
Government Agencies.

Above applicants must meet Well-Qualified

definition of the agency

Application Process

Competitive/Non-competitive appointing
authority determination made.

Peace Corps/Americorps
Schedule A /Veterans
Current EPA employees

Check on other legal requirements

Time-in-Grade
Age limitations (law enforcement)
Drivers license

Application Process
Determine whether applicant meets basic
qualifications requirements and is within the
Area of Consideration.
Applicants notified of status: receipt,
eligibility, referral and final disposition.
Responses to questions determine
scores/ranking

Quality review by HRS conducted.

If major discrepancies exist with score/resume and
transcripts, score will be adjusted & documented.

Cert issued/interview/selection made

Alternative Hiring Authorities

AUTHORITY

BENEFIT

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Veterans Recruitment
Appointments Veterans may be
appointed through Excepted Service
through GS-11 without competition.

Flexibility to be hired on as a
VRA eligible who meets the
basic qualification.

Conversion to career or careerconditional appointment after 2

years of satisfactory service.

30% or More Disabled Veterans

Non-competitive temp. appointment
of >60 days or a Term appointment.

No grade level limitation but

appointee must meet all
qualification requirements.

Appointment converted to a
career-conditional appt. at any
time during the employees
temporary or term appointment.

Veterans Employment
Opportunities Act (VEOA) - Allows
eligible vets to apply for external Merit
Promotion announcements.

Allows for an additional

means of applying for federal
jobs being advertised govt.
wide.

A VEOA eligible who competes

under MPP procedures and is
selected will be given a career or
career-conditional appointment.

Schedule A Appointments of a
Person with Disability May be
appointed on a permanent, timelimited, or temporary basis.

Eligibility based on severe

physical disability, psychiatric
disability or mental
retardation.

May be non-competitively
converted to a permanent appt. in
the competitive service after 2
years of successful performance.

Non-Paid Work Experience

Program Dept. of VA - Volunteer
opportunity for eligible veterans to
obtain job training/experience.

Veteran is paid a monthly

stipend by VA. Give
opportunity for manager to
review work performance.

May be noncompetitively
converted to a permanent
appointment in the competitive
service.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Receive a 1 year non-competitive
eligibility provided they meet
minimum qualifications.

Non-competitive status, Merit

Promotion and Delegated
Exam lists are equally
weighted.

Eligibility expires 1 yr. after

completion of Peace corps
service. Can be extended up to 3
yrs due to Graduate school,
military, etc.

PATHWAYS PROGRAM

Offers clear paths to Federal Internships for

students from High School through postgraduate school.

Clear paths to Federal careers for recent

graduates.

Provide meaningful training and career

development opportunities for individuals at
the beginning of their Federal service.

PATHWAYS 3 PATHS

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Current students enrolled in an educational institution.
Paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore
Federal careers while still in school.

RECENT GRADUATES PROGRAM

Must apply within two years of degree or certificate
completion (6 years for returning military).

PRESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWS

Leadership development program for advanced
degree candidates who have received their degree
within the preceding two years.

Resume Writing Tips

Federal

Resumes are usually

longer than average .

Includes

more detail than

standard resumes.

Includes

all required information.

Required Information
Information

on the vacancy

Announcement number/position
Your

personal information
Education
Work Experience Quantified
When Where How long?
Other

qualifications

Veterans preference, Peace Corps

Taking
Personal Inventory

Professional Work Experience

List all position titles/organizations.
List all accomplishments under each.

Non-Professional Experience
Skills you have learned that apply to
your objective.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What are your responsibilities?
How many employees did you supervise?
Can you quantify your experience?
What personal skills have you
accomplished?
What did you initiate and/or implement?
What leadership skills have you
developed?
Awards? Writing skills? Public Speaking?

Education, Training ,
Language Skills
List

degrees, schools, dates of

attendance.
Awards, scholarships, fellowships, and
internships.
Training courses
Technology skills
Language proficiency. (Other than
English)
Emphasize skill proficiency.

Professional Associations
Professional

Association
memberships.

All

activities, organization and

participation.

Attendance

at professional
conferences.

Publications &
Presentations
Names

and title of books/articles.

Experience writing articles for
associations or newsletters.
Courses taught
Presentations at conferences,
training, seminars.
Keep a master file.

Identify Knowledge, Skills

And Abilities
Link

to your job objective.

Start thinking like an employer.
Identify desirable skills
As they apply to the position
Critical job elements essential skills
What

skills are needed for the

position?

Quick Tips
Dont

use the first person, I.

Use incomplete sentences
Wrote training manual; administered budget
Use

action verbs!

Achieved, increased, organized, streamlined

Avoid

cutting and pasting exact

wording found in the announcement
However, if a term/title is used several times

Use

plain English no acronyms

Quantify, Quantify, Quantify

Quick Tips Continued

Include recent and relevant positions.

Leave out:
Short jobs
Irrelevant
Repetitive

Small gaps in employment ok

Leave out any temp/non-relevant, short-term
employment.

Show the context of your accomplishment.

Major career changes must show relevance.

EXAMPLE
FontRESUME
10-12pt.
Dont modify border
Do not include SSN
No need to include
personal information.
Height/weight
Marital status

Resume Review
One

page or two?

One-two pages for Private Sector

Two-Five pages for Federal Government
Dont

shrink font size.

Use good quality paper.
Proof read for spelling/grammatical
error.
Have someone else take a look.

Preparing for Interview:

Research
Read

information in announcement on
Agency/Program/Unit.
Pull up Agency website and obtain
information.
Keep your information in check.
Social networking sites

Email address

Types of Questions

BEHAVIORAL
Focuses on qualities and personal behavior

SITUATIONAL
Focuses on problem solving

Practice with someone

Dont memorize but have an idea on how to
answer.
Use specific examples

Ask Questions

Demonstrates interest in
Agency/Program/Unit.

Pay off for research done prior to interview

Examples:
What are the major challenges facing the EPA?
What is the work culture like?
What would be the most important thing you
would like me to accomplish in the first 6 months

First Impressions

Greet everyone and shake hands firmly

Smile

Speak slowly/clearly

Make eye contact

Be mindful of body language

During Interview
Dont be afraid to pause
Ask the interviewer to repeat the question
Know when to stop talking
Never say anything critical/negative about
yourself
Quantify answers when appropriate
Make a strong closing statement and
thank the interviewer.

After Interview

Follow up on the status of the position

How you respond to not getting the

position you interviewed for is
important!

QUESTIONS?
Elaine Robles
Robles.elaine@epa.gov
(303)312-6194