Counting Characters in your USAJOBS Federal Resume Work Experience

Counting Characters in your USAJOBS Federal Resume Work ExperienceCounting Characters in your USAJOBS Federal Resume Work ExperienceCounting Characters in your USAJOBS Federal Resume Work ExperienceFederal Hiring Reform, which is to be implemented by Nov. 8, 2011, includes a directive that human capital officers should eliminate all requirements of separate narratives from initial applications. Most federal vacancy announcements are compliant and do elend require separate written narratives for Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) in initial applications. However, fruchtwein vacancy announcements are still including KSAs for open positions and advising that you include accomplishments in your resume that demonstrate your KSAs. These mini-KSA narratives, or KSA accomplishments, demonstrate that you are best qualified for a certain position.The big challenge of adding KSA accomplishments into your USAJOBS federal resume is space. Each work experience section in the USAJOBS Resume Buil der allows 3,000 characters, including spaces. You have to decide how much space will be dedicated to your keywords, duties and responsibilities, and how much will be dedicated to your KSA accomplishments. How do you describe an impressive KSA accomplishment when you may have been in your position for 5 to 10 years? Last week, during a federal resume writing class I recommended that applicants write 1,500 characters about their job responsibilities and 1,500 characters on their KSA accomplishments, or any combination that will add up to 3,000 characters. But, both duties and KSA accomplishments are critical to get best qualified for a position.Many accomplishments in federal resumes are too short and do not include enough detail to prove you have the knowledge, skill or ability at the level and complexity of the target position. For instance, the following is a single sentence description of an accomplishment I was lead staff to evaluate the districts request to provide $9 million i n funding to electrify 13 diesel rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes at the Port of Baltimore. Thats interesting, but doesnt include the result of the evaluation of the request.One vorkaufsrecht is to use the old, long KSA style, which included the popular Context-Challenge-Action-Results (CCAR) formula and write a mini CCAR. With the limited space, you cannot include a full page blow-by-blow description, and careful writing and editing must produce a story that engages the HR specialist and the supervisor, and proves your past performance. Include your role or title during this project or activity, a few actions, a short challenge and a result.A State of Maryland Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Engineer wrote about her KSA accomplishment in support of environmental quality. The KSA required in the announcement stated Ability to direct internal and production control reviews and validity studies. The applicant wrote the following 527-character KSA accomplishment in her US AJOBS federal resumePRODUCTION CONTROL REVIEWS Wrote EPA Program Guidelines to support production control reviews and implement requirements to best prevent fraud and to set up internal controls. I was lead staff to evaluate the Districts request to provide $9 million in funding to electrify 13 diesel rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes at the Port of Baltimore. I discovered that the current engines in the RTG cranes had not been certified to the standards for new off-road engines. I informed the District the project could not be funded, as Baltimore does not fund projects in which the applicant is not in compliance with current regulations.This writing technique will provide critical information to the human resources specialist and help them determine if you are qualified or best qualified for the position. Additionally, the supervisor receiving your resume, along with many others, may be impressed with your KSA accomplishments, which could lead to an interview for the position.When writing your federal resume in USAJOBS, be aware of the space limitations and make a decision as to how to divide the 3,000 characters between your duties and accomplishments. A total of five to seven KSA accomplishments are recommended for all of your work experience sections. Remember, supervisors will read the accomplishments to determine if they want to interview you for the position.