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Federal Resume Guidebook: Federal Resume Writing Featuring the Outline Format Federal Resume (7th Edition)

$ 15.95 – $ 1,289.95

This freshly revised edition gives expert step-by-step guidance and samples for creating a resume specifically for applying for jobs with the federal government.

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The Complete Guide to Writing a Federal Resume

$ 14.95

Everyone says applying for a federal job should be easy, but almost no one says it is easy. This book will take you through it step by step, centering on the government’s unique resume and cover letter requirements.

…Including Many Sample Resumes all in USAJOBS format.

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What's inside

Applying for a federal job can be confusing. There are job announcements to read, specialized experience requirements to meet and occupational questionnaires to answer. In addition all applicants must effectively use USAJOBS.gov to apply . This straight forward guide is designed to help you understand the process for federal positions and prepare the strongest possible resume and application to maximize your opportunities for landing that job and avoid the most common mistakes.

It’s arranged in easily-digestible pieces so you can read it from cover to cover or just search for the sections most pertinent to you. It includes many exercises and worksheets to help you hone your skills, help with USAJOBS.gov application process online, sample cover letters and resumes and much more.

This book was co-written by John Grobe and Nancy Segal. Both John and Nancy are presenters and trainers for our retirement planning and federal career online webinars and have teamed up on this project to give you the best of their vast knowledge and experiences. Nancy has more than 30 years of human resources experience with the federal government. She uses her experience to coach applicants on their federal job searches, teaches them how to analyze and interpret Federal vacancy announcements. Nancy is the owner and founder of Solutions for the Workplace, LLC.

John is a retired federal employee and an expert in the areas of career development and transition, in addition to federal retirement. John’s firm, Federal Career Experts, provides pre-retirement training for federal agencies.

Here’s a partial look at the table of contents of this all-new book:

• Differences Between Federal and Private Sector Resumes and Applications
• Creating a USAJOBS Account and Understanding the Application Process
• Finding Vacancies and Reading Job Announcements
• What You Need to Cover in Your Application or Resume
• Keywords or Phrases You Need to Use
• Formatting and Writing Your Resume and Applications
• What You Should Do About Work Experience Early in Your Career
• What about Gaps in Employment?
• Knowledges, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• Cover Letters and Thank You Letters
• The DOs and DONT’S for Resume and Cover Letters
• List of Hiring Federal Government Departments, Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions and Committes
• Action Verbs for Your Resume and Terminology

Federal Employee positions are one of the few markets that are still hiring all over the country. You may be thinking about changing your current position due to cutbacks in budgets, wishing to advance your career or contemplating moving altogether. If you are thinking about making change (or are forced to change) you must make sure you know how to properly prepare your federal resume…even if you are already a federal employee and are applying for a transfer or new positions.

• There are many common mistakes that are made when developing and writing your resume and you must avoid and these are just a few…
• Listing Responsibilities Rather than Skills and Results
• Not Being Specific Enough as to What You Have Accomplished
• Not Including Key Words and Ignoring Soft Skills
• Omitting Required Information and Using an Objective Rather than a Career Summary
• Including Outdated Information and Being Too Modest

This Book is a must-have for:

1. All federal employees 2. Military personnel interested in civil service careers 3. Federal managers and supervisors 4. Human resources professionals and federal libraries 5. Military retirees beginning their second career with the federal government 6. All private sector workers that wish to apply for federal government positions.

Note to Military Members:  Many of the federal job openings at this time require security clearances. As a military member, a large percentage of you have the security clearance and the qualifications needed to fill these positions. This all-new guide will show you how to compose your resume to accentuate your strengths and experiences!

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Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Edition

$ 15.99

Author, Kathryn Troutman, is the known “Federal Resume Guru”. This is the FIRST-EVER book on Federal Resume Writing and it is continually used as a text inside of Federal Agencies in the Government to teach Federal Resume Writing to current Federal Employees. The Federal Human Resources Specialists like the Outline Format which is featured in this text and created by Kathryn Troutman, The Outline Format features ALL CAP KEYWORDS from the job announcement; small paragraphs for easy reading; and Accomplishments to prove the KSAs that are required for the position. This 5-page resume format and the samples in THIS BOOK, can result in BEST QUALIFIED, REFERRED, INTERVIEWED AND HIRED APPLICANTS for Federal Careers.

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The Federal Resume is different than the Private Sector Resume. Five pages vs. two pages. The resume must match the USAJOBS announcement qualifications, keywords and questionnaire. See samples and learn the differences that can result in a BEST QUALIFIED application for a Federal Career or Promotion! ALSO Federal Career Change chapters to break into a Federal career from military, contracting, private sector, new graduates.

About the Author

Kathryn Troutman lives in Catonsville, MD and is the founder and president of The Resume Place, Inc., a service business located in Baltimore, MD. The Resume Place specializes in writing and designing professional federal and private-sector resumes, as well as coaching and education in the federal hiring process. For the past 40 years, Troutman has managed her professional writing and consulting practice, publishing, and federal career training business. With her team of 20 Certified Federal Resume Writers, The Resume Place advises and writes more than 300 federal resumes per month for military, private industry, and federal clients world-wide.

Internationally recognized as the Federal Resume Guru by federal jobseekers and federal human resources specialists, Troutman created the format and name for the new federal resume that became an accepted standard after the SF 171 form was eliminated in 1995. She is the pioneering designer of the Federal Resume based on her first book, the  Federal Resume Guidebook , now in its sixth edition.

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Writing a federal government resume

This page provides an overview with examples of how to write a federal government resume, which have content and formatting that differ from most private sector resumes.

How to write a federal resume

Written by , external, Amanda Costello , 18F content designer and gummi bear enthusiast, July 2019. (Revised March 2024)

Writing a US federal resume is hard. When I started writing mine, all I wanted was a solid example. What needs to be included, in what order, and what would it look like with real information. This is that example. ( Law and Order chimes )

It can be helpful to think about a federal resume like an academic CV, an overview of your whole career. Also, these are long documents . This is not the place for a 1-2 page resume. When I applied, my resume was 7 pages long; after 5 years at 18F, it’s close to 15 pages.

Below are excerpts from my federal resume, along with details and notes about how it’s written and formatted. I want more awesome folks from all backgrounds and experiences as colleagues. I don’t want the resume formatting or particulars to be a mystery; it’s already a very challenging piece of writing.

General things to keep in mind:

• Pay particular attention to the Specialized Experience section of a federal job posting. These items must be clearly represented on your resume to show you’ve done the work to be qualified.
• New in 2024! Another tactic that’s been successful for me has been making the job posting’s Specialized Experience the headers for duties and responsibilities. Obviously you can’t do this until you’re looking at a specific job, but it can be a good way to organize your work for readability.
• Throw out your formatting. I used CAPS for headers, italics for mission statements, and bullet points. Expect that the bulk of your formatting will be stripped out. No columns, no fanciness. Just write. Hard.
• Speaking of writing: get your words going, and then get more words. I had to submit two writing samples, and that was where I could show off my content strategy particulars. Remember the job of the resume content: clear, straight lines between the requirements and your experience.

Explicit disclaimer: This resume format is what I chose to use in applying to 18F in the US Federal Government’s General Services Administration. It is not the only acceptable format, but is what worked well for me. I currently work as a content designer at 18F, but put this together on my own time, using no government resources to do so. Using this formatting is not a guarantee of consideration. You still gotta do the work.

Want to chat more about this? Shoot me an email at [email protected]

My comments below will all be in text boxes

Resume formatting

Everything about this top material is standardized formatting. Go ahead and put your own info in just like this.

AMANDA COSTELLO 123 Lutefisk Street You Betcha, MN 55555

Mobile: 555-555-5555 Email: [email protected]

Availability: April 1, 2024

Job Type: Permanent, Telework Work Schedule: Full-Time

Desired locations:

United States - MN Remote

WORK EXPERIENCE

Below is a formatting outline of a work experience entry, and then an example of one of my past jobs. I recommend listing as complete of a job history as you can for at least the last 7 years, more ideally the last 10 years.

Workplace name, Unit name if relevant - City, State, Country

Your job title - MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY - Hours per week: xx

Mission statement(s) of the workplace, or summary of the company’s work on a larger scale.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES A paragraph-long description of what the work was overall. Describe your work using a wide scope, leaving the specific details for later.

SPECIFIC TOPIC (e.g. CONTENT STRATEGY)

• Examples are in a bulleted list, each point describing a project or part of a project, or a piece of work that fits the heading, plus matches up with the qualifications/reqs.
• I chose to start each bullet with a past tense verb (Collaborated, Wrote, Managed, Edited), because that’s how I usually write resumes.
• Some of these bullets reference specific things I wrote, and those were included as writing samples with my application.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Software you know, tools you use, best practices and methods. This can’t just be a list, but has to have context in your work overview of how and why they were used. Also, please throw Microsoft Word on there because I was once rejected from a job in 2007 because I put “Microsoft Office” and the listing said “Microsoft Word.” Word matching! Seriously!

SELECTED WORK:

• Another bulleted list, this time of URLs related to work I did.
• They had quick little blurbs underneath about what they were, and what I did.
• Photos won’t come through on this resume, so no screenshots or anything.

Work experience example from my 2018 resume

University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development - Minneapolis, MN

Lead Content Strategist - 07/2012 to Present - Hours per week: 40

The mission of the College of Education and Human Development is to contribute to a just and sustainable future through engagement with the local and global communities to enhance human learning and development at all stages of the life span. The college is part of the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, a land-grant high-level research institution, dedicated to generating and preserving knowledge through research, sharing that knowledge through teaching and learning, and apply that knowledge through outreach and public service.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Developed and led college-wide content strategy combining current and prospective student needs with college goals for recruitment and retention. Worked as a member of a cross-functional team including designers, developers, business analysts, marketers, and well as content strategists across 7 academic departments to promote and deliver effective processes and consistent content strategy.

CONTENT STRATEGY:

• Collaborated with college academic departments, research centers, student support offices, and senior leadership to develop a “bottom up” content strategy, prioritizing student needs based on their relationships with academic programs. Assessed content through the lens of recruitment and retention.
• Wrote “Stakeholder’s Guide To Launch,” a two-page reference for the launch of a new college website. By anticipating the top questions stakeholders might field, this guide gave talking points surrounding new features, along with contacts for further questions.
• Served as strategist, editor, and project manager for regular essay series on college diversity and inclusion work, written by academic leadership. This generated authentic, meaningful content and helped stakeholders better understand the time commitment involved in content production.
• Established user-centered college voice and tone guidelines, using “A, but not B” format. This was informed by close work with students in formal and informal usability testing, and brand sort activities with college leadership and key stakeholders.

USER EXPERIENCE (UX) WRITING:

• Combined findings from user research, new graduate student interviews, faculty and researcher focus groups, higher ed industry trends, and analytics to consolidate more than 600 areas of academic research expertise into 111 categories. Categories were deployed across the college for consistent organization and increased findability of research work.
• Developed strategy and standards to categorize and sort 127 academic programs and 111 areas of research expertise. This was incorporated into two web-based tools developed in-house and allowed students to explore college offerings and expertise independent of department. Wrote and edited descriptions for each area, capped at 25 words to promote ease of reading and top-level understanding.
• Planned, edited, and delivered a “Web Writing Best Practices” guide for college content strategists. Formatted as a “one-pager” for printing and pinning up as a reference, this collected links to and recommendations from external tools and guides (Hemingway, 18F, King County Editorial Guide), internal editorial recommendations from the university and college, and voice and tone particulars. Strategists often felt intimidated and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of recommendations connected to good web content; this guide promoted four starting points to improve content: addressing the user (you/your/yours and we/our/ours), employing structured content, concise writing, and using plain language.

USABILITY TESTING AND USER RESEARCH:

• Led and managed annual process of web usability testing, including project kick-offs, stakeholder workshops, scenario development, task analysis, lab and field-based testing, issues analysis, research and recommendation presentations to project team members, key stakeholders and college senior leadership.
• Helped subject-matter expert teams and stakeholders understand their users through research and usability testing methods, defining problems and crafting effective solutions based on both quantitative and qualitative data.

COLLABORATION ON CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS:

• Contributed to responsive redesign of college website by conducting a content audit, editing student-facing content for an overall 75% file reduction, and migrating updated content to custom-built CMS. Collaborated with design and development teams to create comprehensive style guides, pattern library interface copy.
• Convened monthly “coworking days” among all college web professionals, bringing us together as a team of peers for a day of training, collaborative problem solving, idea sharing, and camaraderie. Set programming, mentored colleagues on presentations, and collected feedback to regularly adjust how our central content strategy was best supporting the specific work of the departments.

ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH:

• Advocated for content strategy best practices to over 30 University departments by regularly meeting with peers and presenting to leadership stakeholder groups. Promoted clear, consistent, user-centered writing from all contributors, even those who don’t identify as “web people,” and facilitated collaboration across organizational silos to increase efficiency and support.
• Consulted with faculty and staff in academic departments outside the college that frequently contributed to content strategy. Regular guest lecturer and student mentor in the Writing Studies program.
• Contributed as one of four subject matter experts to the University of Minnesota’s Content Strategy Self-Help Guide, recommending resources and structuring process for the centrally-maintained system to help contributors at all levels improve content writing and strategic thinking for the web.
• Frequently presented at local Twin Cities-based tech meetups, translating content strategy best practices to adjacent fields such as front- and back-end development, UX research, accessibility, interactive design, and marketing.

Provided strategic content design with skills in copywriting, style guides, plain language, comprehension/reading levels. Conducted usability evaluations using card sorting (OptimumSort), tree testing (Treejack), direct observation user research methods. Worked on a cross-functional team that used Asana, Trello, Slack, Hemingway, pattern libraries, Google Drive, MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point), and semantic HTML.

• CEHD Academic Programs, www.cehd.umn.edu/programs Developed content and structure for directory/sorting tool
• CEHD Research & Expertise, www.cehd.umn.edu/topics/ Created new content structure around college research, including categories and descriptions
• UMN Content Strategy Self-Help Guide, , external, z.umn.edu/csmap Subject matter expert for update to university-wide guide

VOLUNTEER WORK

Your volunteer work doesn’t count as experience for scoring, but is still good to include. I used a format similar to the work experience job entry above, though used the bulleted list format for duties and responsibilities, and shortened everything up.

MinneWebCon Annual Conference - Minneapolis, MN - www.minnewebcon.org

Conference Director - 10/2011 - 06/2015

MinneWebCon is a two-day web conference in Minneapolis that encourages inclusive grassroots knowledge-sharing. In addition to keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and half-day workshops, our annual conference is a space for speakers and attendees to collaborate, talk, learn, ask, test, and grow.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Directed volunteer-run tech conference for 200+ annual attendees, bringing local and national speakers to the Twin Cities web community.
• Oversaw event logistics, speaker recruitment and support, partnerships and sponsorships, promotion, and attendee experience with conference committee support and input.
• Introduced speaker mentoring program, pairing conference speakers with an experienced mentor to review slides, practice presentations, and provide support.
• Expanded conference to two-day event in 2012, adding half-day workshops to meet attendee demand for deeper learning.

SELECTED SPEAKING AND PRESENTATIONS

I do a lot of presentations and workshops; they’re a big part of who I am and how I share my work with the community. This is a shortened list to show you what examples look like, including upcoming talks. Like volunteer work, this does not count towards experience scoring, and is optional.

My resume listed about 15 sessions that I thought were relevant to this job. I also had sections on selected publications and selected podcast guest appearances, because those are cool too! The format I use is:

"Title of the Presentation," what kind of session - MM/YYYY Conference Name - City, State, Country

• “How Silos Learn: Working in the Idea Factory,” closing keynote address - 08/2018 (scheduled) PSEWEB Conference - London, ON, Canada
• “Better Stakeholder Wrangling,” half-day workshop - 10/2018 (scheduled) edUi Conference - Charlottesville, VA
• “Better Stakeholder Wrangling,” half-day workshop - 05/2018 Confab: The Content Strategy Conference - Minneapolis, MN
• “Explain Anything to Your Boss & Grandboss,” closing keynote address - 05/2018 Manage Digital Conference - Minneapolis, MN
• “How Silos Learn,” opening keynote address - 10/2017 Digital Project Management Summit - Las Vegas, NV

You can add in particular awards or distinctions here too. I was not a particularly distinguished student. :)

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN United States Bachelor's Degree MM/YYYY Major: English Minor: Japanese

LANGUAGE SKILLS

This is totally optional. For each language you speak in addition to English, list the levels at which you speak, write, and read. More details: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/profile/languages/

Language: Japanese Spoken Level: Novice Written Level: Novice Reading Level: Novice

While I listed references on my resume, it’s not required. The hiring and talent folks won’t cold call your references, they’ll ask you for permission later on in the process.

Name: Jeff Awesomeboss Employer: University of Minnesota Title: The Best Boss Email: [email protected]

• , external, [email protected]

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Federal resume guidebook : strategies for writing a winning Federal resume

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Tips for Writing a Federal Resume

Creating a federal resume that brings your qualifications to life and shows that you are a perfect fit for the job can be a challenge. Be sure to demonstrate how your skills, experience, training and education match the employer’s needs. Avoid misspelled words and bad grammar. Following are a few ways to make this easier.

Consider what positions you are interested in and review what qualifications or experience they require by reviewing different types of jobs and job opportunity announcements on USAJOBS . Gather information and begin to build out a description of your knowledge, skills and experience to add to your resume. How you present your skills and experience in your resume will help determine whether or not you are invited to interview for a job.

Attend job assistance training prior to departing the service. Contact your Transition Assistance Center as soon as possible and sign up for a Transition Assistance Program Workshop. If you are not near a Military Transition Center, you may use the services at Transition Assistance Offices operated by the other military services. Use your transition counselors. They have the tools and knowledge you need. If available, get their help in creating your first resume or filling out a draft application. Ask them to critique your work and then make the changes they suggest.

One size never fits all. As you apply for jobs, tailor your resume to the position’s requirements. Study the job opportunity announcement and emphasize the parts of your work history that match the qualification requirements listed there. It is important to portray your knowledge and skills as a match to the requirements of the position and demonstrate the ability to do the job. This is easy to do when you include your results, achievements and accomplishments. Minimize the use of technical jargon or specialized terminology (e.g., military abbreviations) in your resume.

Resumes are generally presented in one of three formats: chronological, functional or a combination of both. Which format you choose will depend, in part, on the type of work you have performed and whether or not you are going to continue in the same field.

• Chronological resumes list work experience according to date, with the current job appearing first. Chronological resumes work well if your career has been progressive and you plan to continue in the same line of work.
• Functional resumes are organized by the skills you have used on the job. Functional resumes work well if you are contemplating a new career, do not have a lengthy work history, or have held a number of different positions because they sell your abilities based on the skills you have acquired throughout your career. Be sure to include relevant volunteer experience.
• Combination resumes both describe your work experience and highlight your skills. Combination resumes usually provide the most comprehensive overview of your career.

Unlike resumes used in the private sector, federal resumes require additional information. For each past job, give the standard information found in most resumes. Your federal resume should include the following:

• Job announcement number, job title , and job grade of the job for which you are applying
• Your full name, mailing address , day and evening phone numbers and home e-mail .
• Country of citizenship , if different from U.S.
• Veterans – Ensure that you attach or upload supporting documentation (e.g., DD214 or Statement of Service if still on Active Duty; SF-15, Application for 10-point preference; and Disability Rating Letter of 30% or more from the VA, if applicable).
• Peace Corps / AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers – If you are a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, you will need to provide your Description of Service (DOS) to claim non-competitive eligibility for federal jobs. AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers
• Persons with Disabilities (Schedule A) – To verify eligibility for employment under the Schedule A hiring authority, you must provide proof of disability issued by a licensed medical professions, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any federal agency, state agency, or an agency of the District of Columbia, or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. Contact the Department’s Selective Placement Coordinators for help with hiring and accommodation requests.
• Veterans – Keep in mind that your military training may count towards qualifications. Use your Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) document (DD Form 2586) to document your training and education.
• Begin with your current position and list all other positions held in chronological order.
• State the job title, starting and ending dates (including month and year), prior employer's name and address (or write "self-employed," if that applies), and major duties and accomplishments. Include any positions temporarily held.
• Show the average number of hours worked per week or simply state "full-time"; salary or wage earned; supervisor's name, address and telephone number; and whether you’re most recent supervisor may be contacted.
• Veterans - Avoid using military job titles or occupational codes. Instead, look at what you did using your Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) as a starting point. Employers prefer proven performers, so make sure you know what employers are looking for in comparison to your military work experience.
• Indicate if your current supervisor can be contacted
• Job-related training courses (title and year).
• self-management skills refer to the way you manage yourself on the job (e.g., dependable, resourceful, etc.);
• functional skills are the skills you use on the job or have used in previous jobs (e.g., operate equipment, supervise, analyze, etc.); and
• technical skills relate to specific skills required to perform a described task (e.g., computer programming, accounting, sales, etc.)
• Current job-related certificates and licenses - Make sure you understand the licensure and certification requirements for your job objective.
• Job-related honors, awards, special accomplishments , leadership activities, memberships, or publications.

Once you have spell checked your resume, take a good look at its overall appearance. Is it appealing and easy to read? Is there enough white space? Are the margins appropriate? Have the headings, font and formatting style been used effectively? Keep in mind that your resume is an employer's first impression of you. Make sure it makes the best one possible.

• Review the job announcements carefully for key words
• Use verbs and adjectives (e.g., managed, implemented, created) that match key words identified in the job announcement.
• Eliminate military lingo (use words such as personnel instead of squad or platoon).
• Include your accomplishments; do not be shy, be truthful.
• Focus on the mission of the agency and translate your experiences.
• Your positive attitude and genuine enthusiasm goes a long way.

• Business & Money
• Job Hunting & Careers

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Federal Resume Guidebook: Strategies for Writing a Winning Federal Electronic Resume, KSAs, and Essays, 4th Edition Paperback – March 15, 2007

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• Print length 368 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Jist Works
• Publication date March 15, 2007
• Dimensions 8.25 x 0.75 x 10.5 inches
• ISBN-10 1593574266
• ISBN-13 978-1593574260
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

"Clues you in to what is essential for applying and reveals how to present this information to capture attention." -- Paul Krumsiek, Federal Personnel Manager, Department of Justice

"Cutting-edge, totally helpful, and trustworthy guidance! When you want a federal job, you absolutely must consult this book." -- Joyce Lain Kennedy, syndicated careers columnist, Tribune Media Services; author, Resumes for Dummies

"Kathy Troutman is the master of the Federal resume. Follow her advice and you'll have the competitive edge." -- Michael S. Dobson, author, Managing Up! 59 Ways to Build a Career-Advancing Relationship with Your Boss

"No stone is left unturned in Troutman's quest to demystify the federal job application process." -- Katy Saldarini, Book Reviewer, GovExec.com

"Troutman's approach makes it easy to address all the major difficulties of applying to the federal system." -- Cecilia Luna, Spouse Employment Assistance Program Manager, U.S. Naval Station, Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico

"Two weeks ago the very bright son of an old friend asked if I could help him get a government job. They, the father and son, figured that with 30 years of covering the federal establishment I would have special insights. That I would know who to see, where to go and what to do when they got there. I told him to get a copy of the Federal Resume Guidebook. There was a time, eons ago, when you went to a federal agency, filled out a form, took a test and maybe, maybe, maybe, heard back and got a job. But that was then and this is now." --Mike Causey, Federal News Radio

"When it comes to federal resume writing, there is no one with the depth and quality of information that Kathryn Troutman has. With 30+ years of experience preparing federal resumes, she knows the inside secrets for what it takes to get noticed and get hired!" --Wendy S. Enelow, CCM, MRW, JCTC, CPRW, Executive Director - Career Masters Institute --Wendy S. Enelow, CCM, MRW, JCTC, CPRW, Executive Director - Career Masters Institute

From the Back Cover

About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jist Works; 4th edition (March 15, 2007)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593574266
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593574260
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.98 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 0.75 x 10.5 inches
• #228 in Job Resumes (Books)
• #993 in Job Hunting (Books)
• #2,344 in Job Hunting & Career Guides

About the authors

Michael dobson.

MICHAEL SINGER DOBSON, marketing executive, project management consultant and nationally-known speaker, has been a staff member of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, award-winning game designer, and career counselor in his varied career.

He is the author of numerous books on alternate history, project management, and other topics. With his wife Deborah, he has done two video and audio training resources.

Born in North Carolina, Dobson grew up in Germany, attending German public schools, then moved to Alabama through high school. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, editing the campus literary magazine and managing an annual North Carolina writer's conference.

Under the leadership of astronaut Michael Collins and Walter J. Boyne, the 'dean of American aviation writers,' Dobson helped manage the mammoth development of what became the world's most popular museum, the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, a Federal government project accomplished ahead of schedule and under budget. His projects there included curatorial design of the museum's Gallery of Air Transportation.

He became a career counselor and coach contributing to two books on the intricacies of the Government job application SF 171 and its successor format, and ran a successful consulting practice in Washington, DC, for many years, working with all ranks and levels of Federal employees up to members of the Senior Executive Service and White House 'plum book' appointees.

In 1983, he joined TSR, Inc., publishers of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, as a game editor/developer, and quickly rose through the ranks to become Director of Game Development and Marketing, responsible for the management and marketing of over 65 creative new product development projects per year plus contract administration. Later, he became Vice President/Marketing & Sales for Games Workshop (US), and then Vice President of Discovery Software International, Inc..

In 1990, he entered the speaking world as a seminar leader working with leading providers including Fred Pryor Seminars, SkillPath Seminars, and Dun & Bradstreet Business Education Seminars. He currently consults as Dobson Solutions and as a senior instructor for Management Concepts, Inc., Project Management Division. A popular seminar leader in project management, communications and personal success, he brings a unique practical perspective to what works in the real world. He has trained people in well over 1,000 organizations on three continents on topics ranging from project management to communications to effective career strategies.

He received the Samaritan Medal for Peace and Humanitarian Service from the Samaritan people, and shared the H. G. Wells Award with co-author Douglas Niles. He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, the Project Management Institute and a past winner of the H. G. Wells Award (with Douglas Niles.

He is married to frequent co-author and corporate executive Deborah Singer Dobson. He has one son, a West Point graduate; two Shelties; and his own real space suit. For more, visit Michael's websites at dobsonbooks.com, dobsonsolutions.com, and timespinnerpress.com.

Michael Singer Dobson

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David Raikow

Kathryn Troutman

Kathryn Kraemer Troutman is known as the FEDERAL RESUME GURU. Kathryn's daughter, Emily Troutman, says that "Kathryn is the only person who LOVES Federal Resumes." TRUE. Emily Troutman and Kathryn Troutman are 'train the trainers' for the popular 'Ten Steps to a Federal Job' Certification Program. This is the FIRST-EVER certification training program for military transition specialists, employment readiness staff for military personnel and military spouses!

Kathryn Troutman wrote the FIRST federal resume book - the Federal Resume Guidebook - now in 6th Edition. It is the SECOND MOST POPULAR RESUME BOOK IN AMERICA.

Kathryn Troutman teaches federal resume writing in federal agencies. Federal Human Resources Staff come to her classes and approve of her 'outline format,' which is easy to read, features keywords and adds accomplishments for federal job seekers. Kathryn's books, samples, training curriculum and coaching methods are highly successful for federal job seekers.

Kathryn's books, samples, keyword methods and accomplishment coaching can help a veteran, military spouse, current federal employee and first-time private sector job applicant LAND A FEDERAL JOB and begin a life-long federal career.

If you follow Kathryn's samples and styles in her books, you could get Best Qualified, Referred, invited to an Interview and HIRED into a federal job. Kathryn has a great blog that gives additional tips and insight for the federal resume and federal job search!

Kathryn Troutman is known as the Federal Resume Guru. She invented a new resume format - the Federal Resume - after the US government eliminated the long, burdensome application - SF-171. Her first book, Federal Resume Guidebook, set the standards for federal resumes and created an entire resume writing and job search industry for career professionals. She is also the train the trainer expert with her Certified Federal Job Search Trainer Program based on her valued book by the first-timer - Ten Steps to a Federal Job. The website, The Resume Place, Inc. is dedicated to helping people navigate federal jobs and write the best federal resume for an outstanding career in public service.

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Best Books on Federal Resume Writing

• Best Books on Federal Resume…

By Kathryn Troutman, Author and Publisher Resume Place, Baltimore, MD Publisher February 28, 2018

Do you want a federal resume that will get Best Qualified, Referred, get you an Interview and hopefully get you HIRED?

• Buy one of the latest books on federal resume writing with the most current samples. The resume formats in the following career books will help you get Best Qualified for a federal position.
• You must make sure you are Eligible to apply for certain positions by looking at the WHO MAY APPLY, QUALIFICATIONS sections. And if you will be Eligible, then it’s time to write the best possible federal resume.
• Write your federal resume in the best format: the OUTLINE FORMAT – which is featured in all the federal resume books.
• Make sure your resume matches the REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE section in the USAJOBS ANNOUNCEMENT
• Give yourself all the credit you can with the SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE!

CAREER AND TRANSITION CENTERS – SEE PUBLISHER’S BEST BULK RATES

Order print or PDF books here Request Bulk Orders with Contact Us Form

BEST BOOK FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS FIRST-TIME PRIVATE SECTOR APPLICANTS

The first-ever book on federal resume writing is outstanding with samples of the Outline Format that is preferred by Federal Human Resources Specialists and managers. NO. 2 RESUME BOOK IN AMERICA!

• Print book $15.95 and PDF $12.95
• 50 or more $9.00 No postage in the US

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BEST BOOK FOR TRANSITIONING MILITARY, SPOUSES AND VETERANS

Written for military transition to federal applicants. Featuring career change resumes and the correct federal resume format for military transition applicants.

• Print book $12.95 and PDF $12.95
• 50 or more $8.00 No postage in the US

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BEST BOOK FOR MILITARY SPOUSES

Written for military spouses who want a FEDERAL CAREER while they are traveling from installation to new installation. And who are eligible for EO 13473 and PPP-S for Department of Defense jobs and UAJOBS competitive and non-competitive jobs.

• Print book $14.95 and PDF $14.95

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BEST BOOK FOR STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADS

Written to help students feature EDUCATION in their federal resume for PATHWAYS and Competitive Federal Jobs. Samples of course descriptions, new skills, internships, projects, papers to improve qualifications for PATHWAYS or entry level federal positions.

• Only available as PDF $9.95

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BEST BOOK FOR GS 14, 15 AND SES FEDERAL APPLICANTS

BEST SES BOOK AVAILABLE! Written to emphasize accomplishments and results for senior executives and leaders in government; and for the agency SES Career Development Programs

• Print book $21.95 and PDF $21.95; Order here

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BEST BOOK FOR ATTORNEYS, IJ AND ALJ CANDIDATES

Written for attorneys who are seeking attorney or administrative law judge positions. Includes ALJ Competency definitions and samples of Litigation and Administration Narratives.

• Print book and PDF $49.95

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BEST BOOK FOR FIRST TIME RESUME WRITERS

Designed for high school and college students or first-time resume writers. Samples of designed resumes with free template site, HLOOM.com.

• Print book and PDF $12.95

Author:  Kathryn Troutman

In addition to her resume writing and coaching business, Troutman has written and published more than 30 successful books (including multiple editions) on Federal Resume Writing over the last 20 years, becoming the No. 1 Author of Federal resume books and gaining the title, Federal Resume Guru. Her books are regularly recognized as the best in Careers and Reference in competitions for publishers. Kathryn manages the Certified Federal Job Search Trainer® / Certified Federal Career Coach®, Ten Steps to a Federal Job® train-the-trainer program - in its 23rd year. More than 1,000 employment specialists have attended to learn how to coach their clients for the best federal resumes! Learn more about the Ten Steps Certification Program: https://resume-place.com/get-certified/ten-steps-trainer-certification/

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