KSA statements are commonly found in the 2nd portion of some federal job applications. While your federal military resume outlines your work experience and skills as they relate to the targeted position, KSAs provide narrative examples that demonstrate your performance. Think of KSAs as a pre-interview. KSAs are typically “rated or ranked” using a numerical scoring system. The highest scoring applicants’ federal resumes are forwarded to the hiring manager.

According to Newell and Rosenberg, the “rule of three” could also disappear. The following is an excerpt from the article on this rule:

“The reforms also will eliminate the “rule of three” procedure, in which agencies select hires from among the three top candidates for a position. Berry has said that rule is still in use only because hiring managers feel comfortable with it. A report by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government on a hiring reform forum in Washington last October singled out the rule as an example of a regulation that was intended to prevent favoritism but has not been evaluated for effectiveness.”

This is also good news for military job seekers. To read the full article, click here.

MilitaryResumes.com has been assisting military job seekers with their federal military resumes and federal job search for years. For professional federal military resume writing services and to make the most of your federal job search, please visit www.MilitaryResumes.com.

As of mid-March, only 921 vets have applied out of the 77,000 the Pentagon estimates are eligible, according to numbers provided to The Associated Press by the Physical Disability Board of Review…

Veterans’ advocates say more outreach is needed….

“Less than 1,000 have applied, to me they really need to do a better effort to get the word out,” said Mike Hayden, deputy director of government relations for the Military Officers’ Association of America. “The success rate tells me there was a definite problem and the Physical Disability Board of Review is out there to correct it.”

The article does a great job of shedding light on the military population’s general lack of awareness when it comes to benefits. But it fails to mention one important point. Aside from added income and health care for families, there are hiring benefits associated with a service-connected disability of 30% or more. The federal government extends special hiring privileges to disabled veterans. For more information on this topic, please read my previous post on veteran’s preference.

So be proactive in applying for benefits to boost not only your financial bottom-line, but your federal military resume and job search as well.

For professional military resume and federal resume writing services, as well as military-to-federal career search advice, please consult the professional military resume writing team at Military Resumes.

1. Myth: All government jobs are in Washington, DC.

Fact: Only 15% of federal jobs are actually in DC…

2. Myth: Federal government salaries are low.

Fact: Actually, government salaries have risen faster and higher than private sector salaries. In most cases you will find they are very competitive. In fact, it’s been reported from 2000 to 2008, the pay for federal civilian employees skyrocketed 57%, while the pay for workers in the private sector grew by only 31%. And the White House recently proposed a 1.4% pay increase for federal employees.

3. Myth: To get into the federal government you have to be connected…

Fact: If that was the case, then the government wouldn’t currently have over 60,000 job openings worldwide. Don’t you think the people that know the current government workforce would have networked their way in if that was the case? Networking always helps…

4. Myth: The government is not hiring for what I do.

Fact: The OPM (Office of Personnel Management) uses a classification of 21 occupational groups and families for all GS (General Schedule) positions…. there are literally hundreds of job titles.

5. Myth: The federal government is one huge bureaucracy.

Fact: The Government is made up of several entities. Each of the over 300 departments and agencies operates as their own stand alone “corporation” within a network of agencies designed to serve the best interest of America. Some do operate more efficiently than others, and are more progressive than others. Based on your agency research, consider 3-5 agencies you would like to further explore.

6. Myth: All federal jobs are posted on usajobs.gov.

Fact: Only about 70% are on usajobs.gov. Many jobs are on each federal agency website. And some are not posted on the sites at all.

7. Myth: The federal hiring process is so long and complicated.

Fact: The federal hiring process differs from private sector hiring, and federal resume writing is different. But the process does not have to be long. There are programs, tips, and opportunities that drastically speed up the process…

To these 7 myths, I would like to add an 8th.

8. Myth: If I apply to enough federal jobs using my standard military resume, something will stick.

Fact: As Houston stated in myth #7, federal resume writing, especially federal military resume writing, is different. Federal military resumes must be carefully key-worded. Unfortunately, this is a little known fact among veterans seeking federal employment. As a federal job search trainer, I know this to be true. I hear the same story time and time again: “I’ve been applying for federal jobs for 6 months and haven’t received a response.” But there is good news; this doesn’t have to be your fate. Consider hiring the professionals at MilitaryResumes.com. Our professional military resume writers are experts are targeting federal military resumes using federal resume writing processes that produce results.

Many well-intentioned requisites, such as minimum years of experience and/or educational requirements, actually end-up working against hiring managers… and it is only a matter of time before this truth reveals itself. Who would you rather hire? A person who has 10 years of experience with marginal accomplishments and little ambition or an individual who outperforms all of their peers, no matter their length of experience, even though they’ve only been in the industry for seven years? At the end of the day, hiring managers are really looking for a return on their hiring investment and not a piece of paper or an arbitrary number.

The fact that some companies focus too narrowly on their industries often scares off military job seekers as well. But while an HR representative may be the one to point out that an otherwise impressive military-experienced candidate lacks specific experience with widget X, the CEO might not be willing to pass up a candidate with a documented track record of success improving efficiencies in their military unit and performing under challenging circumstances.

The success of the nation’s leading military-focused recruiting firm, Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI), in matching military job seekers with careers in the Fortune 1000 is evidence that military experience is valuable within a variety of industries. BMI markets the value of military experience and works with companies who need perpetual sources of talent, diverse candidates and team-oriented individuals – all of which are found in the military talent pool. Since 1991, BMI has helped companies understand which military occupational specialties have proven successful in their industry previously – no widget X experience necessary.

So now that we’ve revealed these “obstacles” for what they really are – arbitrary requests unlikely to be exactly matched – how should a military job seeker surmount them? I suggest starting with your military resume. With so many resumes circulating today, if military job seekers do not communicate their transferability in 15-20 seconds, they will not get a second look. So during this difficult economic time where military job seekers might opt to skimp on their military resumes, understand that by doing so, they may also be skimping on their futures. I highly suggest investing your time in communicating your value more effectively and convincingly. Your job search will be the better for it.

Or, if you don’t have the time to do it yourself, trust your experience and military resume to professional military resume writers (the writers at Military Resumes are experts in demonstrating transferability in their clients’ military resumes), ones who will represent you as the next best fit… next to the one that doesn’t exist!

The Order also establishes a Veterans Employment Program office within most federal agencies. These offices will be responsible for helping veterans identify employment opportunities within those federal agencies, providing feedback to veterans about their employment application and military resume status, and helping veterans recently employed by these agencies adjust to a civilian workplace culture. Also of note, the Office of Personnel Management will issue a government-wide strategic plan that will focus on creating leadership commitment and an infrastructure in each agency to promote employment success for veterans. The strategic plan will also include marketing strategies aimed at agency hiring managers as well as veterans and transitioning service members.

The initiative’s timeline was not made clear in the press release. But there has never been a better time to explore federal employment opportunities and build your military federal resume. At the end of the fiscal year 2008, there were approximately 480,000 veterans employed by the federal government. It has been and will continue to be the largest employer of veterans. Find your ideal federal career at www.usajobs.gov. For reputable, professional federal military resume writing services, please visit www.MilitaryResumes.com.

• Does the critic have specific resume knowledge?

It’s always a good idea to have a certified professional resume writer, particularly one with military experience, write and/or review your military resume. (For more information on professional military resume writing, visit www.MilitaryResumes.com.) But if this isn’t a viable option for you, consider eliciting the help of an on-base transition program such as ACAP or TAP. Ask a counselor who works with transitioning military job seekers on a daily basis if they have formal resume training and, if so, is it up-to-date? The art of resume writing is constantly evolving. Be wary of anyone who suggests representing your experience in a functional format. To me, this suggests outdated resume training.

Seek the advice of members of the corporate world who routinely evaluate resumes and make hiring decisions. This group of critics will shed light on portions of your military resume that may not make sense to the average civilian. For targeting purposes, ask them what they are looking for in a resume. But bear in mind that this group can have a tendency to suggest watering down your military experience almost to the point of being inconsequential.

Finally, look to a recently transitioned friend or coworker with a military background similar to yours. Ask them how long it took them to find a job and what role their resume played in landing them their follow-on career. While some network during their military careers to the point of simply stepping into another job, others go about their post-military career searches with a more traditional approach. Seek out a person with not only a similar military background, but a similar job search strategy as well. Look at their resume. Ask them what worked for them and what didn’t. Are there pitfalls you can avoid?

• What are the critic’s intentions?

Through MilitaryResumes.com, I recently had the opportunity to work with a senior Army officer who has spent many hard-earned years at the Pentagon. I asked him to share feedback on his resume with me from his colleagues. One colleague insisted that he should list exactly who he dealt with in his policy-making initiatives. A marketable concept (developing national policy through collaborative efforts with theatre-level commanders, members of Congress, and top government officials) quickly morphed into an off-putting string of acronyms (CENTCOM, OSD, etc). But because this client had no interest in using his resume to secure a position with the federal government or a DoD contractor, this superfluous information, especially in the form of acronyms, would only confuse his intended audience. Subconsciously, our peers and bosses tend to read a resume as if they were looking for someone to replace themselves. So asking, “What are the critic’s intentions?” whether they be conscious or subconscious, is imperative.

• Are the critic’s comments sincere?

If someone is offering constructive criticism from the heart, listen carefully. Criticism should never be sarcastic. Does the critic genuinely want to see you do well? Be wary of unsolicited advice. Unsolicited advice can come in the form of a contentious coworker. It can arrive via email in the form of a canned resume critique from a company seeking to profit by playing into the insecurities of many job seekers with resumes posted on the Internet. And above all, trust your gut. Because nobody wants to see you succeed more than you do.

One of Military Resumes’ most frequently asked questions is, “how do I determine my veteran’s preference points?” This article aims to answer that question in summary. For the most comprehensive explanation and additional qualifiers, please visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website on veteran’s preference at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ei3.asp.

By law, veterans who are disabled or who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns are entitled to preference over non-veterans in appointments to federal jobs.

Each federal application package is rated and receives a numerical score based on qualification factors. A minimum score is required for consideration and referral. Let’s say that the minimum passing examination score or rating for a certain job is set at 60. A veteran with a score of 60 based on her examination or rating alone may not be as competitive as a civilian with a score of 65. However, because this veteran has 10 veteran’s preference points, she actually has a score of 70 and thus is more competitive than her civilian counterpart.

Here is how to determine your veteran’s preference points:

5-POINT PREFERENCE (TP)
5 points are added to the passing examination score or rating of a veteran who served:

-During a war.

-For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955 and before October 15, 1976.

-During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990 through January 2, 1992.

-For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001 and ending on the date prescribed as the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

-In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal has been authorized. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, and Haiti, qualifies for preference.

10-POINT COMPENSABLE DISABILITY PREFERENCE (CP)
10 points are added to the passing examination score or rating of a veteran who served at anytime and who has a compensable service-connected disability rating of at least 10 percent but less than 30 percent.

10-POINT 30 PERCENT COMPENSABLE DISABILITY PREFERENCE (CPS)
10 points are added to the passing examination score or rating of a veteran who served at anytime and who has a compensable service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

10-POINT DISABILITY PREFERENCE (XP)
10 points are added to the passing examination score or rating of a veteran who served at anytime and has a present service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension from the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs but does not qualify as a CP or CPS; or a veteran who received a Purple Heart.

FEDERAL HIRING PREFERENCE FOR MILITARY SPOUSES
Under guidelines recently issued by the Administration, an estimated 250,000 spouses per year will be eligible for streamlined application processes when applying to work at federal agencies that elect to use a new hiring authority that took effect this month. Spouses who are relocating because of their service member’s new assignment, some physically disabled military spouses, and unmarried survivors of service members killed in action will soon be able to bypass some of the red tape involved in applying for federal jobs.

Additional information on veteran’s preference is located at http://www.opm.gov/veterans/index.asp.

According to Jackson, the Partnership’s survey identified 11,549 positions that will need to be filled by 2012 – the year almost 30 percent of the IT workforce of the 35 agencies polled will be eligible for retirement. The average age of IT employees at these agencies is 48. The survey defines IT positions as those related to systems analysis, security, application software, data management, and network services. Of note to the military job seeker, the Department of Defense will need 1,408 new recruits for its 5,746-strong IT workforce, from which 1,892 employees will be eligible for retirement by 2012.

IT continues to be a popular career field for retired military job seekers who held IT positions while serving in the military, as well as part-time or unemployed veterans in pursuit of an advanced education. At MilitaryResumes.com, we advise many of our IT-experienced customers to research and apply for federal job opportunities. (For more information on professional military resumes and federal resume writing services and federal job search advice for veterans, please visit www.MilitaryResumes.com. To research federal IT job openings, visit www.usajobs.gov.)

Also keep in mind that, according to Jackson, many contractors are complaining about the government encroaching on its IT talent pool. This, combined with the fact that some companies are attempting to save money by investing in cheaper Internet marketing methods, shifting costly and time-consuming paperwork into database-driven electronic filing systems, etc., may lead to an even greater demand for IT professionals outside of the government.

If you are preparing to make the military transition and have an IT background, consider the federal government for your next career. If you don’t have an IT background, now looks like a good time to pursue one. Your military resume will thank you.

The agency with the largest increase in job openings is the Department of Veteran Affairs, which is expected to hire more than 48,000 new workers by 2012 in an effort to provide medical care for returning service members fighting wars on two fronts.

The second largest need is for security and protection workers, with the Partnership for Public Service predicting 52,000 new hires. That is followed by compliance and enforcement officers (31,000), legal jobs (24,000) and administrative positions (17,000).

In an economy where new job openings are hard to come by, the federal government’s push to fill “mission critical” positions that mesh well with many military backgrounds should not be overlooked by military job seekers. Understand the rights afforded to you by your veteran’s preference, network with civil service employees, familiarize yourself with www.usajobs.gov, and prepare a properly key-worded military-to-federal resume. (For professional military federal resume writing assistance and federal job search advice, visit www.MilitaryResumes.com.) With some research and a plan, you can land a job with the federal government.

Emphasis will be placed on training veterans who are interested in “green jobs”, specifically energy efficiency and renewable energy, modern electric-power development, and clean vehicles. For more information, visit www.doleta.gov and look for the “green jobs” heading.

Through the VWIP grants, veterans from targeted groups will receive skills assessments, job counseling, labor-market information, training, and placement assistance regarding veteran employment. More information on the Labor Department’s unemployment and re-employment programs for veterans is available at http://www.dol.gov/vets/.

Outside of the VWIP’s green jobs initiative, the federal government is a rich source of career opportunities for military experienced job seekers. Veterans are afforded special hiring privileges under the Veterans’ Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA). For more veterans’ job seeker information, visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website.

To make the most of your veteran’s preference and maximize your federal job search, thoroughly research your rights, understand the federal hiring process, and craft a keyword intensive federal resume targeted for each job announcement that you apply for. Also consider consulting the professionals at your local transition assistance program or hire a professional military resume writer. Visit www.MilitaryResumes.com for more information.