What Does A Government Worker Do
What does a government worker do? Good question! The answer is pretty much anything. Federal, state and local government workers may do all types of jobs from forest management to budget analysis.
Within the levels of government, agencies hire full-time employees as well as contractors for administrative, professional, technical, trades and clerical work. Government workers, also known as civil servants, include police and firefighters, teachers, postal service workers, motor vehicle department employees, judges and military workers.
The U.S. federal government contains 15 departments, all with hundreds of employees. In total, government agencies across the U.S. employ 23.7 million full- and part-time workers. Here is the breakdown of the level of government in which they work, according to USA Facts.
- 4 million federal
- 5.5 million state
- 14.2 million local
Of those workers, 47% are in education 6% are active duty military 6% work in hospitals and 5% are police officers.
Government Job Market And Outlook
Because this is such a broad category, theres no one statistic that will tell you what your chances of getting a government job are. You may choose to start your search on USAJobs, where all federal job openings are listed.
Why work for the government?
Yes, there is red tape and the process of getting hired can be tedious, but a civil service job has its benefits, too. Here are some of the biggest pluses:
- Job security and stability
- The resume skills section
- The education section
Each government agency, sector and level is different, but it is best to strike a serious tone. Investigate the department you wish to work for to get a better understanding of its mission and how it functions. This will help you develop a message that resonates with the hiring managers in that department.
The best government worker resumes will do the following:
- Align with the agencys mission by addressing its needs in each CV section
- Choose a crisp, readable layout that conveys your professional nature
- Use keywords and phrases that will elevate your resume over the ATS hurdle.
Personalize to beat the ATS
USAJobs, where you will apply for a federal job, and many state and local governments use an Applicant Tracking System. This software is programmed to search for the keywords and phrases an employer believes are most important for the advertised job. Then, the ATS ranks your resume against all the resumes for the position.
What Is A Government Job Resume
A government job resume is a formal document for application to a federal, provincial, or regional government position. It’s similar to other professional resumes regarding your skills and work history and has a strong focus on the essential requirements for the job. A government resume lists your essential and asset qualifications for the recruiting manager to identify quickly. You also include your formal education, professional profile, awards, and other government job information, if applicable, such as security clearance or language proficiency.
Within government job postings, there is typically a list of crucial qualifications or skills followed by qualities that would be an asset. When you format your resume with a focus on the skills and abilities mentioned in the government job posting, you can improve your chances of making it through the screening process and landing an interview. Most federal and provincial jobs use an automated screening process, looking for keywords and phrases in your application.
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List Any Professional Development Training
List any professional development training that is specific to the job position. This section is optional but can provide further credibility to your expertise by showing your willingness to continue improving your skills and knowledge. If you include this section, begin with the title of the training you completed, the facility that provided the education, and the date you finished. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight essential or asset experience not listed in your work history section.
Related: How To Write a Targeted Resume in Five Steps
A Federal Resume Writing Service Featuring Top
CareerProPlus gives you access to 30+ years of experience and a writing team holding certifications such as Master Military Resume Writer, Master Federal Resume Writer, and Master Career Advisor. We ensure that your resume is not only well written, but also relevant to the types of jobs you are seeking. You will be assigned a dedicated Master Federal Resume Writer who will consult with you throughout the resume writing process. Our writers benefit from a comprehensive initial training program, ongoing refresher training, an abundance of in-house support and resources, and a skilled support network.
CareerProPlus has developed a comprehensive Quality Management System with detailed processes as part of our best practices. Weve developed a signature Headline Format style for our federal resumes that has been welcomed by government Human Resources professionals because of the how easy it makes it for them to match candidate qualifications to job vacancy requirements.
When you choose CareerProPlus, youll partner with a career management service that offers:
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Identify Your Highest Gs Grade
All jobs within the U.S. federal government are graded within the General Schedule to determine pay rate and job responsibility. The GS scale goes from 1 to 15 with 10 steps within each grade that have a predetermined pay increase at each step. If you’re currently employed with the federal government, include your highest GS grade and current salary range.
Tr: What Should A Federal Resume Include
TP: Like any traditional resume, a federal resume is a key tool in the first phase of the job application process. It is designed to showcase that you have the required qualifications for the specific job you are targeting.
A federal resume needs to keep pace with government policies and procedures for hiring, which means following mandated changes required by the Office of Personnel Management . It’s important that you redesign your resume so it complies with the core elements required by the majority of government agencies, all while, of course, including unique aspects of each specific job. It should detail the key aspects of your qualifications, including your experience, education, certifications, and any other relevant data. In addition, the header should contain your personal data including your name, contact information, citizenship, Veterans Preference, and federal employment history .
Overall, it should contain the following categories of information:
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Government Worker Education Resume Example
The education section of your government worker resume is a simple listing of your academic degrees. Start with your high school diploma and list your degrees and majors.
If you have any certifications relevant to your job, list those here as well.
If you have publications, awards or professional memberships that will add to your candidacy, consider creating a separate section to highlight them if you have the space. Your resume should not be more than 2 pages long.
Below you will find an education section resume example as a formatting guide.
Cv Skills Example: How You Excel
Every resume should include a section listing skillsthat are relevant to the job. Master chess player? Interesting, but probably not relevant. The skills section should typically include a mix of technical skills computer knowledge, advanced expertise in your field, etc. and soft people skills like customer service, a knack for sales or public speaking ability.
Avoid clichés like team player or self-starter. Try to describe your skills in language that other resumes wont have. These examples illustrate how to give generic skills a more original twist:
- Expert computer programmer
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Key Components Of A Federal Resume
The best way to create a federal resume is to use the resume builder on the federal governments jobs website, USAJOBS. The resume builder will guide you through the whole process. And you dont have to stick with one. You can create a resume tailored to fit different positions you apply for. You can also create a searchable, master resume, so HR specialists can contact you if theres an opportunity that fits your skills and experience.
Professional Job History And/or Military Career
This section doesn’t start off too differently from a traditional resume: Begin with your experience. List your professional and/or military career history with your role titles, employers’ names, and a detailed description of each job so the reviewer knows your daily responsibilities. Be sure to brag about your work experience on your resume to display your individual value. Then, add an extra layer of information to satisfy the requirements for a federal resume, such as the start and end months of each job, your salary, hours worked per week, and your supervisor’s’ contact information.
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Resume Layout And Design: Stay Professional
First impressions count! Keep your layout professional-looking even if you are tempted to stand out with a unique design. To make sure you make a positive, lasting impression with your resume layout and design, follow the guidelines below:
- Big blocks of type are difficult to read, so create white space by varying line lengths and break it up with bold headings
- Stay away from gimmicks and flash you want hiring managers to read the content, not be distracted by the layout.
- Proofread, or use an online resume-builder that includes spellcheck.
A great resume should have a header that makes your name and contact information stand out. To create this in a few steps, try using a professionally-designed resume template. These layouts allow you to focus on the writing and customize the formatting options to your liking.
Before You Get Started
Read the entire job announcement. Focus on the following sections to understand whether or not you qualify for the position. This critical information is found under:
- Duties and Qualifications
- How to Apply
- How You Will be Evaluated
Make sure you have the required experience and/or education before you apply. Hiring agencies use the job announcement to describe the job and the required qualifications, including:
- Level and amount of experience
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Resume Layout And Design: Keep It Simple
If you dont want your job hunt plan to fail, hold your resume to one page. If you think thats just not feasible because you have to list so many skills, then learn a new one: brevity.
Keep your resume layout and design simple, straightforward and elegant. Avoid gimmicks, splashy colors or excessive decoration. Strive for a professional, eye-pleasing look that says, Read me. Make room for some white space by trimming your text. Some resumes are too sparse, but most are too dense. Strive for the Goldilocks zone thats just right.
Do not use any format except PDF unless requested to do so by the employer youre targeting . What looks fine in one application on your computer may open in a different application on another computer and look awful.
Also, remember those pesky ATS programs that can reject your resume without so much as a human reading? They dont like buggy document formats either, so beware.
You can take the guesswork out of all design questions by using the buildertool and templatesat resume.io, created by experts and proven effective in the field. Just one note: While some of these templates include room for your photo, the U.S. government specifically requests that you not include a photo in its advice on What should I leave out of my resume? So youll want to choose a template that doesnt include a photo.
How To Write A Federal Resume
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
Related: 5 Resume Tips To Get Noticed
Learn five tips to improve your resume and help it stand out to employers!
If youre applying for a position with a federal government agency, you may have to submit a specialized, comprehensive resume that includes several unique elements, in addition to traditional elements like education, work experience and contact information.
In this article, we explore what a federal resume is, what information to include in it and provide an example of a federal resume to help you write your own.
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How To Write A Federal Resume In 2022
Creating a federal resume is a lot trickier than a conventional one.
For starters, you need to make it way more comprehensive .
You also have to add very specific details, such as your GS rating, clearance, and more.
Want to learn how to create/build a federal resume the easy way?
- Whats a Federal Resume & How Does It Differ From a Conventional One
- How to Write a Federal Resume in 6 Easy Steps
- How to Look for Federal Jobs
And more!
So, lets get started.
How To Build A Resume
To build a resume in USAJOBS:
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Choosing The Best Resume Format For A Federal Employee
If your job history has followed mostly a linear path of employee positions, the most commonly used chronological resume format is recommended. Hiring managers favor it too, for being the easiest way to review your career highlights in the employment history section. These are listed under employer headings with dates, in reverse chronological order from most recent to earliest positions,
Other resume formats, such as the functionalor hybrid alternatives, may be suitable for job seekers who are new to the workforce, making a dramatic change in occupations, or have worked mostly in freelance or consulting roles.
How To Build A Federal Resume
A federal resume template is different from an ordinary resume template because it requires a particular format and structure thats necessary for government jobs. In this article, we discuss what a federal resume is, the differences between a federal and regular resume and how to build a federal resume.
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Tr: Is It Really Necessary To Employ A Resume
TP: You can certainly write your federal resume on your own, but letting a professional resume-writing service like TopResume do it for you will save you time and, more importantly, optimize your chances of landing the interview. Resume writing is a crucial part of landing the position you want, so why not leave this sensitive and complex job to an expert?
Our federal resume writers are carefully selected to ensure that they are knowledgeable of the general application process for federal jobs, the structure of the USAJOBS website, the elements of a vacancy announcement, and TopResume’s resume-writing standards. Armed with your critical information and their expert knowledge of the process, your TopResume federal resume writer will craft a federal resume that will leave you feeling confident in your applications.
Tips For Creating Your First Federal Resume
Thinking about applying for a federal or state government job for the first time?
Whether youre transitioning from the military or simply interested in reaping the many benefits of federal employment, the first stop in your federal job search will likely be the USAJobs website. Besides being a fantastic resource for new federal job seekers, USAJobs also hosts the majority of vacancies posted by government agencies.
Job announcements on USAJobs are far more in-depth than most corporate job postings, which can be overwhelming for a new federal job seeker. Even if youre confident that youre qualified for the job after reading through the announcement, you may be questioning how youll translate your diverse experience for a government job. Dont make the fatal mistake of uploading and applying with the same resume youve applied to non-government jobs with!
These federal resume tips will point you in the right direction and guide you through how to write a resume for federal government jobs.
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Describe Your Educational Background
Education is another important facet of your resume. Be sure to only list schools and programs that are accredited through the Office of Personnel Managements standards. If youre an entry-level candidate, consider including more information, like relevant coursework from your education.
Be sure to include these educational details for government recruiters to review:
-
Name of school
-
Awards, scholarships or special recognitions
