Federal Job Search

Helpful tips for using USAJOBS

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It is important to fully understand the distinctions for your federal jobs search. Here are some tips for using USAJOBS and understanding the system:

Job Searches in USAJOBS
When you save a search in USAJOBS, the system automatically seeks those jobs that match the keywords and other criteria in your search; this tool is helpful to further discover more jobs that fit your interests. USAJOBS email you daily, weekly, or monthly when there are new jobs that align with your desired criteria. Applicants can create and save up to 10 saved searches; however, after one year, a saved search will expire.

How to Save a Job Search and Sign Up for Email Notifications
1. Sign in to USAJOBS (only signed in users can save their search).
2. Search a keyword or location in the search box.
3. You can narrow results by using filters.
4. Click Save this search on the search results page located above the search results.
5. Give the search a name—this will help you manage your saved searches.
6. Choose how often to get notified (daily is recommended since some jobs can open and close within a week or less)
7. Click Save.

How to Manage Your USAJOBS Saved Searches
1. Sign into USAJOBS and go to Saved Searches.
2. to see more details of the search, click the +, and from here there are multiple options:
• Run saved search | Click View Results to run the saved search and see results.
• Renew a search | Click Renew to renew the search for an additional year after it expires.
• Edit your saved search | Click Edit search criteria to change keywords, location or filters. You may save you updated search.
• Edit your notification settings | Click Edit notifications settings to change notifications to daily, weekly, monthly, or to turn them off.
• Delete saved search | Saved searches can only be deleted from archived list. Go to archived saved searches and click the + and then click Delete located under the Unarchive Search button.
If a saved search is deleted, you will no longer receive emails for those search results.
• Archive saved search | Click Archive to move the saved search to the archived list.

Checking the Status of Applications
1. Sign in to USAJOBS.
2. Go to Applications located on the Home page; active applications display automatically.
3. Review list of applications (applications are listed by the date they were last updated). The application status is highlighted next to each job application.
4. Click the + to see more application details.

Meanings Each Status
Each status tells you at what stage application is within the application process—whether it’s been received, reviewed, selected, not-selected, etc.
• Advancing
Your application has been received and is being considered for employment.

• Received
The hiring agency has received your application.

• Reviewed
The hiring agency has reviewed the application but whether or not it meets the qualifications has not yet been determined.

• Referred
Application is among the best qualified and is referred to the next step in the selection process.

• Selected
The hiring agency has offered a position.

• Hired
Applicant has accepted the position.

• Paused
The job application has not been completed and requires further action.

• In Progress
The application is unfinished; it has been started, but not completed or submitted yet. If the job is still open, the application can be completed and submitted.

• Incomplete
The application is not complete; it may be missing required documents. If the job is still open, the application can be completed and submitted.

• Stopped
Application is no longer being considered for the job, or the agency canceled the job. Applications with this status will automatically archive three months after the last status update.

• Canceled
The job announcement has been withdrawn without anyone being hired. A job announcement can be canceled any time after the job is posted.

• Not Referred
Application is not among the best qualified and has not been referred to the next step in the selection processes.

• Not Selected
Applicant has not been selected for the position.

• Not Hired
Candidate was not offered the position or declined the offer.

• Unknown
The status of the job application cannot be determined.

Note: Unavailable status may appear because…
• The hiring agency may not have yet updated USAJOBS to show that your resume was received or that your application was complete.
• Applicant may not have completed the application process.
• Applicant may not have properly logged out of USAJOBS.
• The hiring agency’s system did not return the status of the application to USAJOBS.

Making Sure Your Resume Works in Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)

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Those of you venturing into the private sector for the first time should know that private sector resumes are much different than federal ones. One of the major differences is that virtually all private sector resumes are run through Applicant Tracking Software (ATS).

There is no industry standard for ATS. That being said, there are some commonalities across systems. Since you may be thinking about updating your private sector resume—or even creating your first private sector resume—in honor of International Update Your Resume Month, here are some things to know as you work on your private sector resume.

• Key words are king. Make sure that your resume reflects the key words for the position you are targeting, Not sure what the key words are? Try running the job announcement through a word cloud software.

• Do not put your name and contact information in the header or the footer. Not all ATS can read what you put in a header or a footer. Some ATS can but why take that chance?

• If you have a title such as PE, PhD, CEM or even Junior, you may want to leave it off your resume. You do not want the ATS to read your last name as PhD.

• Standardization is the way to go. Most ATS uses (and expects) standard section headers. This is not the time to get creative. Use headers such as Education, Work Experience, Certifications. Dates should be expressed as months and years. Many ATS calculate years of experience from dates and they need the months to do so accurately.

• Use Word and send your resume as a .doc if at all possible. Some ATS cannot read a PDF, JPG, or even .docx. If you are a Mac user, invest in Word for Mac (the real Word).

• Make sure that your email address, LinkedIn URL, and other links are not live. You do not want ATS to read your live link as a potential virus.

• For your experience headings, you should put Company, Location on one line and Job Title, Dates on a second line underneath the organization and location.

• Make sure the file name says more than “resume.” Instead, make your file name: Your Name, Job Title Applied For.

Take 5 min to Proofread Your Resume the Right Way

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Did you know September is International Update Your Resume Month? Likely not, but it’s a perfect time to proofread your resume. Proofreading is hard—and it’s especially difficult to proofread your own work. Despite the challenges, it is critical that your resume be perfect and, if you’re including a cover letter, that needs to be perfect too.

Asking someone else to proofread your document is a good strategy but make sure the person you ask has strong grammar, spelling, and editing skills. And of course, you want to proof your own documents.

Some tested strategies for proofreading include:
• Read your document slowly from beginning to end to check for typos and other errors.
• Run spell check (recognizing that spell check is far from perfect and will not pick up errors in word usage; for example, using manger when you meant manager.
• Read your document backwards, starting at the end and then reading right to left
• Read your document out loud
• Run your document through Grammarly.com or other similar software

Here are some other ideas to address common mistakes:

Check for Punctuation Issues:
• Put periods at the end of all full sentences
• Keep your punctuation consistent when using bullets
• Periods and commas belong within quotation marks
• One space after a period is the current standard (not two spaces, which is appropriate for typewriters—and you’re not using a typewriter for your resume, are you?

Check for Spelling Errors:
• Don’t rely on spell check—it will not catch homophones or wrong words that are spelled correctly
• Use a dictionary
• Put your resume away for a couple of days and then read it; some times a few days away will help you see errors that were invisible before

Check Capitalization:
• Capitalize the first word of every sentence and bullet point
• Capitalize names and other proper nouns. The names of cities, countries, companies, religions, and political parties are proper nouns, as are days, months, and holidays. Other proper nouns including nationalities, institutions, and languages
• Governmental matters should be capitalized (as an example, Congress but not congressional, US Constitution but not constitutional)
• Government agencies are capitalized but the words federal and state and not generally capitalized unless those words are part of an official title (like Federal Trade Commission but not federal regulations)
• Titles are capitalized when they are followed by a name unless the title is followed by a comma
• Titles are not capitalized if it is used after a name or instead of a name

Tense Tips:
• Former jobs should always be in past tense
• Accomplishments should always be in past tense

Typos and other errors can be the “kiss of death.” The above tips, while not all-inclusive, will help ensure that your resume, cover letter, and other career documents are error-free.

Five Things To Do Following an Interview

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Your interview went well, now what? For one thing, it is not time to rest on your laurels. You need to keep the momentum moving forward.

Here are 5 things to do following your interview:

1. Send a thank you note. If your interview was with the government, email is appropriate since most “snail mail” goes through testing before it is actually delivered. If you are interviewing with a company or nonprofit organization, then a handwritten note is still best.

2. Keep applying for other positions, even while you wait. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Some jobs never get filled. For example, the budget for the new position might not be approved. Or the responsibilities of the job opening may be distributed to one or more existing employees. Or an internal candidate may have suddenly become available, and the position is offered to him or her. There are many reasons why the position may never be filled at all.

Sometimes you were the best candidate that they had interviewed so far, but then someone whose skills and experience were an even better fit came through the door. Even though the job interview went well, you might not be offered the job. That’s why it’s important to keep applying for other jobs.

3. Develop any specific skills or knowledge that were mentioned in the job interview but that you’re weak in. Specific software platforms might be one example; knowledge of a specific law or regulation is another. Not only will this give you something to do while you wait, but it’s also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your serious interest in the position, because you can mention what you’re doing to strengthen your skills in your follow up with the interviewer or during a second interview.

4. Reach out to your network. If someone you knew at the organization who put in a good word for you with the hiring manager, be sure to check in with him or her after the interview. Your contact may be able to provide you with insight about the number of candidates interviewed, how your candidacy was perceived, and other valuable information about the hiring process and the organization culture. You can also look for connections or possible connections on LinkedIn who could put in a good word…of course you should have done this before the interview but it’s never too late!

5. Touch base with your references. Let them know that you’ve interviewed for the position (give them the job title and organization) and that they may be contacted. Make sure they have an updated copy of your resume. Ask them to let you know if they hear from the hiring manager.
BONUS: start preparing for the second round of interviews! Do more research about the organization If you anticipate you’ll be asked about a specific project you worked on, put together a brag book or portfolio to use in the second interview. Google the organization and find out what they’re working on, and how this job might impact their future plans. Be prepared!!

Explaining Why You Left a Job

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Hiring new employees is expensive for a company. There’s the time and effort involved in attracting candidates, screening them, and conducting interviews. There’s staff time required to set the person up in the human resources and benefit system, plus the expense to onboard and train the new hire. These expenses can add up to hundreds — or even thousands — of dollars. As a result, hiring managers want to ensure the candidate will be a good fit. Questions asked in the interview process will help determine if a prospective employee is a good match for the company and role.

One question you’re likely to be asked in an interview is why you left your last job (or why you want to leave your current position). You need to be ready to answer this question.

The question may be asked in a variety of different ways:

  • Why are you looking for a new position?
  • Why did you leave your most recent position?
  • Why did you leave (a previous job)?
  • Your prospective employer wants to know that you’re going to be successful in your new role, if you’re offered the position. So having an understanding of why you are moving on can be critical. The interviewer is looking for insight into why you may — or may not — be a good fit at this company. Because past performance is often a good indicator of future performance, learning more about how you fit in at a previous job may give insight into your potential for success in this job.

For example:

  • Was there a good reason you left? If you were with your previous company for five years and you left when the company was sold, that’s understandable. However, if you say that your commute was too long, but you’re interviewing in the same area, your employer may wonder if you’re going to stick around for more than a few months as well! (Or they may wonder if there was another reason for your departure from your previous job.)
  • Did you quit, or were you fired? Sometimes, good employees are let go due to no fault of their own — such as when a company eliminates an entire division, or dismisses all employees with a certain job title. However, if that wasn’t the case, the interviewer will want to determine if there were performance or integrity issues that resulted in your departure. The circumstances of your separation from the company can help answer this question: Are you a loyal employee who values work?
  • Are you still on good terms with your previous employer? Employees who burn bridges when they quit may demonstrate their inability to handle conflict. But if you left a company while still maintaining a relationship with your previous boss, that’s a good sign for the prospective employer. If your previous supervisor allowed you to use him or her as a reference for this job, that’s a great sign. The interviewer wants to know if you can exit a situation while remaining on good terms with others.

There are some particular “red flags” that a hiring manager is looking for. These include personality conflicts, a negative attitude, or poor performance.

What Are Some Likely Reasons For Leaving a Job?

While there are many reasons why you might leave a job, here are some common ones:

  • Your position is being eliminated. Whether due to budget cuts, the elimination of a division, loss of a client, or working in a declining industry (such as retail), sometimes job cuts are not personal. Being laid off — particularly when it’s unrelated to performance — can happen to anyone.
  • The company you work for is being acquired. Duplication of positions is not uncommon when one company acquires another. Layoffs and job reductions can often result from a company’s purchase or sale.
  • You are seeking new challenges. If your current role doesn’t offer opportunities for advancement, and you’re looking for new challenges and/or more responsibilities in your next position, be prepared to highlight your accomplishments in your current job and be specific about what about the role you’re seeking meets your desire to take on greater responsibilities.
  • This is your dream job. Almost every jobseeker has a “dream job” in mind — and no matter how much you like your current job, if that position becomes available, you’d be crazy not to apply for it. Let the interviewer know this is that opportunity for you.
  • Expectations changed. Whether because of new management, budget cuts, a shift in company strategy, or something else, your current role may have changed enough to where either you — or the company — decide it’s no longer a fit. If you were let go because you failed to meet your manager’s expectations, make it known that you have learned from the experience (and make sure the questions you ask in the interview are geared towards finding what the expectations and outcomes of the current role would be).
  • You want to make a change. Whether you are seeking a career change — or a life change — make sure you are prepared to discuss why you want to make a change. Specifically, what will be different about your next job that wasn’t true about your previous position (or previous career)?
  • You were fired for cause. Be honest about the fact that you were fired, putting emphasis on why this was an isolated incident (if it was) and the lesson you learned.
  • It was an unplanned departure. Needing to take care of a family member, or having an unexpected health crisis can make it difficult to keep your job. In the interview, emphasize that the situation has resolved itself and what you did to stay current in your field during your absence (i.e., freelance work, volunteering, and/or ongoing training and education).

Should You List the Reason You Left a Job on Your Résumé?

Most of the time, you should not list the reason why you left your current job on your résumé. For previous positions, you may include the reason, if it helps tell the story of your career progression. For example, if your company was acquired or sold, you may include that description. (“Division was sold in 2016 to ABC Brands and position was eliminated.”) Or, if you were recruited away by a competitor, you could disclose that. “Recruited to lead newly-formed department, assembling a team that achieved 14 percent market penetration in first year.”

However, including that type of information on the résumé is not necessary. You may, however, include the reason for your departure — or your reason for pursuing the current role — in your cover letter. It’s not a requirement, however, and because it’s almost guaranteed to be brought up in the interview, you may not want to address it in the cover letter.

Four Tips for Answering The Tough Question About Why You Left a Job

  • Don’t lie. A quick phone call to your previous supervisor can verify — or disprove — the reason you provided. Better to be honest than get caught lying.
  • Never be negative about your previous employer when asked why you left the previous job. You can mention parts of the job that weren’t a good fit for your personality or experience — but only if you are sure those responsibilities are not a part of the new job too. Don’t criticize your previous supervisor or co-workers.
  • Don’t be defensive. Instead, focus on objective reasons for your departure. Avoid negativity or blame. Don’t position yourself as a victim. Stating that the position wasn’t what you expected it to be is a better way to describe the situation than “My boss didn’t give me clear expectations about how to do my job.”
  • Emphasize the positive. Why are you interested in this job? Position yourself as moving forward. If this is your ideal role or dream job, say so!

What Not to Wear…For a Job Interview

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Dressing for interviews has gotten harder as workplace attire has become more casual. But one thing that hasn’t changed in the job search process is that people will judge you based on first impressions.

What you wear to an interview may have changed — in some situations — but the need to dress appropriately for the interview has not. It used to be that a suit (for men) and a dress (for women) was required attire for a job interview. Now, wearing a suit might actually work against you — for example, it might signal to a prospective employer that you don’t understand the organizational culture. (Particularly if the employee dress code leans more towards jeans and sneakers than ties and loafers.)

While it’s important to feel comfortable in what you wear to an interview, you don’t want to look too comfortable. Little details about your attire will likely be noted by the interviewer and can make the difference between getting a second interview (or job offer) or not.

Dressing appropriately for an interview demonstrates that you’ve done your research and that you pay attention to detail. Just like you study the organization’s website ahead of time to be prepared for a job interview, studying the company culture — especially as it relates to employee attire — demonstrates your interest in working for the organization.

The hiring manager can form an impression about you in the first five seconds of meeting you. Dressing appropriately conveys a very different impression than an impression made with poorly hemmed pants and shoes that are falling apart. It’s very difficult to change a first impression.

Even if your interview is a virtual interview (telephone or video — i.e., Skype), you should still “dress to impress.” Don’t make the mistake of only dressing your top half for a video interview either. There are dozens of horror stories about having to stand up suddenly or change positions and your suit-on-top-shorts-on-the-bottom look is revealed.

Interviewing When You’re Currently Employed

If you are job hunting while you are currently employed, you might find yourself wondering what to do if you have a job interview scheduled for a day you have to work. How do you dress for an interview when the interview attire is significantly different from what you wear to work in your existing job? You don’t want to show up for work in a suit when you normally come to work dressed in khaki pants and a button-up shirt.

Instead, plan to change clothes before your interview — but don’t change at your current workplace or at the company where you are interviewing. Instead, change somewhere in between — preferably some place that you will have access to a full-length mirror so you can double-check every detail of your appearance. If you don’t have time to go home, a mall or clothing store can be options. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to change and still get to the interview a few minutes early.

Interviewing at a New Organization

First, you need to research the organization’s dress code. How can you do that? Ask someone who works there. If you don’t know anyone who works there, go by the worksite at the beginning or end of the day (or during lunch) and see what people are wearing as they go in and out of the building.

Once you have a general idea of dress code, you need to decide how to apply that information to what you’re actually going to wear. One guideline for interview attire is to “Dress One Step Higher.” Once you know what an employee in the position you’re applying for would normally wear to work, elevate it one notch. So, for example, if the typical employee wears khaki pants and a button-up shirt, you might wear dress slacks, a blazer, and a shirt with a tie. For women, a pair of black dress slacks can be worn with a nice sweater and/or button-up shirt or blouse, or button-up shirt and blazer or jacket, and dress shoes or low-heeled shoes. A modest dress (knee length or longer in an interesting color or a muted pattern) is also an option.

Regardless, don’t let your clothes be a distraction. You want the focus to be on you, not what you’re wearing. Be remembered for your interview answers, not your interview attire.