Resume Writing

Thinking About Technical Qualifications (TQ)

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A woman in front of a laptop with a thought bubble filled with icons representing different qualifications like a phone, tools, envelope, and phone to represent skills.

Most postings for the Senior Executive Service (SES) include Technical Qualifications (TQ). But if you search for what they are and how to write them, there isn’t much to find. While the SES is focused on leadership, most agencies want to ensure that their selectee has some level of technical knowledge as well. The TQs are your opportunity to demonstrate your relevant technical knowledge.

Unlike your Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) which may be used for virtually all SES positions, TQs are job specific. You will not be able to prepare them in advance or without a specific posting.

Here are some things to assist you in understanding and preparing your TQ:

  • Review the TQ before deciding to apply. If you do not have specific experience with one or more of the TQ, it may not be worth applying.
  • There is no real difference between TQ, Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ), and Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQ).
  • Read the posting carefully; some agencies require 2 pages per TQ, others want only a page, while still other postings want to see evidence of the TQ in your resume. Be sure to follow instructions!
  • There is no required format for TQ. That being said, I recommend that you use the CCAR (challenge-context-actions-result) framework to provide specific examples of when you demonstrated the technical skill being assessed. Ideally, you’ll be able to provide 2 stories for each TQ.
  • When writing a TQ, focus on recency of experience. If the last time you did whatever the TQ is asking about is 20 years ago, it may not be the best posting for you.
  • Use the language of the TQ when writing your response. For example, if the TQ is, “Describe your experience that demonstrates a broad knowledge of animal diseases and epidemiology and incorporation into regulatory or industry control, eradication or safeguarding programs,” your response should include something along the lines of, “I have broad knowledge of animal diseases and epidemiology… One example which highlights my ability to incorporate my knowledge into regulatory and industry control is…”
  • You may use ECQ examples in your TQ. However, be sure to reframe your ECQ stories so that they address and use the language of the specific TQ.

Do I Really Need A New Resume?

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Man looking at computer working on his resume.

I haven’t met anyone yet who thinks writing resumes is fun…except for professional resume writers. If you are staring at your own resume and deciding what to do, here are some thoughts to help you determine if you really should start over.

How long ago was your resume created or updated?

  • If your resume was created within 12 to 18 months, and you’re seeking a similar role to your current position, the answer is easy: Update your existing document. If the resume was created 18 months to 3 years ago, and you’re seeking a similar role, the right answer is probably to update the existing resume.
  • The more difficult choice is if the resume was created between 3-5 years ago. In that case, review the resume format. If the structure is still modern in appearance, and adding the new information doesn’t substantially affect the format, a refresh is most likely the right choice.
  • If the resume was created more than 5 years ago, 99 times out of 100, the right answer is to start over.

Are you seeking a new role in the same profession/career field, or are you changing professions?

  • If you are pursuing a new role in a different field, whether to refresh or do over depends on if the industry you are targeting has different standards for resumes than your current industry. Moving from the federal to the private sector or vice versa would qualify as a do-over.
  • If you are changing careers entirely, you will want to start fresh. You can’t use the same resume for substantially different positions. If you’re a teacher and want to pursue a role in outside sales, your education-focused resume won’t work. If you’re a former trial lawyer who is seeking a role in nonprofit administration, you’ll want a new format that showcases your transferable skills.

Is there an “Objective” statement at the top of your resume?

  • If the answer is yes, you need an overhaul. Even removing the objective statement probably won’t be enough to meet the standards of a modern resume, since the content in the top 1/3 of the resume is so critical. (It needs to be replaced with branding statements and content that showcases your qualifications.)

Has your existing resume gotten too long?

  • Federal resumes typically run 4-6 pages (the longest I’ve ever seen was 67 pages and included footnotes!!); a private sector one should not typically exceed 2 pages. If your resume includes 25 years of work experience in excruciating detail, it may be time to start completely from scratch. The reason is: If you’ve just constantly added new positions without thinking through the strategy of what you’re including on your resume, it may be best to start over.

If you need assistance with your resume you can check out our Resume Writing Services or Contact Us for help! There are also many videos about resume writing on our YouTube channel like ‘Essential Tips for Writing Your Federal Resume‘.

Are You Following to Bad Career Advice?

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There’s a lot of career advice available—some of it is current and informed –other advice, not so much! If you do a simple search for career advice, you will get literally millions of potential hits. And that’s before you hear from friends and relatives. How do you wade through this advice?

Graphic of a jobseeker covering its ears as others speak through a megaphone towards them.
  • Look at the source. Are they a “flash in the pan” or are they credible, credentialed, and currently working in the career field and publishing? I see a lot of people writing about resumes and careers and it is clear that many are not up-to-date.
  • Are they telling you to include an objective and references on your resume? If so, keep looking for more updated advice! No employer cares what you want (objective)—they want to know what you offer. And every employer knows that you’ll provide references if requested; no need to mention references on your resume at all.
  • What about page limits for your resume? If they’re telling you to limit your resume to 1 page and you’ve been working for more than a couple of years, 2 pages for private industry is totally appropriate. And, if you’re looking for a federal job, a one-page resume will never do (and neither will a two-pager).
  • The focus is on finding your “passion.” Most of us have to work, period. If you find yourself in a career that you consider to be your passion, congratulations! But do not expect every job to fulfil every part of yourself. Looking only at jobs that you are passionate about may have you pass by jobs that don’t fit into your ideal job—but might be equally fulfilling.
  • You’re being told to take the first job offered. If you need the money and you need it now, then taking the first job offered may not be the worst thing you can do. But if you can afford to wait a bit and have other potential jobs in process, you may want to try and delay making a decision. This will allow you to see if something else comes up and do your due diligence on the position offered. Of course, you cannot a delay a decision indefinitely.
  • The person offering advice may have an underlying bias. Whether the bias is about what women can do career-wise, or has a generally anxious approach to life, or wants you to make a certain amount of money, or whether they do not want you to leave your current job situation for personal reasons, or something else entirely, consider who is offering the advice and what they may personally get out of your decision.
  • If you set your mind to it, you can do anything; this is common advice—mostly from friends and relatives. You need to be qualified (at least mostly) for the jobs you’re targeting, and your resume has to show it.

No one cares more about your career than you do—manage it strategically. Engage professionals along the way to help, for sure; just make sure that what they’re offering makes sense and represents current best practices.

Thinking About Personal Pronouns on Your Resume and/or LinkedIn Profile?

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You may have noticed pronouns (he/him/his, she/her/hers, they/them/theirs, ze/hir/zir) being included on social media profiles, email signatures, and in the job search process in general. Including pronouns can prevent accidental misgendering, helping you avoid having to correct a hiring manager or recruiter using incorrect pronouns. It could also help you identify an inclusive workplace. There is no one blanket rule/policy that can apply to all, and your decision to include your pronouns is a very personal one.

There are a few ways that you can clarify your pronouns within a job application process. If you want to include on your resume, you can simply add your pronouns under your name in the header (before your contact information). Another perhaps less obvious way to include your pronouns is in your cover letter, beneath your signature at the bottom of the page. You can add your pronouns in parentheses next to your name, or you can add an additional line under your name/title.  Sometimes, job applications will ask you to identify your salutation of Mr./Ms./Dr./other.

If you do want to include your pronouns on your career documents, there are a couple of ways to do so.

  • On the resume, add your pronouns in parentheses next to your name, or under your name. You can also choose to put your pronouns in a different color text to make them stand out.
  • On your cover letter, you can include your preferred pronouns under your signature at the bottom of the page. Or you could add them in parentheses next to — or underneath — your name at the top of the cover letter.
  • When sending an email to a hiring manager or recruiter, you can include your pronouns in your email signature.
  • On job applications, there may be a place to select your gender and/or pronouns. If you identify as nonbinary or transgender, you can leave that question blank if there is not a suitable choice.
  • On LinkedIn, you can add your pronouns to the “Last Name” field (so they appear after your name), or LinkedIn has now added a “Pronouns” drop-down to select your pronouns (or input custom pronouns).

While there can be many benefits to including your pronouns, the unfortunate truth is that there is still hiring discrimination in some quarters, so delineating your pronouns on your documents is ultimately your choice. You may have other opportunities, during the interview or after hiring, to share your preferred pronouns.

3 Approaches to Customizing Your Resume

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There is no such thing as a generic resume anymore. You should customize your resume every time you apply for a job. Here are 3 different approaches to fitting your resume to the job.

Remember: Before customizing your resume, do a “save as” of the document to preserve the original file. Re-name the file with your first name, last name, and desired job title (for example: JaneJobseekerBudgetAnalystResume.doc)

Links from Table:

Writing Your ECQs—Quick Tips

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You’ve made the decision that it is time to prepare your Executive Corps Qualifications (ECQs). Where do you start?

  • Identify your achievements and match them to specific ECQs. Before deciding what story to use in which ECQ, read the ECQ definitions and put the story in the ECQ where it fits the best. All achievements must be from the past 10 years and can only be used once. Focus on YOUR accomplishments, not those of your agency or organization. You should have 10 separate achievements and achievements should be from your executive level (this is generally GS-14 and up for current federal employees; O-6 and above for military members, and comparable experience for private sector applicants).
  • Review the definition of CCAR (challenge-context-action-result) to make sure you understand it. Your ECQs must be prepared using the CCAR framework.
  • Outline your stories. ECQ reviewers are looking for challenges above and beyond your daily work; try to have at least one action for each of the ECQ’s underlying competencies; and keep in mind that all results must show that you solved the challenge.
  • Use as many metrics as you can. Throughout your narratives, be sure to include numbers of people, dollar figures, customers served, etc. And, quantitative results are always more compelling than non-quantitative ones. If you do use a qualitative result, you may want to use a quote from an award recommendation or performance evaluation. It’s not enough to just note that things are better; you need to prove it.
  • Utilize “I” throughout your narratives. Although you may have worked with a team or supervised others during the achievement, your ECQs need to focus on your personal contributions.
  • Remember your audience. While your agency may “want” you for a SES position, they can’t have you unless you are certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB). The QRB members who will review your ECQs if you are selected by your agency will not include anyone from your agency. That means your ECQ narratives must be understandable to those who do not know your work or your acronyms.
  • Put in the required time. Putting together a strong ECQ package takes time. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) estimates that you should spend 40+ hours preparing the first draft of your ECQs—and another 6 months to get it right.

Ready to get started? There’s no time like the present!