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Hello!
How To Read A Vacancy Announcement for Federal
Jobs
Dear Advisor,
My plan for finding a Federal job is to flood the system with applications.
Quantity is the key to success in my opinion. The Vacancy Announcements I see on
line are long and complex. Do you think I really should wade through them and
address every subtle requirement? Isn’t my time better spent sending out a high
number of applications?
Mike
Phoenix, AZ
Dear Mike,
“Is it really so important to read the Vacancy Announcement?” The answer is yes, especially if you are
looking for a higher level job, say a job above GS-5. It is less important under
GS-5. A good rule is that the higher your salary expectations, the more
important having the full Vacancy Announcement becomes. Above GS-9 it really is
critical.
The Announcement is important for two main reasons: One it contains the detailed
instructions for filing your application. Two, it lists the qualifications for
the job.
Filing Instructions
With regard to the detailed instructions for filing your application: This
includes more than the address. (The filing address is given in the job listing
which is published in the newspaper, so you already have it.) The Announcement
also includes a list of the documents the examiner may wish to see included with
your Federal resume. For example, sometimes a transcript of your school record
is requested. If you do not include your transcript, your application will
receive a lower rating. Other times a special application form may be requested.
You will need to obtain this form (from the phone number or web address given)
and complete it. Again, not including this form may result in your application
receiving a lower rating. These are the kinds of details on filing your
application that are listed in the Vacancy Announcement. Having these filing
instructions is important.
Qualification Details
The Vacancy also lists the qualifications for the job. You should make sure
that your resume presents evidence that you have these qualifications. The best
way to do this is to respond point-by-point to the listed qualifications. If you
do not know what these qualifications are, you cannot be sure that your resume
addresses them. Having the Vacancy Announcement in front of you is the only way
to know for sure what these qualifications may be. This may mean changing your
resume more than once. That’s work. But by now you are surely aware that looking
for a job is work.
Federal Resume
This website contains a Federal Resume builder. You can use it to create a
Federal Resume which will be in the proper format.
If You Have No Access to the Internet
Not everyone has access to the internet at home or at work. However, just
about everyone has access to a public library. Every public library these days
offers its patrons access to a computer and the internet. A trip to the local
library for this purpose may be inconvenient, but it is important. Having the
full Vacancy Announcement in front of you can make all the difference in quality
of your application.
To submit questions to the Federal Jobs Advisor, write to: Federal Jobs
Advisor, PO Box 693, Emmaus, PA 18049. We regret that not all questions may be
answered. •
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