For This Issue

KSA’s are still important for
mid and top level jobs.

KSA stands for knowledge, skill and ability. The Federal Hiring Reform Initiative has streamlined but did not eliminate KSA’s. KSA's represent the advanced section of your Federal resume. Federal vacancies, especially at higher levels, always specify the KSA’s needed for the position. That’s why KSA’s are among the most important documents that you will have to submit for any Federal job.

The KSA’s for a job are usually listed as questions in the Qualification section of the vacancy announcement or in the How To Apply section. Sometimes they are under a heading such as “Ranking Factors” or “Qualifications Required” or “Advanced Requirements” or “Specialized Experience.”

KSA’s are critical in applying for SES and senior level positions, and are important for almost every Federal position. These days, competition is intense, especially now when more and more people are looking toward the U.S. government as a safe haven from downsizing in the private sector.

Sometimes, hundreds of people apply for a single opening. This is not an exaggeration. The most dramatic case that I’ve been personally involved in occurred some years ago when I helped someone to win a GS 15 position out of over 1,000 other candidates for the job. I won’t bore you with the story, but suffice to say that applying for a good-paying Federal job is a highly competitive process. To succeed, you’ll need a strong set of application documents.

This is not a test
The first thing to realize about applying for a job in the Federal government is that whatever documents you submit a Federal Resume, an and KSA’s—they are really professional sales documents. These are not tests, not audit reports of your career. Similarly, an application is not a spelling test or a grammar test. The goal in preparing an application or a set of KSA’s is not to write down a lot of accurate information, type it neatly, and not make mistakes. The goal is to get hired. If your document is neatly typed and factually accurate, as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough, will you have an effective sales document? No, you won’t.

So, my advice is to stop thinking about the Federal job application process as a test, and start thinking of it as a sales process.

What makes an effective KSA?
Again, the term “KSA” stands for “Knowledge,” “Skill,” “Ability” (K...S...A). It’s called that because that’s how criteria for Federal jobs are expressed on vacancy announcements. For example: “Skill in conducting technical briefings for scientists.” Or: “Ability to plan and analyze complex situations.”

The KSA’s are used to determine who will ultimately be called in for an interview. In my judgment, your response to each KSA factor should narrate a series of 3-6 examples, describing times when you have done each knowledge/skill/ability, and done it well.

Usually, a full page describing your qualifications in response to each KSA factor will provide enough information to convince the screening panels. However, one or two vague sentences are not enough.

Avoiding a common mistake
One of the most common mistakes I see is what I call “the intelligent person’s error.” What I mean is this: very often, when people are good at what they do they tend to assume that their skills are obvious to everyone else. Wrong especially on a Federal job application. You’ve got to spell it out.

Let’s say the KSA factor is: “Ability to communicate orally and in writing.” Someone who does a lot of both types of communicating might simply write: “I do a lot of writing and a lot of public speaking in my job. I’ve been in this job for almost seven years. It’s second nature to me. I also took a lot of English courses in college.” These statements may be accurate, but there’s no real evidence being presented here

Here’s part of one KSA factor: “Ability to communicate orally and in writing.” It’s taken from an application I prepared for a Pentagon client and it may give you a better sense of what’s required.

Oral Communication
“Presented verbal recommendations for improvements in DoD inventory systems to ensure that all needs were being met by the Joint Staff and other parties affected by these inventories. Conferred with technical personnel to explain in detail the reasoning behind these recommendations.

“Developed a network of professional relationships with personnel out of the supervisory chain, and also with high ranking Army officials. Frequently discussed controversial issues, exchanged technical information, and developed interactions that opened lines of communication and generated more precise clarification on policy and operational issues.

“Successfully completed courses where communications skills were paramount. Completed formal training in: Constructive Conflict Resolution and Techniques of Negotiating.

Written Communication
“Prepared written abstracts and bibliographies while working as a Technical Information Specialist for the Joint Staff, Research and Archiving Branch. Strong working knowledge of technical, scientific, and military terminology. I am often required to use synonyms, higher generics, and logical classes. Because of the technical nature of this work, my written products must be concise and clear.

“Prepared written summaries of official documents and records of the Joint Staff and NATO. I correlated these concepts to the Joint Thesaurus and wrote abstracts relating them to the Thesaurus.

“Provided written assistance to Army intelligence specialists. Assisted in the editing process: grammar, spelling, sentence structure, as well as computerized formatting and graphic design.”

Does all this seem obvious and overly detailed? Perhaps it does. Yet the fact is: it gets people in the door for interviews so they can get hired, and that’s the bottom line. If you want a Federal job, you’ll have to compete for it not just fill in the blanks on the form. This is a sales process. Consider yourself a salesman and write accordingly.

Gabriel Heilig has assisted more than 3,800 people in advancing their careers. He has been Director of a career counseling center as well as a personnel recruiter and an editor to executives at MCI, The White House, and other corporate and government clients. His work recently won an international prize for the US Agency for International Development. To review your material or to receive an estimate, e-mail resume@charm.net. Or call him at 800-583-2792. •