10 Tips for Writing Your Federal Resume

A Federal resume is very different from one developed for a private sector position. Federal resumes need to be more detailed and include specific information that demonstrates how your qualifications meet the requirements for a particular job. Follow these tips to ensure reviewers get the information they need to assess your fit for a DCAA position.

1. Don’t condense your resume to one or two pages. A Federal resume requires more information—think of it as a job application that lets you clearly and specifically describe your qualifications and achievements.

2. Read the entire job opportunity announcement (JOA) and pay special attention to the “Duties” and “Requirements” sections to determine if you qualify for the position. Requirements are qualifications you must have to be considered.
    
3. Tailor your resume to the JOA to help match your knowledge, skills, and experience to the requirements. You can use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure you include all required content, and then format the resume as you like. 
    
4. Don’t include: your social security number, photos of yourself, or personal information such as age. Do include: your name, address, phone, and email address.
    
5. Include your most recent positions first. It’s usually easiest for reviewers to follow a resume organized in reverse chronological order.
    
6. Be specific about your relevant experience and address every requirement by including:

• The month and year that you started and ended each position;
• The number of hours worked per week;
• The level and amount of experience; and
• Relevant examples of experiences and accomplishments that prove you can perform required tasks and responsibilities described in the JOA.
   

7. Include relevant volunteer and community organization work if it demonstrates your ability to do the job. Describe those experiences in terms that are relatable to the JOA requirements.

8. Show experience and accomplishments under the job title in which you achieved them, to help reviewers understand your amount and level of experience for each qualification. Provide greater detail for experience that is most relevant to the JOA.

9. Try to use numbers, percentages, or dollars to quantify your achievements:

• Examples of how you saved or managed money or time.
• Situations where you increased productivity or improved results.

10. Use plain language, avoiding acronyms and technical or industry terms. Make it easy for a reviewer to understand exactly what you did.