Best Work Well Federal Resume Template to Get Employed

Writing a federal resume is never a piece of cake. This document can get 4-6 pages long, and it has to get you employed for the position of your choice. A perfect resume for a federal job must be rich in details and set you apart from other candidates. But we have you covered.

In this article, you’ll find

• federal resume definition;
• USA jobs resume example;
• federal resume template;
• detailed writing guide;
• and extra success tips.

Let’s dive in!

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What Is a Federal Resume?

A federal resume (or, otherwise, a government resume) is a formal document included in a job application package when applying for positions within a federal government in the U.S. 

Just like any other regular resume, a federal one must include the key information about the applicant, their work experience, qualification, education, etc. At the same time, it must be tailored to the needs and expectations of federal recruiters and, thus, must include specific details, such as a GS rating, clearance, etc.

Federal Resume Example

Looking at well-written federal resume samples helps understand what sections and information to include in your resume.

Here’s a brief federal job resume sample to get you started.

Claire Vold

Project Manager

Phone: +1 202-748-5655

Email: claire.vold@gmail.com

Address:

2032 P St NW,

Washington, DC

20036

Citizenship: U.S.

Highest Grade: GS-11

Veteran’s Preference: None

Availability: Permanent, Full-Time

Dedicated PM with 9+ years of experience and proven strategic planning, project automation, and leadership skills. Seeking to support the office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with top-quality project management skills.

Past Experiences

Project Manager

May 2014 - September 2019

Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Silver Spring, MD

Salary: $77,447 Hours/Week: 40 GS-11

Supervisor: Jeremy Bill, 301-262-4441, may contact

• Led projects with over 90 OSE employees.
• Reached 32% better quality, 21% lower lead times, and 48% lower costs in a year.

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Education

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, New York University

2007-2011

• Excelled in financial management coursework
• GPA 3.8
• Class president 2010-2011

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Certifications

• Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

Languages

• German (Fluent)
• Spanish (Fluent)

Federal Resume Template

The main reason to look for a ready-made federal job resume template is that it can guide you through the process of writing this document step by step.

Here’s a detailed federal government resume template ready for use.

Contact Information

1. Name
2. Job Title
3. Phone Number
4. Email Address
5. Mailing Address
6. Citizenship
7. Highest GS Score
8. Veterans’ Preference
9. Disability; Clearance; Desired Location (if applicable)

Summary or Objective

1. A brief overview of your background to grab the attention of hiring managers.

Work Experience

1. Job title
2. Years and months of employment
3. Employer’s name, city, and state
4. Salary
5. Hours worked per week
6. GS score
7. Supervisor’s name, phone number, and whether it’s okay to contact them
8. 2-3 measurable accomplishments

Education

1. Degree
2. School
3. Years of studies
4. 2-3 achievements

Additional Sections

1. Certifications, awards, languages, volunteering experience, special training, etc.

Extra Documents (if relevant)

This USAJobs template federal resume example is basically like tables of contents for writing your resume.

Difference Between Federal Resume and Conventional Resume

Federal Government Resume

Conventional Resume

Length

4-6 pages

1-2 pages

Details

Extremely detailed. When you apply for federal jobs, you must provide the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with an in-depth overview of your background, professional history, etc.

Not too detailed. It can only include your most notable achievements, key skills, and experiences.

Documentation

A federal job resume might need to involve additional documents like school transcripts, etc.

There’s no need to provide additional documentation in regular applications.

Requirements

To get hired, job seekers must meet all requirements stated by potential employers. 

Civilian roles allow some deviations from stated requirements.
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How to Write a Federal Resume?

Our professional resume writers know that Impressing a federal recruiter is much harder than a regular hiring manager. To land the job, you have to provide thorough information concerning your work history, background, education, etc.

Below is a detailed federal resume guide to help you succeed.

Choose the Best Resume Format

The formatting for federal resumes is defined by the OPM. So, if you want to craft a winning resume and land an interview, you have to adhere to the rules from their announcement.

A machine-readable, tailored only to the applicant tracking system (ATS), and an unstructured document is a bad example. It can make you look sloppy.

Here are signs of a good format instead:

• uses big headlines;
• leverages easy-to-read fonts;
• has lots of white space;
• is organized well.
• created using a reverse-chronological layout.

Start With Detailed Contact Information

Typically, a job-winning resume begins with a name and basic contact info. But a federal resume is different. To make a recruiter want to hire you, you must add extras.

See the example federal resume below.

Write a Federal Resume Objective or Resume Summary

How to write a federal resume? Start with a strong summary or objective to drive the recruiter’s attention and highlight your value.

Here, you should mention your

• title;
• experience;
• key skills;
• several key achievements.
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Include a Relevant Experience in a Resume for Federal Jobs

Every entry of the experience section on a resume for Govt jobs should include:

• years and months of employment;
• job titles;
• names of past employers, cities, and states;
• salaries;
• GS ratings;
• hours worked per week;
• names and numbers of supervisors;
• key accomplishments.

Check out sample federal resumes entries below.

USAJobs.gov Will Help You

USAJobs.gov is a governmental online portal meant for job search. With its help, you can discover lots of federal career opportunities. From the site’s job listing, you can collect the following details for every position:

• location;
• GS rating;
• salary;
• responsibilities, duties, and keywords;
• additional documents needed to apply;
• application procedure details.

How to use it right? Find relevant job announcements to pull the main keywords and skills from them. Then, tailor your USAJobs resume example to the acquired details.

Include Your Education in USA Jobs Resume

Typically, a standard federal resume format implies adding an education section. So, be sure to add a few words about your education to your resume.

Mention the school and degree, years of study, and a few accomplishments (e.g., the classes or coursework in which you excelled, special trainings, GPA, etc.)

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Additional Sections for a Perfect Federal Resume

Finally, answering the question of how to write a government resume that can engage recruiting firms, it’s worth stressing the importance of additional sections. These are used to highlight your value as an employee and add info that complements what was mentioned earlier.

Extra sections can include

• special projects;
• languages;
• volunteering;
• professional awards;
• certifications;
• other job-relevant activities.