Federal Resume Formatting Tips
If you’re interested in working with the United States government, one of the first steps you’ll need to take is
creating a federal style resume. You’ll use this resume to apply for civil service positions through USAJobs.gov.
If you have questions or aren’t sure if you need a federal style resume, contact the SuccessWorks Career and
Internship Specialist for Government, Policy, International Affairs, and Law!
Not Your Standard Resume
No fancy formatting or graphics
Federal style resumes follow a very simple format, and do not include any graphics, colors, or images. The
easiest way to create a resume in this format is to use the Resume Builder on USAJobs.gov. In this format, all
your relevant experiences, whether they’re jobs, internships, coursework, or volunteer activities, will be placed
into “job blocks” that describe your experiences and are arranged in reverse chronological order.
Full, descriptive sentences
Bullet points are great for standard resumes because they give a quick, impactful overview of your skills and
experience. However, Federal resumes require full, descriptive sentences that go into much more depth about
the tasks you completed and demonstrate the results of your work.
Longer and more detailed
This means that, compared to a single-page standard resume, federal resumes are significantly longer (usually
2-5 pages) and much more detailed. You’ll include information like how many hours per week you worked in
each role, as well as specific examples of the work you accomplished in each of your positions.
Match the Qualifications
Check the requirements!
When you’re applying for a government job, the first thing you have to confirm is that you meet all of the job
requirements. If you can’t clearly and completely show on your resume that you meet all the qualifications that
are listed, you won’t be considered for the job. Read the posting on USAJobs, and then read it again. Make
sure you also check any embedded links and expand any sections that could have more information.
Mirror the language
To show how you meet the qualifications, the best strategy is to mirror the language of the job posting in your
resume. While you’re reading the requirements, pick out key words that tell you what knowledge, skills, and
abilities (KSAs) you need to demonstrate. Sometimes the key words and KSAs are separated out from the rest
of the requirements, and sometimes they are just part of the description. Then, use these same key words and
KSAs to describe your experience in your resume!
Consider using outline format
Using an outline format can be a great way to demonstrate how you meet the job requirements. The HR
Specialist reading your resume may only have a few seconds to decide whether or not you’ll move on to the
next stage of hiring. In outline format, you start section of your job block with a fully capitalized 2-5 word
description of what you did, ideally using the keywords from the KSA’s you picked out from the job posting.
Frank Federal is an example of a federal resume in outline format.
Experience is experience
Many government jobs require some level of related experience. However, this does NOT mean that they
require professional jobs or internships! Any type of related experience, including volunteering, personal
projects, course projects, and student org work, can help you meet the experience requirement. This is where
the job block format works in your favor, because you can show how all of your various personal, professional,
and educational experiences connect to the job you’re applying for.
Highlight accomplishments
When describing your experiences, you’ll want to make sure that you highlight any accomplishments that are
associated with that role. These can be awards you won or recognition you received from your supervisor, but
also any notable successes in your professional projects. If you grew an organization’s social media following
from 50 active followers to 500, or a paper you wrote was published in a journal, that’s a big deal! These details
demonstrate that you not only did the work, but you did it exceptionally well.=
Submit the Application
Get some feedback
Once you have a draft of your Federal resume, it’s important that you get some feedback! This helps to make
sure that you haven’t missed anything and that you’re representing yourself in the best way possible. However,
not everyone who works in career services has experience with federal resumes. If you’re an L&S student or
recent grad, set up an appointment with the Career and Internship Specialist for Government, Policy,
International Affairs, and Law with SuccessWorks!
Complete your profile
Before you can submit your application through USAJobs, you’ll need to complete a profile. This can take an
hour or more to complete, so it’s a good thing to check off your list as early as possible! You’ll fill out your basic
personal information, but also details about your education and other certifications. Once you have the profile
completed, you can move on to the next step of the application process.
Upload your resume
Though you should start building your resume with the USAJobs Resume Builder, you should not upload the
Resume Builder version of your resume as part of your final application (unless it is required)! The font
is extremely small and difficult to read. Instead, download the Resume Builder version of your resume,
increase the font and make any other aesthetic changes you need to, and save that as your final version. This
also makes it easier to tailor your resume to different jobs, as you don’t have to start again from the Resume
Builder each time you want to apply for a job.
Fill out the self-assessment questionnaire, and aim for a high score!
Some positions will require you to fill out a self-assessment questionnaire that allows HR to quickly and easily
evaluate if you meet the job requirements. You should be able to find a preview of this questionnaire, if it’s
required, under the “Required Documents” heading. Candidates that don’t have a high score on the
self-assessment probably won’t be considered, so when filling out your responses, try to get the highest score
you can legitimately justify! Don’t lie, but give yourself due credit and get as close to 100% as you can.
Add any additional required documents
Another thing to note as you’re carefully reading the position description and questionnaire is if there are any
additional materials you need to submit. If you are using your education to show that you fulfill some of the job
requirements, you will need your official university transcripts. Veterans will also need to submit additional
paperwork to claim veteran’s preference. Your application won’t be considered complete without those other
materials, so it’s worth double checking that you have included everything you need before submitting it!
