Differences Between Federal Resumes and Standard Resumes

You find yourself looking for a federal job and are taking a peak at your resume to see what needs to be updated. Let me help you with that… all of it. This may (or may not) be the first time you are hearing this, but federal resumes which are used to get government jobs are very different from the industry standard resume.

I’d love to explore the question of why here, but it’s rather lengthy and I’ll address it in my next article about Federal Resumes, so stay tuned (click here for the newest post on federal resumes.)

I recently went to the USA Jobs website to see if my current location in Corpus Christi had many openings for some clients of mine- there were 257! That may not seem like a lot, but there is virtually nothing here related to the military anymore, so that is a ton. I also checked out Virginia Beach, Virginia, where we just moved from and there were 622 jobs in that area. This means that there are tons of government jobs that need to be filled, every single day and most remain unfilled. The biggest reason is that people don’t apply and those that do don’t have their resume formatted correctly.

Oh! My! Goodness! Let’s please fix this so you can get a government job. Before we can do that, we need to know the differences between federal and standard resumes.

Some of the differences between government resumes or federal resumes and standard resumes are pretty apparent at first glance, but some are not. Additionally, because there is so much variation in how we can write our standard resume, there are some elements to the federal resume that may not seem different than a standard resume to you. While you have the option of doing these in your standard resume, I don’t recommend it. Please leave these for your federal resume only.

Possible Differences Between Federal Resumes and Standard Resumes

• Limited graphics- federal resumes allow for almost no graphics whatsoever. This leads to a very boring looking resume, which is why it isn’t recommended for your standard resume. Federal resumes allow the use of CAPITAL LETTERS and bolding plus a few bullet points to make accomplishments stand out, but that is it. 

• Paragraph format- most of your federal resume will be written in paragraph format. This is not something that is recommended for your standard resume at all. But, federal resumes are looking for more information regarding your job duties and therefore, paragraphs are required to convey all the necessary details.

Next we get to the obvious differences between federal and standard resumes. These are generally focused on the “look” of your resume as well and are highly noticeable. 

Obvious Differences Between Federal Resumes and Standard Resumes

• Length- federal resumes are between 3-5 pages long. This is primarily because you are giving the hiring agency more information, so it takes more space.

• Chronological Order Only- with standard resumes, you have your pick between chronological, functional, infographic, or combination resumes. Federal resumes are only in chronological order.

• Requires federal elements- for each job you’ve held. These federal elements can be tricky and just plain annoying to track down sometimes, but as they are required, you won’t get very far if you don’t have them. It’s definitely worth spending the extra time to make sure you have all of the information. Federal elements include veterans or spouse preference, previous supervisors’ information (phone number or email and if it is okay to contact them), salary, exact dates you worked in a position, etc.

Finally, there are the more subtle differences between federal resumes and standard resumes. Many people get the part of the format, but forget to overhaul the content of their resume to turn it into a government job ready resume.

Subtle Differences Between Federal Resumes and Standard Resumes

• Keyword focused- a good federal resume will be focused on keywords that are found in the job announcement and in the agency’s OPM standards. Hiring managers and the computer screener look for these keywords to determine if you get referred for an interview. 

• Accomplishments set you apart- while you can’t force someone to have an accomplishment on their resume or even in their past positions, they do set you apart in the federal resume application process. You are strongly encouraged to list accomplishments on your federal resume and the best way to do this is with bullet points.

• Accomplishments are focused on the “how”- of what you did to achieve the results. Obviously, you want to include the results, if possible, but they are more concerned with how you achieved this accomplishment and how it helps set you apart from others.

• Curtail your resume to competencies listed in the job description- this is imperative to get through the screening process. Your federal resume needs to be tailored to each specific position to which you apply.

• Hiring managers focus on other responsibilities- fiscal responsibility, cost control, implementation of programs as they pertain to serving the American public. All government jobs are considered to be public service, regardless of agency, title or job function. As a result, your resume should highlight how you demonstrated or could demonstrate the above stated duties.

I am currently also working on an article on the “how” of writing federal resumes and there will be more details in that. If you can be patient, it should be out in about 2 weeks. If you can’t wait that long, then definitely seek out help from an expert… like me!

I hope you’ve found this helpful. If you are looking for more information, please visit my website- Higher & Hire. If I can be of assistance to you, please reach out to me here.

Many Thanks!

Valerie Palmer - Career and College Admissions Expert