You could be missing your chance to land the job you want by sending out the same resume for both corporate job applications and federal government job applications. You may be missing out on the job you desire if you have been unsuccessful in applying for government jobs.

How to differentiate federal resumes vs. corporate resumes

It is important to realize that the job search process for federal employees will be different from those in the private sector if you are considering a career in this field. To be eligible for federal employment, you will need to have a well-written resume. You should not just polish your corporate resume and use it to get a federal job. There are clear differences between corporate and federal resumes.

We will discuss the differences between the two formats so you can make sure your resume does what you want it to. As a guide, we also offer an example of each type of specialized format.

Length

Federal and state government jobs require a 4- to 5-page resume (plus pages for students or recent graduates). Although this may seem daunting, or even impossible, federal resumes require more information about your skills and experience than corporate resumes. Federal resumes should include information about your experience in each of the following areas: Specialized Experience, Knowledge and Skill, Ability (also called KSAs), Competency, and Competency. You can also highlight achievements in each area if possible. You must also include the details necessary to support your answers if you are asked for a job.

A corporate resume typically contains a 1- to 2-page summary of your achievements and background, or sometimes three pages if you are applying for executive leadership positions. Your most relevant and recent skills and experience should be included in a corporate resume. Your corporate resume should not be too detailed. Instead, it should highlight your job-related accomplishments.

Your Qualifications

Federal resumes must show that you are at least minimally qualified for the job. This can be done by listing how you have demonstrated the skills, knowledge, abilities, and competencies required in the job posting. For job postings that require Specialized Experience, hiring managers will look at 1 year of your experience. They will also examine your resume for average hours and the dates of your employment to ensure you have 40 hours in 52 weeks.

You cannot be lenient about missing qualifications or requirements. The federal government has strict policies regarding hiring. You won’t be considered if you don’t possess one of the required KSAs. Don’t waste your time filling out an application or tailoring your resume. It is possible to be given an “Incomplete Application”, or “Not Qualified”, ranking right away.

Corporate resumes allow for greater flexibility in terms of qualifications. If they are unable to find candidates with all the abilities, hiring managers will consider candidates who have some or all of these capabilities. Experts advise that you should not apply for a job where 100% of the qualifications are required. This will make you overqualified and limit your opportunities for professional growth. This is good news for anyone looking for a career change. Job seekers can concentrate on transferable skills while still being eligible for corporate jobs.

Keywords in your resume

Federal resumes are treated as a 100-point test. An HR Specialist from the government agency where you are applying will read your federal resume and give you a grade. Your experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies will all be evaluated. This task will be made easier by organizing your information using keywords that correspond with these details.

Before a corporate resume can be reviewed by an HR professional, recruiter, or hiring manager, it must pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) first. The natural integration of the correct keywords is key to conquering this software. These are usually the skills and qualifications listed in job postings. This section can be found on the first page of your resume.

The layout of your resume

Federal resumes should contain minimal or no design elements. Flashy federal resumes will not help you stand out. You will stand out if your federal resume is easy to read and shows that you are the most qualified candidate. You can make it easy to scan a lengthy and detailed resume by using keywords. Bullets are also a great way to highlight achievements.

Corporate resumes offer many design options. While you can use a conservative color for your name and headings and be creative with capitalization and other font styles, you can also add design elements such as borders and spacing adjustments to keep them compatible with ATS. Graphic resumes can be created for interviews and networking events, provided they are not uploaded to job applications.

Additional Information Needed

You must include certain information on your federal resume for every job you held in the past ten years, including the address of the company, average hours worked per week, your supervisor’s name, and the number of your supervisor. Additional sections should be included in a federal resume to support each qualification, including KSAs and Specialized Experience. If you have work experience that demonstrates the qualifications and KSAs, it is a good idea to include your volunteer experience.

Your corporate resume should provide a summary of your skills and qualifications, not additional information that may not be directly relevant to the job. If you have transferable or solid work experience, your resume should include a summary of volunteer experience. A reader can view your LinkedIn profile and recommend you to them.

Which one do you prefer?

If the job you are applying for is online at USAJOBS.gov or governmentjobs.com or another government agency website, you will need a federal resume. A federal job posting will contain details that are not found on corporate job postings. These include the Pay Scale, Grade, Who May Apply or Promotion Potential, Requirements Documents, and an Application Questionnaire.

If the job posting you are applying for is on a company website, Indeed, or ZipRecruiter, you will need a corporate CV. These job postings provide information about the company and the general duties of the job. They also include instructions on how to submit a resume or application.

You can get help with your resume by using the resume writing service available on our website. This will assist you in getting that job you have always desired.

CONCLUSION

It is easy to ignore the differences between federal and private resumes. This is especially true when you consider that many applicants apply for federal jobs before being offered. Many times, these applicants are highly qualified but face rejections because they don’t send in the resumes that HR professionals want to review.

Making a CV that complies with all of these extremely stringent requirements is not an easy endeavor, as you may anticipate. But that doesn’t mean you should just put together a generic résumé and cross your fingers. There are ways to improve your chances of fulfilling those requirements, like using our website’s resume writing service to receive assistance with your resume. This will help you land the position you’ve always wanted.