Resume Place: Does Your Federal Resume Tell a Story? What’s Your Story?
Want your resume to stand out? Tell your story.
When you are writing your federal resume, you only have 2 pages to make an impression. First, you have make sure you include the required information and the announcement keywords to get best qualified. Second, you have to stand out to get an interview. One way to do that is to make sure that your resume tells your story. That is, what have you done that is interesting or impressive? What value-add have you brought to your positions? What have you accomplished? Why was it important to the organization? The easiest way to tell your story is through accomplishments.
Try to make your accomplishment story impressive, engaging and match the qualifications of the target job.
Let’s look at a sample case. Evy is applying for jobs as a park ranger. She’s worked as a whitewater rafting and backpacking guide. Below is her target announcement, with keywords listed after each section. Following the announcement is a before and after for her rafting guide job block, with keywords and accomplishments added.
Evy’s target job: USAJOBS – Job Announcement
Park Ranger (River Patrol)
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Summary
This position is located in Westwater (Grand County), Utah. Information about Westwater and the surrounding area can be found here. We expect to fill few vacancies.
Note: These are not law enforcement positions.
Duties
- This position serves as a River Ranger for the Canyon Country District.
- Assists the public with the management of permits which includes accepting initial application and data entry.
- Works with the public to provide information and conduct permit compliance.
- Responds to emergency situations.
- Evaluates visitor use patterns, prepares, and maintains recreation sites, and monitors condition of sites.
- Develops and maintains interpretive materials and educational displays, and staff information desks.
- Applies thorough, specific knowledge of agency policies, objectives, and operating methods related to the functional area.
- Oversees fee collection activities, maintains fee accounting record, and submitting deposits.
- Develops interpretive programs and presents interpretive information to the public.
- Responds to emergency situations, including swift water rescue and administering first aid.
- Conducts river patrols.
KEYWORDS FOR THE FEDERAL RESUME:
Permits, data entry
Public, provide information, permit compliance
Emergency situations, swift water rescue, first aid
Visitor use patterns, recreation sites
Interpretive materials, educational displays, programs, and information
Fee collection, fee accounting
River patrols
Qualifications
Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified:
2. An applicant appointed to this position must have knowledge of and experience in using whitewater rescue techniques to include swift water swimming, recognition of swift water hazards, knowledge of shallow and deepwater crossings and rescue problems.
3. An applicant appointed to this position must have experience with rafting oar framed rafts (15 feet or greater).
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements – please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.
KEYWORDS FOR THE FEDERAL RESUME:
Valid state driver’s license
Whitewater rescue techniques, swift water swimming, swift water hazards, shallow and deepwater crossings, rescue problems
Rafting, oar framed rafts (15 feet or greater)
In addition to the selective placement factors requirements, to qualify at the GS-07 level you must meet the following:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-05 level comparable in difficulty and complexity to perform the duties of a Park Ranger. Qualifying specialized experience includes: coordinating day to day operation of a recreation area such as camping, water sports, picnic areas, or coordinating routine activities with maintenance personnel; advising visitors concerning safety, fire prevention, or proper and authorized uses of recreational facilities; providing information to visitors concerning points of interest, travel routes, historical and natural features, and/or park activities; collecting fees and/or processing permits; AND using a computer to perform administrative duties such as typing, scanning documents, data entry, or running reports.
OR Education: To qualify based on education you must have one (1) full year (18 semester hours) of graduate-level education in a related field of study.
OR Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the difficulty and complexity to do the work of this position.
KEYWORDS FOR THE FEDERAL RESUME:
Day to day operation of a recreation area
Advise visitors on safety, fire prevention, proper/authorized uses of recreational facilities
Visitor information on points of interest, travel routes, historical and natural features, and/or park activities
Fee collection, permit processing
Administrative duties, typing, document scanning, data entry, reports
Physical Demands: Work requires some physical exertion such as bending and walking in terrain that is rough, rocky, mountainous and densely vegetated. Required to lift and carry equipment necessary to efficiently perform the work of the position, and to provide for personal comfort and safety. This can include tools, personal protective equipment, food and water for extended periods of work away from vehicles.
Work Environment: Office work is performed in a setting that is adequately lighted, ventilated, cooled and heated. When doing fieldwork is subject to cuts and bruises, extreme, adverse weather conditions, and injuries and discomforts from pests or animals. Employee will adhere to all safety rules.
Your answers to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:
- Clerical
- Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
- Education and Training
- Organizational Awareness
KEYWORDS FOR THE FEDERAL RESUME:
Clerical
Customer service (clerical/technical)
Education, training
Organizational awareness
RESUME JOB BLOCK WITH KEYWORDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS — BEFORE & AFTER
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE – BEFORE
Whitewater Rafting and Backpacking Guide
Noah’s Ark Whitewater Rafting and Adventure Co. | 2022-present
- Guide commercial rafting trips down Brown’s Canyon National Monument, Arkansas River
- Lead backpacking trips through designated wilderness areas surrounding Buena Vista, CO
- Navigate the back country using topographic maps, compasses, and GPS
- Respond to dangerous rescue scenarios or medical trauma
- Interact with customers and provide excellent care
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE – AFTER – TELLS A STORY
Whitewater Rafting and Backpacking Guide / 2022 – Present (summers: May 15 to Sept. 15)
Noah’s Ark Whitewater Rafting and Adventure | 60 hrs/wk | $15/hr
- Whitewater Rafting: Guide commercial rafting trips on Brown’s Canyon National Monument, Arkansas River, including oar framed rafts (15+ feet).
- Back Country Camping: Lead backpacking trips through designated wilderness areas around Buena Vista, CO. Navigate back country using topographic maps, compasses, and GPS.
- Customer Service: Advise customers on water, back country and camping safety and fire prevention, as well as proper use of recreation areas. Interact with customers and provide excellent care/service. Collect fees, enter customer data and prepare reports. Maintain rafting and backpacking equipment/gear.
- Safety: Trained in whitewater rescue techniques, swift water swimming/rescues, swift water hazard identification, hydrology and reading rapids, shallow and deepwater crossings, and rescue problems. Conduct swift water rescues. Trained in setting up rescue rope systems, wilderness medicine and rescue, first aid and CPR. Respond to dangerous rescue scenarios and medical trauma both on the river and in the back country.
Accomplishments:
- Performed swift water rescue for another guide after her boat flipped in the Widowmaker rapid in Brown’s Canyon during a whitewater rafting trip. After the boat flipped, the guide and all her passengers were dumped into the water. I quickly took my boat and passengers to shore and went after the guide’s boat. I discovered where her boat had wedged itself upstream and freed it; with another passenger, we paddled out to the guide, who had swum to a rock in the middle of the rapid. She was able to swim to the boat, and I pulled her in. Other guides had rescued the other passengers, and we were able to resume our trip.
- Trained in navigation/orienting. During training exercise, oriented ourselves as a team using maps and a compass after being driven blindfolded to undetermined location; then, we used a set of coordinates to navigate our way to meet another group.
- During training, responded to a lost person scenario when someone got lost after leaving camp to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. After his whistle woke us, the group determined who had gone missing, organized search parties and planned our approach, and used whistles to help him find his way back.
YOUR TURN TO TELL AN ACCOMPLISHMENT STORY
Do you have an accomplishment story to add to your Federal resume?
Use The Resume Place Inc. CCAR Builder
https://rp.wrkhrs.co/resources/ccar-accomplishment-builder/
ACTION: Look at your Federal resume and find your accomplishments.
Do they stand out?
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