Advice about appling for Gov. jobs? (employment, applying, tips, application)

[BCBGirl]

Hi, I am seeking advice about getting a job with the government. Am I required to complete a employment application before I submit my resume and cover letter to a specific job? Are they on Linkedin? Any advice will help greatly.

[katie2dc]

Hi,

Have you run a search on this site for the application process? There was plenty of info when i began applying a few months ago. I usually go to www.usajobs.gov for postings - it's a very time consuming process. I try to apply for jobs that are either in my current field or something related to what i studied in college and tailor my resume towards their descriptions. General resume submissions just won't work. There are plenty of tips on how to go through the process and i found them in the DC forum but they apply wherever you are interested in applying. Also check out www.federalsoup.com - great site for info and support. You'll need it.

-K

[lisdol]

You are going to find this suggestion on federal soup but its worth repeating: learn all about KEYWORDS. Use the right keywords - tailor your resume/app to each position with those keywords. Basically if there are two ways of describing a skill and one is a keyword and the other is not, you need to use the keyword if you want to up your chances of being selected.

[BCBGirl]

Thank you!

[YaFace]

Be EXTREMELY patient, because the whole process from start to finish can take a year or more. Plus in some circles, if you do not have Veterans Preference, you almost have no shot.

[MrMom2]

vast amounts of patience, as it can take months to hear from them.