Anyone get a Fed job without "knowing someone" ?

[Anonymous]

yes, but as a vet.

[Anonymous]

Yes, and not as a vet. But yeah, vets get a preference.

[Anonymous]

I came in last year through a job opening for an admin position that had multiple vacancies. I didn't know anyone at that agency, yet I got hired on. I've since transferred to another agency using the internal status announcements (again without knowing anyone in the new agency) to get a ladder position.

I'm not a vet, and a naturalized dual-citizen.

[Anonymous]

NP here, and yes, I did get in without connections. Competition is fiercer than people realize -- thousands of applications for some jobs, even pre-sequester hiring freeze -- and the job descriptions are often very poorly written / imprecise. That's why it's so easy to think, "I'm perfect for this job" when really you may not be what they're looking for, and also why those who know what the office is actually trying to hire for will do better. But truthfully, I have never seen someone get hired based on connections.

Keep at it, and eventually you will get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think getting your resume through the electronic filter is more important than knowing some one.]

I agree, and I also didn't know anyone.

[Anonymous]

Not OP here. I'm wondering if some of you who are in the know could give advice on how to get your resume past the electronic filter. I know to use keywords and to quantify as much as possible but I'm still not getting referred. Anything else I can do? I feel like I have good experience and education and would be a good fit for these jobs but I can't seem to get the referrals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP here. I'm wondering if some of you who are in the know could give advice on how to get your resume past the electronic filter. I know to use keywords and to quantify as much as possible but I'm still not getting referred. Anything else I can do? I feel like I have good experience and education and would be a good fit for these jobs but I can't seem to get the referrals.

This is OP, can I ask what you mean by quantify as much as possible?

I've certainly tailored each resume to the specific posting using key words and phrases, and I've also done "research" onto the sites and projects of the specific departments, but maybe there's this other quantify thing I'm missing...

[Anonymous]

I've had two federal jobs. The first one I knew someone. The second I didn't know anyone. But a coworker hired around the same time had a pretty close connection to the department head. I'm not a veteran.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I've been told to quantify whereever you can. Things like "wrote 25 brochures" or if you can show that something you did saved your company money or brought in new business you should put that in your résumé. Not sure how much you can truly quantify those types of things. And note how many years of experience you have doing different tasks.

[Anonymous]

Yes, 15 years ago, applied to a job at DOJ - I was one of 400 plus applicants. And I'm not vet,

[Anonymous]

Yes. Knew no one. Got the job after one round of interviews. It was really, really the perfect job for me. When I saw it, I said to a friend "if I don't get this job, I'm never getting a job at X agency."

Working there I had insight into the hiring process. Saw about 10 people get hired. Only one had any connections. One person that had connections (including experience at the agency and a recommendation from someone pretty high up at the agency) didn't get the job. Maybe it was just my agency, or the type of positions for which they were hiring (mostly lawyers, but a few other professionals), but connections really didn't seem to matter much at all.

[Anonymous]

Yup. Chosen out of over 500 applicants. No special connection. I did have highly specialized expertise that aligned exactly with the job.

[Anonymous]

In the past (pre-recession) knowing someone could definitely get you in. At my last agency, there are so many married couples. All you had to do was tell your boss you wanted your spouse in and they made it happen.

Now it's impossible because so many people are trying to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the past (pre-recession) knowing someone could definitely get you in. At my last agency, there are so many married couples. All you had to do was tell your boss you wanted your spouse in and they made it happen.

Now it's impossible because so many people are trying to get in.

This happens with parents and their kids, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. I've been told to quantify whereever you can. Things like "wrote 25 brochures" or if you can show that something you did saved your company money or brought in new business you should put that in your résumé. Not sure how much you can truly quantify those types of things. And note how many years of experience you have doing different tasks.

Shoot, so...if Ive "submitted my answers" and uploaded documentation (including the USAjobs resume), but the posting is still open do I have the option to edit my resume still? Anyone know?