waste of time, but the only way....I just don't get it

Anonymous wrote:Apply to jobs that say "many vacancies", say you're an expert in everything on the skills survey, use words from the announcement in your resume.

Yes, say you're an expert in everything, but you HAVE to show proof of your expertise on your federal resume. If the HR specialist doesn't see the match between your resume and how you answered the questionnaire, your resume isn't going any further.

It's important to know that it is unlike any other employment website. It is not enough to have an interesting background and get noticed by the hiring manager.

You need to invest multiple hours customizing your application for each posting. Don't bother with positions for which you are only moderately qualified for. Only include relevant information but absolutely don't try to be concise - they are looking for all the key words and extensive evidence that you meet every single requirement mentioned in the posting. Google "USAJOBS advice" and get ideas from some of the numerous websites out there.

As noted, a huge challenge is just getting past the initial screening so that the people in the program ever get to see your resume.

Yes, it's a huge time waste. Yes, the process is wasteful and does not result in the best hire. Yes, we all hate it.
But it's also the only pathway to most federal jobs.

Good luck!

I'm not military and I got a job through USA Jobs within the past 6 months. I had no prior connections and no prior fed govt employment. I was an exact fit for the pretty obscure subject area. I followed the advice above and tailored my resume by really using the words in the job announcement. I know it seems kind of weird but I think it helped get past the initial screening so that a real person could see my resume and tell that I really am experienced in this subject matter.

It does involve a lot of wasted time, but it isn't necessarily fruitless. It took me about 50 applications to get the job that I have, which I love.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not military and have applied to 4 jobs over the past 6 months. I've received 2 interviews and 2 callbacks so far.

Are you applying for excepted service jobs? I used to be an Atty (Excepted Service), left the gov, and now many of the jobs I'm interested in are non-excepted positions. I've applied for probably a dozen jobs for which I'm highly qualified, but have not been referred out of HR, despite using key-words and having exact experience. It's tough.

I'm not military and have applied to 4 jobs over the past 6 months. I've received 2 interviews and 2 callbacks so far.

Are you military? If not, then yes.

Yeah, I'm not sure what the alternative would be. All non-political jobs get posted on USAJobs. So you're either applying to a job with a USAJobs listing or you're not applying to a job. . . .

It is true some listings have a secret candidate in mind. Only way to find out for sure is to find a mutual connection at the agency and ask.

I got my current position through usajobs.

It is not a total waste of time BUT if you want to make the best use of your time, apply only for the positions where you really are a good fit, and do spend time on tailoring your resume for those ones. Make sure that your resume clearly shows that you meet all of the qualifications and contains any information required by the job posting. The resumes are screened by HR before they go to the hiring office and if HR does not find you qualified, your resume goes no further. So it is in your interest to make it easy for HR to see that you meet all the qualifications.

Also be aware that some positions that are posted are not funded/approved yet, and if that does not come through then they cannot hire. Anecdotally, there are also some postings where the agency already knows who they want to hire but is required to post. These two circumstances account for a lot of the frustration you will hear about usajobs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apply to jobs that say "many vacancies", say you're an expert in everything on the skills survey, use words from the announcement in your resume.

This. And tailor each resume to the job opening you're applying to.

Yup. It is frustrating but not necessarily a waste of time. I got (and accepted) an offer but I'd probably been applying on USAJobs for 5 years before that happened. Happy to be a fed now. You also do need to tailor your app to each job posting and use their words. I guess it's a question of both stick-to-itiveness and strategery.

Anonymous wrote:Apply to jobs that say "many vacancies", say you're an expert in everything on the skills survey, use words from the announcement in your resume.

This. And tailor each resume to the job opening you're applying to.

It's a waste of time, but it is pretty much the only way to apply for government jobs. Why do you want a gov job? This area has lots of other better paying, interesting jobs.

Apply to jobs that say "many vacancies", say you're an expert in everything on the skills survey, use words from the announcement in your resume.

I've heard people say that it's a waste of time. Has anyone received job offers from the website? What's the best approach to apply for govt jobs? TIA!!