1. Basic Tips & Tricks Emergency Contact
These tips will help you as you apply for jobs
with the Federal Government. Don’t hesitate to con-
►Print out the Vacancy An-
tact USA Jobs Support Tips & Tricks
nouncement and highlight
important items, e.g. dead-
lines for submission of sup- Service (Help Desk) via for
porting documents, closing
date, contact information, etc. their e-mail address if USA Jobs
Be Prepared! ►Most announcements close you have any difficul-
at 12:00 Midnight (EST-
Eastern Standard Time), so remember to
convert to your local time zone so that you
ties or questions.
submit your application prior to the 12:00
Midnight (EST) deadline.
Their e-mail address is:
►Preview the vacancy announcement ques-
tions at the bottom of the “Qualifications” mayday@fedjobs.gov
tab before applying for the vacancy.
● Make sure your resume supports your
answers to all multiple choice questions.
● Formulate your answers to ‘essay’ ques-
tions using a word processor so you can
get a word count AND run spell-check.
● Don’t copy and paste sections of your
resume as your answer to any ‘essay’
question.
This will save you time and allow you to pro-
vide the best possible response to the ques-
tions.
►After preparing your answers, complete
the application by answering the multiple
choice questions and pasting your essay an-
swers into essay questions of the application.
Junell L. Norris
►Remember to have your answers e-mailed Human Resource Specialist Department of the Interior
to you once you have finished answering all U.S. Geological Survey
(303) 236-9557
of the questions and you are ready to submit Denver Federal Center
completed application for the position. jlnorris@usgs.gov

2. ing your proficiency in speaking, reading or writing a for-
Your Resume eign language. Professional Affiliations should highlight
Reviewing ‘My Applications’
community involvement, civic groups, etc. Professional This feature allows you to track the
When creating your resume, decide Publications which you have authored should be included different vacancy announcements for
if it will be ‘searchable.’ In the here. which you have applied. If you need
event an agency or department de- to review any submitted application,
cides to search the resume data- “Related Information on Your Resume”
you can select its Job Title from within
base, if your resume is not Additional Information includes job-related honors, lead- Review!
‘My Applications.’ Once selected,
‘searchable’, then you may miss ership activities, skills, etc. You can also specify what Review!
you will be able to review the vacancy
out on a job opportunity. type of work and work schedule you are willing to accept; Review!
announcement for that position.
such as, part-time, term, etc. You can also specify the lo-
Remember the system allows up to cations where you desire to work —by choosing the State, *It’s always a good idea print out a hard copy of va-
Your Resume
five (5) different resumes, so don’t then the Locale and adding those States/Cities to your cancy announcements so you have a permanent copy
should reflect
be afraid to tailor resumes for spe- of contact information, etc., easily available to you
you! ’Desired Location List.’
cific positions. even when you don’t have access to the internet!
“Work Experience, Education & Job Training”
Make sure that under ‘Duties, Accomplishments, and
Your Job Search Agents
Related Skills’ that you list your major duties of all
Uploading Supporting Documents
You can create up to ten (10) different
of the jobs you’ve held, awards you’ve received, or to ‘My Portfolio’
Search Agents that will search for job va-
skills you’ve learned. You have 3000 characters so
cancies for you. Search Agents can be as Supporting documents such as Tran-
use them well, and don’t forget to spell-check. Re-
generic or specific as you want. You can scripts, DD-214, OF-306, SF-50,
member: to add further work experience, use the
specify series, locations, grade levels, and SF-15, can be uploaded via ‘My
“+Add Work Experience” button.
Let USA Job
even Department or Agency specifics. Portfolio’.
The Education section should list all educational in- Search Agents Search Agents are active until you delete
Read the Vacancy *Some Departments/Agencies do
stitutions that you have attended. Make sure that you do the Work for them.
Announcement NOT have the ability to receive sup-
include any ‘Relevant Coursework, Licensures, and
Search Agents will send you ‘e-mail’ reminders as fre- porting documents via their USA
Certifications’ within the 2000 character limit.
quently you want so you don’t need to ‘log’ onto USA Jobs account. Read the vacancy announcement to
Job Related Training should include all the different Jobs on a daily basis and search for open vacancies. see if you must submit these supporting documents
types of training that you have participated in — DOI via e-mail, fax, and/or mail. This information, as
*Special Note: Be aware of the ‘Applicant Eligibility’
Learn courses, USDA Graduate School, Universities, well as deadlines, is usually contained within the
Section. Selecting the ‘wrong’ answer here may unnec-
Colleges, etc. vacancy announcement.
essarily limit the type of vacancy announcements you
“References” receive!
• The system defaults to ‘No’, which means you will Review ‘My Account Profile’
References should include both professional and per-
ONLY receive ‘DEU-Delegate Examining Unit’
sonal references. Make sure that these are up-to-date
vacancies—which are open to any U.S. Citizen! Keep your Account Profile
prior to applying for any position up-to-date!
• If you can answer ‘Yes’ to any of the ‘Applicant
“Languages, Affiliations & Publications” Eligibility’ statements, you will receive both ‘MP-
Merit Promotion’ AND ‘DEU-Delegated Examin-
Check & Maintain a current e-mail address!
Additional Language Skills can be referenced regard- Change!
ing Unit’ vacancy announcements.