I'd like to thank Brian Mitchell for this rarely-offered insight into the federal hiring process. Having spent a couple years applying for federal positions without much to show for it, it was beginning to seem a waste of time.
Jack E. Janisch -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Brian Mitchell Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 12:11 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] USA jobs: CV vs. Resume Hello Ecolog, I hope that, as a federal employee who had done a lot of hiring over the past 7 years and who happens to have insomnia tonight, that I can offer a few comments and suggestions relevant to this thread. First, some background: The federal hiring system has changed significantly over the last couple of years. The current system has applicants fill out a self-ranking and submitting a CV to apply for positions. The self-rankings are reviewed by HR, and in theory if you lie (i.e., do not document all high self-rankings in your CV) they can reduce your score and knock you off the final cert. In practice, they don't review rankings and only check for minimum qualifications before sending applications to the hiring official. That person receives a large number of applicants who fall into the highest category of self-ratings, and that person will receive a different set (called a "cert", often with a lot of overlap) for each grade and job series. This is easily thirty or more applicants who "make the cut". On any given cert, a veteran can rise to the top of the cert if their application falls within that highest category (for most vets) or if they meet the minimum qualifications for the position (for a disabled vet). If a vet is on a cert, the law says that the vet has to decline the job before anyone else on that cert can be offered a job from it (but hiring officials are free to "work" other certs). As a hiring official, the first thing I do is toss the questionnaires into the trash. Nobody is honest on them, and the responses are useless. The next thing I do is spend a few minutes with each CV to weed out the chaff - people who were not at all qualified for the job but got in based on questionnaire responses alone. Then I'll do a second review of the remaining CVs to try to pick a few people out for interviews, and take it from there. As a hiring official, vet preference aside, I can hire anyone on any of my certs, for any reason. There is nothing illegal about choosing a candidate who is known to me, or who has done some networking and made contact with me by other means. I am not even required to conduct interviews. Perhaps this seems unfair, but many hiring officials would rather have a good candidate who they know than a great candidate they don't know; often that great candidate is only great on paper. My advice is: 1) Do NOT submit a resume and a CV; it is unnecessary duplication. Others may disagree here, but when I take 3-5 minutes to look at your application, the last thing I want is to read the same exact stuff twice; it annoys me and you don't want to annoy me during the few minutes I have with your application. DO take the time to make sure you address/document in your CV experiences that led you to rate yourself highly in the questionnaire. Yes, I did not look at your questionnaire, but I DID write the questions to reflect the skills I think are important. Document those skills or your resume will be considered "chaff". 2) DO take the time to write a good cover letter. Show that you know something about the job or organization. Do your homework by looking at the hiring organization's web site, at the very least. This is where you can highlight your specific skills and experience for the position; the sorts of things that you might target on a short resume. 3) Do NOT worry about "key words". That was from the old days, when the HR reviewer was actually a hurdle rather than a pass-through. DO worry about documenting your skills relevant to the position. 4) Do follow up with the hiring official, if you are able to determine who that is. You can even try contacting before submitting the application to see if they have someone in mind for the position. Most people will not provide this information, but some will. It can't hurt, and it might help. 5) I'll reiterate the advice already sent to read the application instructions carefully. Don't eliminate yourself by not submitting ALL college transcripts, for example. 6) I would tell you not to despair, and that if you apply enough times you'll get a job, but the sequester is real and it is having a serious effect. This is a lousy time to be looking for permanent work in the federal government. There is a near-complete hiring freeze on permanent positions in Interior, and I believe in many other Departments as well. The few jobs that are out there will have immense applicant pools. There is very little prospect of significant improvement over the next year, maybe longer. All that said, if you don't apply, your chances of getting the job really are zero. Best, Brian Mitchell Northeast Temperate Network Program Manager National Park Service
