If you are located in El Paso, you will have an advantage over other applicants when applying for a federal job through USAjobs. There are a number of reasons why However, when doing so you have to know how to read a federal job posting. It’s essential to understand every section to be as prepared as possible to submit a first-rate application. Below we provide a few tips for you to read a federal job posting and land a government job in El Paso.
Review Eligibility
If you find a job you might be interested in, it is vital to read the job announcement in its entirety. This way you can be sure you are both eligible and you meet the qualifications for the job. There is a difference between eligibility and qualifications. Even if you have all your qualifications, you may not be eligible for the job if you don’t fall into one of the required hiring paths listed on the job announcement. In order to not waste time applying for a job you’re not eligible for, read the section of “Who May Apply” to see if you are or are not. For example, most TTS jobs only hire U.S. citizens. If you are claiming veteran status, you will need the proper documents uploaded to be able to submit your veterans preference. Also, in the location section you can see if the job is either virtual or in a specific city which will help you narrow your job search.
Read the Role Summary and Qualifications Carefully
The same as above applies to your qualifications. Read carefully through both the sections of role summary and qualifications. The hiring agency may rank you as low or highly qualified depending on how your experience matches their needs. However, they go over your eligibility first so if you’re not eligible your application automatically gets rejected. There is information from the qualifications section that you must have on your resume to be able to move on to the next step. This is the chance for you to edit your resume to include your qualifications that match the job. There are also keywords, algorithms and knowledge, skills and abilities that have to be included for certain jobs. Essentially, you have to have one year of experience completing all the tasks included in qualifications.
Other Basic Information to Know to Land a Government Job in El Paso
Here is a list of technical details for each section in a federal job posting:
Job Announcement Number: Individuals claiming veteran status will need to submit this number on an SF-15 form.
Opening and Closing Period: Only applications submitted during this period will be reviewed. The application must be submitted by the closing at midnight EST. This is 10 pm El Paso Time (MST). It is a common misconception that the sooner you turn in a resume the better. All applications are reviewed after the closing date in most cases. The post will indicate, otherwise.
Job Title: The official job title.
Series and Grade: The two numbers stand for the official job series and the General Schedule grade.
Promotion Potential: The highest number in General Schedule is 15. Here you can see what’s the highest promotion you can get in this position. There are many positions that have no opportunity for promotion. This is important to note.
Salary Range: The range of pay for this position.
Location: States where you will be located for this position.
Number of Vacancies: The number of openings for this job.
Supervisory Status: States the amount of supervisory responsibilities.
Travel Requirement: The percentage of time throughout your job where you will be required to travel.
Who May Apply: Addresses what applicants need to be eligible for the position. For instance, Veterans, Current Federal Employees, the General Public, etc.
Security Clearance: All government jobs will require a background check. Some jobs will require that you obtain a security clearance. It can be to your advantage if you already have one.
Work Schedule: Most government jobs are full-time.
Appointment Type: The term of your position. This can include permanent, term or temporary.
Prepare Your Application
At El Paso Professional Resumes, we can help you read the federal job posting, rewrite your resume to fit the individual jobs you’re applying for, and coach you when you finally get a call. With all this work put together your chances to land a government job in El Paso will increase. In the “How to Apply” Section you will be given information as to what other documents are required from you when submitting your application.