Federal and state jobs come with a few excellent perks. It is one of the more secure careers available today. However, competition for federal and state employment is fierce. Working for the government is serious; they only hire people who are needed and highly skilled for a job after thorough interviews and examinations. Depending on the applicant’s occupation, it may encompass executive, legislative, or judicial posts.
When applying for government jobs, it is essential to emphasize qualities such as social responsibility, honesty, and integrity.
Most private-sector companies demand you to submit one-page resumes that merely provide a basic overview of your qualifications. A federal or state resume, on the other hand, might be two to five pages long or more, depending on your experience level, and demands an in-depth description of your prior positions, talents, and achievements.
Aside from the essential information you should include on your resumes, such as work experience, education, and contact information, your federal or state resume should additionally have the following additional details, if appropriate;
- Citizenship status
- Veterans’ status
- Highest general schedule (GS) grade
- Security clearance (if applicable)
- Pay and number of hours worked each week for each job
A decent, more tailored resume would assist a person stand out from a crowd of other applicants seeking a federal or state employment. Each section of a federal and state resume should be written and formatted as follows:
1. Personal information
First, list your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.
2. Purpose/Objective
Following your personal information, write a brief paragraph expressing why you want the position, referred to as a resume aim. Your rationale for applying should contain your most relevant talents so that the hiring manager can see you are qualified the moment they start reading your resume.
3. Working knowledge
A federal or state resume, unlike a private-sector resume, has a lengthy experience section. Depending on your responsibilities, each position may require a full page or more, depending on your commitments. Include the following information in your resume for each position:
- Name and address of the employer
- Dates of start and end
- Salary per year
- GS grade and occupational series number
- Job title
- Total weekly hours worked
- Summary of job responsibilities
- A list of Job responsibilities
- Outstanding achievements
- Awards
- Supervisor’s contact information (and whether they can be contacted)
4. Section on Education
What you include in your resume’s education section is determined by your degree. Include the following information if you graduated from college:
- Names and locations of colleges (city, state, and zip code)
- Years of attendance
- Degrees obtained (minors included)
- Received awards or special recognition
- Participation in educational groups or clubs
You can also have your GPA/CGPA and relevant coursework if you are a recent college graduate.
More so, include the following information for your high school and any technical institutions if you did not attend college:
- Name and location of the school
- When did you get your diploma, certificate, or license?
5. Other Sections
The following resume parts are optional, but including them on your federal or state resume can help you stand out from the crowd of applicants for government jobs: Extracurricular activities, volunteer work, publications, certifications, and language abilities.
Best Resume Templates & Samples for Federal or State Jobs
Template 1
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Address: street, city, state, zip code | Email: [email protected] | Phone:
Desired job: Title, grade (GS #), announcement number
Veterans’ Preference:
Highest GS (General Schedule) Grade:
Security Clearance:
Desired Location:
Availability:
Resume Objective
[Industry] professional with [# of years] years of public sector experience. Seeking to capitalize on my expertise in [related skills] to fill the [job name] position at [organization name]. A quick learner who wants to contribute to [organization name]’s goal and take on greater responsibility as soon as possible.
Relevant Experience
Name of most recent employer
Employer address
Start-end date
Salary per year (Optional)
Number of hours per week
Position and job title
Duties and related skills:
Provide a detailed overview of your roles and responsibilities in this section. Mention any talents related to your work and details of your duties. Write as if the person reading your resume is unfamiliar with the job you did.
- Make a list of your primary responsibilities.
- To demonstrate relevant talents, include resume keywords in your descriptions.
Accomplishments:
Include a bulleted list of your main work-related accomplishments at this employment, especially if you exceeded expectations.
- This area should be distinct from your general responsibilities section.
- Make a point of quantifying (adding numbers too) your examples.
If you choose, you can enter your supervisor’s contact information here.
Name of most recent employer
Repeat the preceding sections for each appropriate position you’ve held.
Education
Degree title / Major
University, location, Start-end date
Additional Resume Section
- This is where you can include any further information about your professional background.
- Publications, languages, volunteer experience, community work, professional associations you belong to, and any training or qualifications could be included in this section.
Template 2
Name
Street Address, city, state and Zip
Phone number(s) and e-mail address
Position Applying for: Write the job title/series/grade of the position you’re applying for. Then enter the vacancy announcement number. Because the vacancy announcement expressly identifies a job at a particular agency, including the name and location of the agency to which you’re applying is optional.
Personal Information:
Citizenship: U.S.A.
SSN/NIN
Veteran’s preference
Highest federal grade held: Note the position’s pay schedule/series/grade and the dates you worked there.
Qualifications Summary:
- List numerous key talents, experiences, licenses, and competencies in bullet points. Do not write entire phrases.
- This is where you start selling yourself. What crucial facts about yourself do you want reviewers to know if they only look at your resume for a few minutes?
- Consider this part being your “sandwich board sign.”
Academic Education & Honors:
- List your academic credentials in bullet points (job-related training comes later)
- Begin with your highest-level degree and work your way down.
- PhD, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (March 2021). Digital Electronics is a major (Electronics Engineering). Dissertation title: (Number of semester hours, GPA/CGPA on a scale of 4.00/5.00)
- Make a section named “Accolades:” and mention any honors or awards you received in your degree program. You must include the degree, the month and year you obtained it, and the name, city, and state of the school from where you received the degree. You must also provide the number of hours (designated as a semester or quarter) you spent in your major.
- Many agencies will also ask for your GPA/CGPA (sometimes only in your major, sometimes overall) and scale. If you went to college but did not graduate, provide the same information as before, but include the number of hours you took and your field of study.
Employment History:
You are probably on the second page of your employment history section. Federal resumes are organized chronologically. You are only required to look back ten years in your employment history; you may go back further if you choose. Include any previous jobs related to the one you’re applying for. You must mention all occupations that lead back to that employer; you cannot skip appointments just to include them.
Start-end date (month, year-month, year), Job title
Organization name, city/state/zip code
Salary (per hour, per month, or per year), weekly hours worked
The name of the supervisor, as well as their phone number or email address, indicate whether or not the supervisor can be reached.
- Duties
- List your most important duties first.
- Check that the verbs in all of your employment, except your present one, are in the past tense.
- Accomplishments
- Include at least one or two accomplishments from each job. Achievements include promotions, incentives, plaques, certificates/letters of commendation, prizes, special training, special initiatives, and so on.
- For each accomplishment, specify the month and year.
- List your most significant achievements first.
Job-Related Training:
- Create a subheading for each sort of training you intend to cover.
- The date of the training (month, day(s), year), the name of the training, the sponsor of the training, the number of hours of training each day, and the location of the training.
Job-Related Certifications:
- Include any significant certificates or licenses you have in a bullet list.
- The certification/name, the entity that provided it, and the certification’s duration (dates).
Job-Related Skills:
- Include your language skills and level (novice, intermediate, advanced)
- Include machine abilities (e.g., office machinery, computers). Specific names and model numbers should be provided.)
- List the computer software you know how to use (be explicit, naming each program and its version).
Volunteer/Community Service & Awards:
- Volunteering/community service can teach you a variety of skills. Put any voluntary activity that you think will give you solid skills or would look well on your resume in a bulleted list here. Also, include any elected positions you have held while carrying out the volunteering work.
Professional Affiliations:
- Include professional organizations to which you belong in a bulleted list, primarily if they are related to the type of work you perform or wish to do.
- Include the name of the organization, your position, and the dates you were a member.
Name of association (portfolio, date (start – end)).
Even if you are no longer a member of a professional group relevant to the type of employment you are looking for, you should still put it on your resume.
Template 3
Full name
Address (street, city, state)
Mobile: Email:
SUMMARY:
A recent (name of university) graduate with good (list core talents, particularly those linked to the job you are going for) is looking for a (job title) in (name of industry).
Possess superior abilities (list other skills not mentioned above, e.g. excellent journalistic, teamwork, and people skills, and a strong interest in researching and investigating themes. State your motivation (Eager and driven team member passionate about health care and the environment).
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Job title Start-end date
Organization
Location (city, state)
Hours worked per week
- Responsibilities
EDUCATION:
University Start-end date
Title of degree, discipline
CGPA/GPA
Template 4
Full name
Address (street, city, state)
Mobile: Email:
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE:
Name of institution or organization 2010 – 2012
Job title
Hours worked per week
Responsibilities
SKILLS:
- Good understanding of WordPress, as well as basic HTML/CSS skills.
- Basic knowledge of SEO tools.
- Advanced command of the Spanish language.
- Excellent oral and written communication abilities.
- Capability to handle sensitive and secret information
- Ability to speak coherently in front of a group
Template 5
Full name
Address (street, city, state)
Mobile: Email:
SUMMARY:
Bilingual (English and Italy) Deputy Attorney General from (state of origin). Have a (highest level of education) and more than (number of years of experience) in (discipline). Last year, I received (name of the award, if any) for my professional accomplishment (name of the awarding body).
Proven skill in administrative law and litigation. I am proficient in Chinese and am prepared to work on long business trips. The well-organized specialist gives expertly supported information to solve cases and allocate settlements. I am available to start a new job within two weeks.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Designation Date(month, year) – (month, year)
Name of organization/institution
- Responsibilities
EDUCATION:
University Date
Discipline
Degree obtained
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka 2018 – 2021
School of Law
Master of Law, Corporate Law
HONORS & AWARDS:
Name of awarding organization/institution
Title of award
KEY SKILLS:
LANGUAGES:
- English (native)
- Italian (bilingual)
- Chinese (fluent)
Template 6
William Kenny Brat
Mobile:
Email:
LinkedIn:
Summary:
A trained fireman with more than ten years of experience, a paramedic license, and extensive training in modern fire and emergency readiness. A dedicated first responder can analyze specific events and lead the proper course of action. Specialize in life-sustaining medical crises, such as transferring patients to medical facilities and providing emergency care.
Knowledgeable about hazardous materials management. Capable of undertaking search and rescue missions as well as extrication operations.
Participate in community outreach to strengthen fire prevention. Dedicated to community interaction to ensure ongoing fire prevention education and collaboration in development.
Skills and Area of Expertise
Professional Experience:
Job title ❘ Date
Department, organization/institution
Responsibilities
Education:
Qualification, discipline
University, location, date
Training, Certification and Licensing:
Name of awarding institution, the title of certification/licensing, date of completion
Professional Affiliations:
Portfolio, name of the association
Honors and Awards:
Name of awarding institution, the title of the award, date.
Download ⇒ Free Word Resume Template for Federal & State Jobs
Conclusion
References are not necessary on federal resumes. However, it would be beneficial to include three references and their contact information on the resume if the interviewer wants to contact them after the interview. Another alternative is to bring the names and contact information for three references on a separate sheet of paper with your name and contact information as the header to the interview. Ensure that the recommendations you submit are appropriate for the job you are looking for: some references are better than others.
