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Federal Resume vs. Standard Resume: Four Key Differences

1.       Header

The header on the resume will remain the same for a Federal and Standard resume. Required on your Federal resume is the inclusion of the Job Title including the associated number. As an applicant, you need to change the Job Title which includes an associated number for each potential job. Standard resumes do not require a Job Title or an Objective. Adding a Job Title or an Objective will negatively impact a Standard resume.

 

2.       Experience Dates

Government positions require Federal resumes. Government requirements are just that, required. If a position requires five years of experience, you cannot have four years and 11 months. The appropriate way to date your experience is MM/YY. If you only show the year, your application will not receive consideration.

 

Standard resumes can use MM/YY or YYYY for the date. However, I recommend using MM/YY when possible.

 

3.       Accomplishments and Duties

The Standard resume has one goal, and that goal is to highlight your achievements. Duties are typically left off the Standard resume because duties may be the same for multiple positions the applicant has held, unless the duty is managing a significant budget or necessary for positioning/authority, you can leave duties off your resume.

 

The Federal resume is the ‘David Copperfield Biography’ of resumes. If you are unfamiliar with the term, basically you need to put a brief 1-3 sentences defining your title, list duties, and list accomplishments. The details of your work experience are required on the resume. The Federal resume will go beyond ten years of employment.

 

4.       Length

The length of your resume is tricky, and every person has an opinion as to the ‘appropriate’ length. I recommend a second page for the Standard resume if the second page takes up ¾ of the second page. If the second page is less than 3/4 complete, then two pages appear unorganized and that the writer or potential applicant does not know what to add/delete from his/her portfolio. Questions regarding the applicant’s ability to prioritize and organize arise when the second page does not seem necessary.

 

Federal resumes require more information than Standard resumes.

 

The length of your career determines the length of the Federal resume.

 

The average Federal resume is 3-4 pages.

 

Until next Tuesday…

 

Comment Below: Did I miss anything? What other questions can I answer?

 

Laura Bashore is the founder of Anew Resume and Career Services. As a Career Coach, Resume Writer, and LinkedIn Pro she empowers business professionals with the knowledge, tools, and methods to expand their career opportunities.

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