Understanding the Federal Resume
A Federal Resume is one of the acceptable application documents for federal employment. When applying for a federal job with a resume or other written format, you must provide certain information for the government to evaluate your qualifications and determine if you meet legal requirements for federal employment.
A Federal Resume may follow the same format and guidelines as any other resume, but must also include the following information required by the OF-510 form (Information not typically included in a resume for the private sector is marked in red.):
Job Information
Announcement number, title and grades(s) of the job for which you are applying. Include any further information that the job announcement requests.
Personal Information
- Full name
- Mailing address
- Day and evening telephone numbers with area code
- Social Security number
- Country of citizenship
- Veterans' preference (for further details call OPM at 912-757-3000, select "Federal Employment topics," then "Veterans")
- Reinstatement eligibility (if requested, attach SF 50) with highest federal civilian grade held (give job series and dates held)
Education
- High school with name, city and state with zip code
- Date of diploma or GED
- Colleges of universities with name, city and state with zip code, include Majors and type and year of any degrees received
- Include a copy of transcripts if requested on job announcements
Work Experience
Provide information for your paid and non-paid work experience related to the job for which you are applying:
- Job title
- Responsibilities and accomplishments
- Employer's name and address
- Supervisor's name and telephone number
- Whether or not your present supervisor can be contacted
- Starting and ending dates (month and year)
- Hours worked per week
- Salary
Additionally, include any job-related training, skills, certificates, licenses, professional memberships, awards, etc.
Remember, if your resume does not provide all of the information requested in the job vacancy announcement and in the OF-510 form as outlined above, you may lose consideration for a job.
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