By Camille Carboneau Roberts​​​​​​​

You submitted your federal application package with a detailed resume through the USAJOBS resume-builder tool. You also included a cover letter and answered the questionnaire.

You submitted your package well before the application deadline, and received the standard email that confirmed submission. You’ve waited patiently for weeks, but you have still not been referred to a hiring official and are now questioning whether anyone read it -- or even knows you applied!

Sound familiar?

I have reviewed thousands of resumes and have noticed a broad range of mistakes. Even the most minor mistakes can prevent your application from reaching the hiring official!

14 Steps to Climb Out of the USAJOBS Resume Black Hole

Are you ready to learn how to ensure YOUR resume doesn’t land in the black hole? Here we go.

1. Before you consider applying to a federal job, make certain you are fullyqualified.

Many people apply to jobs for which they are not qualified. If you do not meet the requirements, you simply will not be considered. This may be the reason your resume is orbiting the black hole.

When you find a position for which you would like to apply:

• Carefully read the requirements and the factors you will be evaluated against.
• Copy and paste these into a new Word document.
• Make each requirement and factor a separate bullet point.
• After each bullet, write a few sentences explaining how you meet that requirement -- specifically using experience and accomplishments.

If there are several requirements that you can’t write about to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities, continue looking for another announcement.Then, repeat this exercise with another job.

By Laura Smith-Proulx

Newly unemployed and facing those first steps to get back into the job market? Unemployed for a while and still struggling? Or, working for an employer in the process of "down-sizing" and/or "off-shoring"?

If you find yourself in one of those situations, you’re probably updating your resume, reviewing job postings, networking with former colleagues, and shining up those interview shoes.

However, out of all the tasks you’ll need to prioritize in your job search, building or updating your LinkedIn Profile should be near the top of your list. Here’s why – along with tips to quickly accelerate the process of building a strong Profile:

Why You Should Focus on LinkedIn When Unemployed

Technology is changing the way employers recruit, and that technology and those changes are having a very big impact on job search.

Unlike in the past when a stellar resume was a guarantee of job search success, the whole process is more complex today.

Currently, LinkedIn is at the center of the solution for both job seekers (who need to be professionally visible) and recruiters (who are searching for qualified job candidates).

1 – LinkedIn often serves as your public face.

Like it or not, LinkedIn is among the first websites used by recruiters, employers, former colleagues, or industry insiders to check you out.

Many consider you nearly "invisible" if they don’t find at least a LinkedIn entry for you that reflects your career stature, credentials, education, and work experience. And, being "invisible" is like wearing an "out-of-date" tag today, eliminating you from consideration for many jobs.

Hot Tip: Just getting started with your LinkedIn Profile in the face of job loss? Sign up for a new LinkedIn account, and let the site walk you through the basics (identifying information, Headline, Work Experience, and Education). In 30 minutes or less, you’ll have an online presence that backs up the content of your resume.

If you are avoiding social media to protect your privacy, that strategy will hurt your job search. Read Social Proof: Linked(In) to Your Resume and "Social Proof" Is Required for Successful Job Search for the reasons.

READ MORE

Newest Job-Hunt Quick Guide: 
Smart Personal Branding with LinkedIn, 3rd edition
  By Personal Branding Expert Meg Guiseppi 

1. 5 Options to Fill that “Employment Gap”  by Jeff Lipschultz

2. Smart Answers to 15 Common Job Interview Questions by Jeff Lipschultz

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