hispanics in government
Ten Tips for Letting Federal
Employers Know Your Worth
S
o, you found the job you want. 2. Keep sentences short and
And it’s with the Federal Govern-
1. Use words wisely.
clear.
ment. Congratulations! You’re
2. Keep sentences short
Short, direct sentences help the
embarking on an exciting journey with
and clear.
agency get your point. But remember,
dynamic opportunities that Federal don’t duplicate your resume. Rather,
jobs provide. You’re also competing 3. Make your message you’re elaborating on significant points
with some of the best candidates
stand out.
in full sentences. This line is so long:
around. How do you know you’ve My 12 years as a customer service
shown future employers’ your worth?
4. Focus on outcome.
representative have given me the
First, read the job announcement 5. Showcase your role. opportunity to become comfortable
carefully and acquaint yourself with
6. Remember - timeframes
speaking to virtually anyone and to
what the Federal agency is looking for. answering questions calmly and pro-
Then, check your resume to ensure it’s
count.
fessionally even when the person I am
complete and includes all the required
7.Value your experience.
speaking to is upset.
information for the job you want. Next, It practically leaves the reader out-
capture how your experience matches
8. Show and tell.
of-breath. By breaking up sentences,
the competencies and/or knowledge, 9. Resist additions your point is more flowing:
skills, and abilities (KSA’s) required
10. Illuminate your resume
My customer service representative
for that job. Remember: Federal agen- experience provided opportunities to
cies base their decisions on merit so,
- don’t repeat it.
sharpen my skills. For example, I am
follow these 10 tips carefully when comfortable speaking to virtually any-
describing you experience and skills. gram director on evaluating health one. I can answer questions calmly and
care programs. Because most of these professionally, even when the person I
1. Use words wisely. centers were in rural areas, I traveled am speaking to is upset.
Today, the key to a good application at least 3 days a week.
is getting the right information to the Repeats can slow your message, 3. Make your message stand
agency representative in a fast, read- too. Look at this line: out.
able style. How do you do this? By I worked with new law enforcement Paragraphs that are easy-to-see are
using minimum words to provide max- officers who were just entering the more than nice - they can make or
imum information. Just look at this force and needed to learn techniques break your message. So remember,
example: for identifying and interrogating sus- keep your paragraphs brief, usually
In this position, it was my responsi- pects who they suspected of illegal between 5 and 10 lines depending on
bility to assist the program director on activity. In my capacity, I trained them content. Put important points first -
evaluating health care programs. Due on these techniques. where they’re most visible. Here are
to the fact that most of these centers Notice that new law enforcement some possibilities:
were in rural areas, it was important officers and who were just entering the
that I traveled at least 3 days a week. force say the same thing? So does sus- Short paragraph
It’s full of useless words and phras- pects and suspected of illegal activity. While an associate editor for Agri-
es such as due to the fact, it is impor- Less obvious is the repeated work with cultural Magazine, I selected each
tant, and it was my responsibility that and trained. The revision would read: month’s special features on scientific
block your point. Cut them out for a I trained new law enforcement offi- findings and agricultural economics;
stronger, easy-to-access message: cers on techniques for identifying and hired five diverse new writers, all with
In this position, I assisted the pro- interrogating suspects. scientific backgrounds; and reviewed
70 Celebrating over 15 Years of Embracing Diversity WWW.HNMAGAZINE.COM
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