Ten Steps to a Federal Job, 3rd Ed: Federal Jobs, Jobs, Jobs - Successful Federal Job Search and Federal Resume Writing Strategies

I am a resume coach at North Seattle Community College in Seattle, WA. I want to tell you how helpful this book is in teaching my two-year students to write resumes for hard-to-find jobs. Many of our students are technical and electonics students, jobs that took a very deep dive in the 2001 - 2003 downturn. Yet, no one thought about applying to the federal government -- Ten Steps to a Federal Job makes the process a real option! By using this book, an IT/Electronics student wrote a federal resume that got him a database development job -- after being out of work and looking diligently for 18 months! I also worked with a deaf student who received special status toward a job as a biologist, categorizing plants for the US Forest Service in Wenatchee. The diversity of jobs available through the government is broad indeed. As Kathryn's book points out, you don't have to live in Washington D.C. to be a successful candidate! Seattle - like many cities - has many local agencies that are hiring - like the IRS, the EPA, Social Security, NOAH and Immigration. People don't think of the federal government as an employer-- but they hire tons of people. They hire technical people, and even ones with gray hair! And I personnally have seen people win, using the principles laid out in Kathryn Troutman's book. By using the simple processes and writing tips -- and the great examples on the CD -- you can find appropriate jobs and write a winning application packet. Kathryn Troutman is the absolute authority on this subject--she teaches classes to federal employees at federal agencies all the time--And by working with her book, I can now write a resume that gets jobs for students, disabled workers, boomers and techies. The government is hiring, here and abroad. And in ten steps, you can be a contender for a federal job.

Controversial five-year-rule aside (for those of you that live overseas) -- what could be better than working for Uncle Sam? The trick for federal employment, though, is learning how to close the gap between -- wanting a job -- and being hired for that particular job. (And, yes, I sought out Troutman at a job fair in Heidelberg in April 2002, and subsequently wrote a review in Stripes newspaper. I went to the trouble to do that because before I revised my federal resume based on her words, I was receiving no (zero) phone calls from GS managers. Whereas, after the rewrite, I was offered and selected for a number of different GS jobs.)Troutman details a logical process that begins with: Steps 1-5: "Network," "Review the Federal Job Processes," "Research Vacancy Announcements for Jobs," and the vital "Analyze Core Competencies for Language" and "Analyze Vacancy Announcements for Keywords and Government-type Language."Using the word "vital" to describe core competencies and keywords should not be taken lightly: Troutman's book teaches you to organize your past employment experiences using word selections GS managers could use to search for potential employees. Put another way, the road map that allows you to circumnavigate the federal employment information gap could very well lie in the nouns and action words you select to place in your federal resume (try to think of the government's Resumix system as an "Internet search engine" looking for you).According to Troutman, "Private industry resumes are not written the same." Accordingly, if you follow her guidance, you can "adapt your private industry resume into a federal resume, de-militarize your military resume, or focus your current resume toward a particular federal job."The general idea is to transform your federal resume into a well written, very specific, zero-redundancy, easy-reading work-of-art -- subsequently causing it to rise to the top of competing resumes that may appear during job vacancy announcements. (If nothing else, her book could cause federal employee quality to elevate above the norm, especially if job-hunters-who-realize-they-are-over-qualified-for-certain-jobs buy the book.)Granted, resume writing is hard work. Nonetheless, Troutman states in Step 6 ("Write Your Federal and Electronic Resume") that the "three to ten hours" it will take you to write your new federal resume -- highlighting skills that support specific job announcements -- will be time well spent (once you've convinced yourself you REALLY DO [my emphasis] want that federal job). To assist with your writing efforts she created a special section within the book (in Step 6) called "Ten Federal Resume Writing Lessons," and then expands on the same by explaining the all-important Knowledge, Skill, and Ability statements (KSAs) in Step 7.Note that the book comes with a CD-ROM and digital (Word) resume samples, in addition to 58 pages of resume samples in the book (acquired from real-world job seekers that attained fede

For those of you on active duty wanting to make the transition to the GS side Kathryn Troutman's Ten Steps to a Federal Job is the first weapon of choice! Her book and supplemental CD-ROM, filled with numerous examples of excellent resumes, arms you with the Step by Step manual to get started, solidify your work experience with the correct verbiage, and hammer home your marketable skills. Do not be fooled into thinking you can navigate the Federal hiring process armed with only the information provided during your separation lectures, these are nice but Kathryn's book gives you more - much more! Inside you will find how to formulate your Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's), selecting the correct job series to parallel your experience, great web links, and even interview tips! Additionally, if you are unclear about the material call the Resume-Place for FREE advice! You just might get to talk to Kathryn herself, she quickly emailed me the answers to my in-depth questions! This book is a must have in any rucksack - right next to Kathryn's Electronic Federal Resume Guidebook & CD-ROM!

I advise you to learn how to play the federal job game. And there is no better book to teach people moving from the entrepreneurial world into government agencies than one out now by federal job expert Kathryn Kraemer Troutman. At [the price], Ten Steps to a Federal Job: Navigating the Federal Job System is pricey. But it's a bargain because it serves as an experienced consultant-in-print taking you by the hand and, with a warm, friendly style, leading you painlessly through a complex process. A CD-ROM (PC or Mac) is included with the book that contains samples, templates and helpful appendixes for your federal job hunt. Ms. Troutman covers aspects of the federal job search in her 10-step format that I haven't seen pulled together elsewhere, one of the reasons I like it so well.

Kathryn Kraemer Troutman is a godsend to federal job seekers and employees everywhere! "Ten Steps to A Federal Job" is capstone to her two other works "The Federal Resume Guidebook" and "The Electronic Federal Resume Guidebook". This dynamic trilogy covers everything that you ever wanted to know about applying for and obtaining a Federal Job.Her book "Ten Steps to a Federal Job" demystifies the federal hiring process and explains the steps of applying for a Federal job in a manner that everyone can understand. It starts with networking, and moves through reviewing the process, researching the vacancies, analyzing core competencies, analyzing vacancies, writing a Federal resume, writing KSAs and cover letters, applying for jobs, tracking applications, and finally preparing for a Federal job interview. Troutman attacks the myths about Federal hiring and discusses the realities. Kathy provides valuable tips and insight from her 27 years of experience in helping her clients write resumes and KSAs for Federal positions. In addition, her web site and CD provide wonderful tools to build high-impact cover letters, Federal resumes and KSAs as well as address questions that may come up with in the course of completing the application materials. "Ten Steps to a Federal Job" is required reading for anyone who is seeking to obtain a Federal position. I used the techniques in her "Federal Resume Guidebook" to obtain my current Federal job. Troutman's latest book "Ten Steps to Federal Job" gives even more insight into the hiring process. I give this book my highest recommendation and stamp of approval.