By Lily Whiteman

Use powerful language

March 7th, 2010 | Uncategorized

Wow! It’s cool! It’s awesome! It’s great! I have recently heard these types of hyped-up, well-worn phrases used to describe everything from a new kitchen knife to a ho-hum press release to a shuttle liftoff. So nondescript and unspecific, such phrases are almost too vague to inform, impress or persuade anyone of anything; they are generic to the point of being meaningless.

Then there are the ubiquitous bureaucratic phrases, such as: “We implemented a robust, multifaceted infrastructure.” My personal favorite: “your tour-of-duty” when referring not to the schedules of traveling soldiers but to the schedules of stationary, desk-bound feds.

What’s wrong with such phrases? Their pomposity, verbosity or inhumane tone make them almost instantly alienating and unmemorable.

Contrary to popular belief, federal documents need not be as stilted and impenetrable as the tax code. After all, feds are people, too. So when they are targeted by communications, they — like other people — are usually impressed, persuaded and reached by the same types of words and phrases that impress, persuade and reach non-feds: words and phrases that are precise, vivid, energetic and concise. And like most humans, feds respond best to information that is delivered in a humane tone.

You would be wise to incorporate these principles into all of your written and oral communications — including the list of achievements you should provide to your boss before your annual review, as well as to your résumés and job interviews. If you bury your achievements in vague, nondescript, bureaucratic language, you will dig your own grave. Alternatively, if you describe your achievements in vivid, persuasive power words and phrases, you’ll probably impress your boss and potential employers. And your achievements will stick to their brains like verbal Velcro.

An example of a commonly missed opportunity to use impressive, memorable words: I’ll bet that your résumé — like those of most federal managers — fails to establish you as an expert in your field. One way to convey your high stature would be to position the title “Expert in X” under your name at the top of your resume. But if you’re like most established professionals, you underestimate your achievements, don’t consider yourself an “Expert in X” and therefore don’t believe that you deserve that title.

Reality check: You probably are an “Expert in X” if you serve as your office’s go-to person on X, have education or training and many years of experience in X, supervise other people in X or have presented or published on X.

Nevertheless, if you don’t yet qualify as expert in X, you may adopt a different, but still impressive, title, such as “Specialist in X.” Another option: Mention in the body of your résumé that you have X number of years of experience in or played a pivotal role in X project.

Some additional vivid, persuasive power phrases to incorporate into your descriptions of your achievements:

• “I am an award-winning X,” or “our award-winning project.”

• “I managed/produced multimillion-dollar contracts/budgets/savings.”

• “I managed projects that were high-dollar/high-pressure/ high-priority/high-volume.”

• “I thrived in a deadline-driven environment where every project was put on a fast-track to completion” or “Without fail, I met tight, non-negotiable deadlines” or “I managed high-profile/high-visibility/high-traffic projects.”

• “I created from scratch a new procedure/process/regulation/technology” or “I brought my projects in on-time and on-budget.”

• Other attention-getters: “first-ever, precedent-setting, trailblazing, record-breaking.”

• “I produced glitch-free Xs” or “I single-handedly accomplished X” or “The techniques I developed served as a model for X.”

• “Evidence of my first-rate reputation includes X” or “I received exemplary evaluations every year since X” or “I went the extra mile time and time again by X” or “I organized a top-to-bottom overhaul of X” or “I managed a cradle-to-grave X” or “My project drew the following positive feedback from my managers” or “I received top ratings on evaluations by attendees at the trainings and conferences I organized” or “I was specially recruited for the project/job because of my X skills” or “Evidence of my problem-solving skills includes X.”

How to find a mentor

February 8th, 2010 | Uncategorized

Remember that reassuring line “I’m on your side” from the Simon & Garfunkel song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on your side at work — someone who would be willing and eager to offer you professional advice — a mentor?

Some potential sources of mentors:

Professional organizations devoted to a particular field. Find them by surfing the Web and asking colleagues and supervisors for leads. Once you find relevant organizations, search their Web sites for potential mentors and training opportunities. And if possible, participate in these organizations’ events. Even better, contribute to events in order to showcase your skills and cultivate contacts whom you may turn to as mentors.

Professional organizations devoted to a particular demographic. Blacks in Government and Federally Employed Women both run training and mentoring programs.

In addition, the Senior Executives Association offers a “flash” mentoring program that arranges for retired SEA members or SEA volunteers to offer advice on personal growth and career development to newly appointed members and GS-14/15 members. Each mentor-mentee pairing lasts for a one-hour one-on-one meeting.

Young Government Leaders also plans to introduce a flash mentoring program this year.

Federal development programs. The Senior Executive Candidate Development Program, the Executive Leadership Program, the Presidential Management Fellows program and the USDA Graduate School Executive Leadership Program mentor program participants.

Programs for feds at nonprofit organizations. For example, the Voyagers Program of the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council offers mentoring. The Partnership for Public Service’s Strategic Advisors to Government Executives provides mentoring to senior leaders in government from their predecessors and private-sector counterparts. This mentoring is usually designed to help mentees implement discipline-specific strategies.

Agency mentoring programs. Among agencies that have programs are the State and Energy departments, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, the Justice Department Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Ask your boss or your training department if your agency offers such programs.

Federal Executive Boards throughout the U.S. FEBs provide training programs that could lead to mentoring relationships.

SCORE, a program of Counselors to America’s Small Business. Through this national organization, retired business experts offer free online and in-person advice and classes to professionals who are starting or expanding their own businesses.

The International Mentoring Networking Organization offers mentoring from leading authorities to everyone, any time, anywhere at its Web site, www.imno.org.

Still stuck? Contact successful individuals in your field and tactfully ask for advice. You may find such individuals from these and other resources:

Federal Times, The Fed Page of The Washington Post, other publications devoted to federal audiences, and other books, periodicals and Web sites. If you read about someone whose achievements you would like to emulate, contact that person, tell him why you admire him and ask specific questions that would help you achieve your goals.

GovLoop.com, a social networking site devoted to government employees. By starting and contributing to discussions on this site, you may meet potential mentors.

Managers at your job. Engage potential mentors in conversations about common ground you share, your interests and their favorite topic: their own rise to the top.

Once you’ve identified potential professional confidantes:

Offer them assistance. By volunteering to help role models, you will generate opportunities to work shoulder-to-shoulder with them.

Engage leaders. If you reach out to conference presenters, authors, columnists, federal managers or other prominent professionals, try to bring something to the table before you request their advice by, for example, referring them to a relevant article or event.

Immediately express gratitude whenever someone goes out of his or her way for you. Send a card, gift or at least a thank-you e-mail, and report back to your mentor how the assistance helped you.

Are you a manager who wants to learn more about the benefits of mentoring programs? If so, search for the Office of Personnel Management’s online publication “Best Practices: Mentoring” at www.opm.gov.

More tips for transitioning vets

January 10th, 2010 | Uncategorized

My Dec. 7 column listed some tips to help members of the military and veterans make the transition to federal careers, as the Obama administration launches a program to boost veteran hiring. Here are more tips:

* Start planning your transition early. Take courses in your field that will boost your marketability, and participate in Transition Assistance Programs offered at your base. Also, visit the Labor Department’s www.hirevetsfirst.dol.gov to access various transitioning resources, including advice on how to match your military specialty to civilian jobs, and how to tailor your applications to your target jobs.

As one transitioner and federal hiring manager observed, “Unfortunately, many transitioners never use valuable resources offered by the military that may help them vault ahead of their competition.”

* Stay in touch with colleagues who leave the military before you. Once you join them on the outside, they may provide you with pivotal contacts and job-hunting advice.

* Network via professional organizations in your field and via military-oriented organizations, such as the Military Officers Association of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.

* Get on Veterans Affairs Department lists of job-seeking veterans. VA provides these lists to hiring agencies. Find your state VA office at www.va.gov.

* Use federal hiring programs for veterans, as appropriate. The programs include veterans preference, veterans’ recruitment appointments, programs for veterans disabled 30 percent or more, reinstatement eligibility, and programs under the 1998 Veterans Employment Opportunity Act. For more information, visit the Office of Personnel Management Web site, www.opm.gov.

Also, visit www.dodveterans.com/video for information on the Defense Department’s Hiring Heroes Program, which sponsors job fairs and other services for veterans. Google “Operation Warfighter” to learn about the DoD placement program.

* Think that your rights under special hiring programs for veterans were violated? If so, consider submitting a written complaint to the head of your target agency and the Labor Department Veterans’ Employment and Training Service — www.dol.gov/VETS — within 60 days of the alleged violation. But while doing so, keep applying for other jobs.

* Remember that federal agencies (and often, federal offices within the same agency) differ as much from one another as do private-sector organizations. Also, each of your federal applications will almost certainly be judged by different hiring managers who know nothing about any of your other federal applications. So don’t let a poor impression of a federal organization or rejections from federal organizations compel you to “forget the whole federal thing” any more than you would let a poor impression of a private-sector organization or rejections from private-sector jobs compel you to “forget the whole private-sector thing.”

* Apply to temporary and contracting staffing firms that place security-cleared professionals in government. Temporary assignments provide ideal opportunities for networking, gaining federal experience, and earning income while you job hunt. Plus, many temporary and contract employees eventually segue into permanent federal jobs. Your target firms may include Kelly FedSecure, ClearanceJobs.com, and ClearedConnections.com.

* Use special federal hiring programs for family members of veterans. These programs include: Ten Points Veterans’ Preference for the mothers of veterans who are disabled or died in active duty and the spouses of certain disabled or deceased veterans; and Military Spouse Preference, which enables the Defense Department and selected other agencies to use streamlined hiring procedures to hire the spouses of military members who are relocating for new assignments, some physically disabled spouses and the spouses of military members killed in the line of duty. Identify on your application which programs you’re using, and provide supporting documentation.

* Seek free resources on how to start and run your own small business from the Small Business Administration. These resources include loans, grants, mentoring and training on varied topics, including writing business plans and winning federal contracts. For more info, type “veterans” into the search window at www.sba.gov.

Useful tips for vets seeking fed jobs

December 7th, 2009 | Uncategorized

Given the Obama administration’s launch of a new program to boost veteran hiring at federal agencies, here are some tips to help members of the military and veterans make the transition:

* Surf these Web sites: the Veteran’s Employment Resource Center at USAJobs.gov; the intelligence community’s careers page at intelligence.gov; the CIA’s careers page for military transitioners at www.cia.gov; the Homeland Security Department’s veterans outreach page at www.dhs.gov; Defense Department opportunities for veterans at www.dodvets.com and www.godefense.com; and the Defense Logistics Agency’s information for prospective employees at www.hr.dla.mil.

* Explore all options. Most agencies — including those in the Defense, intelligence and Foreign Service communities — sponsor dynamic, well-paying internships and training programs that fast-track young professionals into management. However, most of these programs are only announced on agency Web sites, not on USAJobs.gov. For example, the Army Material Command’s Fellows Program is announced under civilian careers at www.amc.army.mil, and many Defense Department programs are announced at dodvets.com.

* Prove that you wielded responsibility. Identify in your applications your final rank, the number of people under your command, and the positive feedback you received, including promotions, medals, honors and positive annual evaluations. Also, prominently cite your past or current security clearances in your applications and interviews. Such clearances may increase the number of jobs for which you qualify and boost your salary offers.

* Describe your generic, transferable skills. Discuss in your applications the challenges you faced in the military and what you learned by conquering them. For example, describe how your experience as a combat infantry leader sharpened your leadership skills, enhanced your decision-making skills, taught you how to allocate assignments to team members based on their skills, increased your adaptability to changing circumstances, and improved your ability to effectively communicate with people of diverse backgrounds. Other selling points include technical expertise, self-discipline, experience handling confidential information, attention to detail, international experience, knowledge of geographic regions, language skills and an ability to excel in high-pressure situations.

* Translate your military experience into civilian terms. Remember that hiring managers are only impressed by applications they understand. So define technical terms, titles and acronyms that will stump civilians or avoid using them altogether. Also, explain the importance of your work to your unit. Confirm your application’s effectiveness by testing it on civilians.

Here is an excerpt from the rejected resume of a veteran who ignored these principles: “I prepared Mission Need Statements (MNS) and Capstone Requirements Documents (CRDs) that were mandated when Joint Strike Fighters or IMDs were introduced. The audience for these documents was the Flag-level officers in the J1, J2 and J3 Directorates.”

* Submit all required documents. Many veterans sabotage their applications by neglecting to submit or failing to label documents proving their military service or disability, or by failing to bring such documents to career fairs.

* Negotiate your salary. The most important question in salary negotiations is usually, “Is this offer negotiable?” Just asking for a better offer is frequently all it takes. The time to initiate salary negotiations is after you receive an offer and before you respond to it; once you accept a job, you lose your leverage.

If the human resources’ contact for your target job is unwilling to negotiate your salary, ratchet your request up to your target job’s hiring manager. Support your request with an explanation of how your education or military experience exceeds the basic qualifications for your target job.

But even more importantly, remember that your target agency will probably base its salary offer on your military salary. You should explain how your military salary underestimates your true income by excluding bonuses, overtime pay, or benefits such as housing allowances and child care. And if accepting the job offer would require you to move to a location that would increase your cost of living, say so.

By using these techniques, one of my clients who transitioned from a military weapons specialist to a federal weapons analyst increased his salary offer by more than $25,000. Also, request reimbursement for moving expenses and tuition, and support for continuing education, if appropriate.

Tags: careers, cia, hiring, resume, salary negotiations, veterans

Prove you are a problem-solver

November 24th, 2009 | Uncategorized

Employers want to recruit new hires who will solve their problems — not create new ones. Here are five ways to prove to employers that you’re a problem-solver — not a problem.

1. Strategize your current projects. Long before you start looking for a new job, identify projects on your current job that are likely to produce tangible results. These might be reports, Web sites, training or new procedures that are likely to improve your office’s operations in concrete ways by, for example, cutting costs, increasing productivity or improving efficiency. Then, ask your boss if you can lead those projects. Completing such projects will provide tangible evidence of your productivity and problem-solving skills that you can brandish in your job applications and interviews.

2. Show your successes. Bring to your interviews solid proof of your success such as glowing performance reviews or praising e-mails from managers; and impressive work products, such as printouts of Web sites you created, reports you have written or descriptions of your projects in annual reports.

3. Solve problems volunteered by your interviewers. If your interviewers describe challenges, obstacles or problems confronting your target office, suggest potential strategies for solving those problems either immediately or during follow-up interviews.

A case in point: I know a federal human resources manager whose interviewer mentioned that her target office had trouble motivating employees who were not eligible for promotions. In response, the HR manager presented during her second interview a list of innovative potential motivating strategies. The result: Even before the HR manager got home from the interview, her interviewers had left her a voice mail message offering her the job — even though she had been warned before her second interview that she still faced stiff competition for the job.

Another example: I know a federal manager who was told during an initial interview that she would be asked in a follow-up interview to describe her vision for her target office. In response, she called her target office’s director and discussed his vision, and then prepared a short PowerPoint presentation on how to achieve the director’s goals. The result: She got the job.

4. Generate opportunities to solve your target office’s problems. If your interviewers don’t volunteer the information, ask them what challenges, constraints or obstacles are confronting their office. A good time to do this is when your interviewers ask if you have any questions about your target job. In response, on the spot, in follow-up interviews or in a post-interview thank-you letter, gently suggest potential strategies for solving those problems.

5. Help your references help you. Your references probably won’t know anything about your target job or which of your credentials they should emphasize unless you tell them. Nor will your references necessarily remember your past successes or even the praise they themselves have heaped on you.

So when you ask your references if you may use them as references, describe to them your target job, why it appeals to you and your qualifications for it. Also, remind them of relevant projects and positive feedback they drew. In addition, volunteer to provide your references with copies of praising evaluations they have given you, your résumé and any other documents that would support your case.

Finally, here is how to impress your interviewers with your organizational skills and, at the same time, guide their discussions with each of your references to your best advantage: Prepare for your interviewers a list of your references in a neat table that has the following column headings: Name, Title, Contact Info, and Relationship to Me. Start each Relationship to Me box by identifying what type of professional relationship you had with each reference. Then, write something like “Can verify my xxx skills,” followed by a brief list of the credentials, projects, soft skills and any other characteristics you would like your interviewers to discuss with that reference.

Make interview answers pop

November 5th, 2009 | Uncategorized

During your next job interview, you will almost certainly be asked some of those standard, clichéd questions that have been asked in interviews almost since the Spanish Inquisition.

Some guidance to help you ace them:

Q: Tell me about yourself.

Unimpressive answer: A biographical filibuster that rambles on about your entire career and includes personal information that is irrelevant to your target job. Save that spiel for your retirement party.

Impressive answer: A concise, logical summary of your relevant credentials — even if they’re covered in your resume. Emphasize recent (over ancient) successes, show your fire-in-the-belly, and conclude by describing how you would contribute to your target job.

Q: What are your weaknesses?

Unimpressive answer: Anything that will confirm your unworthiness for your target job. Consider that everything you say can and will be held against you. Avoid clichés like: “I don’t have any weaknesses,” “I’m a perfectionist,” or “I work too hard.”

Impressive answer: Use some time-tested techniques for demonstrating self-awareness, and humility of commitment to self-improvement:

*Describe how you stay current in your field, and identify some training goals.

*Describe a non-deal-breaking gap you fixed. For example: “I previously underestimated the importance of X. So now I emphasize it more.” Or, “I used to avoid public speaking. So I joined Toastmasters, and now enjoy it.”

*Acknowledge that, as a new employee, you would have a lot to learn about your target organization, and prove that you are up to the task.

*Say: “In order to avoid repeating mistakes, I inventory lessons learned after each project with my staff.”

Q: What are you most proud of?

Unimpressive answer: I know a fed who answered this question by referring to his role as a husband and father. In response, “my interviewer’s face fell,” he recalls. He didn’t get the job.

Impressive answer: Describe a high-impact project that parallels the demands of your target job, explain how your contributions to it improved operations, and cite resulting positive feedback. That’s what the proud husband and father did when asked that question in another interview. He got the job.

Q: Why should we hire you over other applicants?

Unimpressive answer: “I don’t know the other applicants so I can’t compare myself to them.” Your interviewers will hit the eject button. Don’t be meek, overly humble or apologetic.

Impressive answer: Describe your best credentials, your work ethic, and team-friendly approaches. Also leave copies of recent excellent annual reviews with your interviewers, if possible.

Q: Can we call your boss?

Unimpressive answer: “We don’t get along. Please don’t call him.”

Impressive answer: Don’t want your current boss to sabotage your prospects? Say, “I would prefer not to inform my boss about my job search. Here’s a list of other references, including several previous bosses.”

Q: How do you deal with conflict?

Unimpressive answer: “I won’t compromise when I am right.”

Impressive answer: “I look for common ground and ways to compromise. For example … Also, I believe that disagreements should not become conflicts. Colleagues should be able to discuss disagreements amicably. When I get overruled or overrule others, I just do it graciously, and move on.”

Q: What is your management style?

Unimpressive answer: “I’m the boss and I expect my staff to follow my orders.”

Impressive answer: “I am a decisive, effective, and fair manager who creates a collegial office atmosphere. To ensure that my office’s work gets done, I strive to understand the work, the people who do it, and relevant obstacles. And I give my staff the guidance and resources they need to do their jobs.”

Q: What would you do during your first week as a manager?

Unimpressive answer: A pledge to buffalo through the office and immediately overhaul it.

Impressive answer: “I would initially talk to as many people as possible and read as much as possible to understand the organization and its constraints before making any major changes.”

— Lily Whiteman is a public affairs officer at the National Science Foundation and author of “How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job.’’ Her Web site is IGotTheJob.net. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of the National Science Foundation.

Win that fellowship

October 26th, 2009 | Uncategorized

Fellowships for experienced professionals are short-term assignments in various specialties that feature training, lectures and networking events. Fellows gain eye-opening experiences, expand their talents, and collect grist for their résumés and Rolodexes — all of which may enhance their effectiveness or help them land promotions.

Some federal organizations run fellowships that exclusively recruit current feds, and some private organizations run fellowships that recruit from all sectors.

Some tips from hiring managers on how to craft winning fellowship applications:

*Make deadlines. Fellowship applicants are often rejected because they miss deadlines or submit applications that were “obviously dashed off on a last-minute lark,” observes one hiring manager. Start your applications early enough to avoid last-minute manic-panics and to give yourself time to craft thoughtful applications.

*Research programs. After reviewing your target program’s marketing materials, impress the program manager with your enthusiasm and seriousness by calling him or her to discuss the program. Ask the manager to help connect you with fellowship alumni. Then, interview those alumni and incorporate your resulting program knowledge in your application.

*Customize applications. Don’t answer essay questions with excerpts from your résumé or submit the same generic application to multiple programs. Many applications are rejected because the name of the wrong fellowship program is mindlessly incorrectly copied from one application to another.

When reviewing your application, hiring managers will seek evidence of your desire to contribute and benefit from the fellowship. Begin your application with a purposeful, energetic statement, explaining why you are eager to receive the fellowship. Explain how your academic and professional credentials, people skills, multitasking abilities and other strengths would support the program and enhance other fellows’ experiences. State your commitment to giving your all so that you will maximize your benefits from the fellowship. Review how your long-term interests jibe with the fellowship. For example, if you apply for a fellowship on Capitol Hill, emphasize your history of reading about politics, describe campaigns you worked on, and explain your attraction to the rough-and-tumble of politics. Describe what types of fellowship projects you would like to pursue, if appropriate. But also convey your flexibility and expectation of surprises.

*State explicitly how you would accommodate the fellowship’s structure and goals. For example, if you would be expected to return to your home agency after completing the fellowship, confirm in your application and interviews that you would indeed do so, provide reassurances that you would not use the fellowship as a stepping stone to a new career, and explain how the fellowship would enhance your post-fellowship contributions to your home agency. If your target fellowship is half time, explain how the demands of your current job would be reduced to accommodate your absences for the fellowship.

*Treat your application as a writing sample. Good communication skills are a requirement for most fellowships, and your communication skills will largely be evaluated by your written application. Proofread your application for logic, typos, grammar and conciseness. As one fellowship manager warns, “Don’t make me read three pages that could be condensed into three sentences.” Also, eliminate potentially confusing verbiage, such as acronyms; your application should be an easy, clear and fast read.

*Don’t lie. Sell yourself with gusto but without exaggeration.

*Prepare your references. Review with your references, including your current boss, the nature of your target program, its appeal to you and your credentials. This information helps your references propel your application with a compelling, hearty endorsement. Poor or unenthusiastic references can, by themselves, be deal-breakers.

*Practice for interviews. Prepare answers to common and anticipated interview questions, and role-play interviewing.

*Be persistent. Rejected from your target program? Call the hiring manager and ask how you could improve your chances next time. Then, apply again.

Write a winning cover letter

October 12th, 2009 | Uncategorized

Most online job application systems don’t accept cover letters. But if Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry gets his way, agencies will eliminate knowledge, skills and abilities essays (KSAs) and base their applications solely on cover letters and résumés.

So if your next job application requires a cover letter, design it to quickly introduce yourself, convey your enthusiasm for your target opening and agency, concisely review your best educational and professional qualifications, and showcase your communication skills.

As one hiring manager advises, “You will probably beat 95 percent of your competition just by submitting an error-free cover letter that concisely describes how you meet the opening’s requirements.”

To craft winning cover letters:

*Treat your cover letter like the potentially make-or-break document it is. Your letter will probably be the first part of your application that hiring managers read, and first impressions usually are lasting impressions. What’s more, your letter may be the only part of your application that hiring managers read. Even managers who only skim applications will read a one-page cover letter from top to bottom.

Even though cover letters are key to making good first impressions, many job-seekers thoughtlessly dash them off at the last minute. Instead, you should take time to create a dynamic, first-rate letter, whether you write it as the first or last step in your application preparation.

*Design your cover letter as a fast read. No matter how experienced you are, your cover letters should not exceed one page. Save space by identifying your target job in a “Re” line.

*Don’t open your cover letter with boring, generic clichés, such as “Enclosed please find my application” or “I am contacting you in order to …” Instead, research your target organization by surfing its Web site, Bestplacestowork.org and recent articles posted online by newspapers and magazines. Then, craft an energetic opener that demonstrates your knowledge of your target organization and explains how you would contribute to its success. For example: “As a contract manager with an MBA and five years of experience in innovative contract management, I would be eager to contribute to EPA’s efforts to streamline procurement procedures, which were recently covered in Fast Company.”

Another example: “I am eager to contribute to the mission of [name of target agency] because [your reason goes here]. I have previously demonstrated my dedication to this field by earning the following credentials: [List your credentials in bullets or in a “Your Needs/My Credentials” table].” Convey your credentials in achievement-oriented terms. Describe how they improved your employer’s operations; don’t repeat your job descriptions or your entire résumé.

*Purge your cover letter of presumptuous statements, such as: “I know you will find that I am a perfect match for the position.” Instead, describe how your credentials match your target job’s requirements, and let hiring managers decide for themselves that you’re the ideal applicant.

*Remember: Hiring managers only care about what you would do for them — not about what you want from them. So use terms such as “offer” and “contribute” rather than citing the opportunities for yourself.

*Prominently position your security clearances or veterans preference, and any noncompetitive appointments for which you are applying. Also explain any special circumstances, such as your willingness to relocate.

*Eliminate acronyms and any other terms that may stump hiring managers.

*Repeatedly proofread a hard-copy version of your cover letter, and then solicit feedback on it from trusted advisers.

If the application for your target job does not accept cover letters, write the opening of your application’s first KSA with a concise overview of your credentials, even if such information is not specifically requested. You will thereby start your KSAs with an impressive bang, hit hiring managers with your best shot and ensure that they will learn about your most important selling points even if they don’t read your entire application.

Create a success portfolio

September 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized

One way to impress interviewers is to provide them with a portfolio of documents that validate your success and your reputation.

Such a sales pitch, incorporating proof of success, is more convincing than uncorroborated promises of future productivity.

Providing hard copies of your documents, rather than electronic versions, allows your interviewers to make a decision about you immediately after your interview — without the task of downloading electronic documents.

A portfolio of tangible, eye-catching work will help you stand out from the pack. For example, I recently helped a GS-14 Web master prepare an interview portfolio that included printouts of Web pages he had produced. The result? He got the job, and his interviewers later told him that he had been the only applicant to show them work products, which bowled them over.

Your interviewers may use your portfolio to sell you to other decision-makers who don’t attend the interview. For example, I know a GS-15 communications expert who provided his interviewer with a chapter of a book he had recently published. The result? The communications expert got the job, and his interviewer told him that his chapter had helped him convince other managers that he was indeed the “go-to” guy in his field.

How to prepare a winning portfolio:

*Purchase labels and about 10 plastic portfolios with pockets as soon as you begin your job search. That way, you won’t have to do a last-minute, midnight run for these materials when you need them.

*Obtain each interviewer’s name and title when you’re invited to an interview. Then, immediately begin preparing a portfolio for each interviewer.

*Neatly label and annotate materials so that your portfolio will be self-explanatory. Emphasize key text, such as glowing praise, with a highlighter. Identify your contributions to group projects.

*Your portfolio’s first pocket should contain a well-formatted, hard-copy version of your résumé — not a printout of your hard-to-read online résumé. Your interviewers won’t necessarily read your résumé before the interview.

*Your portfolio should also feature your business card, reference list and impressive documents. These might include: reports, published articles, newsletters, press releases, Web pages, press clips or printouts of PowerPoint presentations that you wrote, that quote you or that cover your projects.

*Other documents could include enthusiastic annual evaluations; praising e-mails from managers, colleagues or clients; evaluations from conferences or trainings you organized; copies of awards and their justifications; academic transcripts; written recommendations from your references; programs from events and conferences that featured your presentations; explanatory maps, charts and photographs; and artwork or marketing materials you designed.

Caveat: Hiring managers are busy — always. So include in your portfolio only highlights that relate to your target job. This principle was violated by an applicant for a federal contracting job who brought to her interview what her interviewer described as “a huge, three-ring binder of sample contracts that was thick enough to choke a rhinoceros.” Because of its volume, the binder only inspired pity for the applicant, not a desire to hire her, recalls the interviewer.

Practice weaving your portfolio into conversation and requesting a minute to walk your interviewers through it. Include several quick descriptions of how your projects improved your office’s operations, enhanced its reputation or pioneered a new approach.

When you present your portfolio to your interviewers, position it for viewing by all interviewers, and point to it. Look up!

If possible, leave a success portfolio with each interviewer. You will thereby leave indelible impression of your achievements that will linger after your interview is over.

Customize your résumé

September 14th, 2009 | Uncategorized

Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry plans to ask agencies to stop requiring job seekers to fill out those reviled knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) essays and to rely instead on applicant résumés to decide if someone is qualified and warrants a second look.

Some tips on crafting winning résumés:

*Tailor your résumé to your target job. Just as you give more attention to mail that is addressed to you personally than to junk mail that is addressed to the entire world, hiring managers give more attention to résumés that address their specific needs than to résumés that are addressed generically to all hiring managers.

To tailor your résumé, read the description of your target job as a question that asks, “Are you qualified to do this job effectively?” Answer that question affirmatively by emphasizing your work experience, education and volunteer experience that parallel the job’s demands. When possible, incorporate key words from the description of your target job into your job summaries.

*Prove that you wield responsibility. For example, identify the size of the budget you manage, the size of your staff and describe your supervisory achievements. Mention any security clearances you hold as high in your résumé as possible. If you consistently meet tight deadlines and bring projects in on time and under budget, say so.

*Craft your résumé for a quick read. Your job summaries should be a series of short, concise bullets that relate to your target job. (Create a bullet in online applications by typing an asterisk followed by several spaces.) Remember that hiring managers will probably spend only a few seconds reading your résumé before deciding whether you’re a contender. Therefore, if your résumé doesn’t quickly wow hiring managers, it probably won’t wow them at all.

Begin each bullet with an achievement-oriented action verb, such as led, designed, wrote or streamlined. To obtain lists of such verbs, do a Google search on “action verbs for résumés.” Caution: Do not incorporate your job descriptions into your résumé. They read as dryly as a stranger’s “to do” list, and they’re not impressive because they don’t convey actual successes.

Place bullets that most closely parallel the responsibilities of your target job at the top of each job summary — even if those responsibilities are not the ones you currently spend the most time on.

*Include your positive feedback on your résumé. For example, if you have consistently received excellent annual evaluations, or earned awards, say so.

One way to cite praise in your résumé is to copy a technique used by movie ads that string together excerpts of reviews with phrases like “Feel-Good Movie of the Summer,” “An Oscar Contender” or “Tells an Unforgettable Story.” Similarly, brandish your good reviews by excerpting quotes from the positive oral and written feedback that you have received.

For example, consider this bullet, which helped one of my clients land a promotion: “Sample Positive Feedback from Executives: ‘Joe is a vital asset … his contributions are multifaceted … has gone the extra mile time and time again … provides expert advice.’ ”

*Ignore the myth that federal résumés should be as long as Princess Diana’s wedding train. Truth is the correct length for your résumé is the minimum length you need to prove you’re qualified.

Minimize your résumé’s length by ruthlessly editing redundancies, squeezing as much information as possible into as few words as possible and eliminating credentials that don’t relate to your target job.

Federal agencies don’t require applicants to review experience that is more than 10 years old. So if your early experience won’t help you land your target job, omit it.

*If you’re applying for a job within your current office, assume hiring managers have no prior knowledge of your achievements. If you don’t fully present all of your achievements, you are likely to be upstaged by other applicants.

*Get a second opinion. The only way to objectively evaluate how your résumé comes across is to show your résumé to other people, and ask them how it comes across to them.

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