If you’re applying for a government position, it’s important to know how to incorporate KSAs into your federal resume. For quicker results, it is of vital importance to have a federal resume that is specifically tailored to the job for which you’re applying. Federal resumes have their own specific requirements, and one of the most important parts of a federal resume is the KSA.
What is a KSA and How to Use it In Your Federal Resume?
KSAs are the attributes required to perform a job. KSA statements show how you applied your Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities to achieve results in your previous positions.
In the past, most government jobs had a list of KSA questions for applicants to answer to determine the candidate’s skill level and qualifications. KSA questions were answered in separate statements that addressed each question, resulting in a very lengthy resume.
Today, many federal jobs still require KSAs, but they aren’t as prevalent as they once were. Now, it’s considered optimal to incorporate KSA points into the federal resume itself, highlighting the skills desired for the job in the summary of achievements and overall work experience that showcase what the potential employer wants to see. This results in a federal/KSA hybrid resume.
At Capstone Resume Services, we offer both approaches, depending on what your future employer is looking for. We still write separate KSA responses for applications that include specific KSA questions, but we also incorporate KSAs into the federal resumes we create, utilizing the federal resume/KSA blend method.
Whether you need separate KSA statements or want to incorporate them into your resume, there are a few important things to consider when thinking about KSAs:
Include Job Description Keywords
If the position you are applying for doesn’t have separate KSA questions, you must read the job posting carefully to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities the organization is looking for. Look for specific keywords that stand out as you read the job post, and then be sure you include those keywords in your own resume, building your KSA statements around them.
The most important keywords are found in the responsibilities section of the job description. Be vigilant about repeating keywords and ensure you seamlessly incorporate them in your resume naturally. This is an easy and effective way to tailor your resume to a specific position.
And, if you’re looking to apply to similar positions under the same role title, look at a few job descriptions that you really like, and see where there is a keyword overlap. If there are a few specific keywords that stand out in all the descriptions, make sure they are included in your standardized resume for greater success with applicant tracking software and recruiters’ first impressions.
Keep It Concise
It’s important that your KSAs are short, clear, and concise, emphasizing your accomplishments and highlighting how you use your skillset to get results. If you have specific KSA questions to answer, be sure your response fully answers the question. Likewise, use examples to back up your skills and show how you have tangibly added value to every past position.
Use Numbers to Present Your Value
When incorporating your KSAs into your federal resume, be sure to use numbers, percentages, or concrete examples of impact to back up your claims and show your value. Include specific dollar amounts, times, and quantities where you can. It’s important to be as specific as possible, as hiring managers want to be sure that you not only can perform certain tasks, but that you can perform them well. By quantifying your accomplishments and providing concrete examples, you’ll signal that you have the skills necessary to excel in the new position and be an asset to their organization.
Don’t be Afraid of Detail
To be rated as “Best Qualified” for the position and have your resume passed on to the selection team, it’s crucial that you provide as much information on your past experiences as possible. Use fewer but more powerful words. Likewise, concentrate on explaining the value created at every position and not on the tasks performed. Better yet, show how the tasks you’ve learned led to value creation, especially if you took leadership initiative.
If you’re applying for a government position, detail is key. Employers want to know about your past experiences, so providing them with examples of past projects that highlight exactly what you did for a company and how you achieved it will help paint a full picture of the type of employee you are.
Whether you’re in need of traditional KSA statements or are looking to weave your KSAs into your resume, Capstone Resume Services can help! Our experienced professional resume writers have over 75 years of combined experience and know exactly what hiring managers are looking for. We start the resume writing process with a one-on-one personal consultation that allows us to learn about your experience, accomplishments, skills, and goals. From there we will create a professional federal resume that is sure to impress hiring managers and help you land that dream position.
Tips for Writing an Effective Federal Resume
To really stand out as a candidate in addition to your KSA statements, here are a few federal resume tips to consider for even greater leverage:
- Create Two Current Resumes. Given that your public sector resume probably includes details that you don’t usually share when applying for private-sector jobs, you might consider passing the private sector one around when networking, even in government-type environments.
- Be Concise. Even though federal agencies want detailed descriptions of your prior work, they are looking for more than job description language. Quality matters, so be creative about how you showcase your strengths. Develop statements that highlight measurable results from your time on the job. This provides a visual professional journey progression for the reader.
- Include Five References (if possible). The federal format will require a supervisor’s name, contact information, and the job title you’ve held for each of your positions. In terms of best federal resume practices, 5 references are generally desired. If you don’t have five government positions in your work history, you can add non-related references to the bottom of the resume.
- Keywords Matter. However, be tactical about how you use them. Do not simply put a ‘keywords’ section in your resume. Instead, showcase how you utilized the keywords in your experience with actions and results. By highlighting measurable outcomes of your professional experiences, you will let hiring managers know that your skills translated to concrete project outcomes.
Examples of KSA Statements
If you’re still unsure about how to word and include KSAs within your resume, here are just a few examples that showcase KSAs in action. The best place to include your KSA statements is at the beginning of every role you list. Think of the one-liner as your value proposition – a marketing hook – that helps the reader contextualize the detailed description of your responsibilities that comes after the statement.
Here are a few concrete examples of how to word your KSA statements:
KSA #1 Demonstrated the ability to manage an additional project within schedule constraints, and ensured it was successfully launched on time.
KSA #2 While learning new leadership skills within the context of a foreign country, took on new employee training and supervision, which helped the team meet its annual goals.
KSA #3 Found a way to simplify project management processes that saved the team $30,000 in annual expenses.
Again, make sure that your KSA statements capture the readers’ curiosity and are impressive. Stay away from showcasing ordinary tasks and regular outcomes that are already assumed to have been performed in your position. You can always delve into more detail within the bullet points that follow. This is your opportunity to ‘wow’ the selection committee and entice them to keep reading.
Tell Your Story
When it comes to writing your federal resume and KSAs, always keep in mind that tangible results are the most impressive in the eyes of hiring managers. If you can quantify your impact, you can signal the value you will be able to bring to your new federal position.
And, if you aren’t able to quantify your impact, then tell a great story! Show how your abilities and soft skills improved the team morale, were lauded by your supervisors, and led to others succeeding. All of these are parameters that show what an asset and how irreplaceable you would be in your new position.
Doing it all on your own can be time-consuming and difficult. To take the first step on your government job search with Capstone Resume Services. We have all the skills and expertise in the federal niche to make your resume stand out from the competition and get you the job!
