USDA Pathways Internship to Job openings

We have a GS-7 recent grads/pathways analyst position open in Policy and Program Development (the program I work in), Policy Evaluation and Decision Support. GS-7 translates into a bachelor’s degree and >3.0 GPA OR a master’s degree. Current students who will complete their degree by 05/31/2022 are eligible to also apply. See here for the job announcement: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/646908800 I’ve attached a “how to” apply (of note: federal resumes should be more than 1 page – we want a lot more detail about jobs and experiences. See below for examples) and I’m happy to talk to any students about the job, the unit, and APHIS and I’m happy to review resumes as well. Please share widely! Beth Beth Gaston Liaison to the University of Maryland Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (202) 439-9281 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Federal Resume Writing Workshop A resume for a federal job is different than a resume you need for a job in the private sector. Conventional wisdom suggests that a resume in the private sector should be limited to one piece of paper (front and back, max), and a 1-page cover letter. For a federal job, we need a lot more detail. While you don’t want your resume to be the length of a novel, you need to include detailed information about what work you did as well as information about outcomes and how long you did it. As we consider applications, there are at least two steps to the resume review process – the Human Relations (HR) department conducts an initial screen to see who meets the basic qualifications and then sends a list to the hiring manager of the people who meet the basic qualifications (those whom we “certify” have met the conditions, so we often refer to this list as “the certificate or cert.”). The hiring manager then determines from the list those who are best qualified to be interviewed. HR Review: For the first step, the HR department will ensure that – based on the information you provided in your resume – you meet the “Requirements” section of a job listing. If we require prior experience, the length of time (month/year at least) and the number of hours you worked is important – when we say that a candidate needs one year of experience, this translates to 2,087 hours – so that would be one year at a full-time position, or two years at 20 hours/week, or even three part-time jobs that the hours total to 2,087. Having enough detailed information so we can do the math can affect whether we determine that you are qualified at all AND, for jobs where we may hire people at different “general schedule” (or GS) levels, it can determine how much money we will offer you. Be very clear about what you have done in your career that is pertinent to the job you are applying for. If “Experience independently performing all aspects of insect-rearing duties in an insect mass-production setting” is a requirement, make sure your resume is clear you have done so. However, we do not recommend simply cutting and pasting from the qualifications listing. While this may qualify you as having the basic qualifications, it tells the hiring manager nothing about what you actually do or have done. Say what you have done and how you think it relates to the job requirements. If we require a transcript, be sure to include one. Often we will accept unofficial transcripts for the application, but if we offer you a job, it will be contingent on an official transcript. NOTE: There is a common urban legend: “I heard that there is a computer algorithm you use to make sure key words appear in the resume,” which then implies that cutting and pasting from the job announcement is an effective strategy. APHIS has real, live people review the materials that applicants send in. Hiring Manager Assessment: Once HR has determined who meets the basic qualifications, they send the certificate (the list of everyone who meets the requirements) to the hiring manager. The hiring manager then has the challenge to determine the BEST qualified. If the list is shorter, hiring mangers themselves may simply review the resumes, cover letters, transcripts and other associated documents, rank the candidates based on pre-determined criteria and choose who to interview. If the list is longer, the hiring manager often has a panel of people who jointly review the resumes, and associated documents, (cover letters, transcripts, certificates) and ranks the candidates. We base these criteria for making the rank order on responsibilities and competencies listed in the job announcement. Depending on the number of the people on the certificate, the hiring manager generally interviews 3-10 people. To make yourself stand out (in a good way!), this is where you need to be thorough and descriptive. Be sure to address the elements listed in the “Requirements” and also show that you have experience in the activities listed under the “Responsibilities” for the specific job. If you have evidence that shows that you have done the work and done it well, include that evidence. For example, “Under my watch, the larval mortality rate dropped by 12 percent. Example 1: Requirement: Experience independently performing all aspects of insect-rearing duties for insect mass-production. Not effective: I have experience independently performing all aspects of insect-rearing duties in an insect mass-production setting. Effective: One of my main responsibilities (in the campus insect laboratory) was to rear the research insects, including ensuring the larvae were fed and maintained at the proper temperature. Under my watch, our mortality rate dropped 12 percent. This is important as it saves time and money for the research teams. Example 2: Requirement: Provides customer service in a difficult and sometimes contentious environment. Not effective: I am good at customer service. Effective: In this position (at the local coffee shop), customer service is paramount. People are often en route to work and in a rush, and can be extremely particular about how they want their coffee prepared. Customers want a quality product prepared correctly and can get angry if their orders do not meet their expectations. I made a point to know regular customers’ names and usual orders; I’d greet each person on arrival and either take their order or confirm their usual order. One customer wrote the local franchise owner and said that my friendly and efficient approach during the morning rush kept him coming in every day. Example 3: Responsibility: Develops written reports on [topic of job] Not effective: I routinely write reports. Effective: In my capstone class for environmental science, I was the team lead. It was my responsibility to gather information from the team members and develop the final report for the client. I worked with each team member to craft the different parts of the report and made sure we had consensus on our final recommendations. I wrote the first draft and shared it with the team, making sure we were all in agreement with how I presented our work and our conclusions. Once we were all comfortable with the content, I carefully edited and proofread the report to make sure the copy was clean. The client accepted all of our recommendations and posted elements of our report on their public website. The Cover Letter: A cover letter is optional – but it gives you a chance to show that you have carefully read about the job and are interested in it. You can also reference skills or abilities that might not be fully showcased in your resume. (For example, a recent candidate indicated that his background in basketball demonstrated his teamwork abilities.) A poorly written or form cover letter is not useful at all and may count against you in a panel review. For many jobs, the hiring manager will specify the specialized experience needed to be successful. The cover letter is an opportunity for you to summarize from different parts of your resume what sets you apart in having the specialized experience the hiring manager is looking for. For example: My resume shows the three main reasons I would be suited for the insect rearing position: I have experience in all aspects insect rearing at the USDA facility in Phoenix (2016 to 2020)—during my successful tenure as manager there, the larval mortality rate declined by 12 percent. I am customer service oriented—I have a track record of quality customer service at the insect rearing facility in Phoenix and received several awards for my work with our clients. Also, while working at the Starbucks in college (2012 to 2013), customers wrote letters to my manager saying how my service was friendly and efficient. I am a good writer—while leading our team on our capstone project (2015), I was the lead writer. The report was so well written that the client accepted all of our recommendations and even posted portions of our report on their website.