Thursday, June 11, 2026
May 27, 2026, Kathryn Troutman, Baltimore, MD.
(Baltimore, MD; 05-27-26) On May 15, in a dining room of the Hyatt Regency Portland, author/publisher Kathryn Troutman waited with other nominees and their supporters at the IPBA Book Awards banquet. Soon she was awarded with Silver in Reference for the 8th Edition of her best-selling Federal Resume Guidebook. This was part of an incredible winning streak for Troutman, who recently introduced four new titles through her firm, Resume Place. The Silver IBPA Award was the final prize of seven, with three titles earning approving nods from judges in various competitions.
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“It feels great to win all these awards, to be honored in this way,” says Troutman. “Especially after surmounting all the hurdles brought on by changes in the Federal workplace last year.”
The first of the new winning titles was Transitioning Your Federal Resume to Private Industry. With it, Troutman was responding to the January 28, 2025 “Fork in the Road” memo from OPM inviting 150,000 Federal employees to resign.
“This was shocking, and if the workers didn’t accept the deferred resignations, they would be fired,” Troutman remembers. “That night, at two o’clock in the morning, I decided to write a book about how to turn a 5-page Federal resume into a 2-page private industry resume.” The book explains the rewrite process through six strategies, and it includes seven case studies with BEFORE 5-page resumes and AFTER 2-pagers. Troutman produced it quickly. “The book was much needed to keep these employees going and looking for a new career,” she notes.
The Transitioning book took:
- Best Book in Reference in the Independent Press Awards, and
- A Finalist Designation for Career, in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards
The next shocker hit on May 29, 2025. A memo announced that the typical, long-form 5-page Federal resume would no longer be accepted. Now all Federal resumes had to be streamlined to 2 pages.
“They had been accepting 5-page resumes for 15 to 20 years,” says Troutman. “All of a sudden, the Federal resumes all had to be 2 pages. It was unbelievable.”
Troutman revised her Federal Resume Guidebook as a new 8th edition to address this significant shift. The book provides 16 samples of Federal resumes with different formats for the 2 pages. Her approach places the most crucial information on the first page and emphasizes accomplishments, keywords, and strategic formatting.
In addition to Silver in the IBPA Award, the Federal Resume Guidebook, 8th Ed, secured:
- Distinguished Favorite for Careers, in the Independent Press Awards, and
- Finalist Designation in Careers, for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Meanwhile, Troutman had been working on the 3rd edition of her guide, The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses. Sensing their importance, she decided to include 2-page resumes.
“I have a really cool suggestion in that book,” Troutman notes. “I recommend that the applicants add a job block for their time as a military spouse. It covers the skills, knowledge, and experiences they offer as a military insider. Before this, they were keeping being in the military a secret as these families often move, and their resumes were a wreck with huge gaps.”
The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses, 3rd Ed. achieved:
- Gold in Career, for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and
- A Finalist Designation in Military, for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards
“Actually, the 2-page Federal resumes have been a good thing.” Troutman acknowledges. “The long Federal resumes weren’t good for anyone, HR or applicants. The change was shocking at first, but good in the long run. In my 2-page Federal Resumes, I emphasize accomplishments, because duty-based resumes are kind of vanilla. They’re dull. No good.”
In addition to the other three titles, the Jobseeker Guide, Ten Steps to a Federal Job® was fully updated as a 10th Edition to match the new OPM requirements, including 2-page resumes, new questions on the job-related questionnaire, new USAJOBS resume builder format, and more.
“To get all the information down to 2 pages, and to sell yourself with accomplishments, isn’t easy,” Troutman warns. For help, check out her award-winning books for expert advice, or consider a professional resume consultation from the Resume Place.
Kathryn Troutman is the author of 35 books on the Federal resume. She is the Founder, President, and Manager of Resume Place, Inc., a leading resume-writing and job-search consulting firm in Baltimore, MD.
Take a closer look. Visit the book page of the Resume Place website.
Dive deeper. Read the BookLife Review of the Transitioning book.
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Author Kathryn Troutman has written and published more than 30 successful books on Federal Resume Writing over the last 20 years, becoming the No. 1 Author of Federal-resume books. Her firm, Resume Place, has provided resume and career support to Federal workers for over 30 years. A lively and informative media guest, Troutman regularly answers questions about Federal employment. More on the book, webinars, Troutman and consults at www.resume-place.com.