How to Land Government Jobs for Military And Spouses

Jobseeker’s Guide 9th Edition Delivers Latest on Federal Job Search

Baltimore, MD; January 25, 2022 —Author Kathryn Troutman, known as the Federal Jobs Guru, and the Resume Place Press are excited to announce a new edition of one of her most popular titles, the best-selling Jobseeker’s Guide: How to Land Government Jobs for Military and Spouses. The 8th Edition was published four years ago, and Troutman says many new developments called for an update.

“I wanted to create the new edition because there is so much new information on USAJOBS, the government’s main employment site,” she notes. “Plus the new book includes six case studies. The previous edition only had one full case. I’d also like to spread the good news of the increase in Direct Hiring openings, which involve a faster hiring process.”

The case studies include what has become a cornerstone of Troutman’s popular Federal career guides—the sample BEFORE and AFTER resumes. “A correctly written Federal resume is critical for success in job hunting in the government,” the author advises. These samples dramatically show the difference between a winning, on-target Federal resume (in her resume style that Troutman calls the Outline Format)…and the original resumes that didn’t hit the mark. In the new edition’s detailed case studies, Troutman features a full story of the successful applicant’s job search, their previous position, their target Federal job, who advised them, the keywords from the announcement that were so essential to include in the AFTER resume, and any special employment pathway (such as Veterans’ Preference, Military Spouse, or Person with Disability) which assisted their success.

To highlight just a few case studies…

o Julia Ann Marie Kelly was an Ammunitions Test Coordinator for the US Army, and she had extensive non-profit volunteer experience as a Native American Women Veteran’s Advocate. Julia landed a well-paying Program Analyst job (GS-14) for the VA’s Center for Women’s Veterans.

o Maxine Gomez was a Licensed Nursing Assistant with a 100% disabled veteran husband. She was able to use her spouse’s Vet’s Preference (through Deferred Preference) and was hired as a Health Technician, a GS-5 Federal job. Now employed by Uncle Sam, she has strong future advancement potential, great benefits including retirement, and a flexibility important to taking care of her husband.

o Justus Martin was a Navy Vet working as a Census Enumerator who had just completed education in Film and Video Production and the Media Arts. Emphasizing his coursework and school projects in the AFTER resume, Justus was selected as a Visual Information Specialist (GS-7) for the US Park Service.

While the process of applying for Federal work is as complex as ever, Troutman is pleased to point in the Guide to a positive development—the growing availability of Direct Hire Positions. This faster hire process is used by Federal agencies when there is a shortage of applicants or a critical need to hire (such as during COVID-19). In the Guide, she explains this alternative hiring process, how to find the Direct Hire jobs, and how it differs from traditional hiring.

Troutman structures her beautifully designed Guide around 10 logical steps for searching, applying for, and landing a Federal position. Along the way in the 9th Edition, jobseekers will encounter helpful activities as well as graphic elements, such as screenshots explaining USAJOBS, sample vacancy announcements and more. There are also many new charts, including the Direct Hire Process, Military Rank to Federal Civilian Grades, How to Network for Direct Hire Positions, Special Hiring Paths, Networking for Special Hiring Paths, and Critical Vacancy Announcement Features. The final chapter, Step 10: Interview & Negotiate, provides a worksheet for interview preparation, interview tips, and pointers for negotiating for the best offer in terms of salary, annual leave, tuition reimbursement, telework, etc.

Links to relevant webpages are LIVE in the Guide, and the author also provides a list of all the links per chapter on her website, https://resume-place.com/.

Troutman designed her Outline Format Resume to highlight the specific experience required in the vacancy announcement on USAJOBS. “One reason this is so important is that Federal Resumes are read by a real person,” she points out. “People think the resumes are scanned by artificial intelligence, but they’re not. The format in the book makes it easy for HR and hiring managers to see that you’re qualified.”

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The Jobseekers’ Guide 9th Edition has been published as both a paperback and an ebook. The Guide posts on 12/15/21 for ordering on www.resume-place.com for $18.95 each (shipping 1/10/22). The 9th Edition will be available soon on Amazon. This Guide is used at bases around the world, by all branches of the military, to train transitioning service members and their spouses to apply for Federal work. It is also an excellent Guide for anyone seeking Federal employment.

Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Edition, The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses, 2nd Edition and Student’s Federal Career Guide, 4th Edition. Troutman is the Founder and President of The Resume Place, a Federal resume writing and job coaching service in Baltimore, MD.

ORDER THE BOOK HERE