The Essential Parts of an SES (Senior Executive Service) Federal Job Resume - How is Yours?

If you're applying for a position as a senior executiveFor example, a good profile statement might read,
with the federal government, you need a top-notch"Master of Business Administration with substantial
SES federal resume in order to be interviewed for aoperations management experience. Demonstrated
senior executive position.capability for supplying the highest level of corporate
When the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978services while significantly reducing costs. Fully
was written, the people who framed it envisionedconversant with all facets of purchasing, security,
the Senior Executive Service (SES) as a corps ofmanaging staff, planning facilities and cost accounting.
senior executives with solid executive expertise thatTrilingual English, Spanish and Italian. Reduced
valued public service and had a broad perspective ofoverhead by 25% by instituting new competitive
government. They intended the SES to be a body ofbidding procedure that improved quality of service."
executives, not a group of technical experts. TheThe achievement part of an SES federal resume
point is that successful candidates for SES jobsshould list your accomplishments in a brief,
should function well as executives--and executiveseasy-to-understand format that avoids generalizations
are paid to oversee technical experts, not toand uses numbers to describe the results of your
compete with them.actions.
Leaving aside for the moment the Executive CoreFor example:o Designed and wrote new guidelines,
Qualifications (ECQs) that define the competenciespolicies, flow charts and employee handbooks that
required for entry to the Senior Executive Serviceincreased productivity and saved $40,000 annuallyo
and are used by many departments and agencies inReceived award for improving employee
selection, performance management, and leadershipperformance by 25%o Coordinated continuing
development for management and executiveeducation conference that improved management's
positions, let's focus on the two most importantability interact positively with workerso Reduced the
parts of a federal SES resume:number of grievances filed by workers by 60% by
Your profile (also called a career summary) and yourobtaining their input for and involving them in
achievements.management decisions
A profile or career summary is a short statementWhatever your SES career objective, what matters
that highlights your abilities in a manner that makes itmost is concise, perfectly crafted SES federal
easy for anyone reading it to speedily pick up onresume copy that meets the criteria of the post for
them. Because a single job posting may easily drawwhich you are applying in a fashion superior to those
thousands of applicants, your profile has to stand outof your competitors for the job.
from the herd to get noticed. Your profile should beThis level of resume writing is best left to
a short professional biography in no more than 10professional resume specialists who can take your
lines.information and package in a winning way.