"For two years I have been trying to get accepted into Government Service. After your company developed my Resumix, I was immediately selected for a GS-12 position."

John F. Haynes
GS-12

Online Applications such as Resumix, QuickHire, Army CPOL and USAJobs can be complex. Our Federal Resumix Application Experts will earn you interviews. Let us start writing your Resumix NOW for results.

What are Online Applications?
As an alternative to the traditional paper resumes, many federal government applications require building your resume online in a variety of systems that store your information in a computer database. These online formats allow you to submit to numerous positions and allow potential government employers to search and find you, but the formats are often very restrictive and there is not much standardization between systems. Each online application system has its own format, requirements, fields, and character limitations. Missing or improperly formatted information will result in rejection of your application. CareerProPlus/CareerPro has experts who understand these various online systems and their individual requirements. We provide personalized service that is unmatched in the industry, partnering with you to understand your employment experience and properly highlight it in the specific manner required for each system. Let our experts help you through this process to successfully apply for online positions.

There’s a Whole Lot More to Online Applications Than Meets the Eye!

There are many factors to submitting online resumes that are never explained in the online instructions. Many applicants have been angered and frustrated when they receive a rejection letter stating they “do not have the required minimum experience,” even though they may have worked in an identical position for years. This is because the system is looking for specific information and if your experience is not presented in the expected format, it effectively does not exist as far as the online system is concerned. Note that nearly all formatting is lost in an online system, stripping out any use of bold face, italics, bullets, or other methods of highlighting information. At times, even paragraph breaks are lost when copying and pasting from a Word document, requiring you to carefully proofread every answer. It takes experience and a unique style of writing to overcome the obstacles and properly highlight job experience so that it cannot be missed.

Online applications undergo a triple screening process that is designed to reject as many unqualified applications as possible. Unfortunately, this system often eliminates many qualified candidates as well. The online resume screening process begins with an electronic search for key words and phrases required for the position. By carefullyreading the announcement you can identify themes, repeated phrases, and jargon, but the keywords are by no means obvious. Without the right keywords (or enough of them), a resume will be rejected. Other hidden factors include proper keyword placement and frequency to maximize their value, proper format of text and paragraph usage, and many other details that are not found in the vacancy announcement or online instructions. Of course, your resume must also read well and directly target the qualifications listed in the announcement. Additional irrelevant information can distract from legitimate experience and result in a rejection.

After the electronic search, a lower-level administrative assistant will visually inspect the document for information he or she has been directed to find and many not even understand, then a higher-level reviewer (who probably does have experience in the appropriate field) will check the details to determine if the resume should be passed on for consideration by the hiring authority.

We Specialize in Military Transition Resumes!

No one in the industry has our experience, understanding, and dedication to serving our military veterans. In fact, our company started more than 20 years ago at a time when most resume writers did not understand military experience and focused on the more traditional resumes. Founder Barbara Adams was a pioneer in the field of Military Transition Resumes (MTRs) and many of our writers are military veterans themselves. She understood the value of military experience from the beginning and was able to translate it into civilian terms that government and private sector employees could understand, even if they did not have a military background. Whether you are applying for an online government position or are headed to a local job fair, we can provide you with the right resume in the right format to properly highlight your experience in terms a civilian hiring manager will understand and appreciate.

Beating the Competition

Even if you make it through the screening process, there is never a guarantee that you will be granted an interview (but at least you will have a chance). At times, a position may be cancelled or put on hold due to budget considerations or a change in priorities. For some jobs, the competition among qualified candidates is fierce. You also never know when a hiring authority has a favorite employee hand-picked for a position before the vacancy was even announced, but that’s where the process really works in your favor. Every candidate must apply through the same process, so potential favoritism is reduced. If a chosen candidate does not pass the triple screening process conducted by Human Resources (HR), then that application will not be considered for the position, no matter how the hiring manager may feel about it. Of course, then it’s between you and the competition, and that’s where the experts at CareerProPlus/CareerPro Global can help again.

We provide personalized service to help you top the competition! Our expert writers will partner with you to highlight as much relevant information as possible. We ask for your college transcripts, recent evaluations and letters of recommendation, awards, and other information. Unlike modern Resume Mills that simply cut and paste pre-written paragraphs and call that a resume, we custom-write each resume based on your information, and we ask questions to find information you might not think of including, searching for that one piece of experience that might place you above your competition. Of course, we have 20-plus years of experience as a company writing these resumes and know the nuances of the systems inside and out – a distinct advantage over highly qualified candidates that have never successfully applied through an online system before. We know many inside tips and tricks that only come from decades of writing and reviewing online applications and resumes. We take great pride in our work and great satisfaction when you succeed!

"For two years I have been trying to get accepted in the Government Service. After your company developed my Resumix, I submitted it to the Department of the Army and was immediately selected for a GS-12 position. I will gladly recommend your services to anyone needing a professionally written resume. Thank you so much!"

- John F. Haynes, Equipment Specialist GS12, Combat Equipment Battalion

What are Online Application Formats?

Some of the agencies that require online submission include:

U.S. Army
The Army CPOL (Civilian Personnel On-Line) format is used for most Army postings and allows 12,000 characters to describe all of your work experience. There are two other fields for your education and additional information. You can only have one resume on file for all applications.
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps
Navy CHART is no longer in use as of 10/1/2011. Department of Navy jobs will be posted on USAJOBS. The Navy CHART (Civilian Hiring and Recruitment Tool) format allows up to six positions to describe your work experience, each with a 7,500 character limit. There are additional fields for education (high school information, partial degrees, certifications, and completed degrees), professional training, licenses and certificates, performance ratings and awards, and other information. You can only have one resume on file for all applications.
U.S. Air Force
Like many federal agencies, the USAF uses USAJOBS for its announcements, often with additional restrictions and mandatory content. USAJOBS is fast becoming the premiere clearinghouse for government positions, thanks to its acceptance by the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM). However, there is a great deal of variation within USAJOBS vacancy announcements, as each agency imposes its own requirements. Some use the USAJOBS format and submission process as is, some simply redirect you to their own application site, and others combine elements of both.
U.S. Coast Guard
The USCG uses Avue Central for online vacancy submissions. This format allows only 4,000 characters per job listed in your work history and is one of the most extensive (and complicated) of all the online systems. This is the system that generally takes the most amount of time to completely enter online.
Federal Aviation Administration
The FAA system is not complicated and is fairly simple in its layout, but its numerous pages of online questions are extensive, requiring a great deal of time to fill out. Applicants must check boxes and enter information on every possible aspect of their aviation career, including types and models of aircraft flown, pilot licenses and certifications, FAA designations and authorizations, and total flight hours as Pilot in Charge or Second in Command of numerous airplanes and rotorcraft. Each of the five work experience blocks is limited to 4,000 characters.

Other agencies have their own online formats, including the FBI, DIA, and the U.S. Postal Service, although many are switching to using Application Manager (whether on its own site or redirected from applications on USAJOBS). Our expert writers maintain their knowledge of these systems to keep up to date with the latest changes. If you need assistance with understanding an online application or the process involved, contact one of our Career Coaches today for help through this maze of conflicting requirements.

KSAs and Other Mandatory Essay Questions

As if navigating the online resume application process wasn’t difficult enough, many vacancy announcements require supplemental essay questions. The most common of these are Knowledge, Skill, and Ability statements, or KSAs. These and other essays such as Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), Technical Qualifications (TQs), Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) or Managerial Technical Qualifications (MTQs) must be answered in a narrative statement format explaining in detail some specific experience, knowledge or capability with examples from the candidate’s career. This is a very specific type of government writing with its own unique style. Character limitations for each question can run from 500 to 8,000. Note that this is characters, not words, with spaces and paragraph breaks also counting as characters. Essays generally require at least one or two examples in the CONTEXT – CHALLENGE – ACTION – RESULT (CCAR) format, and the reviewer will want to see details. Some mandatory statements can be uploaded as a separate document in Word, PDF or certain graphics formats, but most are entered into an online text field during the application process.

Online Posting

If you are not computer savvy, online posting can be a difficult process. CareerProPlus has computer experts on staff that can help you post the resume we prepared with you.