# Federal Resume Template — How to Use It

Two files, same layout. Pick one:

- **`federal-resume-BLANK.docx`** — headings and placeholders. Replace anything in `[brackets]`, delete the lines you don't need.
- **`federal-resume-EXAMPLE.docx`** — the same template filled in with a fictional person, so you can see what "done" looks like. Overwrite the text with your own.

Open either in Word, Google Docs, or LibreOffice. Formatting carries over fine.

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## The five rules that actually matter

**1. Length is not two pages.** That's the private-sector rule and it does not apply here. Federal resumes run three to five pages, sometimes more. HR rates you on what you can prove you've done — cutting detail to save space costs you points.

**2. Hours per week is required.** Every job needs it. Without it, HR can't calculate your months of qualifying experience, and you can be rated ineligible over a missing number. Salary is expected too.

**3. Mirror the announcement's language.** Pull up the job posting and read the *Duties* and *Specialized Experience* sections. Where your real work matches, use their words for it. Human reviewers are scoring your resume against that list, item by item. This is not keyword stuffing — you're making the match obvious.

**4. Quantify everything you honestly can.** Not "supported users" — *"supported 200+ users, resolving 25 tickets per week."* Numbers show scope, and scope is how they place you in a grade level.

**5. One resume per announcement.** Keep this filled-in version as your master, then save a copy and re-tailor it for each posting. Ten minutes of edits beats a generic submission every time.

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## Optional lines to add

Depending on the posting, you may also need:

- **Supervisor contact** — add under the job title line: `Supervisor: [Name], [Phone] | May we contact: [Yes/No]`
- **Citizenship** — add to the contact line if the posting asks
- **Veterans' preference** — add to the contact line, plus attach your DD-214
- **Series and grade** — for current or former federal employees: `GS-2210-09, Step 3`

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## Before you submit

- [ ] Hours per week on every job
- [ ] Month and year on every date
- [ ] Announcement's key phrases appear where they truthfully apply
- [ ] Numbers in most bullets
- [ ] Every `[bracket]` replaced or deleted
- [ ] Uploaded as `.docx` or `.pdf` — check what the posting accepts

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*Free to use and share. No attribution needed.*