FEDERAL RESUME CHECKLIST
1. Resume Overview
One font is used. Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri are the best choices.
Spacing is clear and consistent.
Font size is 11 or 12 pt.
Limit use of bold and underline to only highlight key headers.
Resume is NOT limited to a single page. Federal resumes are your application. Use as many pages as
needed to showcase your knowledge, skills and abilities.
Use of acronyms is limited to widely known acronyms such as USA.
Resume is focused on one job and/or job series. This means you have more than one resume if
applying for different types of jobs. Update your resume for each job you apply to.
Ask two people to review resume for spelling and grammatical errors or schedule a resume review
with a regional recruiter.
A person who is not familiar with your occupational background will be able to understand what you
do and why it is important.
2. Header Section
Your name, the largest wording on your resume, has a font size between 24 and 28 pt.
Contact information, including home address, email address and telephone number, is listed in a clear
manner.
Your email address is professional. Tip: use an email address that you will have access to for at least a
year. It may be better to use a personal email address instead of a student email address.
3. Professional Summary/Skills Section [Optional]
An objective section shows what you want. A professional summary shows what you can offer.
Delete the objectives section or replace it with a professional summary section.
Consider this section an elevator speech to summarize your expertise.
Pinpoint key skills listed in the job announcement to include in your professional summary.
Top clearances and certifications are included.
4. Work Experience Section
Experience requirements listed in the job announcement are reflected in your resume. Review the
Duties, Responsibilities, Qualifications, and How You Will be Evaluated sections of the job
announcement to pull key experience requirements.
Work descriptions paint a clear picture of your tasks, level of expertise and results of your effort. Use
quantitative and qualitative descriptions.
Experiences are listed in reverse chronological order. The most recent experiences should be first,
followed by previous experiences.
Present job descriptions are in present tense. Past job descriptions are in past tense.
Job title and company name are listed for each experience.
Work begin and end dates include month and year. Seasons (i.e. summer) should not be used as a
date.
Hours worked per week are listed for each experience.
Supervisor name, contact information and contact permissions (Okay to Contact, Not Okay to
Contact, or Contact Me First) are listed.
5. Volunteer/Related Experience Section
Human Resources also uses your volunteer and related experience to qualify you for a position.
Include detailed descriptions about any unpaid work.
This section could include relevant class projects, unpaid internships, community service, volunteer
work and any other related work and activities.
When applicable, format your volunteer and related experiences in the same manner as your paid
work experience. Include work dates, hours worked per week and supervisor name and contact
permission.
6. Special Recognition/Leadership Section
Include relevant achievements and awards that showcase your knowledge, skills and abilities.
Include relevant participation in groups, teams and clubs that showcase your leadership skills.
Consider leadership positions you have filled at school or in your community.
Include dates for achievements or participation.
7. Specialized Training/Certifications Section
List relevant training and certifications that are not included in professional summary/skills section.
Include dates for training and certifications.
Certifications and clearances are up-to-date.
8. Education Section
Review the Qualifications and How You Will be Evaluated sections of the job announcement for key
education requirements. Show accomplishment of these requirements within your resume. (You will still
need to submit all relevant educational documents as confirmation)
Include location of educational institution.
Include dates of completion.
9. References Section
3-5 professional references with contact information.
Call your references to let them know about the position you applied to, and share the skills and
accomplishments you would want them to share if contacted.
