Hard to believe how so much can change in only a few months. Needless to say, the summer months are just about a memory and now it is time to get back into the swing of career management. Hope you did not miss me too much (but a little is fine).
A few weeks ago I spent two days in a career management workshop with the career professionals from Central Florida Workforce. Their knowledge and passion to assist all individuals seeking career advice, guidance, and support is most impressive. With so much change in the Central Florida employment landscape, keeping up to date on methods, practices, and applications benefits everyone. With that said, I appreciate being allowed the opportunity to work with such a dedicated crew.
While on the subject of change, there are huge changes on the way regarding government hiring. According to a recent article from the Career Management Alliance, there will be between 300,000 to 400,000 new federal hires in the next few years. Much of the increase is because President Obama is pressing to hire less contract workers and more permanent employees (a direct shift from former President G. W. Bush). What does this mean to you? A heck of a lot!
Not only will the federal government be seeking a huge employee base, the application process is also getting much more user-friendly. We’ll talk about these details in the next few weeks but here’s a quick nibble:
- Dramatic recruiting practice changes
- Federal Resume just got simplified
- KSA essay style application questions on the way out
- Rule of three being eliminated
- Decision-making on the fast track
- Keeping applicants in the know
Yes, there are many changes making the federal job application process much easier. There are good points to this and some not so good. For example, with simpler access comes more job applicants. As opposed to under 50 applicants per job posting, expect to see this number multiplied. Additionally, without a set template resume format, hiring managers will have to relearn how to read applicant resumes. This can be a good thing for you if you create a skills-based resume.
For the vast majority, most resumes are NOT skills-based and follow a one-size fits all format. If this is your career management strategy, keep it tuned into this channel and you will soon be on your way to learning how to turn your template-looking resume and cover letter into an aggressive (and effective) career marketing tool.
For those interested in learning more about the federal job market, I encourage you to visit www.usajobs.gov. In the weeks to come, we will navigate this site and delve deeper into the federal job market… so don’t fret if you get a tad confused; we will work it out.
On this note, gonna call it a day,
Danny Huffman, MA, CEIP, CPCC, CPRW
Education Career Services, LLC
[email protected]
blog: www.careerbreakout.wordpress.com
