Each posting on USAJobs.gov is subject to an open period during which you can apply for the position.  The minute the open period ends, the position is automatically removed from the website and you will no longer be able to apply for the opening.  If the open period passes before you are able to apply, you can check back as positions which don’t receive a qualified applicant may be reposted.

Printing out an announcement allows you to reference the document while completing the application. Additionally, since the posting will be removed when the open period ends, a printed copy is a valuable reference should you be contacted for an interview.  Finally, the announcement contains the information necessary to monitor your application’s status after submission.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reviews millions of openings and applications each year. To help reduce their immense workload they have created computerized systems to conduct the first step of the screening process. These systems look for keywords from the announcement in your resume and will remove applications lacking several keywords from consideration. The keywords the system is looking for are usually skills such as PowerPoint or qualifications such as a computer engineering degree.