Instead of saying “I worked as an administrative assistant for the agency, then as a front line manager” say “From 1/1999 to 6/2000 I worked as an administrative assistant and in 6/2000 I was promoted to assistant manager.” Showing direction and advancement in your career is a great way to communicate your capable and qualified to move up.

The way to handle this in our example is to use language that is both understandable and precise such as “experience working with databases, including Microsoft SQL”. This clarifying statement is worth the extra space required on your resume because it accomplishes 3 important points:

1. It is easily understandable by someone who is not an expert in your industry
2. It communicates that you posses the required skills or abilities
3. As a bonus if the human resources professional or a computerized system is searching your resume for a specific keyword this statement matches both possible search terms ‘databases’ and ‘Microsoft SQL’

What Are KSAs?

The Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) required to be considered for a government position are detailed in the position’s vacancy announcement. Applicants must address each item by writing a short essay detailing education or experience that satisfies the specific requirement. The more closely your skills and background match the KSA the better your job prospects.

Unlike the private sector where an applicant might be called in for an interview when they possess 3 of the 4 skills desired, the government review process does not allow for such leniency. In the government, even if the reviewer suspects the applicant likely has the skills desired, they must disqualify an applicant if qualifications are not clearly documented for each one of the KSAs listed in the vacancy announcement. Even if the applicant successfully documents all of the necessary qualifications, the quality of those responses will be scored based on how well the responses match the KSA and that score plays a major role in the hiring decision.

In order to learn to write the most clear and compelling KSA responses, let’s first examine the three elements of a KSA, starting with Knowledge

Knowledge is being versed in or understanding a subject for example knowledge of American history. If you possess knowledge of the legal requirements when disposing of toxic waste, that knowledge might qualify you for a position with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and should be included in related KSA responses.

Skills are things you have practiced and learned to be good at. For example, if you were applying for a job in the Federal government working with computer networks, you would need to list skills installing network cards, diagnosing connection problems and performing network maintenance.

Abilities are things you have an innate aptitude for and can be either physical or mental. Possessing exceptional athletic and cognitive abilities would make someone an ideal candidate for employment by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The Importance of KSAs

KSAs are a critical part of the screening process for Federal jobs. They are used to separate the qualified candidates from the unqualified ones, so how you respond to each KSA will have a profound impact on your chances of getting the job. Applicants must demonstrate either the specific educational requirement or at least a year of work experience for each of the KSAs.

Crafting Your KSA Responses

Before responding to any of the KSAs, it is critical to read the entire vacancy announcement thoroughly. Next, review your resume and begin thinking about how your work experience, education and skills match the requirements of the announcement.

Be sure that the KSA responses you write are targeted to the specific KSA. Avoid generic or canned responses. Shoot for each response to be between 3 sentences and a half page in length depending on the depth necessary to fulfill the requirement.

When crafting a response to a KSA it is important for that the response to include the following qualities:

Initiative – finding a problem and taking the steps necessary to resolve it
Leadership – leading employees, coaching and mentoring
Innovation – finding new ways to do things
Complexity – challenges you faced and how you overcame them
Teamwork – your ability to work with others toward a successful end
Scope – involvement in a variety of different size projects across many functional areas of the organization

Sample KSA Responses

In order to prepare to craft your own KSA responses, it is helpful to have some examples to work from. When reading these examples, it is important to consider your own level of knowledge and experience.

Example 1: An answer to a KSA regarding knowledge of health services might read as follows:

While pursuing my Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences, I took courses in physiology, biology and anatomy. At the same time, I gained practical experience while working for ABC Life Sciences as a Laboratory Technician. While in this position I gained specific knowledge of the protocols used when testing blood, and learned how to conduct drug screens as well as laboratory equipment sterilization techniques.

Example 2: A response to the skills portion of a KSA for a computer technician might read:

In my position with IBM I regularly used Microsoft Excel, Word, Access and Visio to develop server deployment plans. In one instance I was able help my department achieve cost savings of more than $100,000 by changing the plans for a new server configuration. I have also used Microsoft Server 2003 to build out new server deployments and troubleshoot existing ones. In one instance I identified an opportunity to optimize our hard drives to gain significant additional storage capacity at no additional cost.

KSA Do’s and Don’ts

The following do’s and don’ts will help job seekers stand out from the crowd during the application process:

DO:
- Read the job vacancy thoroughly before you begin
- Include all relevant experience, from both paid positions and volunteer assignments
- Arrange experience in logical order (for example, chronological)
- Be specific about education – include the name of the school, the degree you earned and the dates you attended
- Include any awards and commendations you might have received

DON’T:
- Exaggerate
- Cross-reference items from your application – each KSA response should stand on its own
- Attach anything that has not been specifically asked for, such as letters of recommendations, copies of awards you received, etc.

Step 1 – Locating Job Announcements

While many private sector companies routinely collect resumes without a specific position in mind, the process works quite differently in the federal government.  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) which oversees the vast majority of the government’s hiring will not consider a resume it receives even if it is a perfect match for a job unless the applicant submits the resume in response to an Announcement. In order to assist job seekers in finding announcements the OPM has established USAJobs.gov a central database of announcements from Federal Agencies which potential employees can search through by many factors including location, agency or skill. In fact, each of the individual categories also lists the number of announcements, making it easy to see which areas and agencies are expanding.

While the vast majority of announcements can be found on USAJobs.gov some agencies including the FBI and CIA have opted not to participate because they fill their positions through an internal process instead of outsourcing the process to the OPM.  Positions which are not filled using OPM’s systems and evaluation procedure are known as excepted service positions while positions which OPM fills are known as competitive service. If you are interested in employment with an excepted service agency, you should contact that agency directly.

Step 2 – Review the Required Qualifications and Evaluations Sections

Once you have located an announcement, you should review the required qualifications section carefully.  Unlike the private sector where job postings often list numerous ideal qualifications all of which one person is unlikely to have, federal applicants must possess all required qualifications to be considered for a position.

Next review the evaluations section which details how qualified applicants will be graded and how a final selection will be made.  The successful application tips section is an excellent resource for applicants looking to pick up a few extra points during the review process.

Step 3 – How to Apply

Once you have located a position, it’s time to check out the “How to Apply” section for each announcement that provides information specific to the particular opening. It is important that you follow the directions precisely as an application without all of the required information is considered incomplete and will likely be removed from consideration.

Also be sure to make note of the open period information contained in each announcement.  Applicants will only be considered for a position if they apply during the open period.  Once the open period expires the announcement is automatically removed from the web site and any attempt to apply even a few minutes late will be rejected.

Now that you are ready to apply for a position check out our resume examples section which provides numerous samples of resumes for various skills sets and levels of experience.