New Federal Resume Guidelines:
In May 2025, the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo that outlines several changes to the federal hiring process in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order issued earlier in the year.
The memo changed the length of federal resumes, which have historically been longer than standard private-sector resumes. All federal resumes are now not to exceed two pages. Any applicant who submits a resume over two pages will be marked ineligible.
Key Components of a Federal Resume
The best way to create a federal resume is to use the resume builder on the federal government’s jobs website, USAJOBS. The resume builder will guide you through the whole process and let you know when you have reached the maximum length of two pages.
You can also create more than one resume, each tailored to fit the different positions you apply for, as well as a searchable, master resume. This resume enables HR specialists to contact you with opportunities that fit your skills and experience.
Building a Federal Resume
Candidate information
To apply for positions on USAJOBS, you must create a profile. The profile will show your citizenship—most, but not all, positions require you to be a U.S. citizen. You will also be asked if you have ever worked for the federal government and if you qualify for veterans preference—that is, whether you served on active duty in the armed forces. If you make your resume searchable, your profile is automatically searchable too. Recruiters can match your background with the jobs they want to fill.
Work experience
Your resume should list all the relevant jobs you have held. Each job should describe how you meet the required qualifications of the position you are applying for.
Required: Employer, location, title, start and end date (month/year), average hours worked per week, responsibilities and accomplishments.
Optional: A supervisor(s) as a reference.
Education
Include information about the schools you attended and the relevant coursework you completed. Only list degrees from accredited schools or programs. To determine if a school or program is accredited, refer to the Department of Education’s Institutional Accreditation System. Provide as much information as possible to support your case that you are the best person for the job.
Required: Schools attended and degrees obtained. If the job you are applying for requires any education, certifications or licensures, add the required information to your resume.
Optional: Grade-point averages, relevant coursework, academic papers or projects, key presentations, honors received, and other important accomplishments.
Optional Information
To increase your odds of landing a position, provide as much pertinent information as possible in optional sections, including:
Job–related training
This could include classes, seminars, coursework, certifications or training that relates to the skills and experience the position requires.
References
Consider listing professional or personal references who can vouch for your character, work ethic and dependability—such as colleagues, classmates and mentors.
Language skills
Include the languages you have experience in and your level of proficiency.
Affiliations
Use this to list professional associations, societies, clubs or other organizations you belong to and to highlight your leadership roles and volunteer experiences that relate to the position description.
Professional publications
If applicable, include where your work has been published. Include the title and date of your publication(s).
Additional information
You can add other relevant information, including awards, leadership activities, public speaking engagements, current security clearance or volunteer experience. You can also add your availability, the type of work environment you seek and your desired location. Even if your interests and desires do not match the position’s needs, your resume will stay in the running.