How to Apply

I.  HOW TO APPLY

Search GSA’s Job Listings

• All vacancies at GSA are announced through our own online application system called GSAjobs. GSAjobs is unique to our agency and requires a separate registration than that used for other federal agency systems including the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) USAJOBS.
• Vacancies that are posted on GSAjobs also appear in OPM’s USAJOBS system. GSA vacancy announcements that are listed on the USAJOBS site will direct you to the GSAjobs system so that you can apply to the vacancy. Please note that jobs that are only open to GSA employees are only listed on the GSAjobs website, and not USAJOBS.  
• With the exception of vacancies in the Senior Executive Service (SES) and Wage Grade (WG) positions, the majority of GSA’s vacancies require that you submit your application online through the GSAjobs system.   

Review Job Announcement 

• Once you find a job that interests you, be sure to read the vacancy announcement carefully. Each announcement contains information pertaining to the major duties, salary, duty location and benefits. Also, pay close attention to the job qualification requirements that are listed. This section will help you determine if your education, experience, and/or training makes you a good match for the position.

Complete the Application Process 

• As you read through the announcement, be sure to pay special attention to the “How to Apply” section of the vacancy announcement. This section will tell you whether it is necessary to submit your application through GSAjobs or by other means, depending on the position (Senior Executive Service, Wage Grade positions, etc). 

II. GSA’S ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS:

Overview of the Application Process

• Once you find a vacancy announcement for which you want to apply, click the “Apply to This Vacancy” button at the bottom of the page. You will be redirected to the GSAjobs login page to begin the application process. The following steps must be completed by the deadline given in the announcement or your application will be incomplete and will not be evaluated.
• Log into the GSAjobs system. Whether you have previously registered or are a first-time user, ensure all of the information in your personal profile is accurate and up to date. It is critical that you have a valid email address listed, as all correspondence regarding jobs for which you have applied will be sent to that address.
• Submit Required Supplemental Documents (as applicable)
• Answer the Vacancy Specific Questions
• Provide the Vacancy Specific Documents, if required

Log Into GSAjobs

• First Time Users.   Select the “New User” button and click on the “Next” button on the bottom of the page to complete the online registration process.  The system will guide you through the registration process, which will require you to input personal information, and a resume, and fax in applicable supplemental documentation.  Once your documents have been received, they become part of your applicant profile.  After completing the registration process, you will receive a message on the screen indicating that your registration has been saved, and the vacancy announcement categories for which you will be eligible to apply.  This message will also contain your GSAjobs login number.  Be sure to record and safeguard your GSAjobs login number as well as your self designated password, for future use. 
• Previously Registered Users   If you have already registered in GSAjobs, enter your GSAjobs ID number and your password then select the “Go to Jobs” button and click on the “Next” button at the bottom of the page. 

Submit Required Supplemental Documents

• To determine which documents are required to support your qualifications, review the “Required Documents” section of the vacancy announcement.  During the registration process, you will be directed to a “Generate Auto Requested Fax Cover Sheets” page.   Follow the instructions given below in Section III, Submitting Required Documents, to fax your documents.
• Once these documents have been submitted, they automatically become part of your applicant profile. There is no need to submit the same documents again, unless you need to update or add information. If you apply for a vacancy and do not submit the required documents by the vacancy announcement deadline, your application will not be considered.
• If you have completed the registration process in the past, but need to submit additional required documents, fax cover sheets can be accessed at any time by logging on to GSAjobs.  Select “Generate Fax Cover Sheets” and click on “Next” at the bottom of the page. 

Answer Vacancy Specific Questions

• We recommend that you preview and/or print the questions in the vacancy announcement before applying, to aid in preparing and organizing your responses.
  Each vacancy announcement has specific questions that have been developed to determine how well your experience and/or educational background match the qualifications for the position. The information in your resume must support your responses to these questions.
• Generally, you must respond to all of the vacancy questions before you submit your application.   You can save your responses during the process by clicking the “SAVE” button.  To return at a later time and continue working on your responses, use your ID and password to log-in to GSAjobs, select “Go to Jobs”, and click ”Next”.  Once you have located and accessed the vacancy announcement, click “Apply to this Vacancy”, and the system will show your responses from your last session. 
• To submit your application, you MUST click on the FINISH button.   Once you’ve done that, you will receive a message stating that your application has been successfully transmitted.

Submit Vacancy Specific Required Documents

• Generally, most documents are requested as part of the registration process; however, some vacancies may require a specific document that is related to that position only.
• If specific documents are required for a position, the system will prompt you by opening a "Generate Auto-Requested Fax Cover Sheets" page after you complete the vacancy specific questions.  Vacancy specific documents are used only for the vacancy announcement for which you are currently applying and do not become part of your applicant profile. 
• Review the “Required Documents” sections of the vacancy announcement for information on additional documents that are
• Follow the instructions given below in Section III, Submitting Required Documents, to fax your documents.  Remember, if you fail to submit the required documents by the vacancy announcement deadline, your application will be considered incomplete and you will not be considered for the vacancy. 
  

III.  SUBMITTING REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

• Determine which documents you need to submit.   Review the “Required Documents” section of the vacancy announcement and the documents listed on the Generate Fax Cover Sheets page.  Place a checkmark in the Select Cover Sheet box only for those documents that are relevant to your application.
• Print the cover sheets.   Required documents (those requested during registration; and, if applicable, vacancy specific documents) must be faxed into the GSAjobs system.  Each cover sheet contains coding which ensures that the document you are faxing is filed and stored in the system correctly.  Follow the directions below to ensure that the system accepts your documents. 
• Organize the documents by type.   For example, all academic records should be in one set, all training documents in another set, etc. Make sure that everything to be faxed is legible.  Please note that you must fax each document and its corresponding cover sheet in separate fax sessions.  Use only the fax cover sheet designated for the type of document you are submitting that was generated from the GSAjobs system. 
  
  If you need to submit three different types of documents, you will need to send three different faxes in three different fax sessions.  Each fax should start with the cover sheet followed by the document(s) that apply to that cover sheet.  Each cover sheet states the telephone number to which the documents are to be faxed.  Even if all of the cover sheets list the same telephone number, fax them in separate sessions so that they are filed in the system correctly.  Also be sure to dial the complete phone number shown, including area code (even if you reside in the same area code) – this will ensure successful transmission and receipt of your information.
• Confirmation of receipt.  An automatic email confirmation from GSAjobs will be sent to the email address that you provided in your personal profile.  You should receive a separate email confirmation for each cover sheet and document(s) set submitted.  If you do not receive an automated email confirmation within 4 hours, re-fax that cover sheet and document(s) to the number provided on the fax cover sheet. 
• Checking receipt of documentation.  You can also check whether your documentation has been received by returning to the GSAjobs registration page.  Log in with your GSAjobs ID and password, select the "Generate Fax Cover Sheets" option and click “Next”.   The status on receipt of all registration and any required vacancy specific documents will be shown.  Follow the above directions to submit any necessary documentation.
• Updating and/or adding documentation.   If you need to update previously submitted documentation or submit additional documentation, fax cover sheets can be accessed at any time by logging in to GSAjobs, selecting “Generate Fax Cover Sheets” and clicking “Next”.  Please note that if you are updating/adding a page to a set of document(s), the most recent fax transmission will replace the documents previously submitted.  You will need to fax in the entire set of documents to ensure that your record reflects all of the necessary information.  For example, you had previously faxed college transcripts for a bachelor’s degree, and have now attained a masters degree.  You now wish to add graduate level college transcripts to your record.   You will need to fax in the bachelor’s degree transcript again and the master’s degree transcript with it.

IV.  SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE (SES) VACANCIES

• SES vacancy announcements are advertised, and can be viewed, on the GSAjobs and USAJOBS websites, under the category, “Senior Executive Service”. 
• GSA does not accept online applications for Senior Executive Service (SES) vacancies; therefore you do not need to register in the GSAjobs system to apply for SES vacancies in GSA. 
• Be sure to read the entire vacancy announcement for information regarding position duties and responsibilities, qualification and application requirements, required documents, and how/where to submit your application.
  
  
  

V.  WAGE GRADE (WG) VACANCIES

• Wage Grade vacancy announcements can be viewed on either the GSAjobs or USAJOBS websites.
• GSA does not accept online applications for Wage Grade (WG) vacancies; therefore you do not need to register in the GSAjobs system to apply for WG vacancies in GSA.
• Be sure to read the entire vacancy announcement for information regarding position duties and responsibilities, qualification and application requirements, required documents, and how/where to submit your application.

VI.  NEED ASSISTANCE?

• Many questions can be answered by viewing our Frequently Asked Questions.
• GSA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact the HR Specialist whose name and contact information are included in the vacancy announcement. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation is decided on a case-by-case basis. 
• Paper applications are generally not accepted for vacancy announcements requiring on-line application (the only exceptions are Senior Executive Service and Wage Grade positions).   If it is not possible for you to apply on-line or fax the required documents, you must contact the HR representative (whose name is shown on the vacancy announcement) prior to the closing date of the announcement, during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm). If the HR representative determines that it is not possible for you to submit an on-line application and/or fax your supplemental documentation, you will be given instructions on how to proceed at that time.  Paper application packages submitted without the HR representative’s prior approval will not be considered. 
• For questions/assistance regarding a specific vacancy announcement, including the application process, contact the HR representative listed on the announcement.
• For additional information or assistance with the GSAjobs system, send an email to GSAjobs@gsa.gov