United States Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Jobs

Preparing Your Application

Application Forms

To apply for Federal positions, you can submit a completed resume, curriculum vitae, or an Application for Federal Employment - Optional Form (OF) 612, along with other documents requested in each vacancy announcement. You can download the OF-612, as well as other employment forms used in the application process, below.

  • OF-510 - Applying for a Federal Job (Instructions for applying) PDF only
  • OF-612 - Optional Application for Federal Employment PDF or Word
  • OF-306 - Declaration for Federal Employment PDF only
  • SF-15 - Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference PDF or Word

Preparing Your Application

When applying for VA and other Federal positions, you can submit a resume, curriculum vitae, or Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF-612). The format you choose for your application is up to you, but it must include some specific information for you to receive proper consideration. The following information is required to evaluate applicant qualifications and to determine whether applicants meet legal requirements for Federal employment. You may Click on each item for more information.

Job Information

Announcement number and title and grade(s) of the job you are applying for.

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Personal Information

  • Full name, mailing address (with zip code), and day and evening phone numbers.
  • Social Security Number (only the last four digits may be required).
  • Country of Citizenship (most federal jobs require US citizenship).
  • Veterans preference (A DD-214 is required).
  • Reinstatement eligibility (if requested, attach SF-50 proof of your career or career-conditional status).
  • Highest federal civilian grade held (also give job series and dates held).

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Education

  • High School. Include name, city and state, and date of diploma or GED
  • College or University. Include name, city and state, majors, and any degrees awarded (only send college transcripts if the position specifies to do so).

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Work Experience

  • Provide the following information for your paid and non-paid work experience related to the job you are applying for: job titles (include series and grade if a federal job); duties and accomplishments; employer's name and address; supervisor's name and phone number; starting and ending dates (month and year); hours per week and salary.
  • Indicate whether your current supervisor can be contacted.

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Other Qualifications

  • Job-related training courses (title and year).
  • Job-related skills, for example, other languages, computer software/hardware, tools, machinery, typing speed.
  • Job-related certifications and licenses (current only).
  • Job-related honors, awards, and special accomplishments, for example, publications, memberships in professional or honor societies, leadership activities, public speaking, and performance awards (give dates, but do not send).
Since traditional resumes do not provide all the information needed to determine your qualifications for Federal positions, you should create a more detailed resume to use when applying for Federal positions.

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Applying for VA Positions


Hiring Process and Qualifications