Troubleshooting Resumes

From USAJOBS Help

USAJOBS allows users to upload documents to their profile (such as resumes, transcripts, etc.) and use online capability to create and store resumes. The following information includes tips for completing and submitting your application.

1. Submitting resumes and other documents when applying to job announcements. Some agencies accept uploaded documents and resumes created using the USAJOBS resume builder, while some may only accept one or the other. Even though you may have both types of documentation associated with your account, the agency determines which ones to accept when you are completing a job application. The "Apply Online" button displayed on the job announcement page activates the process for a job seeker to complete an application. The system automatically provides a list of available documents to attach to your application. The system will only display documents the hiring agency is willing to accept. For example, if the hiring agency only accepts resumes created using the USAJOBS resume builder, then your uploaded resumes and documents will not be available to select to complete your application. Please pay special attention to the "How to Apply" section of the job announcement to find out which resume format and documents are accepted and how to submit them to the hiring agency.

2. Entering, modifying, and saving information in the USAJOBS resume builder. When using the USAJOBS resume builder, you can add multiple entries for Experience, Education, and References to your online resume. The page where you enter this information will refresh when you click the “Save Experience”, “Save Education”, or “Save Reference” buttons. The information is stored in your resume and listed just above the refreshed page fields. You can add more information to your resume, or you can continue building your resume by clicking the “Next” button at the bottom of the page. After clicking "Save", please scroll back up to the top of the page to see if the save was successful. If not, check to see if there are any errors (highlighted in red on the page) for any of your entries. If so, please correct the errors, and click "Save" again.

Additional tips for building and saving your resume

• You can begin the online resume builder process and complete it at a later time; however, we recommend that you gather all your information and complete your online resume before you start the application process.

• When using the USAJOBS resume builder, we recommend you save often. For security reasons, the system monitors your session and automatically times out after 30 minutes of inactivity. If the system times out, any unsaved changes will be lost. If you decide to come back to the job announcement to complete or update your application, the "Apply Online" button will display as "Update". You may update your application as needed until the closing date listed on the job announcement.

3. Uploading a document You can upload up to five (5) documents to your USAJOBS account. USAJOBS supports the following file formats: .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .rtf, .doc, .docx or .pdf format. Although the required documentation varies by job, remember to only submit the documents requested by the agency in the announcement.

4. Viewing resumes and documents in your “My USAJOBS Account” After logging in to your USAJOBS account, you can click the “Saved Documents” header to expand and view a listing of all documents you have uploaded. On the left hand side of the screen, you can click the “Resumes” header to expand and view all resumes you have either built or uploaded. The “source” field identifies if the resume was uploaded or created using the USAJOBS resume builder.

For more information about how to create an online resume and make it available to Federal recruiters, you can access a tutorial at http://www.usajobs.gov/Content/pdfs/Tutorials-Resume.pdf.

If you are still having trouble with your online resume, please respond to this email and include a phone number if you would like someone to contact you.

Respectfully, USAJOBS Customer Support

Contact Us is staffed: Monday through Friday 7am - 8pm ET (excluding Federal Holidays)

Still have a question? Please visit our Resource Center (http://usajobs.gov/ResourceCenter) for more on employment information, employment eligibility, total compensation and how to apply for jobs.