Melanie Williamson - How to Write the Perfect Federal Job Résumé & Résumé Cover Letter

How to Write
the Perfect Federal
Job Rsum &
Rsum Cover Letter

By Melanie Williamson

How to Write the Perfect Federal Job Rsum & Rsum Cover Letter

Copyright 2011 Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1405 SW 6th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34471.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Williamson, Melanie, 1981

How to write the perfect federal job rsum & rsum cover letter : with companion CD-ROM / by Melanie Williamson.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-320-4 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-320-7 (alk. paper)

1. Rsums (Employment) 2. Civil service positions--United States. I. Title.

HF5383.W474 2010

650.142--dc22

2010044268

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: All trademarks, trade names, or logos mentioned or used are the property of their respective owners and are used only to directly describe the products being provided. Every effort has been made to properly capitalize, punctuate, identify and attribute trademarks and trade names to their respective owners, including the use of and wherever possible and practical. Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. is not a partner, affiliate, or licensee with the holders of said trademarks.

A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bears memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

Douglas and Sherri Brown

PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

Want to help animals and the world? Here are a dozen easy suggestions you and your family can implement today:

• Adopt and rescue a pet from a local shelter.
• Support local and no-kill animal shelters.
• Plant a tree to honor someone you love.
• Be a developer put up some birdhouses.
• Buy live, potted Christmas trees and replant them.
• Make sure you spend time with your animals each day.
• Save natural resources by recycling and buying recycled products.
• Drink tap water, or filter your own water at home.
• Whenever possible, limit your use of or do not use pesticides.
• If you eat seafood, make sustainable choices.
• Support your local farmers market.
• Get outside. Visit a park, volunteer, walk your dog, or ride your bike.

Five years ago, Atlantic Publishing signed the Green Press Initiative. These guidelines promote environmentally friendly practices, such as using recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a no-pulping policy. We now use 100-percent recycled stock on all our books. The results: in one year, switching to post-consumer recycled stock saved 24 mature trees, 5,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of the total energy used for one home in a year, and the equivalent of the greenhouse gases from one car driven for a year.

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book to all my family and friends who helped me put it together.

Introduction

T ake a moment to picture a highly trained and experienced sales person whom you have met in the past. This person might have been selling a car, furniture, time-shares, or even a house. The professional sales associate is always very confident, professional, and well dressed because sales associates understand that first impressions, as well as presentation, are very important when selling something.

Professional sales associates have well-crafted sales pitches memorized, and they are able to deliver their sales pitch with such ease and confidence that it sounds natural and unrehearsed. The sales pitch covers all of the information you need to know in order to make a purchasing decision. Sales pitches are well written and prepared well in advance of the sales associates first interaction with the customer.

Professional sales associates have performed an extensive amount of research on both the product they are selling and the target consumer group. They know all the product information and the financing numbers to deliver immediate information and to avoid leaving the consumer with something to look up. The sales associates can answer any question the consumer might have.

Professional salespeople are also well prepared. Regardless of what reason you present for not wanting to make the purchase, the sales associate is prepared with a counter to your hesitations. The sales associate is so prepared because he or she understands that if the consumer leaves, his or her chance of making the sale dramatically decreases. The sales associate will create a situation where the consumer is convinced they cannot only afford the product, but they also cannot afford not to have it.