How to get a job at Army.

Do you work at Army? How did you find the job? How did you get that first interview?

Any advice for someone trying to get in?

I would like to know what to do about appling for the firstmate job in the Louisville area.

Apply @ WWW.CPOL.ARMY.MIL.

Make sure you copy and paste the duties and requirements into your resume so that RESUMIX will pick your resume up. I've been applying for 3 years or more and have not been considered once for any jobs because "you were not among the top competitors". I'm married to the military and you would think the MSP status would help and it doesn't. Keep trying though, that's what they say. Good luck.

Host said: Do you work at Army? How did you find the job? How did you get that first interview?

Any advice for someone trying to get in?

cpol.army.mil/ you'll need to build a resume on this site... if you are willing to relocate there are some awesome paid intership opportunities... if you are looking to work at FLW... GOOD LUCK! You either need to be a veteran, or have a specialized engineering or medical degree and even then it's hard to get in your foot in the door here.

Cassie in High Point, North Carolina said: Make sure you copy and paste the duties and requirements into your resume so that RESUMIX will pick your resume up. I've been applying for 3 years or more and have not been considered once for any jobs because "you were not among the top competitors". I'm married to the military and you would think the MSP status would help and it doesn't. Keep trying though, that's what they say. Good luck.

There is NO MSP for Appropriated Funds positions CONUS only for NAF positions does MSP come into play.

I am curious about some of the terminology. What is "Status Candidate". If I have never worked for the federal govt. before can I still self-nominate. Also, I have no idea what the grade/pay bands are so I don't know what to put for a minimum. Any advice would be most appreciated.

It helps to know the terminology that is true. First thing is first though, always check to make sure you are a candidate for a position. The "who can apply" section in the job posting will help you. Somtimes its active duty only, or reserves, or federal employees...if the posting says anyone that is an american cit. then feel free. Your best bet is to copy and past the job descriptions into your resume you post as the computer filters the resumes before a human see's them. Also be sure to understand pay grades. Pull a few jobs up. A pay grade of 12 or higher is for PHD's or very specialized individuals. Pay grade of 6 -11 is usually degreed or has extensive experience and pays 40-? per year. Anything GS-5 or lower is usually less than 30K a year. Hope that helps.

Thank you, Cassie for the helpful information! The job announcement is really kind of confusing. Now that you mentioned pay grades and bands there are several things in the announcement that confound me...it states the minimum salary of say 50k but then has a line that states "PB 2/3 Positions- Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower pay band or equivalent under the General Schedule (GS) or other pay systems." PB meaning pay band? Also, it gives this list under "Who May Apply" but then has a "Key Requirement" of being a US Citizen.

Lori, copy and paste the position "PB 2/3" link and I'll take a look. Which gov't websites are you utilizing for employment? CPOL, USAJOBS, DFAS, or Air Force? They are each different.

Hi Cassie, actually it was a "general public" web site where I found the job announcement (www.indeed.com). Did a search for GIS jobs in SC and it came up with geographer in Columbia, SC...it looks like it takes me to this link:
federalgovernmentjobs.us/jobs/Geographer-927276.html

Thanks again.

Lori,

Your going to a site I've not used myself. Try the following links as they are direct sites for hiring.

www.cpol.army.mil (civ. site for Army posts. I was offered a position from the site about a month ago.)
www.usajobs.com (has a comprehensive listing of dfas, and military civ jobs. Very good site.)
www.ww2.afpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/search_by_state_nlo.asp?src=ql ( this site is for the Air force civ. personel in case you have any bases near you.)
www.dfas.mil/careers ( this site is for dfas and jobs that pertain to finance etc.)
I'm most familiar with the cpol website and can give you further tips on that site vs the others.

Jean in Harrisonville, Missouri said: There is NO MSP for Appropriated Funds positions CONUS only for NAF positions does MSP come into play.

Jean, sorry just saw your question. MSP should come into play on jobs that are allowing spouses and non-govt employees an opportunity to apply. Now if your over seas you do have preferential treatment and MSP is a factor on any job you might be looking into as long as your abroad. MSP in the states depends on the position and "who can apply". Hope that helps, at least thats my experience so far.

I have applied for the job at CPOL Website and it says "Your resume has been referred to the selecting official for consideration for this vacancy." I would like to know that how long it takes to get an interview call.

Thanks.

Kalpesh, Great job you have passed the difficult part of getting your resume into resumix and having CPAC review it and pass it to the hiring official. Unfortunately it can take a few weeks to months for anyone to update from here. CPAC has no control over the hiring official and he or she can take as long as they like to hire/interview people. Sometimes they dont even do an interview they simply send you an email that says they have offered you a tentative job offer...so pay attention to your emails/junk emails. I have jobs I have applied for to do a transfer and they have been open since September it is now almost June...there is no one to call you will just have to be patient. Hope this helps and good luck!

Cassie, seems as though you have a lot of insight into the whole army civilian hiring process. I do have a question though, do resumes (once passing CPAC and HR review) get forwarded to the hiring official along with the list of eligible candidates? I was curious to know because my sister had an interview, but mentioned that the hiring official who was setting up the interview did not even not that she lived out of state. So do you know what information exactly gets forwarded to the hiring official in the case of job vacancies?

Kat,
That is correct, once CPAC has all the resumes together they submit the ones that pass the RESUMIX and their human review over to the hiring official all at one time. Everything on the resume gets forwarded over, the supplemental data (demographics and such) do not. Good luck to your sister. I wish her the best.

Thank you for the warm wishes. She is hoping for the best as I am I. I do appreciate your quick response and help in clarifying that for me so that I could share it with her. I will be sure to let her know. Thanks again!

Hi - I have completed the resume on CPOL and applied for various jobs. One job was in February 2009 and I can see that I self nominated, however, no word either way on acceptance or rejection. Is this a good sign?

Should I always go through CPOL or can I go through USAjobs and let it take me to the self nominate screen?

Please also advise whether to keep the pay scale at none or should I go with the a pay scale at the lowest starting grade equal to where my pay is currently?

Please advise about the copy and paste method mentioned. Where in the resume should I place the duties and requirements?

Thank you.

Jeff, did you check your status to see if Cpac has reviewed and submitted your resume? You should see that by now if you self nominated. Look under status for an update. It can and will take months for most of the jobs...so have patience.

Cpol or usajobs are both fine. I have found that cpol sometimes has jobs listed that usajobs does not and vice versa. I recommend checking both. Apply through either site exactly the same since its DOD Army.

Whatever your current pay scale is than you will at least want to get a job around that amount. If you are a supervisor on the outside I would go with GS 9's and higher...lower management or line staff should apply at GS 8's down to 6's. Anything lower than a GS 5 you are going to be struggling financially. My opinion.

Copy and paste the as much verbiage as possible so that Resumix will catch your resume. Open a vacancy announcement...use another tab and open your resume...Copy and paste as much of the announcement into your resume as possible. As I have said before Resumix will not capture your resume unless your resume matches the same words as the vacancy announcement. Then cpac will review it with human eyes once resumix captures your resume. Then they will decide if they are going to forward the resume to the hiring officials for consideration.

If the vacancy announcement states knowledge or HIPAA compliance etc...you would copy that and paste it into your resume and put it in the best place under your employment history and you have that experience.

Cassie

Hey guys. I self-nominated myself on CPOL for a job at Fort Dix, had a few perfectly placed references, and had an interview today. They selected me today for the job, which I am silently excited about because they said it now has to go thru CPAC. So, am I hired, and just waiting? They said my start date will be 3 August, because personnel start at the the beginning of the pay period. I'm kind of confused. He liked me, selected me, wanted me to work today, lol, but couldn't hire me? So I'm a bit confused. What's next? Just have to process my selection through CPOL? I'm strongly hinging on this job, so I'm nervous about this whole thing because it's a big mystery to me from here. Any help would be appreciated, thanks guys!

Kevin

Well, you should not have been told by the hiring official that you were hired. CPAC is supposed to tell you that, so I would keep that bit under wraps. Once CPAC gets the ok from the hiring official they will call you or email you. Usually call first then email to let you know they are going to offer you a "tentative" offer until your background investigation comes through...takes about two weeks to get all the paperwork done etc...then you will be given a start date that transpires with a pay period. They hold the first paycheck. So, until you hear from CPAC...which you can call them on Fort Dix, but use the excuse that your email isn't working and you changed cell phones...etc...come up with something so they will be more sympathetic to your call. Once they have offered you the tentative offer you can put your two weeks in if you feel that your background will come back clean. Congrats! and Welcome! I work at Fort Bragg.

Is there a limit to how many jobs you can self nominate for? I've done it for ten or more jobs but I'm not sure if they are all showing up on my list. If there is a limit I would like to know so I can be more selective about what I apply for. Thanks in advance.

Ryan there is not a limit. At present I currently have 126 jobs I have applied for. You want to make sure you tailor your resume to reflect the vaccancy announcement. Remember to copy and paste some of the verbage into your resume. See above comments for instructions. There is no limit and the more jobs you apply for the more chance you have of being referred or selected. Good luck!

I applied for a position with the dept of Army in Baltimore and I have been referred to the hiring official. The announcement stated that there is 1 vacancy. So I am quietly excited, but not even thinking about it since just the 1 opening.

There is one thing I overlooked, there is a statement that says 25% temporary duty travel (TDY). Well that could be 65 days a year. Does anyone know how the TDY works? I guess I'm wondering if could be told I will be away from home for 2 months or is the travel possibly local or maybe a few days here and there. This may be a question that only the hiring official could address. Also wondering if only 1 vacancy how many people were referred for consideration?

TDY just means that a certain % of the job will be on the road. Not consecutively but here and there. Usually a week or so at a time. Also there is no way to know how many people were referred for the job. Veterans have point preference and so do military spouses. Good luck!

When a job says that it's grade 11 - 13 I know that a change in grade is not automatic but what about the steps? Does a federal employee automatically progress to higher steps or is that done based on performance?

Thank you

Steps come with your annual eval. GS employees get a step increase each year up to ten steps within a pay grade For example you can be a GS 7 step 10 and make as much as a GS 9 step 3...just using that as an example I dont know the exact amounts...

NSPS positions are giving a bonus each year based on performance. They do not get step increases. The union at present is trying to fight for the dissolution of this NSPS program.

Cassie in High Point, North Carolina said: Make sure you copy and paste the duties and requirements into your resume so that RESUMIX will pick your resume up. I've been applying for 3 years or more and have not been considered once for any jobs because "you were not among the top competitors". I'm married to the military and you would think the MSP status would help and it doesn't. Keep trying though, that's what they say. Good luck.

If you've been applying for 3 years and never been considered for any jobs, maybe it is time to rethink your cut and paste method an retool your resume.

I personally think that is a very unwise thing for people to cut and paste job requirements blindly into a resume. I also don't see how there is even space to do that given the character limits of each section. Even if you try to game the computer system, you still have to be qualified for the position you are applying for or the "human" reviewing your application will still not refer your resume.

In federal job application books and courses I've taken through ACS, they advise me to look at the skills and requirements and even pick up some of the verbiage, but still have to write them into ,my own resume sentences, otherwise would just be plagiarizing.

I would also be embarrased to go into an interview and have the interviewer pull out my resume and see all the cut & paste from the job announcement. I honestly think that's unprofessional.

It is tough to get referred, to be sure. I have applied for 51 in the last 7 months, been referred for 8, interviewed for two (one was only a temp position), invited to interview for a third (but turned it down), and I'm constantly refreshing my CPOL resume and working on it. I'm waiting to hear back on two recent referrals. I am OCONUS with MSP, a BA, pursuing and MA and have an excellent work experience, but it is still so hard.

Mr or Ms EPHolz from Germany: I am attempting to assist people in the art of cpol and resumix as I am familiar using my VERY OWN experience. I think your response is unnecessary and irrelevant. I spent several years attempting to get into the system through my own resume and my own verbiage and had zero results. I also have college education, nursing background and financial background as well as MSP status and still was not being considered. Upon transferring to Fort Bragg my spouse was able to contact someone in personnel and was advised to copy and paste exactly what is in the vacancy announcment into my resume IF INDEED I HAD THAT SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE). At no time was I instructed to "blindly" add or "lie" about my previous work experience. In fact I had contracted the position I was appyling for at Fort Bragg with the USAFA in Colorado and did not realize my verbiage was holding up my resume through RESUMIX. As unprofessional as YOU may think it is to have the exact wording in your resume it is after all what the "human" interviewers are looking for. Someone with the experience and knowledge of the job not somoeone that "thinks" they can do it. At zero time did I advise any of the above applicants to apply blindly or to lie.

Once I corrected my resume and added the exact verbiage from the vacancy announcement I did in fact receive a job offer and actually did not interview for the positon. The hiring official simply offered me the job based on my previous experience as a contractor for USAFA.

You should really read the notes posted and not jump to conclusions based off what you surmise took place. I am currently a Federal Employee and give the fact that I was offered a job without an interview speaks loudly for myself and my credentials to assist other's in obtaining employment. After all this is a forum for advise not condemnation.

Very Respectfully,
Cassie

There is nothing disrespectful about my response. There was nothing in your initial post that said you finally got a job or talked about your credentials. In no way did I slander you or discredit your credentials. I did question the advice and I did post a different opinion and I don't see what's "condeming" about that at all.

I never "instantly" believe anyone online, anyone can be an "expert" and being a more prudent person, I'm simply going to ask questions. Do I have a job yet, no, but in 6 months, I have received encouraging results by not following your method (which doesn't work, by the way, if you are applying for multiple jobs in CPOL because you can only have one version of a resume). So what if I want to post what *my* experience has been and so what if I disagree with you?

What I picked up on was:
"Make sure you copy and paste the duties and requirements into your resume so that RESUMIX will pick your resume up. I've been applying for 3 years or more and have not been considered once for any jobs because "you were not among the top competitors". I'm married to the military and you would think the MSP status would help and it doesn't. Keep trying though, that's what they say.>>

You never even said that you finally got a job as soon as you followed that method (only "keep trying, that's what they say") and you did not say that you should make sure that you had all the necessary experience as you did in your follow-up post. I personally just consider those few extra sentences to be very important words of advice and I think it's okay for me to feel that way.

Just because I don't agree with your suggestion doesn't mean

Look Lady or Man,

I have written a lot of posts since that initial one...30 months ago if you read the time line under my name...and obviously "my" method did work and I am simply passing on what my experiences were. Sorry you dont like them or disagree. I could care less really.

Not the place to go after someone for a post they wrote over 2 years ago...get a grip. Lastly, dont follow my advise...and good luck to you. I work with dozens of GS employees that have done and still do the same exact thing as me and get placed...but good luck to you. Oh and the bit about only getting one resume your right...who is applying to be a vet and then turning around and applying to be an electrician? Whatever jobs you apply for should be in the same relative category and if you have the experience you take a line or two and paste it in...your resume should have collective descriptions if you are applying for various jobs...but still I would think same sort of category. Secretary is a secretary as an accountant is an accountant...I dont get the problem.

Anyway good luck.

Cassie

CPOL IS VERY DISCOURAGING TO SAY THE LEAST. I HAVE OVER 50 SELF NOMINATIONS AND THEY ALL HAVE BEEN MET WITH THE SAME OUTCOME YOU WERE NOT REFERED TO THE SELECTED HIRING OFFICIAL. I AM THOROUGHLY QUALIFIED TO DO ANY OF THE JOBS THAT I APPLIED FOR BUT IT SEEMS I AM NOT. WITH OVER20 YEARS EXP. I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET THROUGH. I HAVE A GOVT. CONTRACTOR JOB NOW AND I AM STILL APPLYING, BUT I CAN SAY FOR SURE THAT THE ONE THING THAT I HAVE LEARNED HERE IS THAT IT IS FAR BETTER TO BE DUMBER WITH A PIECE OF PAPER THAN SMARTER WITHOUT ONE. I HAVE CUT AND PASTED THE DUTIES AND HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS SO I JUST WROTE MY RESUME AGAIN TO TAKE ON THE TASK OF FINDING AND GETTING HIRED BY THE DOD. GOOD LUCK TO ALL THAT TRY AND DON'T LET BIG BROTHER GET YOU DOWN.

I've been trying to transfer out of this position since April 2008 and have 310 applications on file since then. It is discouraging. I was recently told there are between 600 to 800 applicants for every one job. Have to remember Vet's get consideration and so do spouses before civilians. Sorry you are having a hard time.

Can someone tell me if I can self nominate for jobs that state 'direct hire'? I don't see the self-nomination button at the end of the vacancy just an address/ email to submit application. Thank you.

Tlinda in Manama, Bahrain said: Can someone tell me if I can self nominate for jobs that state 'direct hire'? I don't see the self-nomination button at the end of the vacancy just an address/ email to submit application. Thank you.

Should add that I am an American, just overseas in private sector with my husband and I've started looking into Army civillian jobs as I'm an RN. I still haven't found an answer to my question, so if you can help - appreciate it.

Direct hire means someone that is status eligible. Already in the federal system. If you are an RN you should be able to go directly onto any installation with an MTF (military treatment facility) or to a VA and they will direct you to the nursing hiring officials. Usually usajobs.com and cpol.army.mil are good places to start. Ask for job fairs for the medical field at whatever post you are located and they should tell you when those are. If you are an RN and your spouse is in the service you have preferential treatment and can assume a 5 point preference and because you are overseas I believe it may be ten.

I see you are in the private sector so there wont be any additional preference points for you. I apologize I didnt see that till I reviewed my answer.

Cassie Allen in Fort Bragg, North Carolina said: I see you are in the private sector so there wont be any additional preference points for you. I apologize I didnt see that till I reviewed my answer.

Thank you for the replies.

Cassie, I am a 10pt 30% compensable disabled Vet. Under who can apply, if I am otherwise qualified but not included in “the who may apply category” can I apply?

Dukester34, There are vacancy announcements which end in letters. Those announcements are open to the public and they must choose a vet if one applies. If the "who can apply category" has statements in it such as "only current employees of the Department of Intelligence may apply" then you can apply but because you are not a current employee that will bar you from being hired. You apply for any announcement you want to but in cases like that you are wasting your time. My advice for vet's is to apply for the public announcements that end in letters because the hiring official must choose a Vet over a non-vet for those positions whether you are qualified or not. You might get beat out by a more qualified Vet but your chances of being hired are better. I was told a few months back for every federal job posted there are between 600-800 applicants. They only send over the top ten or twenty for the hiring official to review. I hope that helps and answers your question. Also please try the following links...www.cpol.army.mil and www.usajobs.com. I am currently trying to get transferred to Germany or the UK and I have been applying for 2 years and I am a current Federal employee. Don't get discouraged. Not to mention, if you are in Alaska and want to stay there not many people feel warm and fuzzy about moving to Alaska. You could have better chances I would think. ;o)

Cassie Allen in Fort Bragg, North Carolina said: Dukester34, There are vacancy announcements which end in letters. Those announcements are open to the public and they must choose a vet if one applies. If the "who can apply category" has statements in it such as "only current employees of the Department of Intelligence may apply" then you can apply but because you are not a current employee that will bar you from being hired. You apply for any announcement you want to but in cases like that you are wasting your time. My advice for vet's is to apply for the public announcements that end in letters because the hiring official must choose a Vet over a non-vet for those positions whether you are qualified or not. You might get beat out by a more qualified Vet but your chances of being hired are better. I was told a few months back for every federal job posted there are between 600-800 applicants. They only send over the top ten or twenty for the hiring official to review. I hope that helps and answers your question. Also please try the following links...www.cpol.army.mil and www.usajobs.com . I am currently trying to get transferred to Germany or the UK and I have been applying for 2 years and I am a current Federal employee. Don't get discouraged. Not to mention, if you are in Alaska and want to stay there not many people feel warm and fuzzy about moving to Alaska. You could have better chances I would think. ;o)

I recently self nominated myself for a job with the US Army Corps of Engineers. According to ANSWER, "Your resume has been referred to the selecting official for consideration for this vacancy." I have heard that this is good and I am excited but what am I supposed to do now other than wait!!?? Is there anything I can do to further increase my chances? I am a service disabled vet with 10pt preference. Also, the job posting stated a GS pay range. Is it possible to ask for too much salary, even if its within this pay range?

Civil -PE in Southern Pines::

Yes it is a good thing if you have been referred. That is half the battle! You along with up to twenty or so resume's have possibly been referred for the position. Unfortunately, and you know the Army, its the "hurry up and wait" dilema. There is nothing you can do at this point. Keep checking cpol for a status update. If they choose someone else you will receive notification the job is closed. To my knowledge if you have applied for a position GS pay grade you get the minimum pay grade depending on qualifications. If you have a master's degree and applied for a GS 6 you may qualify for a higher step. Making you a GS 6 step 3. More than likely though they bring you in at the minimum and you work your way up the ladder each year with step increases. If you receive a promotion or a latteral transfer then you sometimes have negotion rights with CPAC. Hope that helps and good luck to you.

Hello everyon,

Three quick questions

1)I am trying to use the copy and paste method for Resumix but am wondering if you need to copy verbiage and phrases once or multiple times throughout the resume. Is it quality or quantity?
2)Will my New York salary hurt my chances? Because of the higher cost of living here I'm worried they might overlook me because most mid level pay grades pay less.
3) If anyone knows, what's the competition in Japan like? I'm an Army veteran but no veterans preference and am not a federal employee. The US Army positions are slim over there but are there that many people trying to move out there?

Thanks in advance

Afrancis1973:
1. Quality, and I suggest only using "key words" versus copy and pasting the entire paragraphs.
2. Your salary now has no affect on the salary applying for to my knowledge. The government usually has cost of living allowances for different areas of the country and the world.
3. Japan to my knowedge is middle of the road. If you are an Army Vetern then you get a five point preference off the bat if I am not mistaken. It's more if you have disabilities. You have just as much luck getting a Japan posting as anywhere else. Lot's of resume's going in for lot's of jobs.

Hope that helps and good luck!

Thank you very much for the advice Cassie, since I didn't serve during wartime I don't get the five point preference but I'm able to apply to competitive positions. I'll take your earlier advice and pay more attention to positions open to the public.

Cassie I've been reading this thread for about a month now. I did take your advice on copy and pasting (of course I changed the wording a little) and it work. So far I've applied for 5 vacancies and my resume got referred to the hiring official for all five. However, it has been over a month since the status on Answer was updated. I guess the Army is in no hurry to fill vancancies.

Hi Henri,

Good! That is wonderful news! Just keep applying and keep the faith something has to give somewhere. It takes time. Some of the oldest jobs I've applied for and been referred are going on six months...Your doing great!

Hi lots of good advice in this topic. I wanted to ask a question.

I applied for some jobs through CPOL back in January and February (about 10). I have received notification that I wasn't selected for the job for about half of them, which just so happened to be the ones that were most recent. I haven't received any confirmation through Answer whether I was selected or not for the ones in January yet and its now almost May. Is it normal for the first phase to take this long? Thanks.

I've been applying for jobs on CPOL for about 3 months now and have been received several "Your resume has been referred to the selecting official". But my last status change that I've received stated "Your resume is being reviewed". This is the first time I've seen this status and was wondering if any knew how this differs from the other? If at all.