THERE ARE MAJOR CHANGES HAPPENING TO FEDERAL JOB APPLICATIONS
Per President Obama’s Presidential Order on 5/11/2010, Essay Questions for INITIAL applications appear to be going away by 11/1/2010 or sooner. However, the competencies will still need to be in your resume.
CURRENTLY: 
If asked on the announcement, you will be required to answer Essay Questions, Knowledge Skill or Ability Statements (KSAs) or other questions. On Application Manager, QuickHire and USAJOBS applications, these are known as essay questions. For some online formats, including AVUE, FAA, Application Manager, USAJobs and QuickHire, you may not find these questions until you actually try to apply for the position. In this case, FederalResumes.net professionals may be able to help – or you can call the number on the job announcement.
If asked on the announcement, you will be required to answer Essay Questions, Knowledge Skill or Ability Statements (KSAs) or other questions. On Application Manager, QuickHire and USAJOBS applications, these are known as essay questions. For some online formats, including AVUE, FAA, Application Manager, USAJobs and QuickHire, you may not find these questions until you actually try to apply for the position. In this case, FederalResumes.net professionals may be able to help – or you can call the number on the job announcement.If an announcement says the essays are required, they are STILL required. These statements are generally written in a CONTEXT-CHALLENGE-ACTION-RESULT (CCAR) or SITUATION-TASK-ACTION-RESULT (STAR) format, detailing one to three examples addressing the KSA question. The length varies as designated by the announcement – generally these are 3/4 page to 2 pages in length. Some online formats and announcements restrict the length of these statements. Your answers to the questions critical – if the essay questions are not addressed, the application will not be considered.
For each example, include relevant awards and training. These examples are written in first person, clearly detailing the context, challenge, action and results for each example.
Note, each KSA is judged separately. Therefore, generally it is OK to include the same example in different KSAs for the same announcement. This is especially true if the questions are somewhat repetitive or your example covers several different areas.
FederalResumes.net will develop a KSAs and other essays to highlight your how you add value and meet the job requirements. We use extensive questionnaires and will work with you via email and telephone consultation to reveal what makes you extraordinary. We will determine your value and ensure you have a coherent message and package – which will convey why you ARE the person for the position.