Federal Resume vs. Corporate Resume: Which One Is Right For You?

There are several solid benefits to working for the government.

Federal, state, and local government agencies are regarded as some of the most stable and reliable employers. Federal employment also boasts more competitive benefits such as health benefits, family leave, and flexible hours. There's also a strong sense of pride in the organizational culture, tons of opportunities for transfers and promotions, and training opportunities that are not often available at private sector companies.

However, getting your foot in the door at a government agency can be an obstacle because government hiring processes and expectations are vastly different than those for non-government jobs.

In fact, you will quickly discover that you won’t be receiving much feedback (if any) from government agencies if you’re applying for government jobs with the same resume that you’re using to apply for corporate or private sector jobs. But what’s the difference between a federal resume and a corporate resume?

Let’s go over the top differences between federal resumes and corporate resumes as well as how you can determine which resume is right for you.

Page Length

A 4 to 5-page resume is expected for federal or state government job opportunities (3+ pages if you are a student or recent graduate). While that length seems daunting or maybe even impossible, keep in mind that federal resumes need to have far more detail about your experience and skills than a corporate resume. A federal resume needs to describe your level of experience with each Specialized Experience, Knowledge, Skill, Ability (also known as KSAs), and Competency required in the job announcement while highlighting achievements in each area where possible. If the job application includes a questionnaire, you also must include details that support your answers within your resume.

A corporate resume is typically a 1 to 2-page snapshot of your background and achievements (or sometimes 3 pages if you are are pursuing executive leadership roles). Corporate resumes need to showcase your most recent and relevant skills and experiences that relate to the job you want to apply for. Instead of focusing on detail, your corporate resume should focus on job-related achievements.

Qualifications

A federal resume needs to show that you are (at the very least) minimally qualified for the job by describing how you have demonstrated the required Specialized Experience, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Competencies listed in the job announcement within each of your previous jobs—not just list that you have those skills. In fact, for job announcements with required Specialized Experience, hiring decision-makers will be looking for 1 year of this experience across your background looking closely at the start and end dates of employment and average hours worked listed on your resume to make sure you have 40 hours across 52 weeks of that required experience.

There is also no leniency when it comes to missing requirements or qualifications because the federal government has strict regulations regarding its hiring policies. If you don’t have one of the required KSAs, don’t bother spending the time tailoring your resume and filling out an application because you won’t be considered. You may receive an “Incomplete Application” or “Not Qualified” ranking right away.

A corporate resume has far more flexibility regarding qualifications. Hiring managers will often consider candidates who possess most or even some of the qualifications if they can’t find a candidate who possesses all of them. Career experts even suggest that applying for a job that you possess 100% of the qualifications for will position you as overqualified and leave no room for professional growth. This is good news for those making a major career change because job seekers can focus on transferable skills and still stand a chance when applying for corporate jobs.

Keywords

A federal resume is treated like a 100-point test. Your federal resume will first be physically read and graded by an HR Specialist at the government agency that you are applying for a job at. You will be graded on the inclusion and your level of experience with the required Specialized Experience, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Competencies listed on the job announcement. Organizing your information with keywords that align with these details will make this task easier on HR Specialists.

A corporate resume will first need to get through the Applicant Tracking System or ATS used by the company you are applying for a job at before it will be read by a recruiter, HR, or a hiring manager. The secret to conquering this software is to naturally integrate the right keywords, which are typically the qualifications and skills listed in the job posting, in an easy-to-skim Skills section on the first page of your resume as well as throughout your resume.

Design & Layout

A federal resume should have minimal to no design elements. A flashy federal resume is not going to help you stand out. A federal resume that is easy to visually scan and find that you are the best qualified candidate will make you stand out. To make a detailed and lengthy resume easy to visually scan, you can organize your information in short paragraphs by keywords and using bullets strategically to draw attention to achievements.

There are far more design possibilities with corporate resumes. You can add conservative color to your name and headings, get creative with capitalization and other font styles, and add some design elements such as borders and spacing adjustments while staying compatible with ATS. As long as you’re not uploading them to job applications, you can even create graphic resumes for networking events and interviews.

Additional Information

A federal resume must have certain additional information for each job you have held for the last ten years including the company’s address, the average hours you worked per week, your supervisor’s name, and your supervisor’s phone number. A federal resume should also include additional sections that support each of the qualifications including Specialized Experience and KSAs. For example, you should include detailed volunteer experience if it demonstrates any of the qualifications or KSAs even if you have solid work experience demonstrating the qualifications and KSAs.

A corporate resume should give a snapshot of your qualifications and skills rather than provide additional information that is not directly relevant to the job you are seeking. For example, you should summarize volunteer experience if you have solid work experience or transferable experience that presents you as a qualified candidate. You can also recommend a reader view your LinkedIn profile to find additional information and include the link in your contact header.

Which One Is Right For Me?

You need a federal resume if the job you want to apply for is posted online at USAJOBS.gov, governmentjobs.com, or a government agency website. You will notice several details on a federal job announcement that you won’t find on a corporate job posting including Pay Scale and Grade, the “This job is open to” or Who May Apply section, Promotion Potential, Required Documents, and Application Questionnaire.

You need a corporate resume if the job you want to apply for is posted online on a company’s website or a job board like Monster, Indeed, or ZipRecruiter. These job postings will provide information about the company, general duties for the job, qualifications, and how to submit an application or resume.