For the best chance to get hired by Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services, applicants should use a USAJobs resume style resume. By using this resume template, it is easier for HRO employees to review candidate qualifications and evaluate experience or be processed by automated keyword tools. We have linked to the USAJobs Help Center: How to build a resume article before but wanted to provide a more in-depth walk-through. 

Step #1 - Create Your Login.gov Account

The federal government has consolidated usernames and passwords on several websites for security reasons and to simplify user access. Your old USAJobs username and password won't work since the upgrade. 

Please go to Login.gov Help for detailed instructions on creating an account with the new required two-factor security settings. It is a longer process than before but will simplify access later. The additional security is needed to protect your personal information and possible security clearance in the future. Once completed, you can go back to USAJobs to login with your new username and password. Please keep this information in a safe place because you will need it to login in and accept potential job offers.

Step #2 - Create Your USAJobs Profile

Once you are logged into USAJobs you will need to create a Profile which essentially finishes setting up your USAJobs account. You will only need to provide some basic information to finish your setup, but you should continue filling all of it out. This is an online form almost like an online job application that you can use the information from your personal resume to answer. Pay particular attention to the Experience section including:

• Federal Service
• Military Service
• Work Experience (including volunteer)
• Education (including in progress)
• References

You will be able to choose what information will be loaded into the resume builder later. This tool works best if you keep your profile up to date and thoroughly filled out from the start. These act as building blocks that can be pulled into other documents later, saving time and maintaining consistency.

We will cover resume tips and suggestions in another article to follow.

Step #3 Create Your USAJobs Resume

Once your profile is complete, you can go to Documents and under the Resumes tab you can select Upload or build resume to launch the resume builder. You DO NOT want to upload a resume no matter how great it looks because the automated tool will not understand how to properly import it.

Look for help along the way in links or blue question mark circles to explain what that page or tool is looking for. 

From there you can name your resume and should see all of your work experience from before loaded into the builder. You can rearrange the work experience order, delete the items if possibly not relevant, or edit their details as needed. If you add employment items or edit them here it will not update your profile information to use it again later. Also, remember what you use here or leave out here will eventually come up in a background check or security clearance. Next is education which will load from your profile set earlier so you can edit just like the employment section before. This page is looking primarily at higher education, so save any certification information for later. References are suggested but know HRO will typically contact prior work experience contacts as well. The last page will let you add Job Related Training where you can list your relevant public safety certifications. Any certifications you list you will need to attach as proof and send in with your application. Feel free to update any additional information such as languages, organizations, etc. if you feel it will help your application stand out. Once you select Finish your resume is complete and should be on the Documents page.

Step #4 Saving Your USAJobs Resume

From the Documents page under the Resume tab, you should see your resume and be able to select View. You can now review your USAJobs resume for format and correctness, going back to Edit if you need to make any changes. Once you are happy with it, you then want to Print Resume and select a digital PDF printer to save a copy on your computer. The USAJobs resume builder does not have a save or export function. If you do not have a print to PDF option, many new web browsers have built-in save to PDF tools such as Chrome, Firefox, or Brave. Save this document some place safe because it is what you will need to submit later to apply. Your resume and profile will still be available on USAJobs if you need another copy or to update the information repeating this process.

Step #5 Apply

Hopefully, this guide helps you create a USAJobs resume and understand the unique process and requirements. Everything is done for a specific reason, helping your resume be processed with thousands of others paying off in the end. Though it may not be like other municipal fire and EMS departments, they also aren't as large as the federal government. With those federal benefits there are some additional steps you have to take for a fair and streamlined process. We look forward to you applying with NRMA-FES and eventually joining the Tidewater Federal Firefighters.

A more detailed walkthrough article will come out further explaining the application process.
Until then, please see the Getting Hired main page for submission information