Your steps to apply

Academic Specialist
National Defense University · Fort McNair, District of Columbia · Closes in 13 days

1 Check you can apply
2 Resume and documents
3 Apply on USAJOBS
4 After you apply

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1 Check you can apply You are here

Who can apply: The public.

Open to U.S. citizens only, according to the agency's clarification. Only U.S. citizens, nationals, or people who owe allegiance to the U.S. may apply.

Education: A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution is required. A master's degree is a desired qualification, not a requirement. Foreign degrees must be shown to be equivalent to U.S. degrees before appointment.

Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.

2 Resume and documents

Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.

Resume ready: dates, hours per week, duties Resume of two pages maximum showing how your work meets the qualifications Completed initial Eligibility Questionnaire SF-50 if you are or were a federal employee, showing highest permanent grade held DD-214 if you claim veterans' preference SF-15 if you claim 10-point derived veterans' preference Equivalency evaluation of foreign education, if you used foreign education

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes in 13 days (November 16, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).

You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.

How they rate you: A screening panel reviews your resume and narrative answers to the assessment questions. All eligible applicants are referred to an NDU board, and NDU contacts applicants it wants to interview. Missing required documents or an incomplete package can lead to an ineligible rating.

Apply on USAJOBS ↗

4 After you apply

In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.

For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.

If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, a security clearance (Secret), then the final offer with your start date.

Tips for this job:

Keep your resume to two pages and show how your work matches each listed qualification.
Send your SF-50 if you are or were a federal employee, since missing it may disqualify you.
If you update your application, re-select your resume and documents or the application will be incomplete.

Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.