Your steps to apply

Archivist
National Gallery of Art · Washington, District of Columbia · Closes tomorrow

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

Sign in to save your progress. Free, with just your email. You can read all the steps without an account.

1 Check you can apply You are here

Who can apply: The public.

Open to all United States citizens and nationals. More than one person may be selected from this announcement.

Experience: You need at least 1 year of specialized experience equal in responsibility to GS-08. That means applying archival methods to appraise, arrange, preserve and describe records at a museum or cultural organization. Federal or private sector work can count.

Education: A bachelor's degree in archival science, or a bachelor's degree with a major that includes 18 semester hours in archival science, history and/or political science or government, plus 12 semester hours in archival science, history, American civilization, economics, political science, public administration, or government. You can also combine at least 30 semester hours of those courses with more education or experience. Schools must be accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditor.

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, no more than 2 pages, showing name, email, work schedule, hours per week, dates of employment, duties, and pay plan, series and grade for federal jobs Unofficial school transcripts if you use education to qualify (official transcript needed before appointment) Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign education, if applicable DD-214 or other proof if you claim veterans' preference Optional cover letter Optional most recent performance appraisal

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes tomorrow (November 6, 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: Your resume and application questions are rated on archival knowledge, record survey and reference skills, information management, and communication. Candidates are sorted into Qualified, Well Qualified or Best Qualified categories, and a subject matter expert reviews your application. Overstating your experience or cheating on an assessment can get you removed.

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 (Other), then the final offer with your start date.

Tips for this job:

List dates by month and year, and hours per week, for every job and volunteer role you count.
Include the pay plan, series (1420) and grade for any federal job on your resume.
If you use education to qualify, send unofficial transcripts with your application.

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