Your steps to apply

Astronomer
Smithsonian Institution · Hilo, Hawaii · Closes today

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 the public. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or people who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Experience: You need one year of specialized experience at or above the GS-5 level. Examples include operating a telescope at a world-class or university observatory, helping with astronomy or physics research, or writing or changing software professionally or in class.

Education: A degree in astronomy, physics, mathematics, space science or electronics, with calculus and 12 semester hours in astronomy and/or physics. Or at least 30 semester hours in those subjects, plus experience or more education. One full year of graduate study in astronomy, physics, astrophysics or a closely related physical science can replace the experience requirement. Superior Academic Achievement can also qualify you: a GPA of 3.0 or higher overall, 3.5 or higher in your major, top third of your class, or membership in a recognized honor society.

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 no more than two pages showing job title, dates (month and year), and hours per week for each job DD-214 if you claim veterans' preference SF-15 and supporting documents such as a VA letter if you claim 10-point veterans' preference Unofficial school transcripts if you use education to qualify; official transcripts are needed if selected Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable SF-50 and a statement if you are or recently were a political appointee

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes today (November 5, 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: Applications must first meet the basic qualifications. Qualified applicants answer job-related questions, and are placed in the Best (95-100), Better (85-94.99) or Good (70-84.99) category. Applicants without a resume or without answers to the assessment questions will not be considered, and self-ratings not supported by your resume may be lowered.

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, then the final offer with your start date.

Tips for this job:

Make sure your resume lists the job title, series, grade, dates and hours per week for each job, or you may be disqualified.
If you use education to qualify, upload unofficial transcripts with your application.
Submit everything through the Apply Online button by 11:59 PM Eastern on the closing date.

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