Your steps to apply

Attorney-Adviser
Environmental Protection Agency · Chicago, Illinois · 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 the public, but you must be a U.S. citizen, national, or someone who owes allegiance to the U.S. Veterans' preference applies.

Experience: For GS-11, you need an LL.M. degree, or one year of specialized experience at the GS-9 level (legal research and helping with legal representation), or superior law student activities during a J.D. For GS-12 and GS-13, you need one year of specialized experience at the level just below each grade, including legal analysis, research, and representation in negotiations or proceedings.

Education: You need a J.D. or LL.M. from an accredited school, or equivalent apprentice experience allowed by state law. For GS-11 you may qualify with superior law student activities during a J.D., such as a top-third class standing, law review work, Order of the Coif, moot court, legal aid, or significant summer law clerk experience.

Licenses and certifications:

Licensed to practice as an attorney under state, territory, or D.C. law
Active bar membership in good standing in any U.S. jurisdiction

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 Cover letter explaining how your qualifications meet the job requirements Resume of 2 pages or less, with specific dates (MM/DD/YY - MM/DD/YY) and federal grade levels Law school transcripts or a list of courses with grades, dates, and credit hours Documentation of apprentice experience, if used instead of a J.D. or LL.M. Proof of superior law student activities, if you qualify that way Names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references, including a current or former employer DD-214 or other official proof, if claiming veterans' preference

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: Subject matter experts will review your resume against three critical skills: written communication, problem solving, and oral communication. Top-rated applicants may be given more tests, such as a writing sample, job knowledge test, or structured interview; using AI or a consultant on any 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, then the final offer with your start date.

Tips for this job:

Keep your resume to 2 pages or less, or it will not be reviewed, and include exact dates for each job in MM/DD/YY format.
Include names, addresses, and phone numbers for three references, including a current or former employer.
If you claim veterans' preference, claim it in your USAJOBS account and upload proof such as a DD-214.

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