Your steps to apply
Dental Assistant
Veterans Health Administration · Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California · Closes today
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
Only U.S. citizens can apply. The announcement says the job is open to current U.S. citizens, and the public can apply.
Experience: You need six months of experience that shows you can do the work or are familiar with it. For the full GS-6 level, you need at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that shows the required core skills. Your resume must list hours per week for each job to get credit. One year of dental assisting experience is preferred.
Education: Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Education and experience can also be combined in equivalent amounts. Schools must be accredited and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Licenses and certifications:
- Radiologic competence certification for taking dental X-rays, or a temporary appointment if not yet certified
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.
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: You will be rated on how well you meet the listed qualifications. Your application, resume, and supporting documents will be verified, so be clear and specific about your experience. Errors or missing required information may lower your rating or affect consideration.
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:
- List the hours per week for every job on your resume, or you will not get experience credit.
- If you are using school to qualify, include a transcript showing a CODA-accredited 1-year dental assistant program.
- Upload your DD-214 and SF-15 if you claim veterans' preference, because documentation is required to award it.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.