Your steps to apply

Physical Scientist
Other Agencies and Independent Organizations · Germantown, Maryland · Closes in 2 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: Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), The public.

The job is open to the public. You must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national. Current and former federal employees in career transition programs (CTAP, ICTAP, or RPL) may also apply and get priority.

Experience: You need one year of specialized experience at the next lower level, GS-14. That experience must include managing science research programs in the physical sciences, evaluating proposals or peer reviews to recommend funding, and building program budgets or resource plans. Volunteer and unpaid work can count.

Education: A degree in physical science, engineering, or math that includes at least 24 semester hours in physical science or related engineering science, such as mechanics, properties of materials, or electronics. You can also combine education and experience. Education cannot replace experience at this grade.

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 2 pages showing duties, employer name and address, dates, hours per week, salary, and education Unofficial transcripts are acceptable Optional cover letter RIF separation notice or SF-50 and a performance rating with rating scale, if you claim career transition priority Do not include photos, your Social Security number, or your date of birth

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes in 2 days (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 complete an online USA Hire assessment with a cut score, and you must meet or exceed it to be considered. Your application questionnaire and a minimum qualifications review are also used. Under direct-hire authority, veterans' preference and category rating do not apply.

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:

Your resume must show the dates, hours per week, and duties for each job, including unpaid work.
Include unofficial transcripts with your application, or you may be rated Ineligible.
If you receive the USA Hire link late, you must finish the assessment within 48 hours.

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