Your steps to apply

Research Physical Scientist
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Silver Spring, Maryland and 6 more · Closes tomorrow

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, Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).

The job is open to the public and to career transition candidates (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), who get selection priority if well qualified. You must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or owe allegiance to the U.S.

Experience: You need one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equal to ZP-3 or GS-12 level. It must include developing weather forecast models and data assimilation code, programming in several languages to build forecast products, and communicating scientific findings. The experience can be paid or unpaid and does not have to be federal.

Education: A degree in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. You can also combine education equal to that major with extra experience or education. 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 two pages or less; longer resumes are removed from consideration Resume listing job titles, series and grade, duties, and start and end dates by month and year Resume stating hours per week for any part-time work Unofficial transcripts if you qualify through education Foreign education equivalency letter with a course-by-course listing, if applicable Career transition documents (RIF notice, SF-50, latest performance appraisal) if claiming priority

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes tomorrow (November 4, 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 documents are checked first to see if you meet the minimum qualifications. Qualified applicants then complete the USA Hire assessment. Overstating your experience or cheating on an assessment can get you removed from consideration.

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 two pages or less, or it will not be considered.
If you qualify by education, upload transcripts and any foreign education equivalency letter by the closing date.
Show clear examples of forecast model development, multi-language programming, and science communication, since all three are required experience.

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