Your steps to apply

Security Specialist
National Defense University · Fort McNair, District of Columbia · Closes in 9 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: The public.

This job is open to U.S. citizens, nationals, or people who owe allegiance to the United States. The agency clarified that all U.S. citizens may apply.

Experience: You need one year of specialized experience at a level comparable to GS-12, which means work with developing or managing information security programs, interpreting security policy, conducting inspections or investigations, assessing risk, or advising senior leaders on classified information protection. Paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, counts.

Education: Education cannot replace experience at this grade level. Education from foreign schools must be shown to be equal to a U.S. degree.

Licenses and certifications:

SPeD Security Fundamentals Professional Certification (SFPC), required within the first two years of employment

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 your qualifying work experience and any education or certifications Completed Eligibility Questionnaire Official transcripts if you qualify through education (must be verified before appointment) DD-214 if you claim veterans' preference SF-15 and supporting documents if you claim 10-point derived veterans' preference SF-50 and RIF notice with latest performance appraisal if you are an ICTAP eligible Optional cover letter

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes in 9 days (November 12, 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 questionnaire answers are reviewed to check minimum qualifications, then you are placed in Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified categories. You must also complete the USA Hire assessment and meet its cut score, or you will not be considered; errors or omissions can lower your rating.

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, a security clearance (Sensitive Compartmented Information), then the final offer with your start date.

Tips for this job:

Complete the USA Hire assessment soon after applying, since you must meet its cut score and set aside at least 3 hours.
Show your specialized experience clearly in your two-page resume, with dates and duties for each job.
If you use your education to qualify, send official transcripts from accredited schools and list degrees in your resume.

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