Your steps to apply
Senior Social Worker
Veterans Health Administration · Augusta, Georgia · Closes in 26 days
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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 and current permanent federal employees of other agencies. The announcement says veterans' preference is waived for this occupational series.
Experience: You need at least 1 year of progressively complex social work experience at the GS-11 level. You also need 5 years of experience after getting your license that shows advanced skills and judgment, and you must be licensed to supervise trainees or unlicensed social workers.
Education: You must hold a master's or doctoral degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, or a related field from a program accredited by CACREP (Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs). Traditional rehabilitation counseling programs do not meet this standard.
Licenses and certifications:
- Full, current, unrestricted license to practice independently as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC), unless the grandfathering provision applies (current VHA employees in this job only)
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 in 26 days (November 30, 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 based on how well you meet the qualifications listed. The agency does not assume anything about your experience, and missing or unclear information may lead to an ineligible rating or a lower score.
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:
- Describe your experience clearly and specifically, because the agency will not assume anything.
- Include your license and transcript with your application, or it will be incomplete.
- The 2-page resume limit does not apply to this job, and the full package is due by 11:59 PM ET on 11/30/2026.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.