Your steps to apply
Transportation Security Officer
Transportation Security Administration · Springfield, Missouri · Closes in 22 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
Only U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals can apply. If you are or were recently a political appointee, you must disclose this.
Experience: You need at least 1 year of full-time work experience in the security industry, aviation screening, or as an X-ray technician. This qualifies you for the SV-D pay band, which the announcement says is equivalent to GS-5 or GS-6. Part-time work counts on a part-time ratio, and volunteer work can count.
Education: A high school diploma, GED, HiSET, or TASC equivalency certificate can qualify you instead of experience.
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 22 days (November 19, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
If enough applications are received, the announcement may close before the published closing date.
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 are rated on how well you meet the qualifications. If you qualify, you take the TSO Assessment Battery, a computer test of X-ray interpretation skill, and must meet or exceed a cut score. You then face a structured interview, drug screening, and medical exam, and a background check; overstating your experience or cheating can get you removed.
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, because the system will not accept longer resumes and you may be removed.
- Submit the full online application, including the questionnaire and documents, by 11:59 PM ET on the closing date, and check your spam folder for confirmation emails.
- If you claim veterans' preference, attach your DD-214 with your application, since it is required proof.
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