Your steps to apply
Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
Veterans Benefits Administration · Providence, Rhode Island and 19 more · Closes in 62 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
The job is open to the public, but only U.S. citizens may apply. The agency clarified that all U.S. citizens may apply.
Experience: For GS-9, you need 1 year of specialized experience at least equal to GS-7 work. For GS-11, you need 1 year of specialized experience at least equal to GS-9 work, such as work with people with multiple disabilities or mental disabilities. Specialized experience includes work in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, employment, or career development.
Education: A major in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or a related field meets the basic education requirement. A master's degree or 2 years of graduate study toward one can replace experience for GS-9. A doctoral degree or 3 years of graduate study toward one can replace experience for GS-11. You may also combine experience with graduate education. Foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.
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 62 days (January 4, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
Referral lists are made at cut-off dates, the first on November 23, 2026 and the second on December 14, 2026, so applications submitted earlier may be reviewed sooner.
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: After you meet the minimum qualifications, you may take USA Hire tests and answer skill questions, and you may be asked for an interview or work sample. Applicants are placed in Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified categories, and veterans' preference eligible applicants are placed ahead of others; resumes that omit required details get no credit.
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:
- Show hours per week, start and end dates, and level for each job on your resume, or you will get no credit for it.
- Include transcripts if you use education, since unofficial copies are accepted when applying.
- Apply to only one location and keep your resume to 2 pages or less.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.