The original federal resume service
RP / Est. 1971We wrote the first book on federal resume writing.
The rules changed again in 2025: two pages now. Our Certified Federal Resume Writers® and coaches know the new format and help you get Best Qualified, Referred, Interviewed, and Selected.
Work with a Certified Federal Resume Writer®.
Order a one-hour consultation and resume review
The book
Federal Resume Guidebook, 8th Ed.
Order the book
A Certified Federal Resume Writer® interviews you and writes your resume, start to finish.
Hand us what you have today
Send your current resume, the job you are seeking, and a sample announcement if you have one. We read your roles, dates, agencies, and duties, and come back fast with recommendations on organization, content, keywords, and accomplishments.
A certified writer reads it against the announcement
One hour with a consultant tells you what to change: the organization of your sections, the keywords, the accomplishments, the projects. Then we give you homework. You write the content of your career; we edit, organize, format, and target it. We do not invent a sentence.
We write your two-page federal resume
You get a finished, OPM-correct resume written to the current two-page format and matched to your target announcement. Not a template, not a wizard. Our goal is Best Qualified; the referral itself is an HR decision, and we build the page to earn it.
The latest articles from our team.
Thomas Jefferson’s ECQ 1 – Writing the Declaration of Independence
By Certified Federal Writers and Trainers, Resume Place, Inc., July 2, 2026, Baltimore, MD. Resume Place, Inc., SES Trainers and Writers write / coach, and teach executives to…
ReadFrom Declaration to Duty
By Certified Federal Writers and Trainers, Resume Place, Inc., July 1, 2026, Baltimore, MD. The Declaration of Independence expressed the nation’s purpose. The Constitution created its governing framework.…
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Resume Place Federal Career Newsletter
Federal career and resume guidance, up to date.
Weekly posts on the two-page federal resume, the two-page SES resume, USAJOBS announcements, and top interview tips, plus accomplishments, keywords, and how to organize your two-page resume. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fifty years of federal resumes. A new resume for every career move.
Fifty years inside the federal hiring system taught us how a resume gets Best Qualified and referred to a manager. That expertise works across every grade level, from internships to administrative, technical, managerial, and Senior Executive careers, and now into the private market. The two-page federal resume is almost the same as the two-page private-industry resume.
First-time jobseekers & federal employees seeking promotion
The original federal resume service. We write the two-page format, know the required information, target the announcement, put your most relevant work on page one, add the keywords, and frame the page so a hiring manager sees what matters in six seconds.
See the workCareer transitions, both directions
A promotion, a career change, an unexpected reduction in force, a relocation, a first federal application. Whatever the scenario, your duties and accomplishments are packed correctly for either format, federal or private industry.
See the workSenior Executive Service
The new two-page SES resume, the new QRB interview, the new ECQs and sub-competencies. We translate your record into ECQ accomplishments in two pages, and prepare you for the interview that follows.
See the workPrivate-sector careers
The two-page private-sector resume, the cover letter, and the LinkedIn profile, each matched to the announcement. A competitive market reads page one in ten seconds; keywords, accomplishments, and projects have to be there.
See the workActive-duty military spouses
Kathryn Troutman created the format for the active-duty military spouse: years of service and support on the resume, plus the volunteer experience and competencies gained along the way. Our consultants review your resume and tell you how to compete.
See the workVeterans & service members
Veterans’ preference only works if the resume is Best Qualified. That means relevant military service, keywords from the announcement, awards, training, and certifications, in two pages. We build the next career on the record you earned.
See the workRecent grads & internships
The student federal resume is not a private-industry resume. It carries more: relevant courses, technical skills, projects, the capstone or thesis. We turn an education into a resume that ranks.
See the workThe federal resume rules changed in 2025.
The 2025 guidance rewrites how a federal application is organized, presented, and written, with the emphasis on your last ten years. We have tracked every OPM format era since 1971, so when a rule moves we already know how to edit, reorganize, and target your resume to get Best Qualified.
The two-page federal resume
Agencies are requiring two pages today: 10-point body, 14-point headings, half-inch margins, and instructions that are very specific. Every accomplishment has to earn its line. The cover letter is optional; we recommend one that features an accomplishment relevant to the new job.
The job-related questions
Announcements include questions where you score your own skill level, and every skill you claim must be covered in the resume itself. We integrate the questions and skills into your duties sections so the two documents agree.
Active voice and critical keywords
No more “tasked with” and “served as.” The new writing style opens every line with an action verb, and keywords from the job announcement are mandatory. We build the keyword list for your resume.
The books the Certified Federal Job Search Trainers® still train on.
The Federal Resume Guidebook, 8th Ed., the Jobseeker’s Guide, the Student’s Federal Career Guide, and The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses®. Each updated with the latest formats, samples, and before-and-after examples.
Government agency career training for employees.
For more than thirty years, senior trainers have taught federal employees, HR and EEO staff, workforce centers, and career staff the same method we use for clients: how to write the two-page federal resume, get promoted, and change job series. Off-the-shelf courses on the two-page federal resume, USAJOBS, the two-page SES resume, and QRB interview preparation and practice, delivered on site or as live webinars.
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Health & Human Services
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Homeland Security
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Transportation Security Admin.
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Veterans Affairs
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Department of the Navy
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Department of the Army
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Department of the Air Force
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FEMA
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Federal Aviation Admin.
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Environmental Protection Agency
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Customs & Border Protection
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U.S. Secret Service
Get certified to train others.
Since 2002 we have certified career counselors, employment specialists, workforce staff, and HR teams to teach and coach federal resume writing in the Ten Steps to a Federal Job® method. More than 3,000 have attended. A three-day live program or five-part virtual program, with the books as reference and a credential for your LinkedIn and agency bio.
For workforce, employment, and transition counselors who teach the Ten Steps to a Federal Job® course, including The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses® format.
The interview is a test. Prepare for it.
Professional coaching before an interview, federal or private industry, can dramatically raise your chances of an offer. You practice your best stories, accomplishments, and the critical skills that match the position, before it counts.
The structured interview
Six to eight questions, thirty to forty-five minutes, systematically scored. We prepare and practice with you so the right stories are ready when the questions come.
Get interview coachingThe SES QRB interview
A three-member panel of sitting SES members, reading your record against the ECQs. Two sessions with a senior coach, a recorded mock interview, and a framework for the stories that reveal your leadership.
Prepare for the QRBIt all works. In their own words.
Kathryn Troutman, the owner of The Resume Place, literally wrote the book on federal resume writing. Her personalized feedback and coaching has been absolutely invaluable in helping me receive more than a half-dozen federal job offers, and still counting. Particularly in a few instances when I feel I’ve hit a wall, Kathryn always seems to know what I’m doing wrong and how to fix my mistake.
On working with Kathryn directly
We discussed and reworked my resume, also developing a suitable cover letter. I sent it out to four potential employers, and I was amazed to receive an outstanding offer the next day.
Rita dedicated herself to understanding my concerns with my old resume. In under a week, she took my federal employment history and helped me craft an easy-to-read professional resume.
On working with Rita ChambersBefore a key SES interview, Kathryn designed an interview simulation, application, and post-op review. Her no-nonsense guidance provided lifelong tips crucial to placement success.
Jim S.NO MORE GUESSING
Work with the experts who wrote the Federal Resume Guidebook.
Resume Place, Inc. is the oldest and leading federal and SES resume writing and consulting firm in the United States. The competition is tough and the resume is everything: a Certified Federal Resume Writer® builds the targeted, accomplishment-based two-page resume and cover letter that get you the interview.