How applying works
- Create a login.gov account. You need it to sign in to USAJOBS.
- Create your USAJOBS profile. You need one to apply for any job.
- Read the job announcement, section by section.
- Add your resume and the documents the announcement asks for.
- USAJOBS sends you to the agency's application system, where you submit.
Each announcement has the same main sections:
- This job is open to: who is eligible to apply.
- Qualifications: what you must have to be considered.
- How you will be evaluated: how the agency will judge your application.
- Required documents: what to send. Some are required and some optional.
Your federal resume: two pages
Under OPM's Merit Hiring Plan, agencies only accept resumes of up to two pages. USAJOBS won't let you upload or build a longer one.
For each job you list, include:
- the start and end dates, with the month and year
- the number of hours you worked per week
- the series and grade, for federal jobs only
Use the same terms as the announcement, and address every required qualification. Leave out your Social Security number, photos, and personal details such as age, sex or religion.
Keep the file to 5 MB or less. USAJOBS suggests a PDF, so your layout and page count stay the same. Some jobs ask for a longer resume, such as a CV, instead.
Grades and qualifications
The General Schedule (GS) has 15 grades, from GS-1 to GS-15. Starting at GS-5, jobs generally need 1 year of specialized experience.
Just starting out? A high school diploma, or as little as three months of general work experience, can qualify you for GS-2. A master's degree can qualify you for GS-9, and a doctorate for GS-11.
Some jobs have a questionnaire. Read the preview before you apply. Your resume must support every answer you give.
The four essay questions
OPM's April 2026 guidance makes four short essay questions mandatory for most GS-5 to GS-15 job announcements. You don't have to answer them. You can't be screened out for leaving them blank.
OPM's 2025 guidance asked for 200 words or less per answer, and said answers are not scored. It also asks you to certify that the words are your own, without help from a consultant or AI.
So write those answers yourself. Don't use any AI tool for them, ours included.
Citizenship, veterans and Selective Service
In general, you must be a US citizen or national to work for the federal government, with some exceptions. The "This job is open to" section says whether non-citizens can apply.
With veterans' preference, you may get preference over non-veteran applicants for jobs open to the public. It doesn't guarantee a job.
Federal law requires men aged 18 to 25 living in the US to register with the Selective Service System. This covers citizens and non-citizens. If you should have registered and didn't, you may not be eligible for federal jobs.
Background checks and security clearances
Every federal job needs a suitability determination. It's a background investigation of your personal and work conduct.
Only jobs with access to classified information and secure facilities need a security clearance. For those, you fill in the Standard Form 86 (SF86), with at least 10 years of personal history.
The background check starts after you accept a job offer. The offer is final once the agency completes it successfully.
One job on a federal resume
Here is a made-up entry for one past job, with the details USAJOBS asks for.
Made-up example
Alex, applying for a GS-7 program support role
Job title
Employer
Dates
Hours
Duties
Result
It gives the month and year, the hours, and a result with a number. If the announcement says "scheduling" or "records management", use those exact words.
Questions
How long can a federal resume be?
Two pages or less. USAJOBS won't let you upload or build a longer one. Some jobs ask for a long-form resume, such as a CV, instead.
Do I have to answer the essay questions?
No. OPM says you must be able to finish without them, and you can't be screened out for skipping them. If you answer, you certify the words are your own.
Can non-citizens apply for federal jobs?
In general, you must be a US citizen or national, with some exceptions. The announcement's "This job is open to" section says whether non-citizens can apply.
When does the background check happen?
After you accept a job offer. The offer becomes final once the agency successfully finishes the background investigation and any security checks.
Sources
Written by Seal the Offer from these pages, last checked on . Rules change, so check the employer's own page and the job ad before you apply.
- How does the application process work? · USAJOBS Help Center
- How to understand the job announcement · USAJOBS Help Center
- How do I write a resume for a federal job? · USAJOBS Help Center
- What documents do I need to provide when I apply? · USAJOBS Help Center
- What is a series or grade? · USAJOBS Help Center
- What grade or pay am I qualified for? · USAJOBS Help Center
- Additional Merit Hiring Plan Guidance on Using the Four Short Essay Questions (30 April 2026) · US Office of Personnel Management
- Additional Merit Hiring Plan Guidance on Using the Four Short Essay Questions (23 June 2025) · US Office of Personnel Management
- Employment of non-citizens · USAJOBS Help Center
- How to answer questions about military service · USAJOBS Help Center
- Selective Service registration · USAJOBS Help Center
- Do all jobs require a security clearance? · USAJOBS Help Center
- What are background checks and security clearances? · USAJOBS Help Center