If you are interested in working for the SES or Senior Executive Service, you will need to create a special resume that details your leadership abilities. The SES are high ranking government employees that work in the highest levels of the government. They are responsible for filling all government positions higher than GS-15. This only applies to positions that are filled through hiring rather than presidential appointment. The reason that your resume must be specially tailored for these positions is that it will be carefully analyzed by an independently run Qualifications Review Board. They will use special criteria developed by the Office of Personnel Management or the OPM to determine which resumes meet their stringent criteria. If your resume does not meet the requirements, it will be discarded without any further consideration.

Most of the available SES positions are filled by those already employed by the government. The ideal candidates have generally been working for government for at least 5 years of continuous service. Often there are also specific requirements regarding leadership experience, pay grades and more. When for applying for these positions, you may want to use your government resume as a baseline upon which you can build and modify. One important change you will want to make from your standard resume is to emphasize your leadership experience and abilities. Since SES resumes will be carefully evaluated for leadership and supervisory ability, you may want to detail specific situations and how they were resolved. For example, describe a problem you encountered and then explain how this situation was resolved using your leadership capabilities. It is wise to incorporate many keywords directly from the job posting announcement to prove that you have the desired skills and requirements. SES resumes are long. Don’t worry if it doesn’t all fit on one page. Ideally, your SES resume will be three to five pages in length.

In addition to your specialized resume, you will also want to include an addendum that outlines the Executive Core Qualifications or ECQs. You will use this document to highlight your abilities in each of the required areas which are: leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen and building coalitions. These five ECQs are further divided into additional competencies which must also be addressed. You will also need to demonstrate proficiency and excellence in the areas of: interpersonal skills, oral and written communication, integrity, public service motivation, and continued learning. Remember that you are trying to display your leadership skills and that the ECQs should be used to demonstrate this.

Use similar focus in ECQs as in your resume. It works especially well to describe pertinent situations and then to discuss the resolution and how it relates to each ECQ. For each ECQ make sure you include at least one specific example of a situation that was handled in the last ten years. Also use outside experiences like volunteer work, awards or honors and training that are related to each competency. The final ECQ document should be around a page and a half to two pages.

As you create your SES application package remember that you are applying for a high level position that requires strong leadership skills. Those evaluating your application will be looking specifically for individuals with the ability to create results while fostering strong customer and interpersonal relations. They are looking for strong leaders to guide their organization while creating successful and hardworking teams.

Author Bio: Jason Kay recommends looking at sample KSAs to help you write your own KSA statements.

Category: Career
Keywords: SES Resume, KSAs