Federal KSA – Demystifying the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities the OPM is Looking For in You

When you apply for a position with the federal government you will most likely need to prepare an accompanying KSA statement, which is a short term that stands for “knowledge, skills and abilities”.

Knowledge is the body of information you have factually and procedurally to perform the job.  Skills are the ability to verbally, manually and mentally work with things and data competently.  Ability is your power to perform an activity.  You need to provide your knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the job you want on the statement you present to the OPM.

Write clearly about your KSAs and job so anyone can understand your responsibilities.  Number and title each KSA in bold and type responses in single space.  Include your name, social security number and the job vacancy  number at the top of each page submitted.  Be very detailed and specific, answering what, who, why, when, where and how and avoid repeating your resume or referring the OPM to another part of your application.  Write your Federal resume in the first person and make sure the reader knows what position and experience you are discussing.  Instead of using puffed up language, use specific examples and descriptions that make the reader come to the conclusion themselves.  Include as much as possible to show your qualifications.

If you want to really get noticed by prospective federal employers, invest in a professional resume writer to prepare your application.  This solid investment in your future can mean the difference between getting the job and not even getting a call.

A Reader Asks: Is there a Difference between a Federal KSA and KSAO

Q. Is there a difference between a Federal KSA and KSAO?

A. Frequently the terms Federal KSA and KSAO are interchanged and both refer to the knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics. KSAs are sometimes referred to more specifically as KSAOs. A KSAO outlines the attributes that are necessary to perform a specific federal job function and you demonstrate these abilities through training, experience and education.

K – Knowledge refers to the factual knowledge you have that when applied makes for adequate job performance.

S – Skills are the manipulation of people, things and data through verbal, manual or mental efforts.

A – Abilities are your capacity to perform a mental or physical activity at the present time.

O – Other characteristics include physical or mental characteristics that do not come under the other categories but apply to the position you are seeking.

Often the terms, specifications and requirements of applying for a desirable federal position can be confusing and frustrating. However, it is essential to follow the guidelines specifically to be considered for a federal job in a competitive arena. Hiring a professional resume writer to prepare your Federal resume and KSA or KSAO is a solid investment in your future. A professional resume writer is familiar with federal requirements and knows how to make your resume and KSAO compliant and attention-grabbing, which could mean the difference between getting your dream federal job and continuing to pound the pavement looking for it.

Are your KSA Statements in CCAR Format? If Not, Forget About Job Consideration

Are your KSA statements in CCAR format?  If not, you may as well forget about being considered for that highly covered federal government position.

Your KSA essay gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your specific Knowledge, Skill or Ability.  KSA statement give you a place to list educational courses, training, awards and quotes from letters and evaluations.  Your KSA statement needs to be based on the new OPM recommended CCAR model.  CCAR stands for Context, Challenge, Action and Results.  In the competitive job market for federal positions, federal employment personnel specialists prefer to read examples that actually demonstrate your Knowledge, Skill and Ability.  The CCAR format requires you to actually show situations that demonstrate your KSA’s.

Your KSA is a narrative document that reveals your writing style, your ability to follow directions and highlights your unique Knowledge, Skill and Ability in action.  Federal employers want actual examples of what you can do to consider you for a federal position.

Because your KSA statement is extremely specific, it is highly advisable to seek the assistance of a professional Federal resume writer.  A professional resume writer is completely familiar with the requirements to prepare and submit KSA statements so your application doesn’t get dismissed.

Hiring a professional resume writer can actually mean the difference between getting a desirable federal government position or not even getting in the door for an interview.

How Long Should a KSA Statement Be? Length is as Important as Content In Some Cases

In many instances, length and format are as important as content.  When you consider that only the top three KSA statements will be considered for employment, it’s important to prepare this relevant document correctly.

KSA stands for knowledge, skills and abilities that a federal agency feels are necessary to perform a particular job and they become the criteria for rating job candidates.  The ideal length of a KSA is one page or a  half page if you are fitting two statements on one page.  In that one page you need to include pertinent details about your accomplishments, keywords from the job announcement, problems with action and outcomes as well as time frames.  Each page should have your first and last name, position name, vacancy announcement number, contact information for verifying supervisors and the date.  The majority of federal agencies prefer that you write a KSA in paragraph or narrative form rather than using bullet points.

If this seems like a lot to keep track of – it is! 

Because there are specific requirements for writing a KSA and considering how competitive it is to land a valued federal government position, why not hire a professional resume writer to take care of it for you?  A professional resume writer is familiar with federal specifications and has experience preparing successful KSAs.  Hiring a resume writer is a solid investment in your professional future because it can mean the difference between whether you get the federal position you want or not.

How the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Grades your KSA Statement

Your KSA statement, features knowledge, skills and abilities that relate directly to the job that you are applying for with your Federal resume. It is graded by the OPM, or Office of Personnel Management. When they grade it the OPM grader or reviewer uses a pre-establshed point system as a grading guide. This makes the KSA statement possibly the most important document you submit when applying for a Federal job.

Understanding the Difference Between KSA and ECQ in the Federal Job Application

Most people don’t know the difference between a KSA and an ECQ in the Federal job application process.  KSA  statements are required when applying for most federal jobs. Used in conjunction with your Federal resume they allow the hiring manager to evaluate your knowledge, skills and abilities for the job you are applying for. Generally three, four or five KSA statements will accompany a job vacancy announcement.  The statements may be of a general or of a specific nature, and a good KSA statement answer will point to specific examples of situations in the applicant’s professional past when he or she performed in a manner that would lend credibility to their ability to perform the job applied for.ECQs are for Senior Executive Service and accompany the SES resume for senior level government service, that which is management level but just below that which requires a Presidential appointment.  According to the Federal government, the Executive Core Qualifications “define the competencies and characteristics needed to build a federal corporate culture that drives for results, serves customers, and builds successful teams and coalitions within and outside the organization.

The Executive Core Qualifications are required for entry to the Senior Executive Service and are used by many departments and agencies in selection, performance management, and leadership development for management and executive positions.” Each of the five standard questions and answers will be one to one-and-a-half pages long, and will allow the applicant to highlight experience attained through use of examples.

Like other parts of the Federal application process, the use of a professional Federal resume writer will greatly increase your chances of success.

The Various Approaches to Tackling a KSA for a Federal Job Posting

Here are some ways to approach KSA statements:
* Describe a specific situation.
* Give an overview of your experience.
* Give an example of relevant education or training.
* Describe an award given for specific accomplishments.

Each of these scenarios will allow the author of the KSA statement to go back mentally and picture times in the past when skills that are needed and must be demonstrated have been used.  Considering these various approaches to tacking a KSA for a Federal job posting as a mental device to spark the memory and allow a retelling of  events that would be of benefit is a good way to work on a KSA.

Remember that KSA stands for knowledge, skills and aptitudes and these are the things that must be demonstrated.  Describing a specific situation, for example, allows the writer to show how in past situations these skills and aptitudes were used, and how knowledge was demonstrated.  Of course, professional Federal resume writers use these same techniques when gathering information about you to use in composing KSA statements, and can provide assistance when you are truly serious about the job posting.

How a KSA Statement is Scored by the Federal Government

When preparing the KSA essays to accompany a Federal resume the process and importance of the KSA should be taken quite seriously.  Only the top three scoring KSAs will be considered, so it is logical to assume that only the top three by score will be interviewed, and as an applicant you want to be in that top three.

The scoring of KSAs is based on a scale of from one to 100, and a candidate must score above 70 to even be considered, but the goal is to get between 90 and 100. This is accomplished through being as specific as possible in responding to the questions and having examples from previous employment or training that clearly demonstrate you meet the qualifications. Get to the point without rambling, confirm your ability to do the job, give examples of adequate performance of the job or a related job, and use as many examples as possible.

Like any other part of the Federal job application process, the most serious candidates hire the services of a qualified Federal resume writer to ensure that they present themselves as well as possible.

The Secret to An Effective KSA Statement: Using CCAR

The secret to an effective KSA statement to accompany your Federal resume is to using the CCAR model, which stands for Context, Challenge, Action and Results.   Context means the title of the job you held or the role that you played.  Challenge is obviously the challenge of this project or this example. Action is a specific action in this case that led to the next section, Results.  In other words, what happened?  Preferably this will be of a positive nature.It is also wise when following this example or model to reference awards you received in previous positions as they re examples of positive results.  Also specialized training that you have had that would support the particular KSA statement. For instance, someone applying with Homeland Security who once worked as a police officer and attended a law enforcement academy would list that.

Utilizing the CCAR model will lead to more effective KSA statements and better results for the applicant.  Of course using the services of a professional Federal resume writer increases the chances of good results because they are familiar with the model and used to writing to put the client’s best foot forward in this context.