Public Speaking & The Art of Persuasion for Executives in Federal Government SES Positions

When a candidate is fortunate enough to get a coveted position as an SES executive with the Federal government, it is essential to continually educate yourself and hone your professional skills.

Through supplemental courses and seminars, many SES executives are sharpening their abilities in the areas of public speaking and the art of persuasion.  Because SES executive are the leaders within the Federal government, these skills are essential for them to adequately handle their jobs.

The ability to harness the power of public speaking can make a major difference in an SES executive’s career.  Communicating the objectives and position of government leaders to employees and the public is a key element to a successful system.  Speaking clearly, concisely and appropriately to gain the attention of all types of people is a valued skill as an SES executive.

The power of persuasion is helpful in many ways for SES executives.  From other federal agencies to employees to public entities, there is some level  of persuasion required on behalf of SES executives.  By encouraging people to follow the intended plan and vision of your department or agency, you are furthering the abilities of the Federal government.

To become a key player within the Federal government and realize significant earnings as an SES executive, sharpen those public speaking and persuasion skills today.

How is Your Personal Brand Image? Public or Private Sector – It Really Does Matter

To advance your career in the public or private sector, having an outstanding personal brand image really does matter.  Much like well-known retail brands such as Pepsi or Coke, people will know about you from your personal brand image.

Without a great image, Pepsi and Coke would just be carbonated, colored water with sugar.  It is the hype and anticipation that keep people coming back for more.  This concept works the same way when it comes to personal branding.

To effectively create a personal brand image, consider your strong points and what makes you more special than anyone else in your field.  Are you are great writer?  Do you always finish jobs ahead of schedule?  Is it always possible for you to bring people together, even in the face of controversy?  Figure out your strong points and make sure you share them with everyone around you.

Offer your talents in a variety of forums to gain notoriety, such as moonlighting, networking, freelancing and teaching.  The more people who become familiar with your unique talents, the more famous you will become in your field.

Whether you work in the public or private sector, having a strong personal brand image is a key element to your overall success.

Performing a SWOT Analysis on your Business Skills & Then Capitalizing on Them

When you perform a SWOT analysis on your business skills, you will be able to capitalize on them to make the most of your unique abilities. Strategic planning is an essential part of determining your current and future business success.

What exactly is a SWOT analysis?

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Generally used for businesses, a SWOT analysis can be quite easily translated to your career life.

Strengths and weaknesses are part of your ‘internal business’ and opportunities and threats are external business factors.

Strengths can include your personal brand, good reputation, your education, business skills and work experience in a particular niche or industry.

Weaknesses may be a poor reputation, weak personal image, substandard or missing skills in a key area where you may want to seek employment.

Opportunities can include recent barriers to trade lifted, taking advantage of new technologies and companies who are expanding that fall within your areas of expertise or core competencies.

Threats of an external nature can be anything from your competition within the job market, to a particular industry that is vulnerable, downsizing or experiencing turbulence.

When you perform a personal SWOT analysis on your business skills, you uncover your good and bad points – your opportunity and your challenges – and overall be in a better position to target your dream job.

By analyzing business strengths you can be ready to pursue future lucrative opportunities. In understanding business weaknesses, you can eliminate potential threats and strengthen the areas that need improvement.

A SWOT analysis can help you to develop a defensive plan that makes the most of your abilities for the greatest possible business success.

Career Advancement Series: On the Job Success Tips to Get Yourself to the SES Level

Being a Federal employee gives greater opportunity for advancement than most other employers. In fact, at the senior management level referred to as SES Service , the average salaries range from $107,550 to $162,100 with over 7,000 SES employees currently serving the government.

If you want a desirable SES level position, it is a good idea to get in the door as a Federal employee. For example, most Federal positions have promotional potential or a “career ladder”. An entry-level position may give you the potential to get rapidly promoted after successful service for at least one year. As you progress in grades, you will receive a substantial salary increase and additional responsibilities to add to your resume. As a Federal employee, your probationary period is usually 1 year and then you are almost guaranteed lifetime employment and few such employees are ever fired, laid off or forced to transfer. Thus, your daily job performance will be a determining factor in how far you go as a Federal employee.

SES positions are the highest level of civil service and personnel , responsible for entire functions of an agency. You need at least 10 years experience to qualify for SES position. Even if you are a Federal employee, you need a resume and additional statements such as Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) statements to show your leadership competencies such as leading change, leading people, business acumen, results driven and building coalitions.

As a Federal employee in a lower level position, always show your ability to learn, innovate, be flexible, serve customers, manage conflict, leverage diversity, build teams, be accountable, solve problems, deal well with technology, manage finances, manage people, communicate openly and negotiate effectively. Developing these skills and crafting an effective resume and ECQ statements will lead you to a coveted SES position. For a distinct advantage in a competitive Federal job market, have a professional resume writer prepare the documents to pursue that dream SES position.

Career Advancement Series: Hiring a Business Coach To Guide Your Success in the Federal Government

Are you looking for a successful career in the Federal Government? There are many guidelines to follow and a variety of opportunities available with the government and often they can be difficult to understand. To property guide your success in the Federal government, considering hiring a business coach to optimize your potential.

With over 50 agencies or “departments” within the Federal government, there are an incredible number of positions to fill and jobs to contract in every possible area of employment. There are possibilities for employment with the Federal government as a small business,veteran, disabled veteran, woman and minority. The greatest obstacles toward obtaining coveted Federal employment are navigating the systems and its guidelines, knowing the right questions to ask the right people, following the proper specifications for application and being persistent.

If all of this seems overwhelming to comprehend while trying to decide the most viable areas of the Federal government to work in for your unique skills, talent and knowledge, a business coach can give you the direction you need. By working with someone who is familiar with business success and Federal government requirements, you will have a distinct advantage pursuing a successful, lucrative and secure career with the Federal government.

The Employment Situation in America: September 2007

The employment situation in America as of September, 2007 was positive because employment rose.  Further, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.7 percent of the population being out of work according to the United States Department of Labor.

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 110,000 after an increase of 89,000 in August, 2007.  Jobs continued to be added in industries such food services, professional services, health care and technical services.  Employment areas that trended down were construction and manufacturing.  The average hourly earnings for employees rose by 0.4 percent, or 7 cents.

The total number of unemployed people as of September, 2007 were 7.2 million.  This time last year there were 6.9 million people unemployed, so this is an increase in the number of folks out of work.  The total employment was 146.3 million and the civilian labor force was 153.5 million and both rose during September.  There are 1.3 million people marginally attached to labor who want to work and are seeking employment and only 276,000 discouraged workers who believe there are no jobs available for them.

With these statistics in mind, there are many jobs opening up in a number of industries.  If you are looking for a position, have a professional resume writer revamp your resume and go for that dream job during a great time for seek employment.

Federal Government Stats: Who Really Works for Uncle Sam?

Did you ever wonder who really works for Uncle Sam?  Where the jobs are with the Federal government?  What jobs exist with Uncle Sam based on position and location?  You can find out all the statistics about who works for Uncle Sam by visiting their website online.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management website features statistical facts about the size and composition of the Federal civilian workforce.  There are also free electronic publications with hundreds of charts and tables.  The primary source for the data provided on the website is the Central Personnel Data File maintained by the Office of Personnel Management.  The website features additional links and portals to find out statistics about the United States labor force and more federal facts.

You can discover fascinating statistics about government employment.  Consider that 97.7 percent of Federal civilian employment exists in the executive branch while 1.2 percent is in the judicial branch and 1.1 percent is in the legislative branch.

Check out the information at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (http://www.opm.gov/feddata/) to find out more about Federal jobs and who works for Uncle Sam.  You may decide to hire a personal resume writer and to help you apply for a desirable Federal job yourself!

What Happens if I Exceed the Character Limits on my Federal Resume?

Q.  What happens if I exceed the characters limits on my Federal resume?

A.  Remember that your Federal resume is the first impression your prospective employers get of you and your qualifications.  Federal resumes and job applications follow a specific format and you must follow the guidelines provided for applying.  When your Federal gov resume or job application exceeds the designated character limit, the Federal system will recognize you did not follow the instructions right away.

When you are applying online, if your Federal resume or job application goes over the character limit, in some cases, you will be prohibited from completing the online job application process or at the very least only parts of your resume will make it into their database because the application will prompt you to reduce the character limit for each section.  You will not be able to move onto other sections of the Federal job application if your required document exceeds the stated character limit.  When you consider character limit, you need to remember that spaces count because certain Federal systems do not have the feature that counts your characters meaning you will have to keep track of this on your own.  Also, each Federal job you apply for will have their own unique requirements and a different number of characters allowed on your application and resume.  Therefore, it is necessary to carefully review the specifications and character limits for each Federal job before you apply so you can comply with the guidelines for submission.  If these requirements seems tough to comply with, consider hiring a professional resume writer who is familiar with Federal specifications to prepare and submit your resume.  Having the right resume and job application in the competitive Federal job arena can mean the difference between landing a coveted Federal position and just dreaming about it.

An Overview of the Ideal SES (Senior Executive Service) Job Candidate

While each Federal position description has different criteria and requirements specified in the keywords used, there are general qualifications that make someone an ideal candidate for an SES (Senior Executive Service) position with the Federal government.

According to Charles Ingersoll of Korn/Ferry International, who helps to fill senior-level job openings in the Federal government, there are several qualifications an SES candidate should possess.

Qualities include a sense of public service with the desire to give back.  SES employees should have noble goals and be able to make many decisions in a constantly moving environment.  Often SES positions are filled by executives who have over 20 years experience because of their level of maturity and patience.

Frequently an ideal SES candidate is someone with a mix of private sector and public sector experience because the risk of not working out goes down because they know what both sectors are about (this should translate on their SES resume).

Following all the guidelines and specifications for applying is crucial when seeking a Federal SES position.  Regardless of your abilities, the process remains the same for all applicants and failure to adequately describe your qualifications according to Federal guidelines may cause your resume to be disregarded.  Hiring a professional resume writer who is familiar with Federal specifications to prepare your resume and application is a solid investment in your future.

Having a professional resume writer who uses the right keywords and follows the guidelines can mean the difference between landing that coveted Federal executive position or just wishing you had.

Top 10 Tips for Kicking Off Your Federal Job Search

Are you seeking a coveted federal position in a competitive job arena?  Consider the following top ten tips to kick off your federal job search:

1. Start at the official employment web site USAJOBS to find federal job vacancies and the details regarding the application process.

2. Be willing to accept a cut in pay temporarily.  While the pay scale for some federal positions may seem low, the salaries increase quickly and the benefits are great.

3. Consider a trainee position to get your foot in the Federal door for a better position when  it becomes available.

4. Read job specifications carefully.  You must apply to the job specifically according to the guidelines or your application will be disregarded.

5. Maximize your accomplishments on your application and show your worth in every possible way.

6. Show how your skills and knowledge are directly related to the job vacancy and use the keywords found in the job announcement.

7. Never use a private sector resume to apply for a federal job.  Prepare a federal resume according to the job vacancy specifications.

8. Be wary of companies that “guarantee” they will get you a federal job because that is not realistic.

9. Consider hiring a professional federal resume writer who is familiar with the process and specifications for applying for federal jobs – this is a solid investment in your future that could mean the difference between getting that dream federal job and never even getting an interview.

10. Never give up and keep trying until you get your chance – after all, there is plenty of competition.

Remember, nothing good comes easy and it takes some work to get that desirable Federal position!