Description
On May 29, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management sent a Memo to 2 million Federal employees telling them that a 2-page Federal resume is now required, instead of the long-form, which could be 5 to 20 pages. In the 10th Edition all of the resume formats have changed to the 2-Page Federal Resume format. The samples in Jobseeker’s Guide, 10th Edition will become the leading examples of 2-page Federal Resumes for the US Military installations worldwide. This book and curriculum, Ten Steps to a Federal Job® is taught by licensed Ten Steps to a Federal Job® trainers at more than half of the military bases worldwide.
The guide is organized into TEN STEPS TO A FEDERAL JOB®: learning about federal jobs; networking and utilizing competitive hiring; searching USAJOBS; finding keywords; exploring core competencies; writing a 2-page federal resume; recording accomplishments; applying for federal positions; tracking applications and following up; and preparing for interviews and negotiations.
Since 2002, Kathryn Troutman created the Ten Steps to a Federal Job® after 9/11. This book and curriculum have been widely used for military personnel seeking jobs worldwide. Kathryn is the founder of the Certified Federal Job Search Trainer(r) / Certified Federal Career Coach® train-the-trainer program. Most certification attendees are military transition staff, employment readiness staff, and career counselors. Military services, state employment offices, and career centers are trained in the Ten Steps method. Government employment is a preferred option for military personnel and veterans. A structured application process for government jobs was necessary to navigate this complex system. The Ten Steps provide effective guidance—each step is meaningful and helps military members, spouses, and veterans leverage their Hiring Preferences to secure federal jobs. This 10th Edition has been published to update and revise all resume samples in the book to the new 2-page Federal Resume format and to include other recent application procedures outlined in the OPM Memo.
The 2-page Federal resume is so dramatically different than the previous long form, there is significant challenges for serious Federal applicants. The samples in the book will dramatically help anyone who needs to condense many pages into 2 pages that are targeted, impressive and compliant with the USAJOBS requirements.
About the Author
Kathryn Troutman is from Baltimore, MD and founded the Resume Place, the United States’ first Federal resume writing and coaching business, more than 30 years ago. She is the pioneering designer of the Federal Resume format, created after the Federal government eliminated the SF-171 form in 1995.
Kathryn wrote the first-ever book on writing the Federal-style resume – Federal Resume Guidebook in 1995. The 7th Edition of the Federal Resume Guidebook was the No. One Resume Book in America for 2024 and half of 2025.
The new 10th Edition is written due to the OPM/Trump Administration CHANGE of the Federal resume format to a required 2-page format for 2 million Federal employee – a dramatic change in the application process. Many / most Federal resumes are 5 to 20 pages. The new 2-page rule is a dramatic change for Federal employees. They need this new book with samples.
In January 2002, Kathryn created the Ten Steps to a Federal Job® method after 9/11 created massive interest in Federal positions to help protect America. The Ten Steps curriculum is taught by Certified Ten Step Trainers at military bases world-wide. The course is instrumental for Service Members and Military Spouses seeking Federal government careers. The book is purchased in bulk orders for service members and military spouses at military installations as budget allows. The Federal government is the no. 1 preference for an employer for a retiring or separating military service person.
With Kathryn’s team of 20 Certified Federal Resume Writers, the Resume Place now advises and writes more than 200 Federal resumes per month for military, private industry and Federal clients worldwide. Her Resume Place SES writers have written and consulted on Senior Executive Service ECQs with a 95% success rate over the last five years for the Veterans Administration and Veterans Executive Review Board.
