Discover a Career at NIH
The Federal Employment Process
Resume Writing Workshop
Johns Hopkins University
February 6, 2013
National Institutes of Health
Office of Human Resources
Corporate Recruitment
• Discover a Career
• Pathways
• Internships in
Biomedical Sciences
• Federal Employment
Process
• Navigating USA Jobs
• Writing a Federal
Resume
Discover a Career at NIH:
It’s About Life
NIH Mission
Seek and apply
fundamental knowledge
of the behavior and
nature of living systems
in order to help prevent,
detect, diagnose, and
treat disease and
disability
Carrying out the Mission
• Fund and support peerreviewed scientific research
• Train research investigators
and conduct in-house
scientific research at NIH
laboratories
• Develop and disseminate
credible heath information
based on scientific discovery
to the public
Results Oriented Research
• Over 60% drop in mortality
for heart disease and stroke
since 2004
• Chronic disability among
older Americans dropped by
30% in past 2 decades
• Significant drop in death due
to heart disease in women
• Life expectancy increased
from 47 in 1900 to 78 in
2009
The Red Dress Campaign
Life at NIH
Life at the National Institutes of Heath
NIH Consists of 27 Institutes and Centers
NHLBI
NCI
NCCAM
NINR
OD
CIT
NEI
NIAMS
NHGRI
NLM
NIA
FIC
NIMH
NIBIB
NIAID
CSR
NIDA
NINDS
NIAAA
NIDDK
NIDCR
NICHD
NIGMS
NIMHD
NIEHS
NCATS
NIDCD
CC
Career Impact
• Utilize and enhance your skills by supporting the
nation’s premier medical agency
• Contribute to the health of the nation by
working to support some of the world’s top
scientists
• Internships at NIH offers a unique opportunity
for growth, development and gain valuable work
experience
Pathways
Pathways Program Components
Internship
Recent Graduates
Presidential
Management Fellows
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Highlights: Internship Program
Eligibility
• Enrolled in high school, college, professional, technical,
vocational, and trade school; or certificate program lasting at
least one year REQUIRES 3.0 GPA
• Position doesn’t have to be related to the academic career
goals or field of study
• Appoint at any grade level, depending on qualifications
Program
Administration
• Temporary (1 year or less) or indefinite (more than 1 year)
excepted service appointments
• Pathways Agreement required
Program
Completion
• Non-competitive conversion within 120 days of successful
completion of program requirements
• Option to waive 320 of the required 640 hours for Interns
who demonstrate high potential
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Internships in Biomedical Science
NIH Programs for Interns in Biomedical Sciences
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Summer Internship Program (SIP)
Other Summer Internship Programs at the NIH
The Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGP)
Post Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA)
Technical IRTA Program
Graduate Partnership Program (GPP)
Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP)
Postdoctoral Training in the NIH Intramural Research
Program
Develop a Thick Skin and a Hopeful Attitude
• Typically 2-5 times as many qualified applicants as there are
openings
• Don’t give up if you get a few rejection notices
• Start looking early (Thanksgiving for Summer, 1 yr for grad
sch/postdoc, 2 yrs. for real job).
• Make direct contact with selecting officials or contacts listed
in ad
• A customized letter of introduction, expressing an interest in
the PI’s area of expertise is better than a generic request for a
position.
Specific Tips
• Follow instructions carefully - preferred format (e.g. electronic
vs. paper), length of application, materials, & elements required
for a complete application, as well as where materials are to
be sent. Grammar and spelling count.
• Pick reference letter writers who are impressed with your
scientific skills and believe strongly in your potential as a
scientific leader. Confirm with them that the letters were
sent.
• Highlight any skills you have, that were specifically mentioned
in the ad, in your cover letter (use the exact words whenever
possible).
Edit : Accuracy, Spelling, Grammar and Readability
• Be sure to define any field-specific abbreviations, the first time
they are used. For example, DNA would not have to be
defined, but APCs (anaphase promoting complexes? antigen
presenting cells? astrocyte precursor cells?) would have to be
defined.
• Double-check your CV and other documents for accuracy,
spelling, grammar and readability. Have someone inside your
field (preferably your supervisor) and someone outside your
field look over your package.
Follow Up: Build Your Network
The Federal Employment Process
Hiring Reform Seeks to Cut Red Tape
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Hiring Reform
Executive Order – 80 days
No KSA’s (knowledge, skills, abilities)
Multiple Choice Questions
– Ratings
– Scoring System
• 5 day announcement
• Title 5/Title 42
Navigating USA JOBS
How to Apply to USAJobs
1
2
Create an
Account at
USAJOBS
Create Your
Federal
Resume
3
Upload Your
Documents
4
Submit
Supporting
Documentation
5
Create Job
Search
Agents
What Does USAJobs Do?
• USAJobs is the Federal Government’s database of available
Civil Service Jobs
• Has a resume builder for applicants
• Up to 10 different resumes per email address
• Applicants can search the database for relevant positions
• Applicants apply directly from USAJobs
Create a New Account: my.usajobs.gov
1 account per
email address
10 resumes per
account
Create a New Resume: my.usajobs.gov
Visit MY USAJOBS
• Write in first person singular
• Use action words, identify tasks,
and explain results to explain
your job experience
• Provide details for relevant work
experience with dates
• Include academic and volunteer
experience
Save Your Data
The saved search will automatically
search for jobs based on your search
criteria, and then e-mail you!
* Keep in mind the eligibility requirements chosen for your saved searches!
Writing a Federal Resume
Job Announcements
Adapting your Resume
Keywords
Understand the Job Announcement
• Read the entire announcement, understand the core
competencies or knowledge, skills and abilities required
• Use examples drawn from your past experiences to
demonstrate your competency for the position
• Present your information concisely, clearly, and in a way that
makes your experience relevant to the position in
consideration
Let’s Take a Closer Look…
Let’s Take a Closer Look…
Specifies
Position, Area of
Consideration,
Agency, &
Vacancy #
Example:
Health Scientist Administrator/Program Officer
• Perform scientific reviews from a programmatic viewpoint
• Consult with and advise grantees/contractors on preparation
of applications/proposals and provide guidance on program
issues
• Develop, coordinate, and administer grants, cooperative
agreements, and contracts
• Organize and conduct workshops, conferences, symposia, or
similar activities
Action Verbs
Accelerate, Advise, Analyze, Approve, Arrange, Assemble, Assist,
Build, Collect, Complete, Conceive, Conduct, Control, Coordinate,
Create, Delegate, Detect, Develop, Direct, Discover, Distribute, Edit,
Deliver, Demonstrate, Design, Eliminate, Establish, Evaluate Examine,
Expand, Expedite, Formulate, Generate, Implement, Improve,
Increase, Influence , Install, Instruct, Lead, Maintain, Manage,
Motivate, Obtain, Operate, Order, Organize, Originate, Oversee,
Participate, Perform, Pinpoint, Plan, Prepare, Present, Process,
Produce, Program, Promote, Propose, Protest, Prove, Provide,
Purchase, Receive, Recommend, Record, Reduce, Reinforce,
Reorganize, Represent, Research, Revamp, Review, Revise, Schedule,
Select, Sell, Setup, Solve, Streamline, Structure, Study, Supervise,
Support, Teach, Test, Train, Write
EXAMPLE: Good, Better, BEST
Sample # 1
• Maintained status of project
progress and activities for
team.
• Responsible for project
timeliness.
Sample # 2
• Brief management staff on
project status, identify
potential areas of concern
• Analyze and evaluate
project progress, and
recommend efficient and
effective solutions to reorganize the project’s
structure and timelines
Keywords
• Think carefully about the keywords contained in your
resume
• A single keyword can communicate multiple skills and
qualifications
• Study Job Announcements for keywords which would be
useful
• E.g., Analyst: might mean you have experience in collecting
data, evaluating effectiveness, and researching and developing
new processes.
• Just one keyword can have tremendous power and
deliver a huge message.
Connect with NIH
http://www.jobs.nih.gov
http://linkd.in/NIHCareers
https://www.training.nih.gov/
http://bit.ly/TwitterNIHforJobs
http://bit.ly/YouTubeNIHforJobs
http://on.fb.me/NIHforJobs
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