Government Resume

When applying for a government job, you’ll probably have to submit KSA responses.  KSAs are narrative responses demonstrating your knowledge, skills, and abilities.  In order to be considered for a position you’ll need use your past education, employment, and experiences to form well crafted responses.

For many this can be an overwhelming task - most people haven’t written an essay since they were last in school.  Writing KSA response can be time consuming, but doesn’t need to be too difficult.  Look to the job announcement for hints on what should be included in your response.  If possible use specific examples of how you dealt with problem or worked a certain project.  

Basically, your KSA response is your chance to sell yourself and let the reader decide you are a good match for the position.  Simply stating that you possess knowledge, skill, or ability is not enough.  Think of your response like news article with the five w’s: who, what, why, where and when.  Take time to think about relevant examples to include in your response.  Not everything must be work related.  If you have experience from volunteering or from a hobby, it’s fine to include that in your KSA response.  The key is to be confident in your knowledge, skills, and abilities to convince readers you are their candidate.

Statements should be one to two pages in length for each factor.  You want to provide enough detail to demonstrate your experience, but remain concise.  While you aren’t being evaluated on your creative writing skills, be sure to pay attention to your spelling and grammar.

Learn more about how to write successful KSA responses.