Ksa's - The Hidden Truth

By C Gamez

The truth is this: Whether you say "KSA" "KSA’s" or "Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities"?, You are talking about the same thing. A KSA is simply an specialized essay required with most Federal Government Resumes. Ok! no secretive almost answers here just the facts; a KSA is an essay that's it!

Are the KSA's Important to the Federal hiring process? Yes they are, they are Very Important. KSA's are usually (there are some exceptions) rated on a points system, from 1 to 10. KSA’s are that extra information used to separate the best candidates out of the pool of qualified applicants.

KSA's are written in the first person, following the Challenge, Conflict, Action and Result format. Usually there are a minimum of three KSA questions but there can be up to 10 or more depending on the vacancy announcement.

You do the math, 10 questions at 10 points each can add up to a whole lot of "You're Hired!"
Your KSA's should be written to put a spotlight on how you are the best person for the position.

* Knowledge is factual or "How To" data applied to the position.

* Skill is good old fashioned Know How in managing data, things or people.

* Ability is your talent or the knack you have in doing a mental or physical activity.

Ksa's are very detailed. they are much more in depth than the resume. You need to include one or two real life instances where you demonstrated the "Knowledge Skills and Abilities" requested.

You should also use any points that help demonstrate your qualifications. By that I mean items such as Training, Awards, Education, any Volunteer Work, anything that actually applies to the questions and has relevance.

I am a firm believer in having the KSA's done professionally. They are too important to leave to chance. Why risk it? Only bad gamblers will risk everything on a hope! The good ones only bet on a sure thing.

Go for it, Work your hardest to get that Federal Government job, it will payoff in the long run. Just don't cut corners in the process, unless of course you really don't care.

Go to Federal-Resume.org to receive a 1 on 1 personal consultation on me ! For more data on Federal Resumes go to GS Levels explained