By Holly Bates

Tick-tock …

Tick-tock …

That’s the sound of the clock in my dining room each day I spend online looking for a federal job and waiting for CPAC to contact me about my dream job, which, at this point, has become any job.

Just when it looked like I needed to get off the computer and put myself out there, I finally received an email from USAJOBS saying I was referred for a job on post. It wasn’t through PPP-Spouse and I didn’t receive the prompt from CPAC to apply for this job. 

It is one I stumbled upon while perusing local positions through USAJOBS. In part, this is because I willingly applied for the job knowing it is a lower grade than I originally wanted.  But, whoohoo! It’s one step closer! 

Finances are getting tighter as the holidays loom closer and closer. My comfort threshold is being pushed, making me nervous each day that I don’t have an income to contribute. I’m one step closer, but now I must anxiously await a call from the hiring manager for an interview. Or, hope I just get a call saying, “Congratulations! We’d like to offer you the job.”

Technically, hiring managers do not have to do interviews. It’s my experience, however, they do it because (a) they get a feel for whether or not the applicant will be a good fit in the office and so that they can verify the information provided on the résumé is correct. 

Let’s face it, every Employment Readiness Program office and personnel specialist advises applicants to copy and paste the job description on FASCLASS into their résumés. Even my hubby came home from his ACAP (Army Career and Alumni Program) class on Applying for a Federal Job talking about FASCLASS. 

In a funny side note, my hubby came home all excited to tell me about FASCLASS. He had just learned it was an awesome resource for writing a federal résumé and wanted to share it as a resource to help me. I had to tell him I already knew all about FASCLASS. In fact, I used it regularly in my job as an admin officer for hiring actions.

What is FASCLASS? 

FASCLASS is a paperless automated record keeping system, which standardizes and simplifies classification and staffing processes while simultaneously providing current position descriptions and organizational structures. It allows you to search a position description (PD) by position title, pay plan, series and grade. In addition to the job announcement, FASCLASS is a useful resource for determining the duties and responsibilities of a job.

And, it is a useful guide to use when writing a résumé. Not only does it include common language used by the USAJOBS automated application system, it may act to remind you of your duties and responsibilities in a previous job. 

A word of caution about simply copying and pasting word-for-word from the FASCLASS PD:  you’ll need to back it up with evidence and actual experience. I’ve heard stories from hiring managers about applicants applying for different positions within the same organization using different PDs copied word-for-word. In other words, they were caught lying about their actual experience.

In the meantime, I haven’t just been sitting in front of the computer all day. While I wait to hear about this new on-post job, I still have a household to maintain. More importantly, I’ve been adding to my résumé through volunteerism. My biggest volunteer commitment is through scouting. I was this year’s popcorn kernel for my son’s Cub Scout pack, meaning I managed thousands of dollars in sales for the group. If there are any other Kernels or Cookie Moms out there, you know the time and responsibility it takes to be a fundraising chair. 

As popcorn kernel, I had many tasks. It was my job to coordinate approval to sell popcorn at various locations on-post and at a local Walmart, plan for and procure the necessary popcorn inventory, staff these show-n-sells (as the BSA calls them) with scouts and parent volunteers, provide training and encourage door-to-door sales, calculate each scout’s contributions to account for various prize levels and threshold’s for annual/monthly pack dues reimbursement, and pickup/distribute the final door-to-door inventory to each scout. I am quite proud of the fact that my efforts resulted in a 250 percent increase from last year in funds raised through popcorn sales. As a result, my efforts were recognized by our local council. 

I was recently asked by our local district executive to become the district chair for the 2015 Friends of Scouting fundraising campaign. I expect this to be challenged by this responsibility, but I’m hoping it will increase my visibility within the community as well as provide additional networking opportunities and possibly lead to a full-time paying job.

As time ticks by and stressors increase, one thing keeps me sane - running. I met my running partner at the 7-mile marker of the Soldier Half-Marathon and ran the last 6.2 miles with her to the finish line. And now we’re training for my first official 13.1 miles - the Red-Nosed Half-Marathon in January. 

I never thought I’d be able to run 10K on a regular basis let alone train for a half-marathon. Yet, this is exactly what I’m doing. In addition to being a natural stress relief, running keeps me in shape. So, when I do get that call for an interview, those suits currently just collecting dust in my closet will still fit me (hopefully, even be a little loose). 

It will be a great start to 2015!