subject: Can a SES Resume be used for a Civilian Job? [print this page] Can a SES Resume be used for a Civilian Job?
Ok, that you know about SES is apparent, but your question about the effectiveness of such a resume in the civilian (private) sector is also valid. Let us first delve into what is SES, SES resumes, formatting, etc. and then you shall get the answer all by yourself. But before starting off, here is the answer to the question in question, to make things easier for you to understand hence NO. Your SES resume is of no use in the civilian job market. Here's why.
Federal Jobs and their Exclusivity
The very fact that top level federal jobs are limited and the compensation is high makes jobs such as in the SES, more than lucrative than any other! Post recession, there arose a sudden inclination towards government jobs and especially top government jobs; when CEOs and CFOs started losing their jobs, they turned to the executive wing of the federal job. Fortunately or unfortunately, some were selected and some weren't. The whole idea of having a position at the SES is not similar to running a corporate entity or leading a corporate group/setup.
Top level government jobs are quite different. They require you to have:
A passion for governance governance that serves not just your employer but the millions of citizens in the country.
Ability to lead and lead with a vision.
An analytical thinker and a natural problem solver with multitasking skills.
Negotiation, convincing skills like no other.
Can handle responsibility and will not break under pressure.
To sum up all of it, the candidate should be one of the best in the country. There is little doubt about the candidate's skill requirements given the knowledge that you will serve directly underneath the presidential setup and are a crucial link between the federal functionaries.
You might have come across terms such as ECQ (Executive Core Qualifications) or KSA (Knowledge Skills and Abilities). The plain difference between the two (otherwise similar) is the fact the ECQs are strictly related to SES jobs and not any other federal jobs. Upper level federal jobs require you to write an analytical KSA resume but the top level requires you to identify your ECQs. Quite naturally, given the responsibility (and compensation!), your ECQs have to be simply out of this world for getting a chance to serve in the SES. While KSA focuses more on explaining and detailing your skills and attributes, ECQs should not be more than one and half pages long and your strong points, achievements and similar stuff should be written in bulleted points. When applying for a SES position, it is expected that you have sufficient qualifications and experience backing you and hence logically, explaining all of that would make the resume bulky.
The private sector on the other hand requires candidates that are just suitable for the job with specific technical and/or management skills and will not require an over-qualified' candidate for the job, per se. If you're looking for applying in both sectors, make sure that you have different resumes for the 2 sectors.
