As of 3 March 2001

This booklet has been compiled as an informational guide for prospective employees on how to complete the OF 612 and to help current employees in updating their applications.

The OF 612 plays an important part in obtaining Federal Civil Service employment. It is personal to you and provides a "first look" at who you are and where you've been. Some positions require the ability to communicate effectively in writing and how well you express yourself an your OF 612 may be a deciding factor.

The person rating your application - the Staffing Specialist - probably does not know you. Even if he/she does additional information cannot be 'read into' anything you have written or failed to include. When evaluating your OF 612, the following areas are reviewed for how they apply to the job you are seeking:

These areas will be described in more detail later in this publication.

Keep in mind when preparing your OF 612 that it is your first step in obtaining a Federal job. Plan ahead and take time to complete it.

PAGE

FORWARD                                                                                                     2

TABLE OF CONTENTS                                                                                 3

DEFINITIONS                                                                                             4-5

GENERAL TIPS                                                                                           6-7

READING THE TECHNICIAN VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT            8-9

HINTS/SUGGESTIONS IN PREPARING YOUR OF 612                     10-13

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?                                                                            14

ACTION WORDS (APPENDIX A)                                                        15-17

CLOSING DATE OF ANNOUNCEMENT: The date by which your application package must arrive in the Human Resource Office (HRO). All applications whether hand-carried, mailed or faxed are due no later than 1630 hours on the established closing date listed on the vacancy announcement. Applications received after 1630 hours will not be considered.

EXCEPTED SERVICE: Any person employed under the Technician Act of 1969 that must hold a military position in the Idaho (Army/Air) National Guard as a condition of employment is referred to as a Military Technician. Military technicians occupy Excepted Service positions and must meet all job qualifications and military assignment requirements prior to or simultaneous with their selection. All military technicians wear the military uniform as appropriate for their service and federally recognized grade. Loss of military membership for any reason will result in the loss of the Civil Service position.

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: Employment or volunteer experience which may be out of your chosen career field but which provided general knowledge, skills and abilities which contribute to your development.

INDEFINITE APPOINTMENT: A full-time position without a specific time limitation. A technician in this type of appointment doesn't work towards permanent tenure and can be terminated with a 30-day notice. If terminated for any reason the technician does not have restoration/reinstatement rights.

MILITARY COMPATIBILITY: An applicant selected for an excepted Federal Civil Service position must maintain a concurrent military assignment in a required compatible specialty code appropriate to the applicable military branch. You do not have to hold a compatible specialty code in order to apply for a position; however, if selected, you will be required to obtain this specialty code.

Includes active duty and National Guard/Reserve Inactive Duty Training (IADT) and Annual Training (AT) experience and is the most qualifying experience creditable for evaluation. If eight years or more have elapsed since you have worked in this career field this military service is only creditable as general experience unless current employment, education or training demonstrates an up-to-date knowledge of the career field.

If National Guard and/or Reserve experience is applicable to the announced position, you will receive full credit for specialized experience for each year of membership unless such duties coincide with full-time technician employment.

Any additional training days outside the required fifteen days of annual training (i.e., full-time training duty (FTTD), special training (ST), active duty special work (ADSW), etc.) is creditable either as general or specialized experience depending on the relationship to the announced position. It is important that you complete an additional work experience block for this time. You can put all periods of time in the same block IF you list each beginning/ending date and a description of duties for each period.

NON-DUAL STATUS (COMPETITIVE): A Non-Dual Status technician is any person employed under the Technician Act of 1969 for whom military membership is NOT a condition of employment.

OCCUPATIONAL SERIES: An established group of numerical codes that group positions which are similar in subject matter, basic knowledge and skill requirements. It is similar to a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) or Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC).

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

Any employment or volunteer work that directly demonstrates your knowledge, skills and abilities for the occupational series listed in the vacancy announcement. The total amount of specialized experience must meet the required time limitations designated in the announcement.

The amount of specialized experience must demonstrate full knowledge and abilities that are required to perform the job at a fully qualified or training level. The level and complexity of your experience must be very clear or the desired rating level that you expect could be denied.

Read the vacancy announcement carefully before starting to write. Note the knowledge, skills and ability areas; qualification requirements; any specific skills required by the position; and the elements on which you will be rated. When you draft your work experience blocks ensure you discuss this information.

Spell out or abbreviate the month when using dates.

The HRO does not require an original OF 612; however, the selecting supervisor may prefer one. Type or print clearly in dark ink and keep either the original or a copy of the application. If you are submitting a copy, ensure that all pages are clear and easily readable and that the copy has an original signature. Also check for spelling errors.

Submit an OF 612 which relates to the announced position. You may have to complete several versions of your OF 612 if your work experience qualifies you for different career fields,

It may help to write a draft describing each job before transcribing in final form. Use action words to begin sentences. Use language appropriate to your field, but write so that anyone can understand what you do.

Do not copy job descriptions word for word. Use your own words to explain your job experience.

Use the word "I" sparingly. Use the active verbs included in Appendix A to describe what you did.

Use short, concise sentences to describe your work experience.

Include a separate block for National Guard and regular military service. List all military experience in your SEPARATE from your civilian experience (even if you work in the same section in a military status as you do in your technician position). This will ensure that you are given credit for all periods of work experience.

If you require more space than is provided on the form, continue on a single sheet of white bond paper. Be sure to type your name, Social Security number, and announcement title and number at the top of the page.

Don't use acronyms without explaining what they are first. An acronym that is standard for you may mean something totally different to someone else (i.e., PME could mean Professional Military Education or Personnel Management Evaluation).

Don’t put your application package in binders or folders.

Once you have completed your review, go over every question again and make sure you have answered each as accurately as possible. Double-check the work experience dates for overlapping time frames. Write "NA" (not applicable) in any item that does not pertain to you. This indicates that you did not simply overlook the item.

Review your master just before you are interviewed to refresh your memory. It can be embarrassing if a selecting supervisor asks you a question regarding specific information from your application and you can't recall what you've written.

Organization of your package is extremely important. A reviewer should be able to read your application front to back, just like a report. The items should be in a logical sequence for evaluation by a personnel specialist or selecting official. If a reviewer is forced to jump back and forth, the analysis becomes more difficult.

The Race and National Origin Identification, SF 181, is a mandatory form for all applications. You must complete and submit this form even if you are a current technician. Get this form from the person who obtains the forms for your office. If you are not a current Idaho National Guard member, you can get the SF 181 from any National Guard office, Federal Civilian Personnel Office or from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Preparing and submitting your OF 612 is YOUR personal business. If you are a Federal Government employee you should not use work time to accomplish this. When mailing your OF 612, use your own postage. You cannot use postage-paid federal agency envelopes to file job applications. The same rules apply to faxing your application.

DON'T GET DISCOURAGED WITH THE SYSTEM OR WITH YOURSELF. Assembling an effective OF 612 package is usually painful, time-consuming and frustrating. YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO DO THE BEST POSSIBLE JOB ON YOUR OF 612 PACKAGE.

Review the announcement carefully. It contains all basic information and specific requirements to complete an application package.

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: The Vacancy Announcement Number is often confused with the position description control number. The announcement number is located on the first page in paragraph I and at the beginning of each additional page. Ensure the announcement number is on the OF 612 in block 3 and on each attached sheet before you turn your application package in.

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Check this area to see if you are eligible to apply. You must meet all conditions of this area before you will be considered for the position. If you have any questions as to whether you are within the "Area of Consideration" please contact the Human Resource Office for guidance.

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: This area shows the status you will be if selected for the position. You may wish to really think about changing tenure if you are currently permanent or career-conditional and the type of appointment is indefinite. There may be a qualifying statement (paragraph 4J on the reverse of the announcement) for you to review before making your decision.

CLOSING DATE: Your application MUST be in the HRO by 1630 on the closing date. Your application will NOT be considered if it is received after this period of time.

RACE AND NATIONAL ORIGIN IDENTIFICATION FORM, SF 181: This is a mandatory form for all application packages.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA) AREAS:

Definitions:

a. Knowledge: The accumulation of information acquired through previous positions, education or training that will enable you to accomplish this work.

b. Skill: The ability to use one's knowledge effectively.

c. Ability: Competence in performing the requirements of this position.

The knowledge, skills and abilities areas are provided by the selecting supervisor as required in order to successfully perform the duties of the position. In order to receive credit for this information you must answer these items on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to the application package.

Usually the KSA answers are a synopsis of all your work experience. If either the Staffing Specialist or selecting supervisor needs any additional information they will refer to the appropriate work experience block. So if you include information on the KSA, make sure you explain a little more fully in the work experience block.

The Active Guard/Reserve (AGR) vacancy announcements may also include KSA areas; HOWEVER, don't assume that the AGR areas are the same as the Technician KSA areas.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES: Review the duties and responsibilities carefully. This is the work that you will be doing if you are selected. The duties and responsibilities also are what the staffing specialist and selecting supervisor will be looking for you to mention in your work experience blocks.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: This information comes from the NGB Qualification Standards and is what the staffing specialist is looking for. Make sure you include information on these duties in your work experience block since the information you supply on your OF 612 is compared against these qualifications.

NOTE: There will be times that an area will be included in the KSA areas and/or the Specialized Experience block. This tells you that it is a highly important area and will be closely looked at.

MILITARY DUTY AND EDUCATION:

All types of military duty can be used in qualifying for a Federal Civil Service position. It's very important that all service time be listed in your OF 612 work experience blocks to give you as much credit as possible.

List all education and training earned through the military system (including correspondence extension courses) in Block 13. The HRO may be able to substitute training/education for specialized experience if these courses are related to the announced position.

COMPATIBILITY: You do not have to hold the comparable MOS/AFSC in order to apply for a technician position. If necessary, you may have to cross-train or move to a different military assignment in order to become compatible.

In this section the OF 612 will be looked at in detail and the form has been broken into small segments to allow for easy understanding.

Read the instructions on the OF 612 before you start to write.

ITEM 2 & 3: If you are using the OF 612 for several vacancies, leave the General Information blank on the original. Fill it in when applying for each vacancy.

ITEM 7: ALWAYS list a phone number where you can be reached. It is very important to make sure you fill in the correct phone numbers. If you do not have a home phone and are using another number as a message phone, make sure you indicate this next to the number. Also indicate if there are only certain hours you can be reached at this number. Supervisors may be contacting you to set up an interview.

ITEM 9: Do NOT leave this item blank.

ITEMS 10 - 12:

Your education should be described as carefully as your experience. Ensure you include your major subject, proposed major subject or what courses you have taken the most of in the "Majors Area". Specialized experience credit may be granted for education. Please include the year you last attended college.

List the name and location of colleges or universities that you have attended. Give a full address for each school. List the month and year you started attending and the month and year you stopped. List your total semester or quarter hours earned, type of degree you have earned and the year you earned your degree. If you are still working towards a degree don't put what degree you are working for. It may be to your benefit to submit a copy of your college transcripts, especially if you are using your education to qualify for a position.

ITEM 13:

Use this area to describe any training or courses obtained in either a technician or military status. If necessary use additional sheets. Ensure you follow the format listed in Block 31.

List all the training you have had which prepares you for the position. List every seminar, every Federal training course, every military course, every course you have taken on your own, "EVERYTHING!" Do NOT include training or award certificates in your package unless specifically requested in the vacancy announcement.

Any educational classes, correspondence courses, workshops, seminars, professional conferences, military training or any other training which is related to your desired career field may be creditable as education.

Special honors, awards or fellowships: Any civilian or military honors, awards, fellowships or certificates obtained within the last five years need to be listed. Credit may be granted for awards entered in this block if you have given type of award, who granted the award (civilian or military), date award granted and general description of why the award was granted. By including these items, you demonstrate that others recognize your competency and leadership abilities. Many people are too modest about awards because they think awards must be extraordinary to be included. Cite letters of commendation/appreciation. Mention suggestion awards and describe the suggestion. Especially include quality step increases and performance awards. Include awards from your church, clubs, or any other organization outside of the government.

Qualifications and Skills or Accomplishments: Use this area to list the specialized equipment, machinery, computers, computer programs, memberships and professional affiliations, writing, public speaking, hobbies, etc., or any other special qualifications, skills or accomplishments that may be required by the announcement. The selecting supervisor may be looking for a certain qualification.

ITEM 15: Mark 'NO PREFERENCE" as veterans preference is not granted for any National Guard position (Title 3.2) since passage of the Technician Act of 1969. If you are going to use this OF 612 to apply for positions with other agencies, leave it blank and complete it just before you turn in the application package.

If you are applying for a position with another Federal agency attach a copy of your DD Form 214 showing the exact dates of service you are claiming on your application.

ITEM 16:

If you have ever been employed by the Federal Government as a Civil Service employee be sure to provide this information even if you worked for another Federal agency or as a temporary technician. Look through old records if necessary and don't forget to include the occupational series.

You are being asked for the highest, not latest grade. For some people this may be different.

ITEM 18: Read the certifying section carefully before you sign. A false statement on any part of your application may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you. If you are going to use your OF 612 for more than one vacancy, do NOT sign the original form. BE SURE TO HAVE AN ORIGINAL SIGNATURE AND DATE ON EACH APPLICATION SUBMITTED. Without an original signature your application may be returned to you without being considered.

ITEM 24: This is probably the most important section of your entire application. How you describe your experience will be the MAIN factor in determining whether or not you are qualified. Please do not attach position descriptions, photographs, etc. as they will NOT be considered a part of your application. Take them with you to the interview if you wish to call attention to these forms.

If you performed temporary or seasonal employment of the same type and wish to consolidate the information, indicate in the experience block itself the time frames (dates) for when you were employed and when you were not working.

Include a separate block for National Guard or regular military service even if you work in the same section in a military status as you do in your technician position. This will ensure that you are given credit for all periods of work experience.

Fill in the address of your current or most recent employer. If you are self-employed, indicate the name of your company, address and ZIP code. If you are working in your home, identify your home address and ZIP code. (Make sure you know the name of your supervisor.) If you cannot provide the name of your immediate supervisor, make sure you at least provide a telephone number for the organization.

When listing periods of work experience ensure you give MONTH, DAY AND YEAR. If you are still in this position indicate PRESENT in the "TO" block.

In completing the block on average number of hours per week, it is recommended that you indicate 40 hours per week for full-time employment even though you may work overtime. If you enter "20 to 40 " hours, the staffing specialist will compute your experience using the lesser amount. For example, it takes 40 hours per week for 52 weeks to equal one year of experience. However, if 20 hours were used in the computation, you would only receive credit for six months of experience. NOTE: One exception to this is if the block details what you do on UTA (drill) weekends and annual training (AT) then show "UTA/AT" instead of number of hours.

Salary or earning should be completed for all civilian blocks. If you do not have exact amounts, provide an estimate.

Enter the exact title of your position (i.e., Aircraft Mechanic, Heavy Mobile Equipment Repairer, Secretary (OA), etc.).

When referring to Federal Civil Service technician work experience show civilian information. An example would be WG-2604-10, 3 Jul 91 showing pay plan, occupational series and grade. This is especially important if you currently hold the same occupational series as listed in the vacancy announcement.

If referring to military work experience show military information such as 70270, E6, 1 Sep 89. Don't forget your MOS/AFSC especially if you currently hold the same one listed in the vacancy announcement.

Make sure that you have not entered military rank or promotion date on your technician work experience block and vice versa.

The description of work area is the most difficult portion on the OF 612 to complete. It is important for you to describe your work, not what others did. When the Federal Government requests "SPECIFIC" duties, that is exactly what they want. You need to state what you DID, not what you WERE. It should become a little easier if you use who, what, where, when, why to ask yourself questions about the work experience.

Determine how your work experience compares with what the announcement requires before you start to fill out your OF 612. If necessary make a list of the specific duties you perform on a regular basis and use that as a reference in completing your work experience blocks or try writing a draft first. Describe your duties so someone unfamiliar with that career field can get a full understanding of what you do. NEVER ASSUME THAT SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT YOU DO OR WHAT THE DUTIES INVOLVE. Include any supervisory duties, special assignments and your accomplishments on the job.

Use a separate block for each major change of duties or responsibilities. If you have performed the same duties at different grade levels show how long you spent at each grade. For example, don’t say that you've been a GS-11 for 14 years when in reality you were a GS-05 for two years, a GS-07 for two years and then a GS-09 for 10 of those 14 years. Use the same technique for your military promotions. Also, if you describe more than one type of work, write the approximate percentage of time you spent doing each.

Use straightforward and precise language. For example, it is more informative to say "Kept time and leave records for 86 employees" than "Was responsible for attendance criteria for entire office." Refer to Appendix A for words that are active and/or descriptive.

If supervision of other employees was one of your duties, be sure to indicate the number and kind (and grades, if Federal Government) of the employees you supervised.

Don't forget to include mobility duties and responsibilities when discussing your military work experience.

The skills, abilities, experience and responsibilities of volunteer work are important assets and are often transferable to Government jobs. For example, a good committee chairperson develops techniques in management, learns to supervise others effectively and enhances his/her coordinating ability. Helping with fundraising activities develops skills in making contacts with people, meeting deadlines, and selling the work of an agency to others.

The OF 612 contains space for only two work experiences. If you have additional experience, use a separate sheet of paper.

When the application package is received in the HRO it is reviewed for required signatures and the Race and National Origin Identifier Form, SF 181, and the answers to the KSAs. We may review your form to ensure that you have included your military information and MOS/AFSC but it is your responsibility to ensure all information has been included and the application package is complete. If the OF 612, SF 181 or signatures are missing, the incomplete package is not required to be considered for rating nor referred to the selecting supervisor.

After the closing date, the HRO Staffing Section initiates the qualification process by reviewing each application package to ensure the basic qualifications set in the announcement have been met (called rating the package). Once this process is completed the qualified applications are forwarded to the selecting supervisor through the appropriate chain of command. The selecting supervisor then reviews the applications and begins the interview process. The selecting supervisor is only required to interview current, full-time technicians; interviewing non-technicians or temporary technicians is optional.

The HRO and the selecting supervisor do not review the applications for the same qualifications. The HRO reviews for the basic qualifications established by NGB. These include a specified amount of experience needed to qualify for each occupational series by grade level. The experience contained in your application package is the primary factor used to refer your package to the selecting supervisor and the grade you will receive at the time of hire.

                                                        ACTIONS WORDS

ACCOMPLISHED                ESTABLISHED                        PLANNED

ACHIEVED                           ESTIMATED                             PERSUADED

ADDRESSED                        EVALUATED                            PREPARED

ADJUSTED                           EXAMINED                               PRESENTED

ADMINISTERED                 EXPLAINED                               PROCESSED

ADVISED                             FILED                                          PROCURED

ALLOCATED                       FINANCED                                 PROGRAMMED

ANALYZED                         FORMULATED                           PROJECTED

ANSWERED                        FOUND                                        PROPOSED

APPEARED                          GATHERED                                 PURCHASED

APPLIED                              GRADED                                      PURSUED

APPROVED                         GUIDED                                       QUALIFIED

ARRANGED                        HANDLED                                    RATED

ASSIGNED                          HELPED                                        RECEIVED

ASSISTED                           HIRED                                            RECOMMEND

AUDITED                            INCORPORATED                          RECONCILED

BOUGHT                             IDENTIFIED                                   RECRUITED

BRIEFED                             IMPLEMENTED                             REDUCED

BUDGETED                         IMPROVED                                    REGULATED

CATALOGED                      INDEXED                                       REPORTED

CHAIRED                            INITIATED                                      REPRESENTED

                                                         APPENDIX A-1

CHANGED                          INSPECTED                                    RESEARCHED

CLASSIFIED                       INSTRUCTED                                 REVAMPED

CLOSED                              INTERPRETED                                REVIEWED

COLLECTED                       INTERVIEWED                               REVISED

COMMENTED                    INTRODUCED                                SCHEDULED

COMMUNICATED            INVENTED                                     SELECTED

COMPARED                       INVESTIGATED                              SERVED

COMPILED                         ISSUED                                            SERVICED

COMPLETED                      JOINED                                           SOLVED

COMPUTED                       KEPT                                                SORTED

CONDUCTED                    LEASED                                           SPECIFIED

CONSULTED                     LECTURED                                     STUDIED

CONSTRUCTED                LED                                                 SUBMITTED

CONTROLLED                   LISTED                                           SUGGESTED

COORDINATED                 LOGGED                                        SUMMARIZED

COUNSELED                     MAINTAINED                                SUPERVISED

CREATED                          MANAGED                                     TAUGHT

CRITIQUED                       MEDIATED                                     TESTED

DECIDED                           MET                                                 TOURED

DELEGATED                      MODIFIED                                     TRAINED

DEMONSTRATED             MONITORED                                TRANSLATED

DESCRIBED                       NAMED                                         TREATED

DESIGNED                         NEGOTIATED                               UPDATED

                                                        APPENDIX A-2

DETERMINED                   OPERATED                                    USED

DEVELOPED                     ORGANIZED                                  VISITED

DIRECTED                         OVERSAW                                     WORKED

DOCUMENTED                 PARTICIPATED                            WROTE

DRAFTED                           PERFORMED

EDITED                               PERSUADED

                                                        APPENDIX A-3