Federal Resume Guidebook 8th Ed: First-Ever Book on Writing the Two-Page Federal Resume

On May 29, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management sent a memo to Federal employees telling them that a 2 page Federal resume is now required, instead of the long-form, which could be 5 to 20 pages.

Now, this 8th Edition of The Federal Resume Guidebook features 28 full samples of 2 page federal resumes. All the Outline Format resumes from the previous edition have been transformed into the new 2 page Skills Based, Searchable Federal Resume format.

The author recognized the need for at least two formats for the 2 page federal resume. Page One is critical and can vary depending on the target position and resume content. The 2 page Federal Resume samples include various formats for Federal employees seeking Promotion, Career Change, Wage Grade (Trades), IT, Technical and SES. The formats feature Profile, Accomplishments, competencies, Professional Experience and more; all in two pages.

This book will be an absolutely necessary text for any Federal employee or anyone who wants a Federal job. The samples are invaluable, they match the USAJOBS requirements and teach the applicant how to match the USAJOBS announcement.

A key feature in the new book is the importance of Accomplishments in the shorter two-page format. With the long form Federal resume, the accomplishments could be blended or embedded into the work history, but not with the two page resume. They must stand out, quickly, in order to get Best Qualified, Referred, Interviewed and Selected for a new position. Competencies are also emphasized, to match the target position. With such a short amount of space, the significant competencies have to be clearly written.

The 2 page Federal resume is so dramatically different than the previous long form, there is significant challenges for serious Federal applicants. The samples in the book will dramatically help anyone who needs to condense many pages into 2 pages that are targeted, impressive and compliant with the USAJOBS requirements.

Kathryn Troutman is from Baltimore, MD and founded the Resume Place, the first US Federal resume writing and coaching business, more than 30 years ago. She is the pioneering designer of the Federal Resume format. Kathryn wrote the first ever book on writing the Federal-style resume, Federal Resume Guidebook in 1995. The Seventh Edition book was the number one resume book in America during much of its publication.

In January 2002, Kathryn created the Ten Steps to a Federal Job(R) method after 9/11 created massive interest in Federal positions to help protect America. The Ten Steps curriculum is taught by Certified Ten Step Trainers at military bases world-wide. The course is instrumental for Service Members and Military Spouses seeking Federal government careers.

With Kathryn's team of 20 Certified Federal Resume Writers, the Resume Place now advises and writes more than 300 Federal resumes per month for military, private industry and Federal clients worldwide. Her Resume Place SES writers have written and consulted on Senior Executive Service ECQs with a 95 percent success rate over the last five years for the Veterans Administration and Veterans Executive Review Board.

Dr. John Gagnon is an award-winning writer who has delivered trainings, workshops, and seminars around the world on career development and professional writing. A former federal employee with senior level experience at the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice, Dr. Gagnon has delivered expert guidance to federal, military, and private sector clients for more than a decade. He earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Michigan State University, holds J.D. and M.S. degrees from Tulane University.