A two-page federal resume, section by section
Since 27 September 2025, a USAJOBS resume can be no longer than two pages. This is what fits in that space, in order, and the fields every job entry still needs.
A federal resume, top to bottom
- 1
Contact and eligibility
Name, phone, email, city and state, plus citizenship or eligibility lines the announcement asks for.
- 2
Summary
Optional. Two or three lines aimed at the announcement.
- 3
Work experience
Series and grade where federal, month and year dates, hours per week.
- 4
Education
Degree, institution, year.
- 5
Certifications and training
What the job requires or prefers.
Leave out
Section by section
What goes in each section
Contact and eligibility
Full name, a phone number and an email address you check, and your city and state. Below that, a short line for anything the announcement asks you to confirm, such as US citizenship, and, if it applies to you, that you are claiming veterans’ preference or applying under a special hiring authority. The proof for those goes in your application documents, not on the resume.
Summary (optional)
Two or three lines naming the kind of role you are applying for and the experience that qualifies you. On two pages, skip it if it only repeats what the experience section already shows.
Work experience
Most recent role first. For every role: job title, with series and grade where the job was federal; employer, city and state; start and end month and year; hours per week. Then two to four lines on what you did and what came of it, using the announcement’s own terms where they honestly describe your work.
Education
Degree, institution, and year completed. Add the major where the announcement has an education requirement it relates to.
Certifications and training
Licenses and certifications the job requires or prefers, with the issuing body and date. Training only where it supports a stated qualification.
Skills (optional)
Technical skills, tools, clearances held, and languages, if the announcement values them. One or two lines, not a block.
Before you upload
Required-fields checklist
Run down this list before every application. The announcement can add to it; it never takes anything away.
| Section | Field | Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Contact | Name, phone, email, city and state | Always |
| Eligibility | Citizenship, veterans' preference claim, or hiring authority | When the announcement asks, or when it applies to you |
| Each job | Job title | Always |
| Each job | Series and grade | Where the job was federal |
| Each job | Employer, city and state | Always |
| Each job | Start and end month and year | Always |
| Each job | Hours per week | Always |
| Education | Degree, institution, year | Always, and the major where the job has an education requirement |
| Certifications | Name, issuing body, date | When the job requires or prefers one |
| Whole document | Two pages or fewer | Always, since 27 September 2025 |
Questions
Federal resume template questions
Formatting questions people ask before their first USAJOBS application.
Sources & further reading
The fields and the length rule on this page come from these official sources, checked 15 October 2026.
- OPM, OPM implements two-page resume standard to streamline federal hiring, the two-page limit, effective 27 September 2025 (checked 15 October 2026)
- USAJOBS Help Center, what to include in a federal resume, and the resume builder (checked 15 October 2026)
Federal resume
Fill in the template with your own career
Write each section in the builder, keep every job entry complete, and run the free check before you upload to USAJOBS.
No card to start · One payment · Nothing renews