How to Write an Interview-Winning SES Application Package

SES Writers provides comprehensive career coaching, resume-writing services, and full SES Applications to experienced executives in the private sector and federal government, as well as military officers who seek employment in the federal government’s Senior Executive Service (SES). Contrary to popular belief, application for an SES position is relatively easy. As the most trusted SES application service in the country, the professionals at SES Writers are highly skilled in writing targeted, succinct, content-rich, accomplishment-based SES application resumes that focus on expertise and qualifications. Once you find the right opening for you, our team will work with you to put out the best application you can.

Every Senior Executive Service application we design incorporates the CCAR (Challenge-Context-Action-Result) model and focuses on accomplishments that support our clients’ expertise. Your SES application package’s content will articulate that you are an executive with the ability to lead, direct, administer, create, innovate, negotiate, set policy, and initiate new programs, as well as that you possess other leadership skills required at the SES level. The average executive federal SES resume is five pages in length and may be used for multiple federal SES job submissions, although we do recommend targeting specific roles with unique SES application packages.

Clients of SES Writers have a 99.6% satisfaction rating following our use of all best practices and our quality controlled preparation process. When you are ready to work with the leading Senior Executive Service application service in the country, schedule a complimentary career consultation for more information.

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What Are the Parts of an SES Application?

The Senior Executive Service application addresses ECQs (Executive Core Qualifications) and competencies that extend far beyond a typical resume and cover letter. To win an interview, your application package must address specific job requirements while also demonstrating a clear history of leadership experience and necessary technical expertise. Our SES application assistance service will evaluate your background and ensure that all critical information, along with your skills and abilities, is positioned for the most competitive advantage.

ECQ: Executive Core Qualifications

Your Executive Core Qualifications must include knowledge of the newest 28 leadership competencies and fundamental characteristics. In addition, you must demonstrate a firm grasp of CCAR and executive level writing styles, understand length requirements and limitations, as well as highlight your best personal examples for each of the five ECQs.

Senior Executive Service candidates who are selected and offered positions must then have their ECQs submitted to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Qualifications Review Board (QRB). Your ECQs will be reviewed by the QRB and then Certified in order to be placed into an SES position. Each ECQs should be one to two pages in length with a maximum of ten pages for all five ECQs.
Your ECQs may be used for multiple SES applications. These ECQs are not just important during your application process either; these ECQs are now used during annual performance evaluations, so strong performance is crucial even after initial application.

TQs and MTQs: Technical Qualifications and Managerial Technical Qualifications Factors

Technical Qualifications (TQs) and/or Managerial Technical Qualifications (MTQs) must be addressed in addition to your five ECQs in Senior Executive Service applications. ECQs are all about leadership, while TQs and MTQs focus more on specific situations that address your technical qualifications and accomplishments. Each factor is one to two pages in length. These factors are normally job-specific and related to your career strengths, and they are told in CCAR “stories.”

Cover Letter for SES Applications

Your initial introduction must immediately set you apart from the rest of the applicants. We can develop a strong cover letter that highlights your excellent qualifications. Although cover letters are not always requested, if they are permitted, they serve as another opportunity to demonstrate how valuable you would be to the organization.

SES Resumes for SES Applications

The strongest SES applications identify your leadership skills, relevant and technical experience, people skills, and specific achievements. They also assemble the appropriate materials in the format expected by the federal government. Failure to submit an application for Senior Executive Service employment with the appropriate documentation and in the proper format can prevent your package from review. That is why many job candidates work with career management professionals to design an SES Application that complies with federal hiring requirements.

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Do Different Positions Require Different Packages?

Applying for jobs in the federal government can be daunting or overwhelming for the uninitiated. Just as different college courses require their own unique research and composition, or different businesses require different types of reporting, different Senior Executive Service positions require different types of application packages. Using the same application package for multiple positions could paint you as a “jack of all trades, but master of none.” However, when you choose a targeted SES application series, you are communicating to your employer that you are the perfect fit for that vacant position.

This is not to say that the primary elements of your package will not remain the same in some instances. Having strong elements for your SES application package allows you the opportunity to make the necessary customizations and quickly apply for a position without having to rebuild your entire package from scratch. This is also a good reason to update your Senior Executive Service package with new expertise and accomplishments as they occur.

At SES Writers, we have developed the following “help packages” for applicants:

Five-page SES resumes designed to upload into Application Manager or USAJOBS with character-count limitations. We also develop agency-specific SES resumes
Executive federal resumes that do not have a character count or page limitation in an effort to provide more value
Traditional Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), which are usually up to two pages each, or ECQs with a one-page limit written in a CCAR format
ECQs incorporated within a five-page resume (“5-page SES ECQ all-inclusive resume”)
USAJOBS application format with character-count restrictions
One or two pages of Technical or Managerial Qualifications (TQs/MTQs)

How Do I Choose the Right Package for the Right Position?

In late 2015, after reviewing up to 100 OPM (Office of Personnel Management) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) disapproval reports detailing why ECQs earned rejection letters, SES Writers developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for best practices that is mandatory for SES application development. The new standards have been written into our ISO process, revolutionizing our standards for development. SES writers are experts in rewriting disqualified ECQs.

During this process, we create materials that align with the requirements for each Senior Executive Service vacancy. In addition to monitoring hiring trends, SES Writers also mines successful SES packages that we developed for clients in the past. By using this process, our career coaches can help you identify the best components for a particular SES application. This process can help you stand out, while also meeting the requirements of the sES vacancy announcement.

What Do I Need to Get Started?

Schedule a complimentary consultation with SESWriters.com. We will design a package that reflects your employment or service history, professional accomplishments and achievements, technical skills and managerial abilities.

Best practices by the Qualifications Review Board state all executive leadership stories are from the past 10 years of your professional career. When you are applying to a Senior Executive Service position, we highly recommend that you read the SES vacancy announcement in its entirety to determine the application guidelines. You are responsible to submit the application according to the guidelines, in addition to what other career documents are requested, such as your SF-50, official or unofficial college transcripts, and last performance evaluation. In addition, candidates are sometimes required to secure current leadership sign-off on r ECQs developed.