How to add a resume to your profile
You can upload a resume to your profile or build a resume using our resume builder. You can have up to five resumes in your profile.
You must upload or build a resume that is two pages or less and meets all requirements listed in the job announcement. Learn how to write a resume for a federal job.
How to upload or build a resume
- Sign into USAJOBS.
- Select Documents—it will default to display resumes.
- Select Upload a resume or Build a resume.
When you upload a resume
- Choose a file on your computer to upload.
- Enter a name for the resume.
- Select Complete upload.
When uploading a resume, you can choose a file on your computer to upload and change the file’s name. Then, choose Complete upload. To edit or update previously uploaded resumes, you’ll need to upload a new file with the changes.
What file type should I use?
Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files.
We recommend using a sans-serif font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noto Sans. Make sure your page margins are 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume.
When you build a resume
Our resume builder starts with information from your profile and walks you through the steps to add or update more information. You can edit resumes you built in your Documents.
How does the resume builder help you?
- You can create a resume tailored to the job you want to apply
- You can duplicate and edit your resume to easily customize it for different jobs.
How to format resumes in the resume builder
You can copy and paste text from Word documents into the resume builder, but some formatting (like bullets) may not work in the resume builder.
To copy and paste from Word:
- Open up your Word document or other word processing tool.
- Select the File tab at the top.
- Go to the Save As option.
- Choose to save it as a Plain Text (.txt) file.
- Open the new file and make sure the text appears in the format you want.
- Copy and paste your resume text into the resume builder.
Once you have filled out your information in the resume builder, you will need to select Complete resume and preview. If your resume is more than two pages, you will not be able to save it to your profile and will have to edit it to make it shorter.
What if my agency doesn’t accept resumes or documents from USAJOBS?
If the agency does not accept uploaded resumes or documents, you will skip this step during the USAJOBS pre-application process. You may be asked to upload a resume when you enter the agency application system.