Wondering what to include in your resume for the Virtual Student Federal Service Application? Look no further.
The Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) program is an internship program that consolidates the application process for virtual, academic year internships run by a variety of federal agencies. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Digital Media Engagement (DME) internship is one such program. All VSFS programs use the same application, which is completed through USAJOBS. USAJOBS is the federal government’s tool for fielding job applications.
USAJOBS requires the use of its resume builder for many applications, including VSFS. This resume format is often referred to as a “federal resume.” This guide will explain the pieces of a federal resume and give tips on how to tailor it for the VSFS and DME application.
Work Experience
The first section on the USAJOBS resume builder is work experience. This should include employment, such as high school or summer jobs, previous internships and any other relevant positions. For example, a long-term volunteer position would fit well in this category. Record the name and address of your employer, your stated position and the month and year of your start and end dates.
Finally, utilize the space to describe duties and accomplishments. Describe what you did in each position and focus on transferrable skills. Experience that may not seem relevant can still be useful on an internship application. For example, working in a fast-food restaurant requires useful skills, such as customer service, teamwork and time management. Include any promotions or awards and why you received them. Use active language and specific descriptions!
Education
The education section of the resume builder is for providing information about your institution of higher education. To qualify for a VSFS internship, you must be enrolled in a degree or certificate-seeking program during the course of the internship. In this section, provide details of all institutes of higher education that you have attended. You can also choose to include your major and GPA. Because the VSFS program contains a wide variety of internships suitable to many different majors, including your major is a great way to showcase your interests.
One field in this section allows you to include relevant coursework, licensures and certifications. This is a great opportunity to include any specific courses that have taught you relevant skills. For example, a writing class would be relevant to an applicant interested in the DME writing team, while computer science classes might be useful to an applicant for the web development team. While this information is not required, it is an easy way to strengthen your resume.
References
While this is a section on the USAJOBS resume builder, references are not required or accepted by VSFS. No need to worry about this one!
Additional Information
The final section of the resume builder allows you to include any additional and relevant information. There are sections for ‘Job Related Training,’ ‘Language Skills,’ ‘Organizations/Affiliations,’ ‘Professional Publications’ and ‘Additional Information.’ If you have any other skills or experiences relevant to the internships you are applying for, this is the place to include them. Organizations, academic honors and published works (if you have any!) can be included here.
The VSFS internship program is a great way to gain meaningful experience relevant to your studies. For many first-time applicants, resume building may seem daunting. I hope this guide has helped you to better understand the USAJOBS federal resume builder.
Writer: Rachel Hoak
Editors: Julia Pack, Christine Myers
Graphic Designer: Katie Rahill
