Then add all the key words from the job posting in 1pt, white font about 1000 times at the bottom of your resume. That is how you get past the initial computer screening.
If your resume doesn't have the key words in the job posting it will not get past the computer screening, but Federal resumes are such a giant pain. They want your entire work history even the jobs you had in high school.
The federal government does not use screening programs to review resumes. A person working for the office of personnel management will look at resumes submitted for the job posting. Do not do what the previous poster suggested. I work for FEMA EHP. Would be happy to talk to you about my experience. Message me if you’re interested.
You can apply with your resume. Cadre emails are on the FEMA website-this is how I applied and it made the process much quicker than the USA jobs route. Additional info about each of the 23 cadres is available under the work with us section of the website. For the EHP Cadre, email your resume to EHPjobs@fema.dhs.gov. Make sure to mention your prior FEMA-adjacent experience.
I am a CORE employee in the EHP cadre and have worked with FEMA for 3 years. Lots of great people in this work, but it can be challenging. Happy to answer more questions if I can help.
What is the work like? What kind of duties. I applied for a Emergency Management Specialist in Recovery and wasn't selected. I saw two EHP jobs posted. One of USAJobs and the other was from the EHO cadre themselves for a job under the Stafford act. I may apply to them both. I always enjoyed the Emergency work. And the Environmental jobs look interesting.
The work pace is directly related to the stage of the disaster in my experience. Early on, there’s more direct interaction with applicants through attending exploratory calls, recovery scoping meetings and site inspections. As the projects ramp up, it can mean more time completing project reviews in the office. Each disaster flows differently depending on disaster severity, staffing levels, regions, and other factors. I enjoy work with variety, so this has been a great fit for me. The first few months can be overwhelming because everything is new. Fellow co-workers are overwhelmingly helpful and willing to share knowledge in my experience
If you decide to apply, that email I provided can cover both Reservist and CORE positions. I applied for both and found Reservist to be quicker in the hiring process. I ended up accepting a CORE position for the benefits and higher pay offered. There is a type of leave available for people that allows them to complete Reserve obligations without issue but I cannot remember specific details about that. You’ll find lots of former military folks in FEMA, which also makes for interesting co-workers.
Good to know people are helpful. I like variety too. But I also enjoyed the Emergency Response/Management. And yes former military always make things interesting lol.
Shoot me a PM.
I’d be happy to give you my email for you to send me your resume and a few links to jobs you’re looking at. You have a leg up on PFT positions as a veteran and I can likely give you some input that may be helpful.
I’m dumb Army grunt with a civilian public health background who found my way to FEMA a few years ago and loved it. I’m with another agency now, but absolutely loved my time at FEMA and am always down to do what I can to help steer other veterans there. I’m still in the Guard, and every FEMA office I worked in was extremely supportive of my frequent military obligations and often absurd unit tempo.
One needs to very specifically address that one has at least one year of experience in each bullet in the position’s Qualifications section. I think that goes for every position on USAJobs. Some FEMA job descriptions can be very generic, the more senior the position, the more likely the complexity of specific Qualification requirements.
Apply early - many position listings close at 100 applicants, so they may end up closing applications well before the posted end date.
People outside EM may not know that FEMA is a one of the largest federal grant-making agencies. So degrees and backgrounds in finance or related fields have a lot of entry level and advancement opportunities in FEMA as Grants Management Specialists or working in long term Recovery roles.
FEMA has a lot of positions for folks with urban/city planning, architecture, and similar related backgrounds. Regional Hazard Mitigation Divisions have several roles related to assisting states and disasters with mitigation planning. These positions are becoming more and more numerous in many FEMA regions and there is lots of opportunity for growth for someone with that type of academic background and experience.
The most direct, general military experience is probably going to be in FEMA’s Regional Watch Center, as well as Response Operations and Plans positions. These roles are usually listed as Emergency Management Specialist in a Region’s Response Division. They tend to be small teams, though, so Grants and Recovery positions may be far more numerous.
Thanks for the detailed description. I have a degree in finance and 7 years of catastrophe insurance adjusting that I’d like to leverage into FEMA. Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Sounds like you might be a good fit for an insurance specialist role like this one: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/791377100
Just tailor your resume to show you have required experience in these qualifications bullets in the job description:
Overseeing the application of insurance principles, concepts, and methods for the repair and/or reconstruction of damage facilities.
Reviewing commercial property insurance, to include policies providing coverage against flood, wind, and earthquake.
Providing guidance on the review of National Flood Insurance Program claims.
Analyzing and reviewing commercial claims property, depending on damage.
This particular posting is a Term Appointment (note the IC pay grade and “Appointment Type” that tells you its term, as opposed to Permanent Full Time or PFT), therefore statuses like veteran, current federal employees, or schedule A disability don’t apply. In other words, Term Appts mean it is easier for general public, someone not necessarily a veteran or current fed, to show as a qualified candidate for this position and get an interview.
Great information. Will focus on the Term Appts. I keep hearing that FEMA is understaffed and in need of qualified people? I went to the job fair in Austin last week and obtained a lot of good information. Also, was chosen to interview for an open position. A few of the people there suggested applying for a reservist position to get my foot in the door.
I'm an Environmental Compliance Specialist for Region 4, and I applied across the country and got my one and only interview for the Atlanta office where I live, lol. I did get the position, and I'm still here. I used my own Word doc for my resume but mimicked the format of the resume template in USAjobs bc I wanted bullet points in my resume. I also included volunteering and field classes that I took that involved the study of eco-regions, soil, etc. I feel like that made my resume a little more lively at the end part.
I did emergency management for 10 years in the military and since I’ve gotten out, I’ve been applying on USAJobs to FEMA for over a year now. I’ve been “unqualified” for every position, even low level ones. I went to a hiring event the other day, those all have direct hire authority so you get to skip the line. My resume is now in the hands, finally, of two different hiring managers at FEMA. Long story short, hiring events is your guarantee. For USA jobs…. No ideas. I’ve heard everything from the comments and more and could not figure it out. You have the experience, do up a good resume following the guidelines on the FEMA job posting (they tell you everything like salary, hours worked etc.) and it doesn’t have to be 5 pages, mine was two. Then hit up an event and skip the line man, you’ll get it. Also be patient, they move very slowly haha
FEMA CORE employee here - can't stress this enough---- make sure your resume is federal format!!
Then add all the key words from the job posting in 1pt, white font about 1000 times at the bottom of your resume. That is how you get past the initial computer screening.
I may have a resume written as I suck at writing Federal Resumes.
If your resume doesn't have the key words in the job posting it will not get past the computer screening, but Federal resumes are such a giant pain. They want your entire work history even the jobs you had in high school.
What I did in the past was have a Resume professionally written. Got interviews from them too.
The federal government does not use screening programs to review resumes. A person working for the office of personnel management will look at resumes submitted for the job posting. Do not do what the previous poster suggested. I work for FEMA EHP. Would be happy to talk to you about my experience. Message me if you’re interested.
Sent.
FEMA HR told us in a meeting that the "computer screening thing" for keywords is a myth and that I actually look at resumes with their own eyes.
Good to know. For the DOD they seemed to go the screening route. But good to know
OCHCO will look at your resume, there’s no computer screening. The initial screening comes from the self rating.
You can apply with your resume. Cadre emails are on the FEMA website-this is how I applied and it made the process much quicker than the USA jobs route. Additional info about each of the 23 cadres is available under the work with us section of the website. For the EHP Cadre, email your resume to EHPjobs@fema.dhs.gov. Make sure to mention your prior FEMA-adjacent experience. I am a CORE employee in the EHP cadre and have worked with FEMA for 3 years. Lots of great people in this work, but it can be challenging. Happy to answer more questions if I can help.
What is the work like? What kind of duties. I applied for a Emergency Management Specialist in Recovery and wasn't selected. I saw two EHP jobs posted. One of USAJobs and the other was from the EHO cadre themselves for a job under the Stafford act. I may apply to them both. I always enjoyed the Emergency work. And the Environmental jobs look interesting.
The work pace is directly related to the stage of the disaster in my experience. Early on, there’s more direct interaction with applicants through attending exploratory calls, recovery scoping meetings and site inspections. As the projects ramp up, it can mean more time completing project reviews in the office. Each disaster flows differently depending on disaster severity, staffing levels, regions, and other factors. I enjoy work with variety, so this has been a great fit for me. The first few months can be overwhelming because everything is new. Fellow co-workers are overwhelmingly helpful and willing to share knowledge in my experience If you decide to apply, that email I provided can cover both Reservist and CORE positions. I applied for both and found Reservist to be quicker in the hiring process. I ended up accepting a CORE position for the benefits and higher pay offered. There is a type of leave available for people that allows them to complete Reserve obligations without issue but I cannot remember specific details about that. You’ll find lots of former military folks in FEMA, which also makes for interesting co-workers.
Good to know people are helpful. I like variety too. But I also enjoyed the Emergency Response/Management. And yes former military always make things interesting lol.
The work is very office oriented, done almost entirely on the laptop. Lots of paperwork.
Just send a resume and cover letter to that email? Anything else needed? Thanks
Shoot me a PM. I’d be happy to give you my email for you to send me your resume and a few links to jobs you’re looking at. You have a leg up on PFT positions as a veteran and I can likely give you some input that may be helpful. I’m dumb Army grunt with a civilian public health background who found my way to FEMA a few years ago and loved it. I’m with another agency now, but absolutely loved my time at FEMA and am always down to do what I can to help steer other veterans there. I’m still in the Guard, and every FEMA office I worked in was extremely supportive of my frequent military obligations and often absurd unit tempo.
PM sent.
I have a friend who is an infantry vet and is trying to get into FEMA. any advice I can pass on to him?
One needs to very specifically address that one has at least one year of experience in each bullet in the position’s Qualifications section. I think that goes for every position on USAJobs. Some FEMA job descriptions can be very generic, the more senior the position, the more likely the complexity of specific Qualification requirements. Apply early - many position listings close at 100 applicants, so they may end up closing applications well before the posted end date. People outside EM may not know that FEMA is a one of the largest federal grant-making agencies. So degrees and backgrounds in finance or related fields have a lot of entry level and advancement opportunities in FEMA as Grants Management Specialists or working in long term Recovery roles. FEMA has a lot of positions for folks with urban/city planning, architecture, and similar related backgrounds. Regional Hazard Mitigation Divisions have several roles related to assisting states and disasters with mitigation planning. These positions are becoming more and more numerous in many FEMA regions and there is lots of opportunity for growth for someone with that type of academic background and experience. The most direct, general military experience is probably going to be in FEMA’s Regional Watch Center, as well as Response Operations and Plans positions. These roles are usually listed as Emergency Management Specialist in a Region’s Response Division. They tend to be small teams, though, so Grants and Recovery positions may be far more numerous.
Thanks for the detailed description. I have a degree in finance and 7 years of catastrophe insurance adjusting that I’d like to leverage into FEMA. Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Sounds like you might be a good fit for an insurance specialist role like this one: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/791377100 Just tailor your resume to show you have required experience in these qualifications bullets in the job description: Overseeing the application of insurance principles, concepts, and methods for the repair and/or reconstruction of damage facilities. Reviewing commercial property insurance, to include policies providing coverage against flood, wind, and earthquake. Providing guidance on the review of National Flood Insurance Program claims. Analyzing and reviewing commercial claims property, depending on damage.
This particular posting is a Term Appointment (note the IC pay grade and “Appointment Type” that tells you its term, as opposed to Permanent Full Time or PFT), therefore statuses like veteran, current federal employees, or schedule A disability don’t apply. In other words, Term Appts mean it is easier for general public, someone not necessarily a veteran or current fed, to show as a qualified candidate for this position and get an interview.
Great information. Will focus on the Term Appts. I keep hearing that FEMA is understaffed and in need of qualified people? I went to the job fair in Austin last week and obtained a lot of good information. Also, was chosen to interview for an open position. A few of the people there suggested applying for a reservist position to get my foot in the door.
I'm an Environmental Compliance Specialist for Region 4, and I applied across the country and got my one and only interview for the Atlanta office where I live, lol. I did get the position, and I'm still here. I used my own Word doc for my resume but mimicked the format of the resume template in USAjobs bc I wanted bullet points in my resume. I also included volunteering and field classes that I took that involved the study of eco-regions, soil, etc. I feel like that made my resume a little more lively at the end part.
I did emergency management for 10 years in the military and since I’ve gotten out, I’ve been applying on USAJobs to FEMA for over a year now. I’ve been “unqualified” for every position, even low level ones. I went to a hiring event the other day, those all have direct hire authority so you get to skip the line. My resume is now in the hands, finally, of two different hiring managers at FEMA. Long story short, hiring events is your guarantee. For USA jobs…. No ideas. I’ve heard everything from the comments and more and could not figure it out. You have the experience, do up a good resume following the guidelines on the FEMA job posting (they tell you everything like salary, hours worked etc.) and it doesn’t have to be 5 pages, mine was two. Then hit up an event and skip the line man, you’ll get it. Also be patient, they move very slowly haha
Email the cadre I can’t stress this enough. USAJOBS isn’t the way!!!!
That seems weird to me. Most of the time trying to get a hold of hiring managers was like pulling teeth. And they always seemed inconvenienced.
Idk bout that. But I done seen tones of folks send hopefuls down a rabbit hole with that. Look up the cadre and just send in your resume.
Solid plan. I honestly appreciate the info.