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KSA Dos and Don'ts

KSA DOs AND DON’Ts

DO:

• Carefully read the vacancy announcement and note the required qualifications and KSAs.
  
• Use action verbs and statements.
  
• Include all current experience related to the KSAs whether paid or volunteer.
  
• Arrange all of your experience in logical order (for example, chronological).
  
• List education and training and identify title of course, hours, and relationship to the KSAs.
  
• Include awards, month and year received, a brief description as to why you received the award and how it relates to the KSAs.
  
• Type all information, or write legibly so that it can be clearly understood.
  
• Tell what you do know and can do, not what you don’t know and cannot do.
  
• Describe your experience and emphasize the skills you used that relate to the KSAs.
  
  

Federal KSA Writing Guide

Introduction: What Are KSAs?

Part 1: The Importance of KSA’s in the Federal Application Process

Part 2: Federal Hiring 101: Learn What to Expect from Self-Assessments

Part 3: Best Ways to Answer Federal Self-Assessments

Part 4: Four Steps to Writing Responses to Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

Part 5: Sample KSA Responses

Part 6: KSA Dos and Don'ts

Part 7: Action Words and Power Verbs for KSAs

DON’T:

• Don’t use words from your position description in writing your KSA responses.
  
• Don’t describe work of others or that of the organization.
  
• Don’t exaggerate.
  
• Don’t be humble.
  
• Don’t omit church, community, or club work.
  
• Don’t cross-reference items in your application.
  
• Don’t just state the kind of award and when it was received.
  
• Don’t make it challenging for the reviewer – it probably won’t get full credit if it cannot be read.
  
• Don’t attach unsolicited material such as letters of recommendation, training certificates, copies of awards, or examples of work.

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