With a bunch of fed scientist positions open in @USGSCoopUnits, many are applying for fed jobs for the first time. Here are some tips to help ensure that your application is seen by, and makes a good impression on, the search committee (thread). https://twitter.com/Ursinous/status/1250445703006093313

First, education requirements are a big deal for human resources - document them! If you're applying for a Research Ecologist position, you'll need 30 hours of biology incl 9 of ecology. Make a table and submit it with your transcripts showing how you meet these requirements.

List course name/number, credits, university for each course that helps you meet these requirements. Do not take anything for granted. Carefully document all requirements. There are lots of stories of people who were eliminated by HR who easily met requirements of a position.

Second, there isn't an obvious place to submit a cover letter in USAJobs, but you should submit one just the same either as supplementary material, or even as the first page of your CV. This will help if your application makes it to the search committee.

Finally, don't use the functionality within USAJobs that lets you paste your CV into their CV builder. Submit your CV as a document - the formatting in USAJobs will otherwise make your CV nearly unreadable to the search committee.

These tips are just based on my experience as a fed and a person who recently ran a @USGSCoopUnits search. Hiring processes change, so it never hurts to reach out to the HR contact to ask questions. Good luck!