Job Classifications Vs. Job Qualifications - Are They Related

Job Classifications Vs. Job Qualifications - Are They RelatedJob Classifications Vs. Job Qualifications - Are They RelatedJob Classifications Vs. Job Qualifications Are They Related?We recently had a federal employee ask us to help him restructure his resume so that he could get his current job reclassified. The employee had a professional degree in Engineering, but had accepted an Engineering Technician position to get his foot in the door. He felt he was performing professional work, and wanted to ask the classification specialist to review his job and change it to that of a professional. He believed that re-writing his resume would convince the classifier to change the position.What is the relationship between your resume and your job classification? Actually, they are two different things and are used differently in the federal employment process.The job classification is all about federal personnel processes. The classification process is a structured method of assigning a titl e, series, and grade to each federal position. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes government-wide job grading standards that describe all the different types of work found in federal agencies. The classification specialist in each human resources office looks at the job duties your supervisor assigns to the position you occupy, and uses the OPM standards to place it in the appropriate job series. The classifier then uses these same standards to determine the grade level of the job, based on factors such as how complex the work is and how closely your supervisor reviews your work.Although you may hold a professional degree and be qualified to perform work that is far more difficult and demanding, it is the job requirements, and elend your personal abilities or work history, which determines how your job is classified. In other words, the classification process is all about the job requirements, and not about you. There are cases in which an employee has had such a pro found impact on the way a job functions that it does affect the classification, but these instances are rare. In most cases, unless the supervisor is willing to change your job duties, re-writing your resume is unlikely to affect the classification.The federal resume/job application qualifications process is all about you If the classification process is all about the job and not about you, the qualifications process is just the opposite that process is all about you, and not about the job you occupy. Just as job classification standards guide the classifier, OPM also publishes qualification standards to guide the staffing specialists who determine whether or not your experience qualifies you for a certain vacancy. This is where your resume comes in. When you apply for a job, the staffing specialist reviews your resume to discover whether or not you have held the right types of jobs for the required amount of time. If you have, the staffing specialist will rate you as eligible for t he vacancy even if the job you currently occupy is different. So, if you occupy a technician position but hold a professional credential and the required work experience, you can qualify for jobs that may be classified in a professional job series.Though the above is a very simplified explanation of two very complicated processes, the important thing to remember is that while it is very difficult to change your job classification, which is determined by your supervisor and the HR specialist factors beyond your control it is much easier to control the content of your resume, which the staffing specialist uses to determine whether you are rated as qualified for a job.The Resume distributionspolitik can help you explain your work history and develop your KSAs to showcase your experience in the very best light. While we probably cant help you get your current job re-classified, we certainly can help you improve your chances of getting another one