How to Apply for Employment with the Canadian Federal Government

Are you interested in Federal Government employment, or maybe getting that much deserved Federal promotion?

There are a number of steps to go through to be successful in your Federal Government application.

This extensive guide will cover:

• How to apply for a federal job
• What you need to know about the Statement of Merit Criteria (SofMC) and why it trips people up in the application process
• How the government defines “Essential Qualifications” and what you need to know about them before you apply
• What are “Operational Requirements” and “Conditions of Employment”?
• What you need to do to actually apply for the position

Let’s get started, we have a lot of ground to cover.

Step 1:

---

How to Find and Apply for a Federal Government Job

So let’s talk about actually finding that job.

How do you position yourself to successfully getting your foot in the door.

• Register.  Go on line to jobs.gc.ca and register a profile.
• Search.  Once you have registered, you can streamline your search to specific job types, salary ranges, locations, etc. and then save your search so you don’t have to keep updating that information.
• Monitor.  Continue to check your account on a daily basis to ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities.
• Network.  Reach out to anyone you know who has a government job to see if there are any job shadowing opportunities or other avenues to get in.
• Educate.  Understand what the requirements are for the positions in which you are interested.  Do you have the required education and training?  If not, this is a good time to upgrade your qualifications so when the right job becomes available, you will be ready.

Once you identify the job(s) for which you want to apply, then the real work begins.

You will require a professional, targeted resume clearly outlining how you meet the essential qualifications.

You will also need to prepare for any tests that may be implemented, and of course, get yourself ready for the interview.

• If you would like to complete my free interview worksheet, please go to http://eepurl.com/m6cW1. This worksheet will help you begin the process of preparing for your next interview.

Step 2:

---

Overview of the Statement of Merit Criteria for Federal Government Job Applications

Now that you have identified a job for which you want to apply, you have to go through the job poster and see what the qualifications are and assess whether or not you meet the essential qualifications.

With every Federal job poster comes what’s called a Statement of Merit Criteria (SofMC). This is the part of the job poster that clearly lays out all of the essential qualifications, asset qualifications, operational requirements, knowledge requirements and abilities.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

First thing you need to do is read the entire job poster and Statement of Merit Criteria to establish what exactly the hiring manager is looking for.

Let’s start at the top and break it down:

• Closing date – When does your resume have to be submitted?  Failure to submit within the closing date will result in being screened out.
• Who can apply (Area of Selection) – Make sure you are eligible to apply.  This could talk about geographic locations, government departments, etc.  You have to demonstrate that you meet the area of selection.
• Intent of the Process – This tells you what the purpose of the process is i.e. to hire one full time person, or to create a pool of qualified candidates, or to hire one part-time person with the possibility of being hired full time.
• Information you Must Provide –  This will tell you how you need to submit your information, i.e. are you required to include all of your information in a resume or in a cover letter or both?  Make sure you know exactly what is to be submitted.  Some will say you must clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential qualifications in your resume, others may say that you must speak to each of the essential qualifications in a cover letter, providing clear examples of how you meet.  Whatever they ask for, you must provide.  Failure to do so will result in being screened out of the process.
• Essential Qualifications – This identifies what you must possess to be qualified for the job and usually includes education and experience.
• Asset/Other Qualifications – This is additional education and/or experience that is nice to have, but not essential to being able to apply.
• Other Essential Requirements –  This will include requirements other than education and experience, such as knowledge, abilities and personal suitabilities.  You are not required to speak to these in your resume/cover letter as they will be assessed later in the selection process.
• Operational Requirements/Conditions of Employment – This provides the information on what is expected/required of you should you be successful in this process.  Please read these sections carefully and make sure you are prepared to commit to the requirements before you apply.
• Other Information – This section provides a lot of information that you will require as the process continues, i.e. will there be an interview or tests, will there be reference checks etc.  All important information to know in advance so please read it carefully.
• Preference – This section might identify if anyone will be given priority consideration in making the decision on who to hire, i.e. preference will be given to veterans.  If the preference applies to you, make sure you include the information in your application.
• Employment Equity – You may also see in the job poster information on employment equity.  Make sure you read that information and self identify if it applies to you.

As you can see, the Statement of Merit Criteria can seem very complicated.  But it doesn’t have to be.  If you know how to read and interpret the job poster, it can be straight forward.  And that is what we will do as we continue with this post.  We will break down each of the components so you know exactly what to expect as you continue.

Step 3:

---

Understanding “Essential Qualifications” When Applying for a Federal Government Job

You have reviewed the entire job poster, so now it’s time to break it down and go through the steps one at a time.  The first thing is to see what the essential qualifications are and assess whether or not you meet them.  And if you do meet, you need to demonstrate in your resume and/or cover letter how you meet them.

The Essential Qualifications are the minimum that you need to apply for the job. It’s this section that you will use to target your resume and/or cover letter.  If you don’t demonstrate that you meet all of the essentials, then your resume will be screened out. There might also be a section called Asset Qualifications or Other Qualifications. This will include the education and/or experiences that are nice to have, but not essential to being qualified for the job. If you do possess the assets, you should include them in your application.

Let’s break this down a bit further now. What are the two common essential qualifications?

Education

• This section will clearly identify what the minimum education is for this job. It might say high school diploma, or it could say a degree in a relevant field, such as business, technology etc. It might say you can have a combination of education and experience.  Whatever it is, make sure you include it in your resume/cover letter so that it’s easy to see and very clear. If you have a degree, and the minimum education  is high school, include your high school education. It might seem like it’s a given that you have high school if you have a degree, but don’t leave any doubt. Include the high school.

Experience

• This is the experience that the hiring manager has identified as being required for you to successfully do this job. The number of experience clauses is totally dependant on the job. However many there are, you must meet them all. Failure to demonstrate your experience will result in your resume being screened out. You also have to watch for the wording on the experience statements. You might see words like “Recent” and “Significant”as part of the wording. If you do, they both should be defined, with something like:
  • “Recent is defined as being within the past five years.”
  • “Significant is defined as being for at least three consecutive years”
• If the job poster has recent and significant, then your resume must clearly demonstrate that you meet those time lines. Your professional experience must have dates that reflect how long you have performed those functions so that the person screening the resume can clearly see that you have performed the function within the past five years and have done it for three years or more. And if they want the essential experience articulated in a cover letter, then you must ensure that your paragraphs include how long you have performed a specific function.

Once you have gone through the essential qualifications, you would do the exact same thing for the asset or other qualifications.  Identify what assets you have and include those in your resume and/or cover letter.

It’s crucial that you target your resume and/or cover letter to each job for which you apply. Failure to do so may result in you being screened out.  So don’t take that one resume you have created, regardless of how good it is, and send it in on every job for which you apply. Each one must speak to each of the essential qualifications.  And each job poster will include different essentials.

Step 4:

---

What to Do After You’ve Submitted Your Federal Government Job Application

I have broken down the Essential Qualifications, and how you can demonstrate you possess them.  If you do meet all of the essential qualifications, then you have demonstrated that in your resume and/or cover letter and submitted it before the closing date.

Now, should you just sit back and wait and see if you get invited to the next stage?

No.  Assume that you will get screened in, and start preparing for the next stage of the process now.  You might find that you get invited to write a test but don’t get a lot of notice. So start preparing now.  But what  should you do to prepare?  Go back to the job poster and see what they have identified as being assessed at a later date. Additionally, it’s crucial to be aware of potential challenges federal employees facing discrimination may encounter during the application and selection process, ensuring fair and equal opportunities for all applicants.

Let’s break the next phase down a bit further.

After the section listing the Essential Qualifications and Asset Qualifications, you might see a section that says something like:

The following will be applied/assessed at a later date (essential for the job).

This might be broken down into a few sections, depending on the job for which you are applying.

Language (if applicable)

• If there are any language requirements for the job, it will be outlined in this section.  Depending on the requirements, you might see something like:
  • Various language requirements (for pools)
    English/French Essential
    English Essential
    French Essential
    Bilingual Imperative
    Bilingual Non-Imperative
• Bilingual classification is broken down into three sections:
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Oral Interaction
• If applying for a job where there is a language requirement other than your first language, you will be required to verify that you meet the required level, or you will be tested using the Federal Government standards.  More information on language requirements can be found on the Government of Canada website or, if required, there will be a link on the job poster.

Knowledge

• This section will outline all of the knowledge that you must bring to the table to successfully perform the duties of the position.  This is not experience, so you do not have to demonstrate the you have done it, but simply have knowledge of it. They usually relate to the technical side of the position, i.e.  if you were applying for a finance position, you might see something like:
  • Knowledge of financial resource management, financial planning, forecasting, accounting, and reporting practices in the public sector.
• knowledge factors are often assessed during a written test, but can also be assessed during the interview.

Abilities

• The abilities section covers areas that are less technical in nature, and more about your skills.  This section will target things that the hiring manager wants to determine that you are able to do before going in to the job.  For instance, if you were applying for a job as a Finance and Administration Manager, you  might see something like:
  • Ability to analyze, assess and prepare business cases.
• You might see some statements that are a bit more generic in nature, that could be attached to any job poster, i.e.:
  • Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Personal Suitability/Competencies

• This section covers what I call the soft skills, or personality traits that the hiring manager wishes you to possess.  You might see things like:
  • Integrity
  • Judgment
  • Client Service
  • Team Player
• This section is often assessed at the interview, but could also be assessed during a written test or during the reference checks.

As I have outlined in the experience section, where there could be both essential and asset experience clauses, the same applies for this section.  You might see a section that says :

The following may be applied/assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job).

You would treat this section the same as the section that I have outlined above.

Again, I strongly recommend that you start preparing for these stages as soon as you have applied for the job.

For the knowledge section, make sure you are up to date on the factors that are being assessed, and research and study whatever materials are available.  For the abilities and personal suitability factors, start thinking of things you have done recently that demonstrate that you meet these competencies.

Think in terms of the S*T*A*R factor (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and then start practicing delivering them.

Step 5:

---

Understanding Operational Requirements and Conditions of Employment When Applying for Federal Government Jobs

I have talked about the steps you can take to actually find the job for which you want to apply.  Then I outlined how to interpret the Statement of Merit Criteria in the job poster, and what each of the sections means.  I have broken down the Essential Qualifications, and how you can demonstrate you possess them.  And I described the qualifications that would be assessed at a later date.

What else do you need to consider when looking at the Statement of Merit Criteria?

The next sections of the Statement of Merit Criteria include:

• Operational Requirements
• Conditions of Employment
• Other Information

Lots of people think that once they have looked at the essential requirements for the position, they don’t need to read any further.  However, there will be very important information in these sections that you need to consider before applying.

Let’s break them down further.

Operational Requirements – This is the section that will outline what you will have to do to work in this position and in this environment.   If you are not prepared to meet any of the requirements that are listed in the job poster, then the position may not be the right one for you, and you should reconsider applying. It will include statements such as:

• Willing and able to work in a busy environment, including exposure to unsettling and/or graphic material.
• Willingness and ability to travel for work and/or training purposes using various modes of transportation.
• Willingness and ability to work overtime as required.

Conditions of Employment – This is the section that describes what you require before being hired, outside of essential qualifications.   Failure to meet these conditions will result in you not being offered the position.  This section includes such things as:

• Security Clearance (i.e. Reliability Status, Secret, Top Secret)
• Valid Driver’s License

Other Information – This section contains  very important information and should be read carefully before proceeding with the application process.  This will help you plan and prepare for each step in the process, and to gather any relevant documentation that will be required, i.e. education credentials.   It includes such information as:

• Reference checks may be sought.
• An interview may be administered. Interview(s) may be conducted via telephone, video-conference or other similar means.
• A test may be administered. Please note that written test(s) may be administered during weekdays and/or evenings and/or weekends.
• Testing/interviews will be conducted at locations of the employer’s choice and may require candidates to travel to the test/interview location.
• You must provide proof of your education credentials.

As you can see, there is a lot of preparation required if you want to be successful in getting a Federal Government job.

But go through each step, be thorough, and make sure you don’t miss anything.  And keep trying.  If you aren’t successful the first time, get some feedback, see where you didn’t meet, and then use that information when you try again.

Step 6:

---

How to Prepare for the Interview

Getting screened in for an interview is a huge accomplishment and if you’re at this stage, you’ve no doubt experienced a whole new set of nerves and questions that have popped to mind.

Interviews, and preparing for them properly, requires more time than we have here, that’s why I’ve put together a separate free resource called the Federal Government Interview Preparation Worksheet. It will help you formulate key information about who you are and why you would be a good fit for the job so you’re ready for the big day!

Download your free copy by clicking the button below and entering in your email. You’ll receive instant access.

About The Author

For over 30 years, Connie Clace, CPC, has worked in both the Federal and Municipal Governments as well as the private sector.

As an award winning manager for leadership practices, Connie has worked extensively with employees to identify and realize their career goals. She excels at mentoring people at all levels, from those newly entering the workforce, to those seeking senior executive promotions, helping to write resumes, interpret job advertisements, and to realize their career goals.

Since opening her business in 2014, Connie has successfully worked with clients in such fields as Federal Government, RCMP and police applicant interviews, government executive level promotions, education, medical, finance, to name but a few.