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Hiring mechanicsFederal hiring guides
How the process actually works — the authorities agencies hire under, how preference is applied, what a grade means for pay, and why a federal résumé looks nothing like a private-sector one. Each guide carries the date it was last reviewed.
GS grades & pay
GS grades, locality pay, and the proposed 2027 pay freeze
How a General Schedule grade turns into an actual salary — and what the President’s alternative pay plan, submitted on 26 August 2026, would mean for federal pay next year.
How federal healthcare pay is actually set
Federal clinical pay does not all come from the General Schedule, and the difference is worth thousands. Here is how the systems work, what the national figures actually say, and how to compare an offer properly.
USAJOBS résumé format
The four essay questions, and what the rules actually say
Federal applications at GS-05 and above now include four 200-word essay questions. They are not scored, you are not disqualified for skipping them, and you must certify you wrote them without AI. Here is the full text of all four.
The two-page federal résumé: what to cut and what to keep
Federal résumés used to run to five pages or more. Under the Merit Hiring Plan they are capped at two. Here is what has to stay, what can go, and how to cut without losing your eligibility.
General guidance
The Nurse Licensure Compact: what a multistate licence really covers
Forty-three jurisdictions have enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact and forty have implemented it. It covers RNs and LPN/VNs but not advanced practice nurses — and several widely-read lists of member states are simply wrong.
VA nursing under Title 38: why it works differently
The Department of Veterans Affairs appoints its nurses under a different law from the rest of the federal government. That changes the pay, the appointment and the application — and general federal job advice can lead you astray.
These guides explain published federal hiring rules. They are not legal advice, and GovHealthJobs is not affiliated with OPM or any federal agency.