What to know about the new USAJOBS federal resume requirements

Written By Jennifer Clinchy

Do you have a federal resume in USAJOBS? Next month, those resumes are slated to disappear. Starting September 27, the longform federal resume is officially dead. Until now, the average length of a federal resume was five pages, and even longer resumes were not uncommon. To “make it easier for employees to move between the private and Federal sectors,” OPM’s 2025 Merit Hiring Plan now limits federal resumes to just two pages. 

To implement this new page limit, OPM will remove all searchable resumes from the USAJOBS Agency Talent Portal at the end of September. OPM will also require federal agencies to close all open job announcements posted to USAJOBS. 

What do these changes mean for job applicants?

  • If you have an existing resume in USAJOBS, expect it to disappear at the end of September. 

  • If you would like to keep a copy of your current USAJOBS resume, it’s wise to download it before September 26.

  • Agencies will be able to perform resume mining in real time for resumes uploaded to the USAJOBS Agency Talent Portal after September 29. If you want your resume to be searchable by hiring agencies, upload your new, two-page resume to USAJOBS after September 29.

  • If you’re eyeing an open job announcement now, it’s best to apply soon. Even if the job announcement lists a closing date after September 26, don’t count on it staying open after that date. Agencies can repost job announcements starting September 29 under the new resume requirements, but there could be delays.

Despite this year’s federal hiring freeze, some agencies are still actively hiring and on-boarding new staff. If you want a federal job, have a two-page version of your resume ready to go.


Here are links to the OPM memoranda:

Jennifer Clinchy
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