USAJOBS resume / Format last checked: 25 Oct 2026
Check your federal resume against the USAJOBS 2-page rule
Upload your resume as a PDF. Your browser checks the page count, file size, font size and margins, then looks for the details OPM and USAJOBS ask for: your contact details and, for each relevant job, the employer, title, start and end month and year, hours per week and, for federal jobs only, the series and grade. Nothing is uploaded.
Checked 25 Oct 2026 against OPM and USAJOBS pages.
01 / Free checker
Upload your resume PDF
Drop a PDF here or choose one. This checker reads PDFs only: save a Word file as a PDF first.
Read in your browser. The file is not uploaded or stored.
What it checks: page count, file size, attached files, page size, encryption, font size, margins and fonts; name, email and phone; for each job it finds, title and employer, month and year, hours per week and (federal jobs) series and grade; and school, degree, date and GPA. It does not judge whether your descriptions show the experience the announcement asks for, or whether you qualify: the hiring agency decides that.
02 / What to include
What USAJOBS asks a resume to show
| Part | What to include |
|---|---|
| Contact | Full name, email address and phone number (USAJOBS Help Center). |
| Each relevant job | Employer name; job title; start and end dates with month and year (for example 05/2019 – 08/2022); the number of hours you worked per week; series and grade for federal jobs only; brief descriptions that show you can do the tasks at the level the announcement asks for (USAJOBS Help Center, OPM). |
| Education, certification, license | When relevant or required for the position: name of school or institution, completion date, degree type and GPA, and any certification or license, with the documents the announcement asks for (USAJOBS Help Center, OPM). |
| Optional, when relevant | Current security clearance, job-related training, language skills, organizations and affiliations, professional publications, eligibility for special hiring programs (OPM). |
| Leave out | Classified or government sensitive information, your Social Security Number, photos of yourself, personal information such as age, sex or religious affiliation, and encrypted or digitally signed documents (USAJOBS Help Center). |
The USAJOBS example of a federal job shows the title with series and grade, the dates and the hours on three lines: Program Analyst GS-343-11 / January 2009–present / 40 Hours/week (USAJOBS Help Center). The employer name belongs with each job too.
03 / The rule
The two-page limit and its exceptions
The Merit Hiring Plan (29 May 2025) prohibits the long-form federal resume structure. OPM’s guidance says that starting 27 September 2025 USAJOBS restricts all resumes to two pages: those stored in a profile, new uploads, resumes made with the resume builder and searchable resumes in the Agency Talent Portal. If the only resume an applicant sends is longer than two pages, the applicant is ineligible for further consideration (OPM).
Who it covers
All competitive service and excepted service announcements under Title 5, internal and external, on USAJOBS or another platform (OPM).
When a longer one is allowed
Non-Title 5 agencies and judicial and legislative branch agencies that want longer resumes must say so in the announcement and take them as “other documents”. Positions that need a CV, typically in medical and research fields, may ask for it the same way (OPM).
The file
5 MB or less. USAJOBS recommends a PDF to keep the formatting and page count, accepts Word and other formats, and does not accept PDF portfolio files (USAJOBS Help Center). It says to use a standard 8.5 x 11 inch page size (USAJOBS Help Center).
More in our guides: the USAJOBS two-page resume rule, word for word, with its exceptions, and three two-page federal resume examples (GS-7, GS-11, GS-12) as text and PDF.
04 / After the format
Specialized experience: what the resume has to prove
To qualify at GS-7 (or equivalent) and above you need specialized experience, at least one year of it equivalent to the next lower grade: for a GS-12 job, a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-11. The same page notes that a directly related master’s degree can qualify at GS-9 and a doctoral degree at GS-11, and that experience can sometimes substitute for education; each announcement sets its own requirements (USAJOBS Help Center). USAJOBS also advises using the announcement’s terms: “For example, if the qualifications section says you need experience with MS Project, you need to use the words MS Project in your resume.” (USAJOBS Help Center)
05 / What we do not do
No essay help
The Merit Hiring Plan calls for short free-response essay questions in announcements graded GS-5 and above, and says applicants will be required to certify that they used their own words and did not use a consultant or AI (OPM). This checker and our match report do not write, edit or grade those answers.
06 / Before you trust another page
Where older federal resume advice is now wrong
| Older advice you may still see | What OPM and USAJOBS say now |
|---|---|
| A federal resume should run to 3 to 5 pages, with every detail. | Since 27 Sep 2025 USAJOBS restricts resumes to two pages, and OPM tells agencies that an applicant whose only resume is longer is not considered further. |
| The font and margins are required. | They are recommendations: a sans-serif font such as Lato, 0.5 inch margins, 14-point titles and 10-point main text. The rule is two pages, 5 MB or less, and legible. |
| Two pages applies to every government job. | OPM applies it to competitive and excepted service announcements under Title 5. Non-Title 5 agencies and the judicial and legislative branches may accept a longer resume, but only through instructions in the announcement. |
| Supervisor names and salary must be on every job. | For each relevant job, OPM and USAJOBS list employer, job title, start and end month and year, hours per week, and series and grade for federal jobs. Their lists do not include supervisor or salary. |
Federal resume FAQs
Is the two-page federal resume rule still in force in 2026?
Yes. The USAJOBS Help Center says federal agencies only accept resumes up to two pages to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan, and that USAJOBS will not let you upload or build a longer one (checked 25 Oct 2026).
What happens if my resume is three pages?
USAJOBS will not take it. OPM’s guidance to agencies says that if the only resume an applicant sends is longer than two pages, the applicant is ineligible for further consideration.
Are there exceptions to the two-page limit?
The limit covers competitive and excepted service announcements under Title 5. Non-Title 5 agencies and judicial and legislative branch agencies that want longer resumes must say so in the announcement and take them through the “other documents” option. Positions that need a curriculum vitae, typically in medical and research fields, may ask for it as an “other document”. Follow the announcement.
What must each relevant job on a federal resume include?
Employer name, job title, start and end dates with month and year, the number of hours you worked per week, a brief description showing you can do the tasks at the level the announcement asks for, and the series and grade for federal jobs.
What font size and margins should I use?
USAJOBS recommends a sans-serif font such as Lato (or Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noto Sans), 0.5 inch margins, and considering 14-point titles and 10-point main text. Separately, it says to use a standard 8.5 x 11 inch page size.
Does this checker upload my resume?
No. The PDF is read by your own browser and nothing is sent to us. The text read from it is kept in this browser tab, so the Federal Resume Builder page can fill in your work history if you go on to it. If you then use the builder, it keeps your draft on this device until you delete it there.
Can you help with the Merit Hiring Plan essay questions?
No. For announcements graded GS-5 and above, OPM’s Merit Hiring Plan says applicants will be required to certify that their essay answers are in their own words and that they did not use a consultant or AI. We do not write, edit or grade them.
Sources
- OPM — Applicant Guidance on the Two-Page Resume Limit
- OPM — Agency Guidance on the Two-Page Limit on Resume Length
- USAJOBS Help Center — How do I write a resume for a federal job?
- USAJOBS Help Center — How to add a resume to your profile
- USAJOBS Help Center — How many years of experience do I need to qualify for a job?
- OPM — Merit Hiring Plan (29 May 2025)
Format last checked: 25 Oct 2026. OPM’s two guidance documents and the USAJOBS Help Center articles above were read on that date.
A free planning aid by ProSyllabus. Not affiliated with OPM or USAJOBS. The hiring agency decides whether you qualify; always follow the job announcement.