KSA Workshop for

APIO Organization Participants

“Meeting the Challenges of a Changing World”

Sharyn C. Alvarez, National FWPMNRCS Civil Rights Division

August 18, 2009

Sacramento, CA

Your KSAs should show:

• What action did you perform? Not we, but YOU!• Why was the action performed?• For Whom was the action performed?• What were the Accomplishments?• Did the action produce a significant Impact on others

or the work environment?

Your KSAs should also give examples that show

• Initiative: You saw a problem and solved it.

• Innovation: You developed a new system; used software for a new purpose.

• Leadership: You mentored less experienced employees.

• Complexity: You experienced challenging times on the job.

Con’t.,

• Scope: You were involved in a variety of work that covered many functional areas (e.g., personnel, budget, information technology, etc.).

• Teamwork: You were part of a team activity whose members possessed different skills and abilities, shared a common purpose, and worked together to achieve clearly identifiable goals (remember when showing team activity to identify YOUR role, not the role of the team).

Your KSAs should describe . . .

• When it comes to expressing your writing skills, your KSAs should describe:

• The kinds of documents you have written (or work you were responsible for)

• The type of review they have been subject to

• Describe the target audience

• Describe the results of your activity

How To Write A KSA In 4 Steps

Step 1 – The opening statement• In my current position as an Engineer with

NRCS in California, I have had extensive experience with . . . .

• In the course of my duties as a Soil Conservationist, I am responsible for . . .

• My ability to map soils was gained through formal education in_____ and years of practical experience as a___ for the _______

How To Write A KSA In 4 Steps

• Step 2- Give examples that demonstrate you KS and As

• In one instance I . . . • When I started on the job we had a

recurring problem with . . .• One major project involved . . .• My supervisor selected me to serve on a

taskforce to . . .• I collaborated with a team to . . .

How To Write A KSA In 4 Steps

• Step 3- Take examples one step further• The new procedures I instituted resulted in

___________________• My ability to _________________

substantially/significantly increased/decrease . . .• As a result ____________________• I received a Performance Award for

_____________• We exceeded our goals by ___________• This led to ______________________

How to write a KSA in 4 Steps

• Step 4 Relevant training or course work (or awards)• Courses or classes you took that are relevant to the KSA

you are writing about.• Recognition or awards you received because of the good

work you did. • I am the _________________ for the ____division. In

my role as __________, I am responsible for ___________. I have had this responsibility for ___________ years, months. I obtained the knowledge to __________________ from 40 hour work shops on _______________ . I have recertified my knowledge of _______ with refresher courses at the School of Management at ______________ University.

Your KSAs should• Specific & measurable • Explain your role• Show + or –• Use strong action verbs• Proofread, proofread• List training/education • Type your responses• Bullets or paragraphs not both• Spell out all terms prior to using acronyms• Do not refer reviewers to other parts of your application• Be objective, state the facts• Get to the point• Use lots of examples

Please don’t

• Lie, try to snow

• Borrow PD language

• Use clichés

• Use philosophy

• Use flowery language

• Ramble

Good Luck!

But then, good things happen when you are prepared for

opportunities.