There are a few things you should know before you begin the IRS application process. The first step is to find positions that align with your education and/or skills, as well as your interests. Once you find the job you think will be the perfect fit, it is important you read and understand the complete job announcement, before updating your resume to be sure you are highlighting your skills in a way that shows us you are the perfect fit. Preparation is essential, and we believe these tips will give you the tools you need to begin the application process with confidence.

1. Find the job that’s right for you

To start your job search, go to irs.usajobs.gov or click on the link below. We’ve pre-filter all open to the public IRS career opportunities at: Open to the public IRS career opportunities.  

Remember to filter for your desired work location. From there, you can use other filters to narrow your search to positions. The “Series” filter is one of our favorites, because it allows you to identify core occupational areas, such as Accounting, Budget & Finance, Human Resources Management, Information Technology, and so much more! From there, you can select the job series that interest you, and begin reviewing the associated Job Opportunity Announcements. 

2. Review the Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA)

If you find a job you're interested in, it is important that you read the entire announcement to make sure you're eligible and you meet the qualifications. Read the entire job announcement and pay special attention to the following sections:

• This job is open to

This section tells you who is eligible to apply. Some jobs are only open to current IRS employees or current or past federal employees. You will want to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements of who can apply to that position. If you do not, change your search parameters under “hiring path” to select the path you are eligible to apply under. This may be the “open to the public” hiring path. 

• Duties

The Duties section of the JOA lists the day-to-day activities you will be performing once you have been fully trained at the full working level of the position. This is a great way to determine if this job interests you. 

• Requirements

The Requirements section of the JOA lists the conditions of employment as well as the qualifications for the position. The duties preview the type of work you can expect to do once you get the job, where the qualifications include work experience (years, type of work), skills, and/or education levels considered for the job. We will compare the qualifications in the JOA to your resume and will rank you based on how well you meet the qualifications of the job. In this section, you can also find the announcement closing date, as well as the cut-off dates for announcements that are open for a longer timeframe, so you’ll know when your application is likely to begin being reviewed.

• How You Will be Evaluated

This section will provide details for how you will be rated once you have applied for the position, including any competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities), and other characteristics we are looking for. This information can be especially helpful when writing your resume. 

• How to Apply 

This section may include a preview of the assessment questionnaire, which forecasts questions we will ask about your qualifications as part of the application process. 

3. Update your resume

Once you have determined that you are eligible and qualified for a position, it is time to submit your resume and application! Applying for Federal positions is significantly different from the process that is commonly used in the private sector. Additionally, resumes for Federal positions need to include detailed information about your skills, education, and experience and should be tailored to address the specific qualifications outlined in the announcement. Below we have outlined some of the most important steps for developing an effective resume. For complete details and example, visit USAJOBS Resume Help Center.

• Include important contact information.

  Don't forget to add current contact information. Most job applications require this information, including your address, email, and phone number.

• Include dates, hours, level of experience and examples for each work experience.

• Start and end dates (including the month and year).

• The number of hours you worked per week.

• The level and amount of experience—for instance, whether you served as a project manager or a team member helps to illustrate your level of experience.

• Examples of relevant experiences and accomplishments that prove you can perform the tasks at the level required for the job as stated in the job announcement. The experience you list on your resume needs to address every required qualification.

• Customize your resume

You should tailor your resume to the job announcement rather than sending out the same resume for every job. Customizing your resume helps you match your competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities and experience to the requirements for each job. Emphasize your strengths and include everything you've done that relates to the job you're seeking. Leave out experience that isn't relevant.

• Use similar terms and address every required qualification

Your experience needs to address every required qualification in the job announcement. We will look for specific terms in your resume to make sure you have the experience we’re seeking.

• Organize your resume to make it easy to understand

  • Use reverse chronological order to list your experience—start with your most recent experience first and work your way back.

  • Provide greater detail for experience that is relevant to the job for which you are applying.

  • Show all experiences and accomplishments under the job in which you earned it. This helps us determine the amount of experience you have with that particular skill.

  • Use plain language—avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood.

• Be concise

  • The IRS often receives dozens or even hundreds of resumes for certain positions. Our hiring managers quickly skim through submissions and eliminate candidates who clearly are not qualified. Look at your resume and ask yourself:

  • Can a hiring manager see my main credentials within 10 to 15 seconds?

  • Does critical information jump off the page?

  • Does my experience address each qualification listed on the JOA? 

• Review your resume before you apply

Check your resume for spelling and grammatical errors and have someone else, with a good eye for detail, review your resume.

Now that you have found the job you are interested in, reviewed the job opportunity announcement, and updated your resume, the next step is to submit your application. Click here to learn how to apply.

After you apply for an IRS position, you will receive updates to the status of your application on your USAJOBS account. We will also provide those notifications via email. The hiring process can take 2-4 months on average. We have outlined the steps below so you know what to expect.

1. IRS Reviews Application

The IRS will start reviewing applications once the job announcement closes or after a set cut-off date(s). We will review your application to make sure you're eligible and meet the job qualifications, and will place qualified applicants into these categories:

• Minimally qualified
• Highest qualified

After we review all applications, we will send the highest qualified applicants to the hiring official.

2. Interview

The hiring official will review the highest qualified applications first and select applicants to interview based on agency policy. The IRS will contact applicants directly to schedule interviews. Note: Some positions will not require an interview.

Hiring officials can interview applicants using:

• A panel
• In-person
• Video
• Phone

There may be more than one interview round. For example, an applicant may have a phone interview and then an in-person interview.

It may take some time to schedule interviews, depending on the number of people being interviewed.

3. IRS Selects Candidate

After the business division’s hiring officials complete all interviews, they will select a candidate(s) and contact them to start the job offer process. For those not selected, the IRS will update the job status to Hiring complete. If we do not fill the position, the job status will update to Job canceled.

• Tentative Job Offer

Once selected, we will extend a tentative job offer. That email will come from usastaffing and should be read carefully. In the email, Step 1 provides the option for you to accept or decline the offer. After accepting, you will be prompted to log in to your USAJOBS.gov account and complete the New Hire survey and OF-306 under “tasks.” You are not considered to have officially accepted your offer until these steps are completed. There are other tasks that will need to be completed within three days, so don't delay!

• Fingerprinting

The next step is to schedule a fingerprinting appointment. Instructions for this step are included in your tentative job offer, and you will receive a follow up email requesting you to schedule your fingerprinting at one of our approved sites. Once fingerprinting is completed, the IRS will initiate a preliminary background check, tax compliance check, and investigate any previous conduct issues. We call these suitability checks, and this process normally takes 2-3 weeks.

• Firm Job Offer

After the IRS has completed a favorable suitability check, we will issue a Firm Job Offer. The firm job offer provides official details of the position, the starting salary, the post of duty (work location) and the start date. You must accept or decline the Firm Job Offer within 3 days and complete any requested forms at that time. Failure to do so will result in your offer being rescinded. The Firm Job Offer will be sent approximately two weeks prior to your official start date.

Important: Do not give notice to existing employers until that firm offer is received and accepted.

Congratulations on making it through the federal hiring process – we will look forward to welcoming you aboard!

USAJOBS is an official website of the United States government and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) where all IRS job opportunities that are open to the public are posted and where you will apply for our positions. This is where you will begin and be able to track your application’s progress through the IRS’ hiring system. If you have already found the position that interests you, you will be prompted to take these steps after hitting the Apply button. If you have already created a USAJOBS account, you will be prompted to log in. 

Here is a quick summary on how the federal application process works on USAJOBS: 

1. Create an account with login.gov

First, you need to create an account with login.gov.

2. Create a USAJOBS profile

With a USAJOBS profile you can:

• Apply to any job on USAJOBS.

• Save jobs you're interested in.

• Save and automate job searches.

• Upload and save resumes or create one using our resume builder.

• Upload and save required documents.

• Have a more personalized experience.

3. Prepare your application

Before you click the Apply button to start your application, check out our Application Preparation page, which provides tips for writing an effective resume, and much more!

Once you begin the application process, you can review, edit, and delete your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes.

4. Submit your application

When your application is ready in USAJOBS, USAJOBS will send you to the IRS’ agency application system to submit your application. Before you submit, you may need to complete other agency-required steps such as:

• Providing more personal information.

• Providing more documentation.

• Answering eligibility questions.

• Completing an occupational questionnaire—look for a preview of the questions under the Required documents section.

It may take you longer to apply to some jobs than others, because some jobs require more information than others.

After you submit your application, go back to the Application section of your USAJOBS account and make sure the IRS received your application. Your application status will say you applied with the date you submitted your application and if it went through.

You can always check the status of your application in your USAJOBS profile with the Track This Application link.

How long will it take to receive an updated status?

It may take a few hours, after you submit your application, for the IRS to update your status. You may also receive an email confirmation from the IRS application system.

So now that you have applied, what’s next? Click here to learn the next steps in our hiring process. 

If you don’t find the best position for your talent and abilities today, come back to check again in a few days. We announce new career opportunities each week. Or, if you set up a Job Search Agent on USAJOBS, you’ll be able to receive email notices of our latest IRS vacancies in your favorite job series automatically — we do the searching for you.

Letting us do the searching for you:

You can use the Job Search Agent on USAJOBS to receive email notices of new IRS vacancies. First, you must create an account. Simply:

1. Go to USAJOBS
2. Click on "MY USAJOBS" in the main navigation.
3. Click on "Create Your Account Now!"
4. Complete the form and click on the "Submit" button.

Now you are ready to create a Search Agent. 

TIPS: You must have:

• Your Social Security Number
• An email address
• An electronic copy of your resume

If you are logged in to USAJOBS:

1. Click on "My Job Search Agents."
2. Click on "Create New Agent."

Now you are able to create a profile to receive IRS email notices. 
Select:

• "All" for the Location Search
• "Job Categories"
• "Occupational Series"
• Under "Agencies," choose: Internal Revenue Service.

Once you have completed your Search Agent, click on "Save Agent."

You can create up to five Search Agents - and, each one will send you email notices when a job listing matches your job criteria.