KSA Factors

KSAs—an acronym for Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities—are a set of questions to help determine if you are a good fit for a job, based on (you guessed it!) your combined set of job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Vacancy announcements list the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities an agency wants to see in a candidate. In your application you need to describe in writing how your experiences match the desired KSA factors. KSAs are very important to federal employers—how far you get in the application process will likely be determined by your ability to convincingly address these factors. Be sure to include as much information as you can that responds to each KSA factor, even if that information is already included on your federal resume.

Isn't My Resume Enough?

In a word, no. A resume is an important component of the job application process, but addressing the KSAs listed in a federal job opening gives you an extra chance to draw attention to your strengths and expand upon the specific factors the agency is looking for. Don’t exclude anything from your KSA responses just because it is on your resume.

Decoding KSAs

Think of KSAs as a set of interview questions. This way, you can look at the KSAs as an opportunity to use real-life examples to sell the experiences, education, and activities listed on your resume. Below are examples of real job openings and their associated KSAs from USAJobs.gov, plus a question that an interviewer might ask to get at the same information.

A Job Announcement For	…Includes a KSA That Reads	…Which is Like an Interviewer Asking
Investigative Assistant GS 5/6	Ability to gather facts and communicate findings clearly, both orally and in writing.	“Tell me about a project you worked on in school or in a previous job in which you had to write a report and present the findings to an audience.”
Accountant GS 5-12	Professional knowledge of accounting methods, principles and procedures in order to evaluate, design, implement and modify systems for adequacy and accuracy of accounting information.	“What accounting methods and principles have you learned that will enable you to evaluate or modify accounting systems? Also, can you tell me about any internships or school projects in which you utilized accounting methods and principles, and how you used them?”
Park Ranger GS 7	Knowledge of recreation site operation and maintenance techniques and ability to apply them to work.	“I see you volunteered regularly at the regional nature center during your four years in college, and that you worked as a life guard for a few summers. What did you learn in those experiences and how would you apply it to this job?”
Microbiologist GS 7-9	Knowledge of safety procedures and safe handling of hazardous biological agents.	“What experience do you have working in a lab with hazardous biological agents? If somebody in your lab accidentally knocked over a hazardous sample, what procedures would you follow?”
Intelligence Specialist GS-9	Skill at making presentations in front of a group.	“Tell me about a time when you had to make a persuasive argument, perhaps for a class project or internship. Tell me about another time when you had to make a presentation for a large audience and the tools and techniques you used.”