Announcement Decoding & Eligibility

Translates a full USAJOBS announcement into plain language, pulling out what the job actually requires, who can apply, and what the key deadlines and steps are. Use it when you open an announcement and the government language makes it hard to tell whether you qualify or what to do next.

## Context
You are helping [APPLICANT NAME], a [BRANCH OF SERVICE] veteran or transitioning service member, read and understand a USAJOBS job announcement. The applicant is trying to figure out what the job requires, whether they are eligible to apply, and what steps to take before the deadline. The full announcement text is pasted below.

Applicant background: [APPLICANT BACKGROUND SUMMARY]
Announcement text: [FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT]

## Task
Read the full announcement and produce a plain-language summary with these sections:
1. What the job is: the role, the agency, the location, and the pay band or grade range, in two to three plain sentences.
2. Who can apply: list each hiring path the announcement is open to, in plain language. Note which paths veterans typically qualify under and which require specific documents.
3. What the minimum qualifications are: education, experience, and any specialized experience statement, in plain terms. Flag the specialized experience requirement specifically as it is the most common screen-out.
4. What documents you need to apply: list every document the announcement requires, with a note on where veterans typically get each one.
5. Key dates: application close date, any other deadlines mentioned.
6. What happens after you apply: the evaluation process the announcement describes.
7. Plain-language alert: any unusual requirement, restriction, or eligibility condition that is easy to miss.

## Standards
- Use only what the announcement text says. Do not add requirements or benefits not stated in the announcement.
- Translate jargon: write "competitive service" as "the standard federal hiring track," write "non-competitive appointment" as "a hiring path that lets you be hired without competing against other applicants," and so on. Define every term the first time it appears.
- Do not determine whether [APPLICANT NAME] qualifies. That is a screen, not a decode. The decode tells them what the standard is so they can check themselves.
- Do not promise selection, a referral certificate, or an interview. Federal hiring is competitive and no outcome can be guaranteed.
- If the announcement is missing required sections or is ambiguous on a key requirement, flag that gap. Tell the applicant to contact the HR point of contact listed in the announcement, not to assume.
- Do not invent experience, GS grades, dates, hours per week, clearance levels, or qualifications the applicant did not state. If a specific named input is missing or ambiguous, ask before drafting.

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

Announcement decoded: Logistics Management Specialist, GS-0346-09/11, Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN. Announcement number: VA-26-TN-12345.

What the job is:
This is a full-time permanent position managing supply chain and logistics operations at a VA medical center in Nashville. The grade range is GS-9 to GS-11, meaning the agency may hire at either level depending on qualifications. Pay in the Nashville locality ranges from approximately $55,000 to $85,000 depending on grade and step.

Who can apply:
The announcement is open to three groups. First, federal employees in the competitive service (people already in federal civilian jobs on a permanent basis). Second, veterans hiring path (veterans who served on active duty and were discharged under honorable conditions, which includes transitioning service members within 120 days of separation). Third, military spouses. If you are a transitioning service member or veteran, the veterans hiring path is almost certainly the one you qualify under. You will need a DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, Member 4 copy) to claim this path.

Minimum qualifications:
For the GS-9 level, you need either a master's degree, or one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 level federal work. For GS-11, you need either a Ph.D., or one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9. The specialized experience statement reads: 'Experience coordinating the movement, storage, and accountability of supplies or equipment; analyzing logistics data to identify process gaps; and preparing written reports for management review.' This statement is the key screen. Your resume must demonstrate this experience in your own words.

Documents required:
- Resume (federal format, no page limit, must include hours per week for each position)
- DD-214 Member 4 copy (to claim veterans preference or veterans hiring path)
- SF-15 Application for 10-Point Veterans Preference, plus supporting documents, if you claim a disability rating or other 10-point preference
- Transcripts if you are using education to qualify

Key dates:
Application close: July 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

After you apply:
The announcement states that HR will review applications for minimum qualifications first. Applicants who meet minimum qualifications and are among the best qualified will be referred to the hiring manager. The announcement uses category rating, meaning you will be placed in a Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified category based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Veterans with preference points are placed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category.

Plain-language alert:
The announcement states that self-certifying a clearance level you do not hold will result in disqualification. Also, the assessment questionnaire asks you to rate your own experience on a scale of 1 to 5. Your resume must support every rating you select. Rating yourself higher than your resume supports is a fast path to being rated ineligible.

Checks whether your actual experience meets the specialized experience statement in a federal announcement and shows you how to frame it on your resume so an HR specialist can see the match. Use it before writing your resume, not after.

## Context
You are helping [APPLICANT NAME], a [BRANCH OF SERVICE] veteran or transitioning service member, analyze the specialized experience requirement in a specific USAJOBS announcement. Specialized experience is the single most common reason federal applications are rated ineligible. HR specialists read resumes literally. If your resume does not explicitly describe the experience using language that maps to the requirement, it does not count, even if you did the work.

Specialized experience statement from the announcement (paste it exactly): [SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE STATEMENT]

Applicant's work history (each position: title, employer or unit, dates, hours per week, key duties as you would describe them today): [WORK HISTORY]

Grade level applying for: [TARGET GRADE]

## Task
For each element of the specialized experience statement:
1. Quote the element.
2. Identify the closest experience in the applicant's work history.
3. Rate the match: Strong (the resume, as written, clearly supports it), Partial (the experience exists but the resume does not make it explicit), or Gap (no clear experience to draw from).
4. Write a suggested resume bullet that accurately describes the applicant's real experience using language that mirrors the element. Do not invent duties. Only reframe what the applicant actually did.

Close with a readiness summary: overall assessment of whether the work history supports the specialized experience claim, and which elements most need resume attention.

## Standards
- Work only from the duties and dates the applicant provided. Do not invent experience, titles, units, projects, clearance levels, or outcomes not stated.
- Suggested resume bullets must be accurate. Reframing means using federal language for real experience, not describing work the applicant did not perform.
- Hours per week affect whether the experience counts toward time-in-grade requirements. Note if that information is missing for a key position.
- Military experience translates directly. Use civilian-readable language in the suggested bullets, but keep the substance of what the service member actually did.
- If a gap is identified, say so plainly. Do not soften a gap into a partial match to encourage the applicant to apply.
- Do not promise that a strong match guarantees referral. The specialized experience check is the first gate, not the whole evaluation.
- Do not invent experience, GS grades, dates, hours per week, clearance levels, or qualifications the applicant did not state. If a specific named input is missing or ambiguous, ask before drafting.

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

Applicant: Marcus Hale. Series: GS-2210 IT Specialist (Customer Support). Grade: GS-9.

Specialized experience statement: 'One year of experience equivalent to GS-7 that includes: (1) providing IT customer support in response to help desk tickets or user requests; (2) installing, configuring, or troubleshooting hardware and software in a networked environment; (3) documenting technical problems and resolutions in a tracking system.'

Element 1: IT customer support via help desk or user requests.
Closest experience: Marcus served as the unit IT support NCO (non-commissioned officer) for a 300-person aviation battalion from 2018 to 2020, responding to user issues across classified and unclassified networks.
Match: Strong. The experience is directly on point.
Suggested bullet: 'Served as primary IT support contact for 300-person organization, responding to and resolving hardware and software issues on both classified and unclassified networks; average 15 to 20 support requests per week.'

Element 2: Installing, configuring, or troubleshooting hardware and software in a networked environment.
Closest experience: Marcus lists 'set up computers and printers for new arrivals' in the same assignment.
Match: Partial. The experience exists but the current description does not convey networked environment or configuration work.
Suggested bullet: 'Installed and configured desktop computers, laptops, and network printers for incoming personnel; resolved connectivity issues on a Windows-based domain environment serving a geographically dispersed organization.'

Element 3: Documenting technical problems and resolutions in a tracking system.
Closest experience: Marcus does not mention a tracking system in his provided history.
Match: Gap. If Marcus used any ticketing or logging system (Army Remedy, a unit log, or similar), that needs to be added. If not, this element is unaddressed.

Readiness summary: Two of three elements are supportable. Element 3 is a real gap. Before applying, Marcus should think carefully about whether he logged any issues in any format during his IT support role. If he did, that detail needs to be on the resume. If he genuinely did not, he should consider whether this gap weakens his application enough to look for a different announcement.

Explains the time-in-grade requirement as it applies to your current grade and the grade you are targeting, so you know whether you are eligible before you apply. Reach for it when a merit promotion announcement lists a grade you want to target and you are not sure whether your current time in grade qualifies you.

## Context
You are helping [APPLICANT NAME], a [CURRENT GS GRADE OR PAY BAND] federal employee (or a veteran applying under Schedule A or veterans preference), understand the time-in-grade requirement for a target position. Current position details: [CURRENT POSITION TITLE AND GRADE]. Time in current grade: [TIME IN CURRENT GRADE, e.g., 8 months, 14 months]. Target announcement: [ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER AND TARGET GRADE]. Any relevant appointment type or hiring path: [HIRING PATH, e.g., competitive service, excepted service, Schedule A, 30 percent or more disabled veteran].

## Task
Explain whether [APPLICANT NAME] meets the time-in-grade requirement for the target grade based on the information provided. Cover: what the standard time-in-grade rule is for the target grade; whether [TIME IN CURRENT GRADE] satisfies that rule; any exceptions that may apply given [HIRING PATH]; and what to do if the rule is not yet met.

## Standards
- State the general OPM time-in-grade rule plainly: one year at the next lower grade is the standard for GS positions filled under merit promotion. Do not soften or overstate it.
- Flag that some positions, pay bands, or excepted service appointments have different rules, and tell the applicant to verify against the specific announcement and OPM guidance.
- If [HIRING PATH] suggests an exception may apply, name the exception and tell the applicant to confirm it with the hiring agency's HR office before applying.
- Do not claim the applicant meets or does not meet eligibility with certainty if the information provided is incomplete. Ask for what is missing.
- Do not invent GS grades, time in grade, appointment types, or dates not provided by the applicant.
- If a specific named input is missing or ambiguous, ask before drafting the explanation.

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

Applicant: Marcus Hale. Current grade: GS-7, Supply Technician. Time in grade: 10 months. Target: GS-9 Logistics Management Specialist, Announcement VA-2026-0441.

Time-in-grade rule for GS-9 under merit promotion:
The standard rule requires one year (52 weeks) at the GS-7 level or higher before you can be promoted to GS-9 through a competitive merit promotion announcement. At 10 months, Marcus has not yet met the 52-week threshold.

What this means for this announcement:
If the closing date of VA-2026-0441 is more than two months away, Marcus may reach the 52-week mark before the announcement closes or before a selection is made. Some agencies count the time served through the date of appointment rather than the closing date. Check the announcement's eligibility section and contact the agency HR office to ask which date they use.

Possible exceptions to check:
- The announcement may state it is also open under an all-conditions-of-employment or delegated examining authority, which can waive time-in-grade for applicants not already in the competitive service. Look at the "Who May Apply" section.
- Veterans applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) who are eligible for merit promotion consideration should review whether the agency accepts VEOA applications on this announcement.

Bottom line: At 10 months, Marcus does not yet meet the standard rule. Verify the counting date with the agency HR office and check whether a non-merit path on this announcement is open to him.