Being named a Top Federal Senior Executive Solutions 2026 leader by Gov Business Review validates my up-to-date knowledge of the Senior Executive Service (SES) application process.
Over the years, I have trained thousands of senior-level (GS-14/15, Candidate Development Program (CDP) participants and military officers) at government and military organizations, as well as C-suite executives across the USA and in Europe, to apply for and attain SES appointments. I have also written hundreds of SES application portfolios and coached applicants to navigate the SES interview process, and I have written scores of Presidential Rank Award (PRA) nominations.
Over the past year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) changed the application process for SES applicants from a lengthy written application portfolio (up to 22 pages) that included a 5-page resume, 10 pages of leadership essays focused on the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ), and additional Technical Qualification (TQ) essays.
Today, the SES application is a 2-page ECQ/TQ-focused document, an agency interview, and an OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB) interview; both are ECQ-focused structured interviews. Twenty pages of resume material and essays need to be boiled down into 2 pages maximum.
Writing the SES Résumé
The new 2-page SES/ECQ-based résumé is very strategic. The small 2-page landscape needs to include 15 to 20 years of leadership experience, education, publications, awards, certifications, other qualifying factors per the announcement, and several short, bulleted accomplishment stories aligned to the ECQs/TQs.
To begin, learn and understand the new ECQs and the sub-competencies:
1. Commitment to the Rule of Law (Knowledge of the American System of Government, Commitment to the Rule of Law, Civic-mindedness)
2. Driving Efficiencies (Fiscal Responsibility, Managing Resources, Leveraging Technology)
3. Merit & Competence (Technical Skill, Problem Solving, Agility & Resilience)
4. Leading People (Accountability, Executive Judgment, Developing Others)
5. Achieving Results (Operational Mindset, Innovation, Strategic Thinking)
Craft executive-level ECQ examples rather than project management or process-oriented stories. Weave short Challenge, Actions, Results stories into the résumé’s chronology. Focus on recent, higher-grade accomplishment stories and include performance metrics and numbers.
Preparation Timeline
I work with my clients to plan early to apply for SES applications. I recommend developing the SES résumé now and modifying it when an announcement posts to integrate the TQs. If you wait, you may struggle to craft a well-written 2-page SES/ECQ-focused résumé on time to meet the closing date.
Also, the new process for developing the SES application materials is now the opposite of the process of the past 20+ years.
If you prepare for the agency and QRB interviews first and write one-page accomplishment stories in the CCAR (Context/Challenge/Actions/Results) format, then, when you develop the résumé, you have the foundation of the scripts needed for the 45-minute QRB ECQ-based structured interview. If you wait to see if you are invited for an interview and you do not have story outlines prepared, you may find yourself ill-equipped for these new interviews.
This year, I have written several of the new 2-page SES/ECQ resumes and coached my clients to effectively, confidently, and successfully pass the agency and QRB structured interviews.
To be chosen as the Top Federal Senior Executive Solutions 2026 leader is a huge honor.
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