Button
Six variants (primary, secondary, accent, neutral, ghost, outline), three sizes, default and pill shapes.
Tokens
--primary--secondary--accent--radius-md--radius-full--font-primaryVariants
Sizes
Shape
State
Brand Standards Manualv1.1.0 · 2024-09-26
We wrote the book on federal resumes.
Document
ClientResume Place
Established1973
Issued2024-09-26
Versionv1.1.0
Statusactive
Engagement2024
Federal resumes. Books. Training. Certification.
1.0 HeritageResume Place — Brand Standards
We wrote the book on federal resumes.
Turning obstacles into opportunities for almost 50 years.
The Resume Place, Inc. was the first-ever federal resume writing service. Since 1973 we've seen a fair share of competitors and imitators, but there is only one original.
1.1
Origin
When The Resume Place was founded.
When The Resume Place was founded, we were essentially a design and print studio that employed storytellers to help people tell their unique career stories within the confines of a federal resume.
The internet did not exist, everything was done on paper, and people literally showed up at our door to get help. Some of us still remember the smell of ink, paper, and sweat when many eager job seekers would walk into our K Street office on a hot DC summer day.
1.2
Character
The Resume Place is cut-and-dried but certainly not dry or dull.
Honest · Charismatic · Empowering · Invigorating · Irreverent · Timeless · Visionary · Authentic · Intelligent
1.3
Pillars
Building on a Legacy
Originators and Innovators
Over 50+ years of responding to Washington's changing rules, regulations, and culture.
The New Institution
Educators and Resource Center
Giving people the tools to transform their careers and their lives. Guiding leaders in finding the most qualified candidates.
Empowering + Inspiring
Advocating for Changemakers
Empowering people to advance themselves by properly highlighting their talents, skills, accomplishments, and being their best selves.
“The Resume Place helps people write new chapters in their story of service and commitment to America.”
2.0 ColorResume Place — Brand Standards
Inspired by a colorful cast of characters.
Finding our true colors.
For almost half a century, we've helped people further their careers and build a legacy in the service of our country. The brand's colors are as warm, vibrant, and sharp as the people who have come through our doors over the decades.
2.1
Palette
Select any step to copy its hex. The widest step in each ramp is the working default.
orange
Pantone 8923 C · #C040003 stepsblue
Pantone 2767 C · #0F264C6 stepsneutral
Pantone 8403 C · #5B5E603 stepsBase
Paper · #FFFFFF2 steps2.2
Semantic roles
The palette mapped to intent. Values are copyable.
Semantic roles23 tokens
3.0 TypographyResume Place — Brand Standards
A fresh but familiar face.
Balancing novelty and familiarity.
We have designed the secondary brand elements to give people a simple bridge from the old identity to the new, helping avoid confusion and giving them an opening to refamiliarize themselves with our brand.
3.1
Typefaces
Aa
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
primaryMessina SansRoman Wilhelm · Lineto
Aa
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
editorialMessina Serif
Aa
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
monoMessina Sans Mono
Aa
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
condensedMessina Sans Condensed
3.2
Hierarchy
Every role stacked the way it ships.
Hierarchy in use5 roles
Display
Federal careers, served.
Hero headlines and the wordmark.
Headline
Honoring the legacy. Writing the next chapter.
Section headlines, subheads, emphasis.
Editorial
A brand that has held a category since 1973.
Long-form publishing and federal-aesthetic moments.
Body
Five service entry points, one homepage. The Ten Steps shelf has anchored federal career publishing for decades.
Workhorse copy across editorial print, marketing, and product UI.
Mono
OPM · SES · ECQ · CFJST · CFCC
House treatment is all-caps with extra tracking.
4.0 LogoResume Place — Brand Standards
Wordmark. Logomark. Lockup.
The marks that hold the system together.
The Resume Place wordmark is the primary mark. The checkmark logomark is shorthand. They are documented as separate elements, and should rarely be paired together.
4.1
Marks
5.0 PhotographyResume Place — Brand Standards
Less Talk, More Walk.
Photography selection, made simpler.
The following are some basic guidelines to help guide art direction decisions when planning a photo shoot, procuring stock photography, or browsing our back catalog of images.
5.1
Direction
5.2
Selection questions
Ask these of every photograph.
Does this reflect our audience?
The subjects in our image selection should reflect the federal workforce population. Consider demographic factors, keywords, and composition when selecting images.
What is this image saying?
Let the picture speak for itself, but always make sure it is in conversation with surrounding content and not clashing.
How do we want our audience to feel?
The simplest way to gauge the emotion of an image is to reference our brand character list. To invoke optimism, focus on the brand character words that best align with that emotion: visionary, charismatic, empowering.
5.3
Themes
Washington, DC
General use for all federal-career related content.
Classes and Conferences
Training and consulting.
Studying and Online Learning
General use, publishing, and online learning.
Families
General use for all career-related content. Military families and spouses.
6.0 VoiceResume Place — Brand Standards
Cut-and-dried but certainly not dry or dull.
Charismatic · Empowering · Plainspoken
6.1
Principles
Lead with the work
Federal hiring is technical. Name the rule, the document, the window. Earn the reader’s time with a specific signal.
Hold the warmth
Fifty years of helping people serve. The voice respects the seriousness of the moment without losing its humanity.
Plainspoken authority
No federal jargon for its own sake. Short sentences. Direct verbs. Sources cited when stakes are high.
6.3
Vocabulary
Words we use
federal resumeUSAJOBSECQsthe five-page narrativeSenior Executive ServiceGS levelsOPMKSAsaccomplishmentfederal-to-privatecapability statementTen Steps to a Federal Jobthe originalsince 1973
Words we never use
career pivotland your dream jobrockstarninjaguruleveragesynergygame-changersecret sauceone-size-fits-allspray and prayjust a resumestep down
6.4
Prompt kit
Ready-to-run prompts for anyone writing as Resume Place.
Hero line
Write a hero line for the {surface} aimed at {audience}. Lead with Resume Place's federal expertise since 1973. Plainspoken and charismatic, never hype or urgency. One sentence. No emoji, no exclamation points.
herosubhead
Newsletter intro
Write a 2-3 sentence intro for The Federal Career Newsletter on {topic}. Open with a plainspoken reframe of the reader's situation, then promise one specific, usable payoff. Audience: {audience}. Hold the warmth; respect the stakes.
newsletteremail_body
Persona outreach email
Draft a short outreach email to {persona}. Name their exact situation in the first line. Offer the specific Resume Place service that fits (ECQ review, federal-to-private translation, certification). One clear next step. No false urgency, no generic flattery.
email_subjectemail_body
Federal-to-private bullet rewrite
Rewrite this USAJOBS resume bullet for a private-sector recruiter who reads it in six seconds: {bullet}. Keep the accomplishment and scope. Drop the federal jargon. Lead with the outcome. Do not downplay the federal experience or frame the move as a step down.
body
ECQ explainer
Explain ECQs (Executive Core Qualifications) plainly to {audience}. Say what they are, why they matter, and what makes them hard, in three short sentences. Authority without jargon. Cite the OPM requirement if it sharpens the point.
bodylede
Agency capability opener
Write the opening paragraph of a capability statement for {agency_lead}. Lead with proven curriculum and a credentialed trainer bench. Speak to procurement and compliance. Plainspoken, substantive, no marketing fluff. Show the receipts.
bodyannouncement
7.0 AudienceResume Place — Brand Standards
Federal job seekers, the federal employees and executives now moving into the private sector, and the agencies and trainers who carry the work forward.
7.1
Personas
The Transitioning Federal Employee
risingFederal employee moving to the private sector
A current or recently separated fed facing a reduction in force, a reorganization, or plain uncertainty. They have a decade of real federal accomplishments and a resume built for USAJOBS, not for a private recruiter who reads it in six seconds. The move is not a step down. Their federal experience is the most valuable thing on the page, once it is translated.
The Senior Executive
risingSES candidate or senior leader, federal or private
A senior leader applying to the Senior Executive Service, or carrying executive-level federal experience into the private sector. The documents are heavier and the stakes are higher: ECQs, the five-page narrative, the two-page executive resume. They expect a partner who has written at this level for years and who treats their time accordingly.
The Career-Advancing Applicant
coreFederal job seeker, GS-7 through GS-15
Someone with real accomplishments and no clear way to fit them into a federal resume. Mid-career or moving into government, facing OPM rules, GS levels, and a USAJOBS form that does not reward modesty. They want to serve, and they want the work they have already done to count.
The Agency Training Lead
demotedFederal agency HR, procurement, or workforce-development lead
Responsible for finding qualified candidates and training the people already inside the agency. They buy SES ECQ workshops, trainer certifications, and curriculum on a government rate and a government timeline. They need a partner who has done this for decades and can show the receipts.
The Certified Trainer-Coach
demotedTen Steps Certified Writer, Trainer, or Coach (CFRW, CFJST, CFCC)
An educator or career-services professional who teaches the federal job search using the Ten Steps curriculum. They earned their certification through the program and carry the methodology into resource centers, military transition offices, and private practice. They are both the brand's audience and its extension into the field.
8.0 Sub-brandsResume Place — Brand Standards
8.1
The wider system
Ten Steps to a Federal Job®
shippedCurriculum + Certification Program
The Ten Steps shelf is one of the most prominent ways customers engage with The Resume Place, through the many book editions, training sessions, and the sheer wealth of information and opportunity associated with the brand. Familiar design elements from the previous Ten Steps brand (banners, stars, flags) are combined with new brand elements (color, logomarks) to enforce the connection between the Resume Place's legacy and its future.
CCAR Accomplishment Builder
shippedFree tool, Resume Toolbox family
Part of the Resume Toolbox family. A simple encapsulation of the brand typography used for other familiar products and programming. The straightforward box motif around 'BUILDER' links the product back to the family of tools.
Executive Leadership Training Program (ELTP)
shippedAgency training program
The executive leadership training offering for government agencies, delivered live and online. The mark ships in box, horizontal, and online variants so it can sit in course catalogs, slide decks, and the learning platform.
Resume Place Online Learning
shippedLearning platform
The self-paced learning surface: courses, videos, and the resource center that supports certification students and jobseekers between sessions.
9.0 ApplicationsResume Place — Brand Standards
9.1
In the world
Business Identity Set
Full-color business identity system. Print specs to be added.
Certificate
Issued for Resume Place certification programs.
digital
Presentation Template
Brand-aligned presentation template for workshops, training, and agency-facing decks.
10.0 Design SystemResume Place — Brand Standards
Foundations / Spacing
Spacing
The brand's spacing scale and container widths. Mono-keyed for scan, not for memorization.
Scale
13 steps14px
28px
312px
416px
520px
624px
832px
1040px
1248px
1664px
2080px
2496px
32128px
1 4px. Micro2 8px. Tight4 16px. Base6 24px. Comfortable8 32px. Spacious12 48px. Section gap16 64px. Large section32 128px. Hero breathing room
Containers
3 widthsnarrow720px
Reading / form / long-form article width
max1140px
Standard content width
wide1440px
Marketing hero / dashboard width
Foundations / Radius
Radius
Corner-radius tokens. Small UI sharp. Large surfaces soft. Pills and avatars full.
none
0
sm
4px
md
6px
lg
12px
full
9999px
Foundations / Motion
Motion
Durations and easings. Conservative product-UI motion. Quick hovers, gentle transitions, no theatrics.
Duration
4 durationsinstant
0ms
No animation (reduced-motion fallback)
fast
150ms
Hover, focus, micro-interactions
normal
300ms
Standard transitions
slow
500ms
Reveals, page transitions
Easing
4 curvesdefault
500ms
Standard ease. Most transitions
in
500ms
Ease-in. Exits
out
500ms
Ease-out. Entrances
linear
500ms
Linear. Progress and continuous motion only
Components
Component library
A token-driven component set. Every component reads from the brand scope above. Swap the brand and the same components reskin without code changes.
Input
Text input, textarea, and label. Standard size scale with hover and focus states tied to the primary token.
Tokens
--primary--base-300--background--foreground--radius-mdSizes
State
With label
Card
Default, soft, and outlined surfaces. Composable header, body, and footer regions.
Tokens
--background--base-100--base-200--base-300--radius-lgDefault
Standard surface for product UI. Sits on the base background with a subtle border.
Soft
A muted variant for secondary content. Reads as supporting, not primary.
Outlined
Transparent background with a defined edge. Good for placement over decorated surfaces.
Badge
Status indicators and chips. Pulls from brand and status tokens for semantic meaning.
Tokens
--primary--accent--success--warning--danger--radius-fullBrand
PrimarySecondaryAccentNeutralSoft
Status
InfoSuccessWarningDanger
Size
SmallMedium
Avatar
Image or initials, four sizes, optional brand tone for placeholder fills.
Tokens
--primary--secondary--accent--neutral--radius-fullSizes
HL
CL
EA
YL
Tones
P
S
A
N
Tabs
Underline and pill variants. Active tab uses the primary token; inactive tabs sit at 60 percent foreground.
Tokens
--primary--foreground--base-100--base-300Underline
Active lesson workspace.
Pill
Home view content.
Patterns
Composed patterns
The applied design studies, ported onto the platform and driven entirely by the tokens above. Two registers: the document stays ATS-quiet (ink, Messina, mono federal data); the frame carries the brand (navy ground, bright-blue signal, tangelo as a whisper).
Accent discipline · buttons & pills
Tangelo is rare: one primary action per view. Bright book-cover blue carries the signal; navy is the ground. Condensed handles acronyms and editions.
Composes
ButtonPillMono noteCondensed labelsStart your résumé →Bright blueNavyQuietText link →
Ten StepsOPM ruleSES · ECQWebinarArchive
ONE tangelo action per view. Bright blue carries the signal. Navy is the ground.
Federal job block · the mono data strip
The metadata a federal résumé must carry — series/grade, hours per week, salary, supervisor may-contact — set in Messina Mono as a bordered strip. The title is the one Serif moment in the document body.
Composes
Serif titleMono stripCondensed cell labelsManagement & Program Analyst
Bureau of Land Management — U.S. Dept. of the Interior
May 2021 – Present
CCAR accomplishment · result in the signal
Four labeled beats — Context · Challenge · Action · Result — so a hiring manager scans it in six seconds. Only the quantified result carries the bright-blue signal.
Composes
Serif folioCondensed beat labelsMono metricSignal blue01Cleared a 14-month FOIA backlog and ended the bureau’s litigation exposure.
ContextBureau carried 1,200 overdue FOIA requests across three field offices.
ChallengeNo triage system; two pending lawsuits and an open IG audit finding.
ActionBuilt a priority-scoring workflow; trained 6 records staff; set weekly SLAs.
ResultCut the backlog 38% in two quarters with zero new litigation referrals.
Analysis rail · frame register
Lives only in the frame, never on the paper. Big thin-Serif match numeral in bright blue (same family as the marketing hero stats); covered keywords sit calm, a single required-but-missing term is the one tangelo whisper.
Composes
Serif numeralSignal meterMono keyword chipsTangelo gapMatch score
96%to the
announcement
announcement
Keyword coverage · 11 / 12
program analysisFOIArecords mgmtdata visualizationGS-0343auditstakeholder! data governance
Screens
Real screens
Composed pages built from the foundations, components, and patterns above. Live, not stills. The marketing homepage and the résumé workbench — the two surfaces the whole system exists to serve.
01
Marketing homepage
We wrote the book on the federal résumé.
The marketing surface. The light editorial hero with its USAJOBS-ready preview card and serif proof stats, the navy Ten Steps books band with bright-blue covers, the "not dry, nor dull" character quote, the three-practice pillars, the core-services icon system, the articles and live-events bands, and the darkest-ground CTA. Navy is the ground; tangelo whispers once per view.
resumeplace.com
The original federal résumé service · since 1973Books & ShopCart (0)202 · 491 · 6498
Start a consultation →
Since 1973The original federal résumé service
Ten Steps®The methodology agencies train on
CertifiedFederal job search trainers and coaches
HundredsOf federal careers advised, and counting
Federal career articlesUpdated weekly
Browse all articles →The latest federal career articles.
01
Who we serveRP / Audience
Fifty years of federal résumés. Now for every career move.
Fifty years inside the federal hiring system taught us how a résumé wins. That expertise now works across the whole field, from the first federal job to the senior executive panel, and out into the private market.
02
What changedRP / The rules
The federal résumé rules changed in 2026.
The 2026 guidance rewrites how a federal application is supposed to read. We have tracked every OPM format era since 1973, so when a rule moves we already know what it means for your page.
Format2026
The two-page federal résumé
Agencies are moving off the old five-page outline to a tight two-page format. Every accomplishment now has to earn its line. We have written to this length since the day it was announced.
Narrative2026
Federal essay résumés
Some announcements now ask for a short narrative in place of a duties list. It reads like a story and scores like a qualification. Most applicants have never written one. We have.
Language2026
Plain-language applications
The new guidance pushes for skills-based, plain-language packages over jargon and acronyms. A clearer page that a human and an ATS both read the same way.
03
How it worksRP / The method
A certified writer writes your résumé, start to finish.
- 01Share
Hand us what you have
Drop your current résumé up top, or come as you are. We read your roles, dates, series and grade. No blank form to fight.
- 02Strategize
A certified writer reads it against a real posting
One hour with a consultant who measures your history against the announcement and names exactly what wins the referral.
- 03Delivered
We write your federal-format draft
You get a finished, OPM-correct résumé written to the current two-page format, not a template, not a wizard. Written for you.
Start a consultation →$210 · one hour · certified writer
04
We wrote the book · order directRP / Bookstore
The books the field still trains on.
Jobseeker’s Guide, 10th Ed.
Ten Steps to a Federal Job® — the methodology agencies still train on, for military and spouses.
From$21.95
Federal Resume Guidebook, 8th Ed.
The book on the two-page federal résumé. Keyword sets, accomplishment stories, real before-and-afters.
From$21.95
The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses®
The federal job search for active-duty spouses: the four hiring paths and how to win on each.
From$15.95
Transitioning Your Federal Résumé
Moving between federal and private industry: how to convert the record so the other market reads it.
From$29.95Shop all books →
06
Teach the methodRP / Certification
Get certified to train others.
Since 2002 we have certified career counselors, workforce staff, and HR teams to teach federal résumé writing and the federal job search. A three-day program, train-the-trainer, with the books, the agenda, and the credential to run it yourself.
3-day certification · curriculum + license includedSee certification dates →
CFJST®
Certified Federal Job Search Trainer
For workforce, employment, and transition counselors who teach the federal job search.
CFRC®
Certified Federal Résumé Coach
For coaches and HR staff who write and review the federal résumé one-on-one.
07
Success storiesRP / Testimonials
In their words.
Success storyOn working with Kathryn directly
“More than a half-dozen federal job offers.
Kathryn Troutman, the owner of The Resume Place, literally wrote the book on federal resume writing. Her personalized feedback and coaching has been absolutely invaluable in helping me receive more than a half-dozen federal job offers (and still counting). Particularly in a few instances when I feel I’ve hit a wall, Kathryn always seems to know what I’m doing wrong and how to fix my mistake.
An offer the next day.
We discussed and reworked my résumé, also developing a suitable cover letter. I sent it out to four potential employers, and I was amazed to receive an outstanding offer the next day. True story, and I am grateful to Resume Place for the exceptional result.
A federal résumé in under a week.
Rita dedicated herself to understanding my concerns with my old resume. In under a week, she took my federal employment history with its disparate collection of duties and accomplishments and helped me craft an easy-to-read professional resume.
Ready for an SES interview.
Before a key agency Senior Executive Service interview, Kathryn efficiently designed an interview simulation, application, and post-op review. Her no-nonsense guidance provided lifelong tips on the “Last 5 Percent” interview elements crucial to placement success. I could tell the positive difference during the extensive agency interview that followed.
02
The résumé workbench
CenterpieceA two-page federal résumé, set in the system.
The centerpiece, and the artifact at the center of the business. The two registers made visible: a disciplined ink-on-paper federal résumé (Serif masthead, Mono metadata strips, CCAR accomplishments with the win in bright-blue) held inside the expressive navy frame — match score, keyword coverage, format checks, and the one tangelo whisper on a missing required keyword. Runs on JSON Resume plus a federal extension.
app.resumeplace.com/builder/rivera-jordan
02
The artifact · document register inside the frame
A two-page federal résumé, set in the system.
RP-DS / Document
Same tokens as the marketing tile. The difference is discipline: inside the paper, the system goes quiet so a machine can read it. Around the paper, it speaks.
04
The rules that keep it honest
Four laws of the résumé layer.
RP-DS / Doctrine
01
The paper stays quiet.
Inside the document: ink, one navy rule, no bleeds, no orange. If a machine can’t parse it, the design failed. The brand lives in the frame.
02
Mono is the federal data.
Grade, hours, salary, supervisor, dates. The fields that make a résumé federal are the fields that earn the monospace, set as a bordered strip on every job.
03
Blue marks the win.
One signal color in the body, and only on a quantified result. Everything a hiring manager should catch in six seconds is bright-blue, nothing else competes.
04
Tangelo only whispers a gap.
The accent never decorates the résumé. It appears once, on a required keyword that’s missing, because the brand’s job is to point at the next thing to fix.