The job market is wide open for the taking when you nail down your priorities and market yourself as a professional. Having a resume is an important tool, particularly when you're applying for federal jobs. These government positions have hefty benefits packages, competitive salaries, and excellent retirement plans. There's also plenty of stability and advancement potential depending on the career path that you're on. Here are a few things that you can do to put yourself in the running for some of the best federal positions.

1. Brush up on your resume before getting back out into the job field

If you are ready to take on some new federal job opportunities, tightening up your resume should be your first priority. It's particularly important when you are going after government jobs. Hiring a federal job resume writer can help you more than anything because they have more of an understanding of the fields, along with the credentials and certifications that are important. They know what points stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. Before you get back into the job field, you'll want to edit the resume so that it's brief yet filled with all of your selling points. Make sure that you have some points of contact and references that are happy to vouch for you.

2. Find some leads on some federal jobs and the avenues for getting them

Once your resume is updated, you'll have the right foundation for finding leads on fresh jobs. Decide first whether you would rather apply for a long-term salary position or a contract job. The federal government offers several different types of positions in almost all sectors. Get to know the avenues for advancement based on your career field, so that you can get your certifications in order and make the right points of contact.

3. Keep improving your resume and building a portfolio

Make no mistake that your work is never done when it comes to improving your resume. Revisit it every year, whether you are in the market for a new job or not. A strong resume should grab people's attention straight from the mission statement. It should also be grammatically perfect and without typos. Federal resume writers can punch it up for you and will also include a strong summary that ties it all up at the end.

Use these three tips so that you can create the best resume and get the perfect next job.