Section 7: Understanding Specialized Experience

Specialized experience is a central qualification requirement for most positions at NIST. With the exception of certain wage-grade positions and early-career roles where education may be used to qualify, nearly all NIST positions require applicants to demonstrate specialized experience that is directly related to the duties of the position.

Specialized experience is used to determine whether an applicant is qualified to perform the work at the advertised pay band and level of responsibility.

What Counts As Specialized Experience

To be creditable, specialized experience must:

• Be directly related to the duties and competencies described in the vacancy announcement
• Demonstrate the scope, complexity, and responsibility expected at the advertised pay band
• Be described in sufficient detail for reviewers to understand the work performed
• Reflect experience that prepared you to successfully perform the major duties of the position

Specialized experience may be gained through paid or unpaid work, including federal or non-federal employment, volunteer service, research activities, or academic settings, as long as the experience directly aligns with the specialized experience requirement.

How Specialized Experience Must Be Documented

NIST Human Resources specialists and, when applicable, trained Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) review résumés to determine whether applicants meet the specialized experience requirement.

To receive credit, your résumé must:

• Provide clear, descriptive statements of duties and accomplishments
• Include specific examples of relevant work performed
• Reflect the appropriate level of independence, responsibility, and complexity

Job titles alone are not sufficient. HR specialists and SMEs cannot infer duties, expertise, or responsibility based on a job title, organization, or assumed role.

Examples Of Strong Vs. Weak Résumé Statements

Strong statement:

“Coordinated monthly virtual scientific symposia for more than 150 participants by managing logistics, audiovisual support, technical troubleshooting, and follow-up documentation.”

Weak statement:

“Planned meetings.”

The strong example demonstrates scope, complexity, and specific tasks performed. The weak example does not provide enough detail to assess the level of experience.

Specialized Experience And Pay Bands

Specialized experience is evaluated at the level of difficulty, independence, and responsibility appropriate for the advertised pay band.

For example, experience that involves supporting a process may not meet the requirement for a position that requires independently managing, leading, or designing that process at a higher band.

Vacancy announcements will specify:

• The specialized experience required
• The type and level of work expected
• Whether qualifying education may be used in lieu of experience, when permitted

Applicants should rely on the vacancy announcement as the authoritative source.

Why Specialized Experience Matters

Failure to clearly document specialized experience is one of the most common reasons applicants are found not qualified.

Tailoring your résumé to explicitly address each specialized experience requirement will improve your competitiveness and reduce the risk of removal from consideration during initial review.