What are TQ’s?

They are called many different names, mandatory or professional technical qualifications depending on the agency. How you view them can determine your success (or failure) in obtaining a Senior Executive Service (SES) position. Although you may not appreciate the fact while you struggle to present your talents both on paper and in a structured interview, this process does allow you to convince the Selecting Official that you are what he/she has been looking for in a candidate. The process is not complicated. You just need to draw on your past experiences, education and/or training that prove you can do the job-hopefully better than others in the candidate pool.

How To Complete Your SES Technical Qualifications

You are asked to identify your major accomplishments as they relate to the Professional Technical Qualification(PTQs) required for the position for which you are applying. PTQs are unique to each announcement and must be prepared for each announcement while Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) are prepared once and submitted for each job you wish to apply for. Each PTQ requires you to draw on your past experience, education or training that demonstrates that you possess the particular PTQ.

You must also provide a detailed response to each PTQ. Address each PTQ listed separately. Do not combine PTQs and give one answer. The response to each PTQ should include a 1-2 page narrative highlighting your past experience, education and/or training which further justifies that you possess the specific requirements for the position.

When responding to PTQs, read the general description of the duties and responsibilities, read the list of PTQs. Look for clues to help you draw from your past experiences the best example that matches what is required for the position. For example, if one of the PTQs listed is “Ability to communicate in writing,” look at the duties and responsibilities and determine what the job requires you to write. If you can show specific past experience in writing the kinds of things required for the job, you would have a better chance of receiving a higher score on this particular PTQ.

Write specific and detailed descriptions of your work experiences. Include answers to the following:

  1. An estimate of when the experience(s) was acquired.
  2. A description of the problem(s) you faced or the objectives(s) you were trying to accomplish.
  3. A specific statement of what you actually did.
  4. A description of the outcome or results of the activity.
  5. Focus on recency of experience.
  6. No specific format required.