Here is a sample of tips to help you write a successful application essay and a sample of tips that have helped me and hundreds of my clients land new and better federal jobs, including jobs in the Senior Executive Service: *Don’t rely exclusively on http://usajobs.gov. Many openings are never posted on the government’s central jobs site. This is particularly true of openings in excepted service agencies — which are excluded from competitive civil service procedures, and have their own hiring systems and evaluation criteria for filling vacancies. Check the career sites of these agencies — which include FBI, Federal Reserve…