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Working for the Federal Government
What U.S. employer has 2.7 million workers and still needs
more talent? The federal government of the United States.
Despite the economic recession, the federal government is
hiring. Almost 85% of these civilian jobs are outside the
Washington, DC area. Fifty thousand of these jobs are overseas.
And in addition to routine hiring of administrative employees
to replace retirees and support growth in certain agencies,
there are 100,000 jobs termed "mission critical."
These positions include engineering, scientific, medical,
law, accounting, information technology, and security jobs
that need to be filled as soon as possible. So whether a mid-career
adult or recent college graduate, why not investigate the
vast opportunities the federal government offers?
Perhaps you are unsure where to look or how to begin. Federal
government jobs and the hiring process are quite different
from corporate employment practices. Let's take a look at
benefits, and outstanding resources for how to find open positions
and how to apply.
Benefits of Federal Employment
Federal employment can offer challenging and leading-edge
work (think of the race to the Moon), competitive health care
and retirement benefits, international travel or residency,
and flexible work schedules. Federal employees enjoy better
work/life balance than corporate employees due to restrictions
on work hours, liberal time off for vacation, holidays and
sick leave, and family-friendly policies such as job sharing
and telecommuting. Workers have salaries benchmarked to the
job market and also earn cost-of-living increases. Opportunities
for promotion and mobility to other jobs are abundant. Employees
can take advantage of skills training and professional development,
as well as student loan repayment. Federal employees also
enjoy more protection from losing their jobs than their counterparts
in the private sector.
And the federal government, including its 170+ agencies,
is hungry to hire talent. What are some resources that can
you can use to familiarize yourself with the federal government
as a future employer?
In the Call
to Serve Toolkit created by the Partnership for Public
Service organization, you can access excellent materials to
help you understand the federal job landscape. These materials
are designed for the college student population, so if you
are a mid-career adult, consider it a smart "stealth
career management move" to tap these resources!
1. How to Find and Apply for Federal Jobs
The "Find
and Apply for Federal Opportunities" Workshop and
Training Manual is designed for groups, but individuals can
download the slide presentation and speaker's notes for a
do-it-yourself introduction to federal employment. Learn about
job opportunities, employment benefits, where the jobs are,
and how to search and apply for a federal job or internship.
2. Mastering the Federal Application Process
To make your federal job application pass muster, you will
need to know how to write "KSA essays" - answers
to interview-like questions related to the knowledge, skills
and abilities requirements of the position. Federal resumes
also have to follow a particular format and are more detailed
than regular resumes, so there are instructions on this aspect
of the application process as well. You'll find this information
in "Mastering the Federal Application Process: KSA
Writing and Federal Resumes" Workshop and Training
Manual.
3. The KSA Writing Worksheet
One of the biggest and potentially confusing challenges facing
federal jobseekers is how to master the Knowledge, Skills
and Abilities (KSA) section of the federal job application. This worksheet is designed to help individuals through the
process, step-by-step.
4. Where the Jobs Are
The new edition of the report, Where
the Jobs Are, outlines government-wide projected hiring
needs by agency and by occupation through the next several
years and was based on a survey of over 30 federal agencies
representing nearly all of the federal civilian workforce.
This document, therefore, can serve as a critical tool for
helping adults and students decide where to start their job
or internship searches.
5. Best Places to Work in the Federal Government
This Best Places publication provides the scoop on
employee job satisfaction for over 280 federal agencies and
subcomponents. Check out the website bestplacestowork.org
for more detailed information on each agency.
6. USAJobs.gov
To search current job openings, or just learn about the types
of jobs that may align with your education and work experiences,
the website USAJobs.gov
is the place to go. The Partnership
for Public Service offers a quick guide for the beginner
on this site to aid in navigation. Not all federal jobs are
required to be posted on USAJobs.gov though, so it's smart
to search the individual websites of departments and agencies
whose missions are in sync with your values and interests.
7. Red, White and Blue Library
The Partnership created the Red, White
and Blue Library as a set of booklets providing an overview
of federal job and internship opportunities according to interest
area: business, engineering, homeland security, liberal arts
and public health.
For more resources on federal government opportunities, see
our article "Opportunities
for Students in the Federal Government."
© Copyright 2009, Career Vision. Article may be reprinted
with permission.
Direction.
Decisions. Satisfaction.
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