Federal Jobs

Excerpted from NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers, online at www.naceweb.org) Spotlight Online 2009:

With nearly one-third of all federal employees (nearly 1.9 million employees) eligible to retire in the next four years and new federal jobs being created as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal government is currently looking to hire a significant number of people. So how can you enhance your chance of being selected for a federal position?

Brooke Bohnet, associate manager for education and outreach with the Partnership for Public Service (PPS), offers the following tips for landing a job with the federal government:

Plan ahead—The application process itself can take time; to improve chances of getting a job, allow plenty of time to thoroughly complete the application.

Select carefully—Applications tailored for specific jobs that are a good match for skills and talents will be more successful than sending out a standard resume for many jobs. Read about building federal resumes (see www.makingthedifference.org/federaljobs/usajobsresume.shtml) and KSA writing (see www.makingthedifference.org/federaljobs/ksa.shtml).

Prepare for a wait—It can take weeks to months before you hear back about your application, and, during this time, there may be little or no communication from the agency. Every federal job requires a background check before the agency can make a job offer. If the position is related to national security, applicants will be instructed to complete the security clearance process once they receive an offer. Apply for positions without security clearances about four months prior to their start date and six to eight months in advance for national security related positions.

Follow-up with the agency—Contact the identified representative to learn the status of your application or to find out more about a job about a month after the closing date or, if the closing date is extended, about a month after turning in the application.

The Partnership for Public Service's (PPS) web site—www.makingthedifference.org—offers a variety of information on federal job and internship opportunities, as well as resources to help job seekers understand where jobs are in government that fit their needs/interests and tools to help them navigate the federal application process.

To find job openings, Bohnet advises jobseekers to visit the federal government job web site—www.usajobs.gov.

Jobs with the federal government are attractive because of competitive salaries, a solid benefit package, meaningful and challenging work, and opportunities for advancement and professional development. (For more details, go to www.makingthedifference.org and click on "Why Federal Service.")