Report Tile

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Report Tile
Finding and Applying for Jobs in the Federal
Government
United States Office of Personnel Management
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Benefits of Government Service

• Opportunity to make a difference
• Influence the future of our country
• Work/Life balance
• Flexible work schedules and generous vacations

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Benefits of Government Service

• Competitive health and retirement benefits
• Excellent advancement opportunities
• Student loan repayment assistance
• Training and professional development

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Federal Pay Advancement

• Federal pay is generally competitive across a
  wide range of occupations
• General Schedule (GS) is the pay scale for many
  Federal jobs from Grades 1-15
• Varies by geographic location (the base salary
  for GS grades does not change)
• Can progress through several grades within a few
  years

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General Schedule (GS) Grade Criteria
http//www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp
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Selected 2008 Starting Salaries
Starting salaries for GS-5, 7, 9 and 11
https//www.opm.gov/oca/07tables/indexGS.asp
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Federal Jobs By Location
In addition, over 50,000 people work for the
U.S. Government in foreign countries!
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Jobs by Occupation
In FY 2007, 46,264 people were hired in the
Federal Government at the entry level, GS-5 to
GS-7. Heres how many of those were hired into
the following occupations
Source www.fedscope.opm.gov
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Where to Look

• www.studentjobs.gov Find student employment
  opportunities within the Federal Government
• www.makingthedifference.org Federal job and
  internship information
• Agency websites Visit the websites of agencies
  whose missions interest you
• Your universitys career development center
• www.usajobs.gov the Federal Governments main
  employment information website

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Where to Look STUDENTJOBS.gov
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Where to Look MakingtheDifference.org

• Resources include
• Ten Reasons to Consider a Federal Career
• Red, White and Blue Jobs Library How to Find
  Great Jobs in the Federal Service
• Interest-Specific Career Guides
• Internship Database
• Agency Profiles
• Profiles in Public Service
• Security Clearance

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Where the Jobs Are

• Outlines projected hiring needs through 2009
• Covers 99 of the Federal workforce, 34 agencies
• 193,000 mission critical jobs
• Presented by agency and by occupation

Download on MakingtheDifference.org
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Where to Look Agency Sites
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Where to Look Special Hiring Programs

• FOR ALL STUDENTS
• Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)
  Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)
  www.usajobs.opm.gov/STUDENTS.asp

• FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
• Presidential Management Fellows Program
  www.pmf.opm.gov

• OTHER PROGRAMS
• Federal Career Intern Program http//www.opm.gov
  /careerintern/index.asp
• Volunteer and Internship Opportunities

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Special Hiring Programs For All Students

• Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)
• Temporarily work for a Federal agency while in
  school
• Schedule determined jointly by student and
  agency
• Terminates upon graduation

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Special Hiring Programs For All Students

• Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)
• Work for a Federal agency until graduation
• Work related to academic goals
• All requirements/expectations spelled out in
  
  
• agreement with school/student/agency
• May be offered permanent position after
• graduation if all requirements are met

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Special Hiring Programs For Graduate Students

• Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF)
• For Graduate Students
• 2-Yr Full-Time Developmental Program
• Appointed at the GS-9/11/12
• May be offered a permanent position program
• Recruitment once a year
• Targets students in last year of grad school
• Must be nominated by school
• Rigorous assessment process
• Fellows selected in March/April

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Other Programs Federal Career Intern Program

• Federal Career Intern Program (FCIP)
• 2-Yr Full-Time Training/Development Program
• Appointed at the GS-5/7/9
• May be offered permanent position after
  successful completion of program
• Agencies determine design of programs
• May or may not be named FCIP
• Agency specific recruitment/application

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Other ProgramsStudent Volunteers and Internships

• Student Volunteers
• May work in Federal agencies as volunteers
• Designed to give students work experience
• Must be coordinated with the students school
• Internships
• Agency unique programs
• May or may not be paid
• Short and long term
• Look on Agency websites for specific programs

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Summary Tips to Help with the Job Search

• Talk to knowledgeable sources family, friends,
  alumni, career services offices, and current or
  former Feds
• Consider student employment opportunities
• Search through USAJOBS.gov and by
  agency/location, etc. be flexible

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What to Expect During the Process

• Applying for a Federal job requires time and
  special attention to detail -- but the rewards
  are worth it
• Procedures vary across Federal agencies
• Federal jobs are highly desirable and as a
  result, are often competitive

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Where to Look USAJOBS.gov
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Search by Interests

• An example
• Chicago, IL
• Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare

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Anatomy of a Vacancy Announcement
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Anatomy of a Vacancy Announcement
Benefits and Other Information
Qualifications and Evaluation
How to Apply
Overview
Duties
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Anatomy of a Vacancy Announcement
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Overview of the Online Process
After selecting the job for which you would like
to apply, there are usually several steps in the
online application process

• Create your Federal resume
• Answer the questions posed online
• Submit the complete application package by the
  stated deadline
• Follow up with the appropriate agency contact to
  inquire about progress in hiring for the position

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Building a Federal Resume Online
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Building a Federal Resume Online

• Sections
• Candidate Info.
• Work Experience
• Education
• References
• Affiliations
• Desired Locations

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Application Essays
Agencies commonly require essays as part of the
application to address characteristics they seek

• Can be extremely important in the evaluation
  process in sorting out the best qualified
  candidates
• Vary depending on the job, but examples include
  skill in written and oral communications
  demonstrated technical ability knowledge of
  specific subject matter areas
• Are similar to interview questions answers
  should provide concrete examples (coursework and
  volunteer experience count), particularly to
  demonstrate quantifiable results, complexity, or
  leadership
• Should be a narrative written in first person and
  about 1-2 pages each

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What is a KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)?
KSA is an acronym for Knowledge, Skills and
Abilities

• Knowledge The foundation upon which skills and
  abilities are built
• Examples Federal regulations and directives,
  operating systems andprocedures, budget and
  accounting principles, engineering practices

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What is a KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)?

• Skills The observable demonstration of
  proficiency to do a task
• Examples computer software proficiency, second
  language proficiency
• Ability The capacity to perform a job function
• Examples organize and plan work, analyze
  situations, communicate orally and in writing,
  coach and mentor others

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KSA Example
Note Specifically address each KSA in your
application, providing examples of how your
experience prepares you for this role

• Ability to communicate orally.
• Ability to communicate in writing.
• Ability to work with data on a computer.
• Ability to organize the work flow of clerical and
  administrative support functions.

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Summary Tips for the KSA Section

• Address key words/phrases mentioned in the
  position description
• Tie experiences to each KSA
• Use illustrative examples
• Focus on outcomes to which you directly
  contributed
• Use plain language, without acronyms
• Review answers to ensure they are succinct, easy
  to read, and grammatically correct

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Applicant Eligibility

• When submitting an application, agencies request
  eligibility information including

• Past or current Federal employment
• Veteran qualifications http//www.opm.gov/veteran
  s/html/vetsInfo.asp

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Applicant Eligibility

• Disability Status
• Non-competitive appointment
• Peace Corps and AmeriCorpsVISTA volunteers have
  1 year of non-competitive eligibility
• http//www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shelllearn.wh
  yvol.profbenadv, http//www.americorps.gov/for_in
  dividuals/alumni/opportunities.asp

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Summary Tips for Applying

• Plan ahead- allow plenty of time to thoroughly
  complete your application
• Select carefully- always consider using a
  tailored application for each vacancy you apply
• Prepare for a wait- dont assume you have been
  rejected if you do not hear back within weeks of
  submitting your application
• Follow-up with an agency- contact the identified
  representative to learn the status of an
  application or find out more about a job

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What Happens Next

• After the closing date for applications, the
  agency evaluates candidate qualifications
• From this assessment, the agency produces a list
  of qualified candidates
• From the list of qualified applicants, agencies
  select candidates for interviews
• At this point, agencies are like other
  organizations
• They conduct interviews and select the best
  candidate(s) for the job
• Some jobs require security clearance

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A Note About Security Clearances

• Applying for jobs that require a security
  clearance is a two-stage process
• 1) Get the job offer
• 2) Go through a background investigation
• Most individuals selected for Federal positions
  undergo a basic background investigation
  (Executive Order 10450)
• Jobs that include access to classified
  information require a security clearance, which
  requires a more intensive background
  investigation (Executive Order 12968)

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Processing Timeliness for Initial Security
Clearance Investigations
GOAL 80 of all initial clearance
investigations completed within average of 90
days or less
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FY 2008 Clearance Results

• All Initial Clearances
• Closed during Total 80Average
• FY 08 1st Qtr 158,997 60 days
• FY 08 4th Qtr 194,252 45 days
• Top Secret Initial
• Closed during Total 80 Average
• FY 08 1st Qtr 21,527 83 days
• FY 08 4th Qtr 26,949 67 days

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Summary

• Federal agencies hire the best and the brightest,
  and getting a Federal job is competitive
• Increase chances of being hired by following a
  few clear steps
• Research potential opportunities
• Consider various employment avenues
• Search on job websites and specific agencies
• Follow application directions carefully

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Thank You

• For additional information on these topics,
  please visit
• www.opm.gov
• www.makingthedifference.org

United States Office of Personnel Management