Federal Job Opportunities
Federal job opportunities are a possibility for anyone who is looking for work.Whether you are a student looking for something short-term or part-time or an experienced law enforcement professional wanting to join the FBI, there seem to always be recruitment listings for federal jobs. Some job opportunities require more school experience and other opportunities would rather have you with more real-life experience. Either way, treat the process of seeking Federal employment as you would any job: with professionalism and knowledge.
Be Prepared
Your most important piece of preparation is your resume. In most cases, what's on the resume are the first pieces of information an employer has on you. Make it count so you can at least get an interview for face-to-face time.
When looking for a new job, research essential. What should you research for a Federal job? Pretty much the same things:
- Job duties: You should have a general idea of what is involved with a job before you even apply. Ensure that the duties will be something you won't grow tired of quickly and that you'll enjoy doing them.
- Benefits: Find out any benefits offered like health, dental or 401K. Does the agency you are apply for have any perks for their employees?
- Unions: This is probably one overlooked aspect of a Federal job. Some people are against them and some are for them, so joining one is an entirely personal preference.
- Employee Morale: Try to find out what morale is like among employees. If you know someone who already works for that branch of Federal government, simply asking may provide the information you are looking for. Asking a random employee may not elicit you the most honest answer, but it can be a second opinion.
Federal Job Opportunities
USAJobs.gov
For an official listing of Federal job opportunities, visit USA Jobs. At this site, run by the Federal government, you can start easy by searching locally by city, county or state, or if you are interested in working in another state, you do search by that also. Before you search for jobs on USAJobs, take some time to review the site since there is lots of valuable information given. For example, you can read on why you may want to work for the U.S. Government and find out what kinds of jobs are available for individuals with disabilities, veterans and students. There is also a section listing hiring events, one of which is a recurring Virtual Hiring event.
Go to The Job Page for job listings by the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches. For the Judicial Branch, you have opportunities in the Federal Judicial Center, the U.S. Sentencing Commission and the U.S. Courts. In the Legislative Branch, you can work in the Architect of the Capitol (deals with the operation and maintenance among other things), the Congressional Budget Office. The Executive Branch offers jobs in the U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Justice, the Secret Service and Veterans Health. From this site, you can also visit the CIA, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Inter-American Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Peach Corp and the United States Postal Service web pages for additional information on jobs posted with these departments. The Job Page also lists the most common forms you need to fill out where special requirements and data are needed for specific job postings.
Other Federal Job Resources
If you know which Federal agency you want to work for, you can go to their specific web pages and seek out jobs there. For example, see the Federal Aviation Agency for information about aviation job opportunities. The Federal Trade Commission's job page is located at Federal Trade Commission.Search online for any agency that interests you and check the official site for employment information.
Another site for Federal job opportunities is Federal Biz Opps. You can search by type of job, like contracting or engineering jobs. This site also lists a number of jobs related to the Recovery and Reinvestment Act actions that the President enacted.
Final Advice
Make sure you are searching through a reputable web site that offers true job listings and no one that is offering to sell you advice or data for Federal Jobs. If the website doesn't end in ".gov", which signifies an official government website, then do a little more research to what the web page actual entails before deciding to rely on the information provided.
Related Topics
