Federal Jobs Find and Apply for Full-Time Work in 2011 October 26, 2010
Presenters Your Hosts: Jennifer Close Amanda Davis
Your Panelists: Lora Allen •
Department of Education
Erin Swain •
General Services Administration
Housekeeping Items We will open up the phone lines for questions at the end of the call. In the meantime, we encourage you to type questions into the Q&A box. The recording of today’s presentation, as well as the accompanying handouts, will be emailed to all registered participants later this week. • This information will NOT be posted on Partnership Connect.
Handouts Resources Handout Sample Full-Time Jobs How-To Guide: USAJOBS.gov
Agenda Partnership for Public Service Why Federal Jobs? Now What? How to Apply
Next Steps Q&A
Partnership for Public Service Nonpartisan and nonprofit organization
Good government starts with good people Revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works
Why federal jobs?
PROFILED: Real Federal Employees
Federal Jobs are Everywhere
16% in the Washington, D.C. metro region
Plus 50,000 jobs overseas!
Federal Pay and Benefits: An Introduction ď‚Ť Competitive compensation packages ď‚Ť Additional perks
Federal Pay and Benefits: Compensation The General Schedule (GS) is the pay scale for most federal jobs • Grades 1-15 • 10 steps within each grade
Keep in mind: • Locality Pay will vary by region • Some occupations have separate pay scales (i.e. IT and engineering)
Federal Pay and Benefits: Compensation Grade
Qualifying Education
GS-4
Associate’s degree or 2 years above high school
GS-5
4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree OR a bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree with one of the following:
GS-7
• Class standing (upper third of class) • 3.0 or higher GPA; 3.5 or higher GPA in major • Honor society membership
GS-9 GS-11
Master’s degree PhD, JD or professional degree
Federal Pay and Benefits: Compensation City
GS-4
Atlanta
$29,248
Chicago Seattle New York City San Francisco Washington, D.C.
GS-5
GS-7
GS-9
GS-11
$32,722 $40,534
$49,581
$59,987
$30,672
$34,316
$42,508
$51,995
$29,865
$33,414
$41,390 $50,628
$31,560
$35,309 $43,738 $53,500
$33,136
$37,073
$30,456
$34,075 $42,209 $51,630
$45,923
$56,172
$62,909 $61,255 $64,729 $67,963 $62,467
Federal Pay and Benefits: Additional Perks Student loan repayment assistance • Some agencies may repay up to $10,000 of your student loans per year • In 2009, 36 agencies provided 8,454 employees with $61.8 million in assistance
Flexible schedules and generous vacation packages
Training and professional development Competitive health and retirement benefits Excellent advancement opportunities Ability to make a difference
Straight from the Source ď‚Ť What unique opportunities and experiences do employees at your agency have?
ď‚Ť What do you believe are the most important or best benefits associated with federal employment?
Now what?
Now What? Do your homework Start your search
Do Your Homework Legislative
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Independent Agencies and Government Corporations
Tip: Start your federal job search now!
Start Your Search: Student Programs Federal Career Intern Program (FCIP) What: • •
Full-time, 2-year position Eligible for all salary and benefits of a regular federal employee
Who: •
Student who has received a degree from an accredited degreegranting institution
More information: •
•
Fulfill the academic and skills-based requirements set forth by the agency Not required to be posted on USAJOBS.gov
Tip: Google “Career Intern Program” to find a variety of FCIP positions across government!
Start Your Search: Student Programs Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) What: • Government’s most prestigious fellowship program • Students complete a 2-year rotation within an agency or between agencies as full-time fellows
Who: •
Student who has just completed a master’s program
More information: • • •
Apply during the fall of the final year of graduate school Application generally opens in early October A candidate must be nominated by his or her institution
Tip: Visit pmf.gov to sign-up for the PMF listserv!
Start Your Search: Resources Use these resources to target agencies of interest: • Makingthedifference.org • Wherethejobsare.org
• Bestplacestowork.org • USAJOBS.gov • USA.gov
• Individual agency websites
Straight from the Source What types of opportunities does your agency have available now? In December? In May?
When do you recommend that applicants begin searching for and applying to positions? Where do you post your full-time jobs?
How to Apply
Get Ready to Apply Impact of hiring reform on your application Familiarize yourself with job vacancy announcements Build your federal résumé and update your nonfederal résumé Prepare for assessments
Impact of Hiring Reform on Your Application As per a memorandum issued by President Obama in May, agencies are required to implement the following changes by November 1, 2010: • • • •
Eliminate KSAs from the initial application process Allow individuals to apply with a résumé and cover letter Improve the quality and speed of hiring Notify applicants about their status during the process
Visit opm.gov/hiringreform for additional information
Job Vacancy Announcements
Tip: Learn more about how your major will translate into a position with the federal government using the “Federal Jobs by College Major� list.
Résumé Tips Create an account on USAJOBS.gov •
•
Store up to 5 federal résumés, each tailored to a different federal opportunity! Upload your non-federal résumé to the Saved Documents folder
Carefully review the job vacancy announcement or position description •
Focus on the “duties” or “responsibilities” section, and customize your résumé accordingly by identifying and including key words and phrases
Build Your Federal Résumé
Federal and Non-Federal Résumés FEDERAL RESUMES
NON-FEDERAL RESUMES
Prepare for Assessments
Application Questionnaires
Essays (KSAs) Cover Letters
Application Questionnaires Length: 25-125+ questions Type: Varies and can include yes/no questions as well as those meant to determine your level of experience in different areas Tip: Preview questions using a link found in the job vacancy announcement
Federal Essays What: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities essays (KSAs) Length: ½ page to a full-page in length Tips: Address key words and phrases mentioned in the position description, use rich and substantive examples, tie your personal experiences to each KSA, focus on outcomes to which you directly contributed, and avoid acronyms
Specifically address each KSA in your application, providing examples of how your experiences have prepared you for a role.
Federal Essays: Sample Response Ability to Communicate in Writing Context: As the Newsletter Editor in my living-learning community, I was responsible for writing articles and editing all submissions published in our monthly newsletter.
Challenge: Our community wanted to use the newsletter as a
means for reaching out to alumni of the program with the goal of increasing their involvement in the community. Before I started as Editor, we had never had a submission from an alum.
Action: I decided to focus the first newsletter of the year entirely on the accomplishments of our alumni, with a message throughout encouraging alumni to submit articles and pictures.
Result: Over the course of the academic year, we received an average of five alumni submissions per newsletter. Additionally, alumni and program participants rated the quality of the newsletter higher than any other year.
Straight from the Source What do you look for in résumés? Which assessment tools does your agency use? What do you look for in cover letters? What other advice do you have for students and jobseekers filling out federal applications?
Next Steps
Next Steps Stay on top of your application Prepare for federal interviews Navigate the security clearance process
Stay on Top of Your Application USAJOBS.gov • Track your status using the Application Manager
Agency Websites • Contact the agency within two weeks after submitting your application to confirm its status
Prepare for Federal Interviews To make the most of your federal interview, be sure to do the following: • • • •
Do your homework; Prepare answers to common questions in advance; Have questions ready to ask interviewers; and Dress the part.
Bonus: Arrive early, and demonstrate your passion for public service!
Security Clearances Most full-time positions will require applicants to go through the security clearance process
Begin gathering relevant information now • Check out the SF-85 and SF-86 to determine what you should be collecting
Tip: Be honest!
Straight from the Source How do you prefer that candidates follow up with your agency after submitting their applications?
Do you have any advice for candidates that are preparing for federal interviews? Do you have any recommendations for candidates going through the security clearance process?
Questions?
Don’t forget … Fill out our brief survey online! Visit makingthedifference.org for more information about finding and applying for federal opportunities. Still have questions? Email us at calltoserve@ourpublicservice.org.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US! Good luck with your search.
makingthedifference.org