There are several reasons to work for the federal government. Some people look for stability, the federal government rarely lays people off. Or job seekers want to pursue a position where public service is paramount, the federal benefits are fabulous.
Why Work for the Federal Government?
- Broad, positive, and immediate impact through public service.
- Cutting edge programs establish you at the forefront of meeting national challenges.
- Unique opportunities for professional and personal growth, and to develop your network.
- Competitive compensation and work/life balance.
- An environment in which you can excel as individual and part of greater team.
Here are our 8 tips on how to land a dream federal position:
- Fill out your USAJOBS.gov paperwork properly. If the paperwork that you fill out for your application is not filled out correctly, federal recruiters just completely throw out your application. If there are tons and tons of applicants, they don’t have time to deal with. The application timeframe is usually open for two weeks, so don’t wait till the last minute.
- References. Make sure you have enough references. Indicate how long you’ve worked at the company, get references from co-workers.
- Background check and drug screen. Most individuals selected for government positions will be required to undergo a basic background investigation. Jobs that require access to sensitive information require a security clearance which is more extensive than a background investigation.
- You need to work somewhere first to get some experience before you apply to your federal slash government job. Go to Career Fair if they have some kind of open job position, or make a call. Some employees got through their process a lot quicker.
- Practice your interview questions. There will be performance-based questions and
you might want to research what type of performance-based questions recruiters would have specifically for the job you’re trying to get. You can find those questions online so practice those questions kind if you’re nervous during the interview. - Don’t wear a tank top, instead choose a casual business style, a nice blazer will be a good idea. Don’t wear jeans or shorts, just look work-appropriate.
- Writing KSA’s. KSA’s are an essay, you had to write it as it’s part of your interview process. There’s plenty of paperwork, but it tells why you’re qualified for this position. You know there may be specific questions, for example how you’ve dealt with quality control or instrument issues.
- Pay Scale. You can find out what the pay grade is for each position: https://federalresumeguide.com/federal-pay-scale-for-2019/ Most private sector people don’t know how the pay scale works. Pay scale based on your years of experience, so depending on how much experience you’ve had, you can get a certain pay grade. Another thing can affect your pay is pay locality so that’s based on where you are living. So the state of Missouri has a pretty blanket pay. However, if you live in more populated areas like the Kansas City, st Louis, your pay locality is going to be even higher. So you get the pay grade, you get to pay step and then you get the locality pay on top of that.
If you applied for a federal job, but the first trial was unsuccessful and you didn’t get it, just try again. There’s usually a lot of jobs open depending on what your degree is; you may have the ability to go into different sectors that would be greatly different opportunities. If there are only a couple jobs in a certain category or only a couple slots but you want to try again, improve your resume. Check out federal resume templates, read guides on how to write a resume for federal government or order federal resume writing services. A certified federal resume writer will tailor your resume per the desired position or will write a professional 3-5 pages document from the scratch.
