Finding and applying for federal government jobs is easy once you learn the process. Outlined below are the 3 steps which applicants must follow when locating and applying for positions in the Federal Government.
Step 1 – Locating Job Announcements
While many private sector companies routinely collect resumes without a specific position in mind, the process works quite differently in the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) which oversees the vast majority of the government’s hiring will not consider a resume it receives even if it is a perfect match for a job unless the applicant submits the resume in response to an Announcement. In order to assist job seekers in finding announcements the OPM has established USAJobs.gov a central database of announcements from Federal Agencies which potential employees can search through by many factors including location, agency or skill. In fact, each of the individual categories also lists the number of announcements, making it easy to see which areas and agencies are expanding.
While the vast majority of announcements can be found on USAJobs.gov some agencies including the FBI and CIA have opted not to participate because they fill their positions through an internal process instead of outsourcing the process to the OPM. Positions which are not filled using OPM’s systems and evaluation procedure are known as excepted service positions while positions which OPM fills are known as competitive service. If you are interested in employment with an excepted service agency, you should contact that agency directly.
Step 2 – Review the Required Qualifications and Evaluations Sections
Once you have located an announcement, you should review the required qualifications section carefully. Unlike the private sector where job postings often list numerous ideal qualifications all of which one person is unlikely to have, federal applicants must possess all required qualifications to be considered for a position.
Next review the evaluations section which details how qualified applicants will be graded and how a final selection will be made. The successful application tips section is an excellent resource for applicants looking to pick up a few extra points during the review process.
Step 3 – How to Apply
Once you have located a position, it’s time to check out the “How to Apply” section for each announcement that provides information specific to the particular opening. It is important that you follow the directions precisely as an application without all of the required information is considered incomplete and will likely be removed from consideration.
Also be sure to make note of the open period information contained in each announcement. Applicants will only be considered for a position if they apply during the open period. Once the open period expires the announcement is automatically removed from the web site and any attempt to apply even a few minutes late will be rejected.
Now that you are ready to apply for a position check out our resume examples section which provides numerous samples of resumes for various skills sets and levels of experience.