FYI – there are LOTS of federal government jobs! And, there will be more as many current federal employees are at or near retirement age. Some suggestions are listed below…..for more info go to www.usajobs.gov and www.makingthedifference.org.
Cynthia
Brad Golson from Call to Serve, Department of Homeland Security updated MN Private Colleges Career Services staffs about key changes made to the Federal hiring process:
a. KSA’s (knowledge, skills, abilities statements) are gone from the first round of the application process.
b. A standard resume is now required for application (USAJOBS.gov includes information on resume format).
c. A ‘skills’ section will be part of the resume. Brad advised that we inform students not to be ‘humble’ when completing that section. Students will get ‘points’ based on how they rate themselves – the higher the rating, the more points they will get.
d. Three programs are currently in place: Student Intern Program/Federal Internship Program, Recent Graduates Program (up to 2 years after graduation), PMF program (for graduate students).
e. After 640 hours, Interns can be moved to FT, which can be reduced to 320 hours based on performance and academic success.
f. Networking and informational interviewing are extremely important in the process, especially in smaller markets like the Twin Cities.
g. Brad indicated that there are currently 1.9 million government employees.
h. Regarding postings on USAJOBS.gov – if there is an extremely short posting length on a position (3 days) it means the job is basically already filled internally, but law requires all jobs to be posted. His advice was to not have students waste time applying for those positions. For longer posting lengths, it usually means it is an ongoing process and/or they are hiring for multiple positions.
i. Highlighted makingadifference.org as a good site with a lot of information.
j. For Americorps/Vista/Peace Corps there is now a 12 month non-compete policy.