Making the Difference - UT Tyler

Making the Difference

Jobs in Federal Service

Agenda

Part 1: Opportunities and benefits

• A job for every interest

• Benefits of government service

• Where the Jobs Are

Part 2: Navigating the process

• How to search for a federal internship or job

• How to apply for a federal internship or job

• Essays and KSAs

• Summary

What young feds say about their jobs

“I am able to make a big difference by working

from within the Government.” (OPM)

“Working for the Government offers me a level of experience and

substantive knowledge that I could not access in the private

sector at this stage of my

career.” (STATE)

“I work on the most important national security

and humanitarian issues our country faces today and

see real progress towards improving how we respond to

crises.” (DOD)

Making the Difference

1. Nicole Nelson-Jean U.S. Department of Energy

2. Nicole Faison U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

3. Tobin Bradley U.S. Department of State

4. Subhashree Madhavan National Institutes of Health

Benefits of government service

Have the opportunity to make a difference

Be able to influence the future of our country

Enjoy work/life balance

Benefits of government service

Student loan repayment assistance • Some agencies may repay up to $10,000 of your student loans per

year

• In 2006, 34 agencies provided 5,755 employees with $36 million in assistance

• The average loan repayment in 2006 was $6,245

Flexible schedules and generous vacation

Training and professional development • In 2007, more than half of the $33 million in recruitment money

available was spent on entry and developmental-level positions

Competitive health and retirement benefits

Excellent advancement opportunities

Federal pay and advancement

General Schedule (GS) is the pay scale for many Federal jobs from 1-15.

Varies by geographic location

Each GRADE has 10 steps, allowing for a range of salaries

Within a few years, you can progress through several grades

General Schedule (GS) grade criteria

Grade Qualifying education

GS-5 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree OR a bachelor’s degree

GS-7 Bachelor’s degree with one of the following:

• Class standing (upper third of class)

• 3.0 or higher GPA; 3.5 or higher GPA in major

• Honor society membership

GS-9 Master’s degree (or equivalent)

GS-11 Doctorate degree Source: opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp

GS-5 and GS-7 are considered “entry level”

Selected 2008 starting salaries

City GS-5 GS-7 GS-9

Atlanta $30,808 $38,162 $46,680

Chicago $32,347 $40,069 $49,012

Dallas $31,186 $38,631 $47,253

New York City $33,187 $41,110 $50,285

San Francisco $34,808 $43,117 $52,740

Washington, D.C. $31,751 $39,330 $48,108

Source:http://opm.gov/oca/08tables/indexGS.asp

Selected 2008 starting salaries

Then, 2-3 years later… possible career

progression

City GS-5 GS-7 GS-9 GS-11

Atlanta $30,808 $38,162 $46,680 $56,478

Chicago $32,347 $40,069 $49,012 $59,299

Dallas $31,186 $38,631 $47,253 $57,171

New York City $33,187 $41,110 $50,285 $60,840

San Francisco $34,808 $43,117 $52,740 $63,811

Washington, D.C. $31,751 $39,330 $48,108 $58,206

Source:http://opm.gov/oca/08tables/indexGS.asp

Where the Jobs Are: By location

In 2007, agencies spent $11.6 million to relocate employees

Plus 50,000 employees work overseas

Where the Jobs Are: By occupation

Occupation # Employees

Medical and Public Health 7,560

Accounting and Budget 4,672

Business and Industry 2,012

Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare 1,828

Engineering and Architecture 1,148

Education 612

Information Technology 376

Source: fedscope.opm.gov

In FY 2007, roughly 46,264 people were hired in the federal government at the entry level (GS-5, GS-6, GS-7) into the following occupations:

Agenda

Part 1: Opportunities and benefits

• A job for every interest

• Benefits of government service

• Where the Jobs Are

Part 2: Navigating the process

• How to search for a federal internship or job

• How to apply for a federal internship or job

• Essays and KSAs

• Summary

Where to start your search

Alumni

Friends

Family

Professors

Tools for narrowing your search

makingthedifference.org Search the Partnership’s job seeker site for resources and tools

USA.gov The U.S. Government’s official web portal

Where the Jobs Are A Partnership report with government hiring projections through 2009

bestplacestowork.org The most comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee satisfaction in the federal government

Where to look: makingthedifference.org

• Red, White and Blue Jobs Library: how to find great jobs in the federal service

• 17 interest-specific career guides

• Internship database

• Agency profiles

• KSA writing and federal resumes

• Profiles in public service

• Security clearance

• Student loan repayment

Where to look: USA.gov

Where to look: Where the Jobs Are

Outlines projected hiring needs through 2009

Covers 99% of the federal workforce, 34 agencies

193,000 mission critical jobs

Presented by agency and by occupation

Download at makingthedifference.org

Where to look: Where the Jobs Are

Where to look: bestplacestowork.org

Getting started: student programs

Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)

Description

• Traditional internship

• Great program for a summer or short term experience

Eligibility

• Any student in enrolled in an accredited degree granting institution

Additional

• Always paid, usually at a GS-2/3 for undergrad

• Length of the experience is set by the agency

• Not required to be posted on USAJobs.gov or StudentJobs.gov

STEP example: Department of Commerce


Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) Description

• A student works in an area related to what they are studying

Eligibility

• A student is enrolled in an accredited degree granting institution

• An agency must form an agreement with the institution the student is attending

Additional

• Always paid

• Students work at least 640 hours (or less depending on academic achievement or prior experience)

• After experience, students are eligible to be hired into an agency non-competitively


SCEP example: EPA


Federal Career Intern Program (FCIP)

Description • Full time 2 year long position

• The term “intern” refers to the idea of trying out a position for 2 years

Eligibility

• Student who has received a degree from an accredited degree granting institution

• Fulfill the academic and skill based requirements set forth by the agency

Additional

• Eligible for all salary and benefits of a regular federal employee


FCIP examples: FAS and EPA


Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF)

Description: • Government’s prestigious fellowship program

• Students complete a 2 year rotation within an agency or between agencies as full time fellows

Eligibility: • Student who has just completed a master’s program

• Apply during the fall of their final year of graduate school

Additional: • A candidate must be nominated by their institution.

• For more information: https://www.pmf.opm.gov

Where to look for positions

Your career development center

Popular job/internship search engines

makingthedifference.org The Partnership’s federal internship directory

USAjobs.gov The Government’s main job Web site

studentjobs.gov The Government’s main internship Web site

Agency Web sites Visit the Web sites of agencies whose missions interest you

Internship Directory

SEARCH BY:

Major

Agency

Location

Year in School

Compensation

Hours per Week

Availability

Keyword


EXAMPLE

Major = Environmental Sciences

Year in School = Junior



LISTING

Agency

Location

Major

Description

Compensation

Duration

Eligibility

Contact Info

Where to look: USAjobs.gov

Where to look: Studentjobs.gov

Where to look: agency sites

Where to look: agency sites

Now let’s search…

Launch the process at USAjobs.gov

Search by various fields

SEARCH BY:

Keyword

Location

Job Category

Salary Range

Pay Grade

Federal jobs by college major

USAjobs.gov/EI23.asp

Search by interest

EXAMPLE:

Location = Chicago

Job Category = Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare (for Economics)

Anatomy of a vacancy announcement


A vacancy announcement can represent multiple hires. Don’t forget to follow up.


OVERVIEW

Summary of the organization’s mission and impact, plus a brief description of the job and it’s key requirements


DUTIES

Lists major duties and responsibilities of the position, adding more detail to the brief overview


QUALIFICATIONS & EVALUATION

Identifies skills and experience needed for the role and explains how applications will be assessed


BENEFITS & OTHER INFO

Describes additional elements of the compensation package or perks associated with the job


HOW TO APPLY

Provides step-by-step instructions on how to apply and may include information on when/how applicants can expect to hear from the agency

How to apply

BE CAREFUL!

Follow the “How to Apply” instructions closely — they may differ across agencies.

How to apply

Overview of the online process

After selecting the job to which you’d like to apply, there are usually several steps in the online application process:

1. Create your federal resume

2. Answer the questions posed online

3. Submit the complete application package by the stated deadline

4. Follow up with the appropriate agency contact to inquire about progress in hiring for the position

Building a federal resume online

Building a federal resume online

Sections:

Candidate information

Work experience

Education

References

Affiliations

Desired locations

Requirements for a federal resume

Federal resumes require more detail than standard resumes. Essentials include:

• Information about the opening

• Personal information

• Education and coursework levels

• Work experience

• Dates and number of hours worked per week

• Location of position and supervisor contact information

• Other qualifications

Building a federal resume

Program Coordinator -Oversee three mentoring programs in limited resource communities -Recruit, train and manage 25 adult mentors and 30 youth

Federal application process

Applicants will be assessed for federal opportunities using one of the following methods:

Application Questionnaire

Essays (sometimes called KSAs)

Sample questionnaire

Serve as a primary point of contact for a specific subject matter. A. I have not had education, training or experience in performing this task.

B. I have had education or training in performing the task, but have not yet performed it on the job.

C. I have performed this task on the job. My work on this task was monitored closely by a supervisor or senior employee to ensure compliance with proper procedures.

D. I have performed this task as a regular part of my job. I have performed it independently and normally without review by a supervisor or senior employee.

E. I am considered an expert in performing this task. I have supervised performance of this task or am normally the person who is consulted by other workers to assist them in this task because of my expertise.

Application essays

Agencies commonly require essays as part of the application to address characteristics they seek.

• Can be extremely important in the evaluation process in sorting out the best qualified candidates

• Vary depending on the job, but examples include: skill in written and oral communications; demonstrated technical ability; knowledge of specific subject matter areas

• Are similar to interview questions; answers should provide concrete examples (coursework and volunteer experience count), particularly to demonstrate quantifiable results, complexity or leadership

• Should be a narrative written in first person and vary in length. Use electronic boxes to determine or if KSAs 1-2 pages

What is KSA?

KSA is an acronym for “Knowledge, Skills and Abilities”

Specifically address each KSA in your application, providing examples of how your experience prepares you for this role

KSA response approach: CCAR

Context Describe the specific problem you had to address. What did you have to solve, resolve, respond to, handle, etc.?

Challenges Describe the factors that contributed to a particular challenge such as budget cuts, new legislation, institutional reform, new goals from upper management, etc.

Action Describe the steps you took to solve the problem. Stay away from the ordinary — be extraordinary in your response!

Result Describe the outcomes of your actions — use %, #s, grades. What was the difference you made — highlight THE BEST.

Sample KSA

Ability to communicate in

writing.

KSA response example

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.

Challenges- 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 accomplishments of our alumni, with a message throughout encouraging alumni to submit articles and pictures.

Result - Over the course of the academic year when I was Newsletter Editor, we received an average of 5 alumni submissions per newsletter. Additionally, alumni and program participants rated the quality of the newsletter higher than any other year.

Summary tips for the KSA section

Address key words/phrases mentioned in the position description

Tie your experiences to each KSA

Use illustrative examples

Focus on outcomes to which you directly contributed

Use plain language, without acronyms

Review your answers (with outside help) to ensure they are succinct, easy to read, and grammatically correct

Save your essays to use for other applications

Download a KSA Writing worksheet http://www.makingthedifference.org

Applicant eligibility

When submitting an application, agencies request eligibility information including:

• Past or current federal employment

• Veteran qualifications (http://www.opm.gov.veterans/html/vetsInfo.asp)

• Disability status

• Non-competitive appointment Peace Corps and AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers have 1 year of non-competitive eligibility

http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol.profben#adv

http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/alumni/opportunities.asp

Summary: tips for applying

Plan ahead Allow plenty of time to thoroughly complete your application

Select carefully Always consider using a tailored application for each vacancy you apply

Prepare for a wait Don’t assume you have been rejected if you do not hear back within weeks of submitting your application

Follow-up with an agency Contact the identified representative to learn the status of an application or find out more about a job

What happens next

After the closing date for applications, the agency evaluates candidate qualifications

From this assessment, the agency produces a list of qualified candidates

From the list of qualified applicants, agencies select candidates for interviews

At this point, agencies are like other organizations • They conduct interviews and select the best

candidate(s) for the job

• Some jobs require security clearance

Summary

Federal agencies hire the best and brightest, and getting a Federal job is competitive

Increase your chances of being hired by following a few clear steps:

1. Research potential opportunities

2. Consider various employment avenues

3. Search on job Web sites and specific agencies

4. Follow the application directions carefully

Sell yourself!

Questions

Brooke Bohnet [email protected]

Brad Golson [email protected]

Caroline Pettit [email protected]

ourpublicservice.org

Documents

Making the Difference - UT Tyler