Wed, 20 Apr 2016 16:49:07 -0400

Interested in working for the federal government? Look into USAjobs, the federal government’s official source for job listings, applications, and employment opportunity information.

The federal government has internship and employment opportunities for majors in many different disciplines, from political science to engineering. As a double major in history and global studies, I have always been interested in opportunities with the federal government, so I’ve made an account on USAjobs. The hardest part of making an account is understanding the resume.

Federal resumes are completely different than typical resumes. Usually resumes are a one page summary of your skills and experience, but federal resumes tend to be two to five pages long. It is a much more in-depth description of your skills and experience. Most federal jobs expect you to include past salary and the number of hours worked per week for each past position, which is much more information than is included in a typical resume.

Once you finish your resume, it is usually a good idea to figure out what kinds of jobs you would be eligible for and interested in. The list of Federal Occupations by College Major is a great resource for this; it gives a detailed list of the types of jobs you may be interested in. This is a great way to fully understand the options available to you within the federal government.

Ideally, every federal employer would post all vacancies on USAJobs, but that is not always the case. There are many employers, like the CIA and the Supreme Court, that rarely post on USAJobs and recruit in other ways. It may be important to keep an eye out for employment opportunities with these departments as well as the ones listed on USAJobs.

On April 26 at noon in the Commons, room 331, the Career Center is hosting a workshop on managing the federal job process. Adrian Williams from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management will be presenting on the different aspects of the federal job search, including Pathways Program overviews, how to search and apply for jobs, and how to manage your USAJobs account. This workshop will be a great opportunity to ask questions about federal job opportunities and applications, and it will definitely help you prepare for the federal job application process.

If you are still struggling to understand any aspect of the federal job process after this workshop, USAJobs has four free online presentations coming up to explain the federal job application process. They will walk attendees through the job selection process by explaining the many aspects of job opportunity announcements and helping them identify important requirements of the job. They will then help people tailor resumes to specific jobs and explain the USAJobs resume builder.

These workshops are being held on:

Monday, May 2, 10:00am-11:30am

Monday, May 2, 7:00pm-8:30pm

Wednesday, May 4, 11:00-12:30

Wednesday, May 4, 6:00-7:30

Make sure you register online by clicking the links, attendance is limited to the first 1,500 people who RSVP per event.

The federal job search may be very different than a typical job search, but it is definitely manageable. There are opportunities for tons of different jobs, so feel free to check it out!