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Anyone who was not a vet get recently hired for a federal or state job?? If so how did you do it? referral? what degrees? what experience? what position? what agency? I live in the right place, DC, but it's really competitive to get a fed job! Also in the application do you need to list EVERY job you ever had? Including a 3 month job I held some years ago? I often get recruiters who offer contract jobs but I would rather be directly employed.
I am nonvet in the federal government. But, I have a masters in a degree that is in demand (engineering).
You need to list every job in the last 5 to 7 years. There will be a background investigation if you're hired. The investigation will reveal ever job you had in the last 5 to 7 years.
Yes - it is extremely competitive. Depending on your background, another option is to start as a contractor. You may actually like that better as you'll often get better pay, and the option of moving around contracts until you find one you really like. Most of the SES' I know started out as a contractor.
The downside to that is you don't have that job stability the government is known for, and can be treated like a 2nd class citizen if you happen to work for a client that isn't contractor friendly.
I think it depends on the field you are trying to get into. I am a non vet working for the state, and like siobhandem, I have a specialized degree (engineering).
I have tried to get federal jobs (outside of DC), but in the end the application process was just too frustrating for me.
I agree that a contract job would at least get you some experience and put you in contact with fed employees, some of whom may know of positions coming open and can be a reference.
I got a non compete job in the fed at the medical center. Just have a BA and a BS.
I had to account for what I was doing for the past 5 years, jobs and college (since I haven't been out that long). They didn't want a 3 month period that wasn't accounted for.
I think it depends on the field you are trying to get into. I am a non vet working for the state, and like siobhandem, I have a specialized degree (engineering).
I have tried to get federal jobs (outside of DC), but in the end the application process was just too frustrating for me.
I agree that a contract job would at least get you some experience and put you in contact with fed employees, some of whom may know of positions coming open and can be a reference.
Good luck!
What puzzles me is when I see girls with high school degrees whose previous job was at a deli or as a medical receptionist land jobs with the state? How do they do it?? They're not vets either.
I'm a non vet and recent hire into the federal government and yes you need to make sure you don't have any gaps, thats the key. If you had a job that overlapped another job then thats up to you.
I saw the job ad while searching for employment, went to the job fair and submitted my application when they opened the position.
I don't have a degree but some college. I was taking classes, and still am, in the area in which I was hired. I will say though that many people get into government jobs through people they know with an inside connection or they atleast have a heads up that you may not have. This was not the case for me.
You probably have a few hundred if not a 1000+ applying everytime there is a job opening. Having the right timing is really key. You will have better prospects of getting hired when they begin to hire a sizable amount of people to replace people retiring or soon or will soon retire. That's how I got in.
Also make sure your references are good. They do call them although it may be months after you are hired.
If there is an agency you want to work with you can consider volunteering. Contact them and try to set something up. My cousin did for about 2 months before they created an position for him. He had a lot of recommendations also.
I've applied to over 30 state positions and only interviewed for one. Waiting to hear back if I am hired or not. I didn't know anyone, and only have a Bachelor's degree. I couldn't even get an interview for the DMV or as a bus cleaner lol. Strangely they do hire ghetto people for these jobs, so again I have to go back to the nepotism. My city is known for immense govt corruption. They always get caught, but never punished.
Oh and the one interview literally took 2 months after applying to get a call for
The fed is a different animal because there's so many agencies and a back and forth politically. A federal .resume is a mix of a resume and application. They check quite a bit more then you might think
State depends but I'd say it helps to look at various certifications and programs of regulation. For example in Mass for housing authories (quasi but almost state depending on how far the government was going to move) there are five classes. These vary from a half day to a day. The cost might be $150 or so Massachusetts Chapter NAHRO - Boston, MA
If you want to get more into purchasing there is the MCPPO which is a state certification for purchasing. Some government employers can even take one class as year of experience but it depends.
If you wanted to get into HR there's other parts like HRM and SHRM.
If you want to be a town/city clerk you have to be a notary.
If you want to work with a COA I'd argue to learn to FirstAid/CPR, Serve Safe Certification and maybe some evidence that you can identify dementia and prescription abuse.
Learn as much as you can with MS Office or programs like it, especially Excel. Planning is usually something like ArcGIS but you could try to get by with Google Maps Pro to a point and maybe Microsoft Mapsource.
Much of it is being able to state abreast of the regulations and record keeping. Government records are generally open so you have to deal with the fact that at any time most things can be reported. There's also the scheduling. There's usually weekends off, holidays off, a rotation due to various committees and a process that happens each year with budgeting.. add in state and federal and elections and it can be a hurry up and wait mentality sometimes.
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