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Whenever I've looked into fed jobs, like 'the foreign service', they give huge 'extra points' to anyone who has served. While I can certainly understand it...it seems way too heavily weighed towards their advantage.
So much so, that after several attempts at The Foreign Service, I just sorta gave up trying for that yearly test every year. I could never pass on to the next level of testing, despite sometimes scoring much better than those I know who've served and were ultimately hired.
Tiger Beer,
I don't know what happened to you with the Foreign Service Exam, but if you didn't get to the Oral Exams, it isn't because you were bumped by any veterans. The Foreign Service gives preference points to veterans, but only after they pass the written and oral exams and are added to the register. Even then, the preference points can't be considered "huge" since new A-100 classes are not dominated by veterans. Most importantly, every one of the veterans who does join passed the same written and oral exams at the same level as everyone else.
somebody should give "Work4Nobody" a federal clearance. He hasn't replies to any of the post or revealed about himself. I think that's the whole point of the TS/SCI, right?
usajobs is a waste of time. the only way to get a federal job is knowing some who is already working for an agency. Networking is the key or try to get an internship in your field. 10-15 years ago it was easy to get a federal job but now it's hard to get in.
I found my entry level federal job through USAjobs a few years ago. I didn't know anyone at the agency but I was qualified. I also did what another poster suggested. My worked on my resume so that it highlighted the skills they were looking for. I did the same thing with my KSA answers. It helps.
I would also advise being willing to come in at a lower grade. Your focus should be on getting in. The grades will come with experience and a little time.
For those who suggest job-seekers give up on landing a fed position and look for contractor work, I would appreciate any advice on that process. I've been applying to fed jobs through USAjobs.gov and to many contractors/companies that work with the government and have had little luck. It seems that to get a job with a contractor you must already posses some sort of clearance, and the only way to get a clearance without having served in the military is through a fed job...which probably won't hire you unless you are a vet or know someone.
usajobs is a waste of time. the only way to get a federal job is knowing some who is already working for an agency. Networking is the key or try to get an internship in your field. 10-15 years ago it was easy to get a federal job but now it's hard to get in.
In my experience, this is entirely false. I've worked for the government since the 90's and there is not a single time I've been offered a job because of "knowing someone." I know it happens, but it's not nearly as rampant as it may have been 30 (or more) years ago.
And part of the reason this is false is actually because of USAjobs, which has greatly streamlined the application process and made it much more transparent. Things not only move faster than they once did, but nowadays there's actually two-way communication between the agency and the applicant (anyone applying to paper vacancy announcements in the 80's or 90's knows that contact from an agency was virtually non-existent - unless you happened to be the person who got the job).
Here are the keys to getting a federal job, in my opinion:
1) persistence - apply and keep applying, don't put all your eggs in one basket or with a single agency/job
2) patience - it takes a while when you're dealing with an employer that's routinely accepting applications from thousands of job seekers across the entire country
3) a willingness to take a job you might not want in order to get your foot in the door, possibly at a lower grade, or maybe in a different geographic location
People who want their dream job right out of the gate, in their hometown or in a place that everyone would like to be, and for a handsome salary are - more often than not - the most disappointed of government job seekers. They're unrealistic and expect way too much.
Despite the political trend of bashing government workers, simply because the economy happens to be in the toilet, remember that the vast majority of government employees did it the hard way. They started at a lower grade than their contemporaries in the private sector (I could have made a LOT more money out of college if I had not gone into government). They earned slower promotions, often with no 'bonuses,' in jobs that may not have been a perfect fit or in an ideal place. They usually had to relocate and/or change jobs/agencies and put in their time in order to get where they are now. Case in point: I've worked for 5 different agencies and relocated 6 times in 17 years (including to Alaska). And I'm not even in management.
I am a veteran, and I have a master's degree. I have been trying for years to get in but have never received an interview. What is crazy is that I have been rejected from a job I am currently in but with local government (been doing the same stuff for over seven years). I have the years, education, etc...
It's all about keyword tuning your resume to catch the "attention" of resume scanning software used by the Fed. Basically, you have to constantly re-tool your resume for each job applied to.......carpet bombing a single resume across the federal hiring spectrum is the absolute worst thing you could do. It's a pain in the ass, but you have write, re-write, and re-write your resume time and again to be consistent with the keywords in the job announcement. Of course i'm not recommending that you lie, but if your experience is such that it actually does apply to the announcement, then you should create your resume in a way that your experience complements the announcement from a keyword perspective. If you don't, then your resume is likely being discarded before it even gets past the keyword scanner, which would be unfortunate if you have the skills needed for the job in question.
I hope this helps.
Very good. This is true. But usually, it's all about networking. I'm not saying networking as something you go to an event and meet a new person, but you work, and let feds know who you are sort of networking. And it's not because someone knows someone, rather, it's about trust when it comes to Fed jobs. It's not about who you know, but how much they trust you. But the resume thing above is across the line in all jobs. It's one of the secrets that not many people know, unless they're developers or recruiters.
At the end of the day, you really do have to go above and beyond what you do to get noticed. Which means, to have someone to say, "look at this person, this person does a great job, and he has a positive attitude. This person is pleasant to deal with, understands what I want, and tries hard to make my project work. I should hire this person. It'll be good for the project/department/component/division/community".
That's how you get the job. It all comes down to trust and quality of work, and I'm pretty sure it hasn't changed much. It's the fundamental way to get a job you want, in my opinion.
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