Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Does anyone know the fastest way in getting a federal job in DC?I tired usajobs.com, but i am not getting any luck. Any advice would be appreciated.
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.
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.
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 agree. I have reinstatement eligiblity, and I couldn't even get back in. I tried for two years and gave. San Diego is a big Navy city, and in two years, I had a grand total of three interviews. I finally gave up.
there are tons of threads on this, but no one seems to understand the federal employment process except HR people. check out some who have responded in other threads. i am a federal eeo person, so i know some of the rules but not all.
basically, if you are someone who is not a vet or disabled, you will have a very very difficult time getting in from the "outside" right now due to presidential initiatives to hire vets and disabled individuals. are you Hispanic? you might have some luck as many federal agencies have initiatives to increase diversity especially with regard to Hispanic employees.
your resume makes a huge difference as well. forget those one pagers. you better write a book with lots and lots of detail about your experience.
there are no more "recent grad" programs. the new one is called Pathways and it is very competitive. i don't even know if its open for use yet.
managers have a choice when they recruit-- 1. pick from among the current workforce (called merit promotion) or 2. pick a vet who has applied on your announcement open to all US citizens. its actually illegal to choose a nonvet over a vet if both apply and both are qualified. at lower to mid grades, there are TONS of vets for every position, esp in DC. most managers want to have some illusion of options, so they choose from among the current workforce. makes it hard to break in.
i have worked in the field at orgs where everyone is related, so there is some truth to the "who you know" argument, though I find that in DC there is more focus on experience.
i would give up right now, honestly, and focus on working for a government contractor. get your foot in, get to know the organization, build a good resume and then start applying. the climate is pretty closed to "outsiders" right now.
I gave up on federal jobs. I'm a vet, with a high disability percentage, a BA, and was not geographically limited. No bites. I think DOE is the only one hiring right now.
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.
I agree. If there happens to be a detailed job description for a particular job you're interested in, state your experience in those exact terms or as close as possible without flat out lying.
Be patient and make repeat attempts if you don't get a job you really want the first time around. I had to go two rounds(with a mandatory yearlong waiting period between interviews) to land my current job and I consider myself lucky. Perseverance and demonstrated motivation(ex. getting a relevant certification) could tip the scales in your favor.
It's tougher nowadays due to the economy and the fact that federal jobs are some of the most stable, well-paying jobs on the market. Competition will be fierce.
From what happens in my department, I can tell you this: if a job has a closing date less than two weeks after it's posted, they already have someone in mind for that position. We hired someone from DoD as a senior leader in my department and guess where the bulk of our new hires have come from--DoD. Ever notice how some vacancies that are posted require knowledge and skills that you could only possess if you already doing the job? That job is probably a promotion for someone who is currently in that position, but has to compete to move to the next grade. If that employee doesn't make the certificate of eligibles they cancel the announcement or re-post it so that only status candidates can apply.
USAJOBS and federal hiring practices are a joke. The best way to get in is to work as a contractor. If they like you--not necessarily the work you do--they will find a way to bring you onboard.
basically, if you are someone who is not a vet or disabled, you will have a very very difficult time getting in from the "outside" right now due to presidential initiatives to hire vets and disabled individuals.
That's always been a major deterrant for me.
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.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
