With more than two million civilian employees nationwide, the federal government is a major employer not only in the nation’s capital but around the country. According to the Pew Research Center (link below), “fewer than a fifth of the workers in the Office of Personnel Management’s database – about 449,500 – work in the District of Columbia or the adjoining states of Maryland and Virginia. Outside that region, California and Texas have the largest contingents of federal employees, with about 147,500 and 130,000, respectively.” (What the data says about federal workers)
Benefits of Working for the Federal Government
New federal employees earn 13 vacation days and 11 paid holidays annually. The amount of annual leave increases to 20 days after three years and climbs to 26 days after 15 years. Federal employees also earn 20 sick days annually.
Federal employees have a retirement plan, have the option to participate in life insurance and the thrift savings plan, and have multiple choices for health care coverage. You can change your health plan each year without worrying about preexisting conditions.
The pay scale varies based on location. Click here to see current pay scales. General Schedule
The Federal hiring process is changing to make it easier for private sector candidates to apply. By September 30, federal resumes are limited to 2 pages.
Decoding Federal Job Vacancy Announcements
Most Federal jobs can be found on www.usajobs.gov. The vacancy announcements are often longer than private sector job postings.
Vacancy announcements are comprised of several elements.
Eligibility
There are usually two vacancy announcements. The first is open to all sources, meaning anyone can apply. The second version is for current federal employees. In some cases, you may see jobs open only to current agency employees, or for federal workers who have been downsized or restructured out of their previous jobs.
Deadlines
Federal job vacancy announcements are usually posted on USA Jobs for two weeks, but sometimes can be as long as a month or as short as a week. Some agencies also close postings after reaching a certain number of candidates. This is usually for job postings for which the agency anticipates high interest.
Duties/Responsibilities
This section describes what the person hired for the position would do on a daily basis.
Qualifications
This section lists the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job. Your resume must show that you have at least one year of experience for each item.
Specialized Experience
Some jobs may require technical expertise in specific areas, such as information technology, purchasing, or editing.
