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By Brandace Simmons
Roll Call Staff

Aerospace technologist, forest ranger, plant pathologist, air traffic control specialist, archivist and community health nurse — these are just some examples of the vast array of career opportunities the federal government offers around the nation.

America’s largest employer is the federal government, hiring 2 percent of the nation’s civilian work force. With more than 1.8 million employees and approximately 300,000 new hires every year, regardless of what interest or background a job seeker may have, the federal government likely offers a career that will match any applicant. Washington, D.C., continues to be the epicenter of the job market, with 16 percent of federal government workers located in the area. “All of the headquarter facilities for the 15 departments and many of the agencies are located in the D.C. area. There are still 84 percent that are located outside the metropolitan area,” said Dennis Damp, author of The Book of U.S. Government Jobs. “There are opportunities in many areas. You shouldn’t exclude any area. You would be surprised how many offices are available in some of the unlikeliest of places.”

Though obtaining a job through the federal government may have its many perks, the application process is known to be an intricate and tedious task. According to FederalJobs.net, the federal application process is complex and requires applicants to provide detailed work experience, education, special skills and qualification information. The format and content is critical to be rated high enough to be called for an interview. But Damp says the application process shouldn’t intimidate or veer job seekers away from applying. “It is complex, but it is not overbearing,” Damp said. “There is unlimited career potential for anyone who wants to get ahead. You have to accept the paperwork, which is a fact of the bureaucracy.”

To begin, it is important to understand the differences between the private and federal sector. “So many applicants tend to just submit a private-sector résumé, and that is one of the gross mistakes they can make because the federal style résumé has 43 specific blocks of data that must be filled out,” Damp explained. “You have to provide very detailed information, which explains why the average length of a federal style résumé is 3-5 pages for just entry level positions.”

Applicants looking to join the federal work force should visit USAJOBS.gov, a Web site created by the Office of Personnel Management that lists federal jobs. “Recruiters at all departments have access to the résumé database on the Web site,” said Robert Longley, who authors The Guide to U.S. Government. “Not only are you able to find career opportunities with the federal government listed and sorted by occupation, location, occupational group, keyword, grade level, salary and government agency, but you can also upload your résumé."

There are many laws, executive orders and regulations that govern federal employment. Thus Longley advises all prospective government job seekers to visit opm.gov to read about the laws regarding public employment as well as the benefits.

When seeking employment, Damp advises applicants to bid on multiple positions instead of a single position. Many times when an applicant bids on one specific job and is rejected for the first time, they tend to give up on applying in the near future. Typically, there are 20,000-30,000 jobs advertised daily in the federal sector. Although USAJOBS.gov is the most popular way to search for federal government job vacancies, it is not the only resource out there. There are 143 personnel offices in the federal sector, called expected services agencies, that don’t recruit through the OPM.

An important point to remember while searching for job openings with the federal government is to look beyond the job titles. Instead, search by location, keyword and broad occupational group. “Because of the way the government rates and ranks an applicant’s résumé, it really must be focused toward a specific occupation, but not necessarily a specific job title,” said Sandra Harris, president of Federal Research Service and FedJobs.com. “If an applicant’s résumé is not focused to a specific area, they probably won’t rate high enough to move forward in the hiring process. Most job applicants should narrow their search to one or two occupational series.”

A good strategy for finding positions is to search for many different titles or by broad occupational group rather than focusing on a specific title or keyword. FederalJobs.com offers the job of Web designer as an example. The government typically does not use that name, but it does hire people to do that type of work. Web designing jobs might be listed under visual arts specialist, public relations specialist or, if the job requires technical computer skills, information technology manager.

As with the private sector, an applicant’s résumé generally is the most important aspect of the application process. Federal government applicants should pay attention to keywords used, conciseness and using numbers to highlight accomplishments when creating their résumés, according to Damp. Harris adds, “Focus on the keywords just to be on the safe side, that way the applicant will be prepared for any online system they come across, such as the Resumix system used by the many Defense agencies, which is definitely keyword-based.”

When creating a résumé for a federal government job, one should always match past experience to the duties and qualifications listed in the job announcement. Find keywords that stand out from the vacancy announcement and use them in the résumé where possible. Also, include volunteer work that is relevant to the job’s duties.

Once an applicant has submitted their materials, there might be a longer response than an application process with a private-sector job. Applicants can check the status of their application by logging on to its employment Web site. Although the waiting period may take longer than expected, applicants may find benefits with working for the federal government are well worth the wait. There are recruitment incentives such as student loan payback, relocation allowance for hard-to-fill positions, cash incentives, Student Outstanding Scholars programs, an extensive and comprehensive retirement system, sick/annual leave, the ability to relocate almost anywhere worldwide and a nationally recognized health insurance program.