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With the economy digging itself out of a nasty pothole some have said
“Hey don’t even bother trying to apply anywhere, man. There’s no jobs.”
Not so. Hello there, I’m Darren. I’m here to tell you that this isn’t the case.
One of the biggest employers in the world is at your doorstep, hardworking American student.
Now, while it may lack the thrill of flipping burgers,
the United States government is actively engaged in hiring people like you in an enormous amount of positions across the country
and around the world. Let me be your guide on this exciting journey into the world of jobs with the feds.
How about Puerto Rico? If you like to travel and see exciting new places, the feds will hook you up.
With 86% of federal jobs nowhere near DC and 50,000 federal jobs that place you around the world, why say no?
And these aren’t carbon copy people you’ll be working with. The federal government is proud to say that they have one of the most diverse work
forces on the entire planet, and the pay is extremely competitive.
Got a family? Go to school? Get a job with the government. They have your back with flexible schedules and awesome benefits.
The internship program is a paid opportunity to work in agencies and explore federal careers while still in school
and is offered in a wide variety of different types of educational institutions.
Next, the recent graduates program will target recent graduates from qualifying educational institutions or programs.
Don’t worry you can still apply for the recent graduates’ program within two years of receiving your degree.
Veterans can apply within six years of receiving a degree if they have been actively serving in the military.
Presidential Management Fellows. For more than three decades the PMF program has been the federal government’s premiere leadership
development program for advanced degree candidates.
But wait! Don’t think those awesome programs are the only fish in the federal sea.
There's tons of opportunities out there for government internships for the interested student.
Have access to a computer? Then you're set. Clickity-click your way on over to www.makingthediffernce.org
and find a ridiculously large federal internship directory and a federal internship and fellowship center.
Not enough action for you yet? Strut your stuff down the information super-highway to www.usajobs.gov.
What the feds themselves use as their main job search page.
Hold it. Like to follow the rules?
Yeah.
Like to make sure everyone else follows the rules even more?
Yeah.
Guess what? You’re in luck. 'Cause last year the federal government hired 60,000 new people in security, protection and enforcement.
Hey, if you wanna make sure our airports and planes are safe, if you wanna make sure our government and our country is protected,
then you’ll have no problem getting a job in the government. 10 minutes to the LZ, let's go, let's go!
Doing push-ups everyday and monitoring surveillance footage not your cup of tea?
Not really.
No problem. Jobs in medical related fields in public health and government are on the rise too.
Whose chart is this? Whose chart is this?!
Number crunchers, fear not. You have a hope with the feds as well.
With accounting, budgeting and business related jobs also on the rise as are jobs in science and engineering.
There are certainly some places that have more federal jobs than others, but don’t worry. They’re all over the place.
Some of the best states to find federal jobs would be in sunny California, historic Virginia and bronco busting Texas.
Help the environment with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.
Both of which scored high on worker happiness.
If big agencies aren’t your thing, try helping the arts with the National Endowment for the Humanities,
or observe cruise ship lines on the high seas with the Federal Maritime Commission;
both places people love to work at.
Also, with all government agencies, employee satisfaction is on the rise.
You may be asking yourself, “So how do I do this?” Do your research, use your resources, and get educated.
To make sure you get the most out of your federal job search make sure you do a good amount of research first.
Your time is precious, so ensure this is something you really want to do.
Bestpalcestowork.org has a bunch of guides to jobs based on your interests and major and the results to the federal agency employee
happiness survey that we talked about earlier.
This site is really great because it breaks down the intense amount of government info for the average student.
If you have any friends or family who work in the government, ask them too!
Often times the people closest to you can be a great place to start. Also, come here.
Check out your local university career center. Often times they have huge relationships with federal agencies that can be really helpful.
Once you figure out what kind of government job you want, it’s time to start looking for government job announcements.
Now if you’re still in school, check out studentjobs.gov.
Start your search big and then refine. For example, if you want to be a spacecraft engineer for NASA
then you would start your search as "aerospace." Now don’t forget usajobs.gov too which has literally thousands of job postings.
Also, check out the agency website specifically that you’re interested in because they have even more job announcements.
The Boy Scout motto: “Be prepared.” So if you score an interview you better be. Keep all your best writing samples, transcripts, awards,
references, and a printed out resume in one folder if you can. And make sure you dress professionally.
So remember young hard working American student, good luck and the government is your future!