You are here: Career Services > Job & internship search guide > Federal government employment

Some elements of searching for a federal government job or experience during college are the same as searching for a job or internship in the private for-profit and non-profit sectors. Some elements are different. This section focuses on practices and terminology specific to the federal employment search.

 

Federal jobs by college major

Where to find federal jobs

Internships & other pre-grad experience, fellowships

Post-graduation two-year internships

Federal agency recruitment on campus

Federal resumes and how to apply

Security Clearances

GS Pay Scale

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Federal jobs by college major

USAjobs.gov > Federal jobs by college major

USAjobs.gov > Federal occupational groups (jobs by field)

Making the Difference.org > Federal careers by field of interest

Our Public Services.org > Academic Quick Quides: jobs by college major
[scroll down a bit on the page to see this; no direct link]

 

Where to find federal jobs

 

Website of an agency of interest.

Most have a job search feature; some may direct you to a apply on USAJobs.gov.

USA.gov > A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies

You're thinking "Wow," right? Wondering where to start?
If you don't already have an agency of interest, read on.

Federal employment job listing web sites: These feature jobs in a variety of agencies.

USAJobs.gov
U.S. government's official site for jobs and employment information; provided by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

USAJobs.gov > Excepted Service Information & Employment Opportunities
"Some agencies are excluded from the competitive civil service procedures. This means that these agencies have their own hiring system which establishes the evaluation criteria they use in filling their internal vacancies. These agencies are called excepted service agencies."
List by mission (agriculture, arts, commerce courts, education, energy, fed mgt, finance, international, political system, security, transportation, etc.) with agencies for each mission area and employment links.

[.gov sites are owned and operated directly by a government entity.]

Washington Post.com Fed Page
Federal news, and under "Navigating the Bureaucracy" see "federal jobs"

GovLoop.com Created in 2008; social networking for the government community. Students interested in government service are wlecome.

[.com sites are owned by a commercial for-profit company, and can include news media organizations. There are reputable .com sites; they typically charge fees to the employer (not the job seeker), and they exist to provide a service, each one attempting to fill a need in the wide array of online job search resources.]

Partnership for Public Service.org

Where the jobs are.org: career fields

Best places to Work.org in the federal gov't > rankings by agency

Best Places to Work.org in the federal gov't > info for job seekers

[.org sites are service sites, often owned by a not-for-profit organization that serves a cause, such as the cause of public service.]

Internships and other pre-graduation experience pportunities, fellowships

The federal government uses terms Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) and Student Temporary Experience Program (STEP) to refer to opportunities to get experience while you are a college student. Many of these positions are paid.

Resources to find these:

StudentJobs.gov.

Making the Difference.org > Federal Student Employment Programs

Making the Difference.org > Student Opportunities
Student Ambassadors (VT student Chris Ramos is in the 2009-2010 list)
Public Service Fellows

Additional sources in Career Services' list of websites for gov't & related employment.

Terminology note: Post-graduation two-year internships

The federal government also uses the term "internship" to describe formal programs that are two-year full-time employment opportunities for recent college graduates. Be aware when you see notices for "internships" to look at the fine print.

 

Do federal agencies recruit on our campus?

Yes. Some post jobs, some recruit through On-Campus Interviewing, and some attend career fairs. Some may do a combination of these recruiting methods.

Hokies4Hire job posting is open all year for employers to post jobs and for Virginia Tech students to view and apply for jobs. Go to Hokies4Hire and the On-Campus Interviewing Program to learn more.

On-Campus Interviewing Program runs for seven to nine weeks in both fall and spring semesters with:
(1) advance deadlines for applying for jobs, and
(2) advance sign up for interviews by students selected by the employer after applying.
Go to Hokies4Hire and the On-Campus Interviewing Program to learn more.

Job | career fairs:
There are many job and career fairs on the VT campus each year. Each one is different.
Each is typically a one-day event sponsored by a college, department, or student group.
Career Services sponsors the Connection Internship & Co-op Fair each winter.
The majority of the fairs are held in September, October, February and March.
At almost every fair there will be federal agencies among the employers in attendance.
View the web site of each individual career/job fair to see what employers will be attending. Research employers in advance so you can present yourself as a prepared candidate. (Saying, "hi, what does your agency do?" won't be an effective approach.)
Be careful about using the generic term "companies" to refer to employers; government agencies are not companies.
Employers at fairs may still require you to apply online to officially be a job candidate, but having the opportunity to meet a recruiter in person is a chance to learn more and present yourself effectively.
Some fairs conduct next-day interviews scheduled during the fair; these are not the same as the On-Campus Interviewing Program. So don't overlook either; do take advantage of both.

Federal resumes and how to apply

Resumes written for federal jobs may require different information and presentation than is expected on a resume for the private sector; expectations can vary by agency.

Resources:

Making the Difference.org > Federal resumes

USAjobs.gov > Login for resume builder

USAjobs.gov > Resume and application tips

USAjobs.gov > Help > Troubleshooting resumes

USAjobs.gov > Help > How to apply

USAjobs.gov > Help > Top Ten FAQ

USAjobs.gov > Help > Glossary of federal terms

U.S. Office of Personnel Management > subject index

Washington Post: Conquer the federal job interview

Sample federal resume for fictional Virginia Tech junior: MS Word | PDF

Security Clearances

Many jobs in the federal government require some sort of security clearance for employees once they are hired. A security clearance is a license issued by the government to authorize an employee to handle classified or top secret information that relates to national security.

To obtain security clearance, an interested applicant must first apply for a federal job that requires clearance. Once hired, the employer will begin the clearance process by submitting paperwork to the Defense Security Service where a background check is initiated on the employee. The background check typically includes citizenship verification, fingerprinting, and a National Security Questionnaire. After these steps, the government then runs credit checks, medical record checks, etc. The government then checks for illegal drug use and investigates family and friend relationships, especially those relationships with foreign citizens. Once all personal information is gathered to the government’s satisfaction, the prospective employee will then be interviewed, and possibly issued a polygraph test. Upon completion, clearance is either granted or denied.

The entire security clearance process can take from six months to one year for low-level clearance, and up to two years for high level clearance. Top Secret, or the highest level clearance, requires periodic re-examination every five years, followed by every ten years for Secret clearance, and 15 years for Confidential clearance.

You can only get a security clearance by being hired by government, hired by military, or hired by a government contractor. A student cannot initiate this process in advance.

If you have a security clearance from prior employment, include that information on your resume.

Making the Difference.org > Security clearance info (PDF)

GS (General Schedule) Pay Scale

Typically, a new graduate with a bachelor’s degree and no previous experience will start around the GS-5 level, while a graduate with a master’s degree can expect to start around the GS-9 level.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management > Salaries and Wages shows:

> Locality pay tables for geographic areas

> General Schedule (base) annual and hourly

[Note that calendar year is part of the URL; change it to view a different year.]