You are here: Career Services > Job & internship search > 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

Federal agency recruitment on campus

Federal resumes

KSAs: Knowledge, Skills, and Ability statements

Internships & other pre-grad experience

Post-graduation two-year internships

Security Clearances

GS Pay Scale

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What federal jobs match my college major?

Federal jobs by college major on USAjobs.opm.gov.
OPM is Office of Personnel Managment.
USAjobs is the "official job site of the United States Federal Goverment."
(http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ei23.asp)

Federal careers by field of interest
On Making the Difference.org > What Kinds of Federal Jobs Are There?

Where do I find federal jobs?

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

Note that .gov sites (like USAjobs.opm.gov mentioned above) are owned and operated directly by a government entity. Two primary federal government websites for job seekers are:

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

On StudentJobs.gov is E-Scholar.gov, which describes and links to internships, "cooperatives" (a.k.a. cooperative education), fellowships, grants, apprenticeships, and scholarships. See more below about internships and other pre-grad opportunities.

Note that .com sites are owned by a commercial for-profit company. 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.

MORE SOURCES: Career Services' list of web sites for federal government (and related) employment.

2. Go directly to the web site of an agency of interest.

Most have a job search feature; although some may redirect you back to a web site that serves all government agencies, like USAJobs.opm.gov.

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

You're thinking "Wow," right? Wondering where to start? Like we said, go there if you already have "an agency of interest," of if you want to see the extent of possibilities. If you don't, start with one of the web sites for federal government employment.

Do federal agencies recruit on our campus?

Yes. Some post jobs, some recruit through On-Campus Interviewing, and some attend career fairs (and 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. All currently enrolled Virginia Tech students have a Hokies4Hire account. Use it! Job-seeking alumni may request an account. Go to Hokies4Hire and the On-Campus Interviewing Program to learn more.

On-Campus Interviewing Program runs for eight to nine weeks in fall semester and eight to nine weeks in spring semester 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 typically a one-day event sponsored by a different department, college, or student group. (Career Services sponsors the Connection Internship & Co-op Fair each winter.) 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. And be careful about using the generic term "companies" to refer to employers, because government agencies are not companies.) Note that employers at fairs may still require you to apply online if you're truly interested in being a 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

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

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides a resume builder for applicants for federal positions that "allows you to create one uniform resume that provides all the information required by government agencies."

See the explanation and link to the resume builder on USAJobs.gov.

Makingthedifference.org > tips on building your resume using USAjobs.gov

StudentJobs.gov resume builder

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

KSAs: Knowledge, Skills, and Ability statements

KSAs are narrative statements written by the applicant that accompany most federal resumes and applications when applying to federal job openings

More about KSAs and how to write them.

Internships and other pre-graduation opportunities

The federal government also uses program titles 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. In addition to internships, cooperative education, are fellowship programs, research opportunities, scholarships and more. 

On StudentJobs.gov is E-Scholar.gov, which describes and links to internships, "cooperatives" (a.k.a. cooperative education), fellowships, grants, apprenticeships, and scholarships.

On Students.gov are links to internships, student jobs, graduate fellowships, and related information.

See Making the Difference.org Federal Student Employment Programs and Making the Difference.org Student Opportunities

THESE AND OTHER SOURCES ARE IN Career Services' list of web sites for federal government (and related) employment.

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.

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

The federal civil service has different grading and pay structures for its professional and trade workforces. It is important for you to know what categories you fall into when applying for jobs.

Over 70 percent of the Federal workforce is paid according to the General Schedule Pay Scale information on GovCentral.com.  The GS pay scale is used by most government employers for their white-collar employees.  It is set up with scales 1 through 15, with 1 being the lowest and 15 the highest.  Each grade has 10 steps within and each of these steps is a pay increase.

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.

Our Public Service.org > Qualifying education for GS grades 5, 7, 9, 11 (PPT slide)

OPM = Office of Personnel Management.gov
See Salaries and Wages to find:
General Services (GS) pay scales and "locality pay tables for geographic areas"

As an employee gains experience in her/his field, s/he can be expected to move up one level per year, although, as in any job, above average job performance can increase the progress. The GS Pay Scale is shown on the FedJobs.com web site. (Note again that a .com web site is owned by a commercial business and is not owned by the federal government.)