Government Job Search Strategies
Reasons to Work for the Federal Government
- Student loan repayment assistance
- Superb health insurance and retirement benefits
- Enjoy work/life balance through flexible schedules and generous vacation
- Opportunity to transfer to other agencies and expand your horizons
- Training and professional development
Tips for the Federal Job Search
- Make sure that you have and identify all of the candidate qualifications in your application materials
- Be prepared for assessments that evaluate your past experience
- 80% of agencies are required to post their positions to USAJOBS.gov, the rest will post to their agency website or hire internally
Experiential Education
Pathways – For Students and Recent Graduates
The Pathways Programs are designed to help agencies provide students and recent graduates with clear paths to internships and full-time employment, as well as meaningful training, mentoring and career-development opportunities.
- Internships: For currently enrolled part-time or full-time students; many agencies participate and many positions are paid.
- Recent Graduate Program: Full-time, yearlong programs for individuals with an undergraduate or graduate degree from a qualifying educational institution; participants receive training and professional development.
- Presidential Management Fellows (PMF): The federal government’s premier leadership program for individuals with qualifying advanced degrees; participants receive training and professional development and have at least one rotational or developmental assignment.
Pathways Program opportunities can be found at USAJOBS.gov.
Job Search Sites
- bls.gov – Working for the Federal Government
- Federal Job Search – USAJobs.gov
- Government Job Search Strategies – TU Career Center
- Making the Difference – makingthedifference.org/
- Security Clearance Process – project-scope.org
- Tips for Applying to Federal Agencies (PDF)
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management
- Classification & Qualifications
- USA.gov – The U.S. Government’s official web portal
- USAJOBS.gov – Federal recruiters recommend the expanded search feature to narrow down results
- USAJobs.gov Videos – YouTube Channel
Agency Search
In addition to the general job search sites, federal recruiters recommend searching by agencies of interest. Some agencies post their positions on their internal sites and not to USAJOBS.gov.
- Go Government – Select “Find Your Fit” and then “Browse information by agency” or “Browse information by field”
- The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government
- USAJOBS
- Can find a list of agencies, A-Z on USAJOBS
- Search by keyword or location – advanced searches help the process
- Select “Students and Recent Graduates” to search by Pathways programs
- Create an account and save searches to have vacancies emailed to you when posted
Federal Resume Writing
Federal resumes differ from industry resumes. Watch the "Writing Your Federal Resume" (video). Additional tips for writing your federal resume:
- Federal recruiters STRONGLY recommend using the Resume Builder available on USAJOBS.gov.
- Upload a general resume to USAJOBS; agencies search resume books
- No page limitation for a federal resume (typically 1 -2 pages for an undergraduate student)
- Schedule an appointment with a Career Center advisor to review your resume.
Understanding Federal Pay Grades (GS)
Pay grades in the federal government are identified by General Schedule (GS) numbers, which vary by location, agency, and educational background.
GS Grades and Qualifying Education
- GS-4: 2 years above high school education OR an Associate’s degree
- GS-5: 4 years above high school leading to a Bachelor’s degree OR a Bachelor’s degree
- GS-7: 1 full year of graduate school OR Bachelor’s degree with one of the following:
- Class standing (upper third of class)
- 3.0 or higher GPA; 3.5 or higher GPA in major
- Honor society membership
- GS-9: Master’s degree (or equivalent) OR 2 years of graduate school
Additional Resources
- Security Clearance Process – project-scope.org
- Making the Difference – makingthedifference.org
- State of Maryland – receive notification of relevant state job openings by submitting an online interest card
- USAJOBS Resource Center
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Human resources for the federal government
- Federal Occupations by College Major