Government Jobs / Federal
Jobs / Civil Service Jobs / Post Office Jobs
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Fifteen cabinet departments and over 100 independent agencies
comprise the federal government system. These departments and agencies
have offices in all corners of the world. Larger agencies hire a broad
spectrum of occupations, professional and blue collar.
If you desire to travel,
government jobs offer abundant opportunities
to relocate within the 50 states and throughout the world. There are
thousands of overseas employment opportunities.
Twelve federal agencies and departments offer employment abroad for over
89,000 workers.
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The Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area has the largest number of federal workers,
356,545, and Delaware
the least with 3,270 workers. All of the 315 Metropolitan Statistical Areas
(MSAs) in the U.S. and Puerto Rico have federal civilian employees. Small towns
and rural areas outside of MSAs employ 18 percent of total non-Postal federal
workers. The actual number of federal civilian employees is greater than the
above figures. The Defense Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, and
the National Security Agency do not release this data.
This site provides consolidated federal, state, and private sector job
listings to help you compare opportunities in your area. Special
hiring programs
for the disabled, veterans, and
students are described in detail. Consolidated
government job listings are provided and we link you to over 140
federal agency recruiting sites. Use these resources
in conjunction with The Book of U.S. Government
Jobs to land a high paying government job.
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Tremendous government job opportunities are available for those who know how to tap this
lucrative job market. All government hiring is based on performance and
qualifications regardless of your sex, race, color, creed, religion, disability,
or national origin. Where else can you apply for a high paying entry-level job
that offers employment at thousands of locations internationally, excellent
career advancement opportunities, plus careers in hundreds of occupations?
Approximately 50% of the federal workforce is eligible for regular or
early retirement. When employees bid on retirement vacancies, entry level jobs
are created.
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Consider the numbers. Uncle Sam employs over 2,850,280 workers (including the
Postal Service) and hires
hundreds of thousands of new employees each year to replace workers that
transfer to other federal or private jobs, retire, or stop working for other
reasons. Average annual salary of all full-time employees was $81,258 in 2010. The U.S Government is the largest employer in the United
States, hiring 2 percent of the nation’s civilian work force. You need to know
how to take advantage of the federal hiring system and recent changes to
successfully land the government job you want.
The Book of U.S. Government Jobs along with this web site provides this
information and includes an easy to use Job Hunter's
Checklist to help you through the process.
The federal government affects the lives of Americans everywhere. It defends
Americans from foreign aggressors, represents American interests abroad,
provides important public services, creates and enforces laws, and administers
social programs. Americans are often unaware of government's influence when they
watch a daily weather forecast, purchase fresh and uncontaminated groceries,
travel on highways or by aircraft, or make a deposit in a bank. Workers employed
by the Federal Government play a vital role in these and many other facets of
American life.
The Constitution of the United States divides the Federal Government into the
legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The executive is by far the
largest of the branches, but each is equally vital in running the country.
Appendix C of The Book of U.S. Government Jobs
provides detailed information for all branches of government including internet
web site addresses, personnel office phone numbers, agency description, and the
largest occupations for that office. The completely updated 11th edition
describes career opportunities in civilian jobs of the Federal Government
including career opportunities in the U.S. Postal Service (an independent agency
of the Federal Government).
Almost every working condition found in the private sector can also be found
in the federal government. Most white-collar employees work in office buildings,
hospitals, or laboratories, while blue-collar employees generally work in
factories, warehouses, shipyards, air bases, or construction sites. Others spend
much of their time outdoors, such as those employed in national parks and
forests. Work environments can range from very controlled and relatively relaxed
environments, while other environments are quite hazardous and stressful - such
as those of law enforcement officers, astronauts, or air traffic controllers.
Many federal workers' duties require travel away from their duty station to
attend meetings, complete training, or perform inspections while others - such
as auditors, instructors, field engineering crews, and safety investigators -
may require extensive travel for weeks or months at a time. Some employees are
on continuous travel and receive lump sum payments to cover travel costs.
Alternative work schedules are available to many workers through negotiated
union contracts that permit flextime or compressed work schedules. Some agencies
are experimenting with flexiplace or telecommuting which allow workers to
perform some job duties at home and many larger federal workplaces now offer
child care facilities for working parents.
Over sixty percent of all agencies recently surveyed have some form of
Quality of Work Life (QWL) or Employee Involvement (EI) program implemented
throughout their workforce. These programs encourage employee participation at
all levels to improve overall efficiency, productivity, and working conditions.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected an employment increase of 10 percent
over the 2008-18 period in federal employment. This projection was made prior to
the passing of the new health care reform and banking regulatory legislation of
2010. The new health care legislation alone calls for the formation of 150 new
regulatory agencies and commissions, and the financial sector needs many new
regulatory personnel to manage failed banks and the Troubled Asset Relief
Program (TARP) funds allocated to rescue our financial system.
The federal government now owns 60% of General Motors, Fanny Mae and Freddie
Mac plus they took over 100% of the student loan program recently! Talk about
GROWTH. The increase in federal employment will far exceed these earlier
projections and there will be a substantial number of job openings as many
Federal workers are expected to retire over the next decade, although job
prospects are expected to vary by occupation.
Uncle Sam is this countries largest employer and hires about 2 % of the total
civilian workforce and the federal sector is growing at its fastest pace in
decades. Over the past two years total federal civil service has
increased 10%, an additional 182,629 jobs. The diversity of work and
the ability to transfer to other agencies and locations further improves your
chances
Staffing levels in Federal Government are subject to change in the long run
because of changes in public policies as legislated by the Congress, which
affect spending levels and hiring decisions for the various departments and
agencies. In general, over the coming decade, domestic programs are likely to
create a substantial increase in employment.
While there will be growth in many occupations over the coming decade, demand
will be especially strong for specialized workers in areas related to public
health, information security, scientific research, law enforcement, and
financial services. As a larger share of the U.S. population enters the older
age brackets, demand for healthcare will increase. This will lead to a
substantial number of new jobs in Federal hospitals and other healthcare
facilities for registered nurses and physicians and surgeons. In addition, as
cyber security becomes an increasingly important aspect of National defense,
rapid growth will occur among information technology specialists, such as
computer and information research scientists, who will be needed to devise
defense methods, monitor computer networks, and execute security protocol.
Furthermore, as global activity in scientific development increases, the Federal
Government will add many physical science, life science, and engineering workers
to remain competitive. Aside from these specific areas, numerous new jobs in
other occupational areas will arise as the diverse Federal workforce continues
to expand.
As financial and business transactions face increased scrutiny, a substantial
number of compliance officers and claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
will be added to Federal payrolls. In addition, as the population grows and
national security remains a priority, many new law enforcement officers, such as
detectives and criminal investigators will be needed.
Job prospects in the Federal government are expected to vary by occupation.
Over the next decade, a significant number of workers are expected to retire,
which will create a large number of job openings. This may create favorable
prospects in certain occupations, but jobseekers may face competition for
positions in occupations with fewer retirements, or for popular jobs that
attract many applicants.
Competition for Federal positions generally increases during times of
economic uncertainty, when workers seek the stability of Federal employment. In
general, employment in the Federal government is considered to be relatively
stable because it is less susceptible than private industries to fluctuations in
the economy.
The educational and training requirements for jobs in the Federal Government
mirror those in the private sector for most major occupational groups. Many jobs
in managerial or professional and related occupations, for example, require a
4-year college degree. Some, such as engineers, physicians and surgeons, and
biological and physical scientists, require a bachelor's or higher degree in a
specific field of study. In addition, many occupations, such as registered
nurses or engineering technicians may require at least 2 years of training after
high school. Many additional Federal jobs, such as those in office and
administrative support, have more general requirements. Some have no formal
educational requirement, while others require a high school diploma or some
related experience.
In many cases you can substitute work experience for a college degree
requirement. Even engineers can qualify using alternative non-degree avenues
as described in The Book of U.S. Government
Jobs. Job announcements that list a four-year bachelors degree
requirement often permit the substitution of three-years of general work
experience at an equivalent GS-4 to be eligible for an entry level GS-5
position. The exception is listed in the job announcement. This is another
reason why you must be thorough when describing your
work experience and include all key duties and responsibilities in your
write-up.
In all but a few cases, applicants for Federal jobs must be U.S. citizens.
Applicants who are veterans of military service also may be able to claim
veteran's preference which gives them preferred
status over other candidates with equal qualifications. For jobs requiring
access to sensitive or classified materials, such as those relating to national
security, applicants must undergo a background investigation. This investigation
covers an individual's criminal, credit, and employment history, as well as
other records. The scope of the investigation will vary depending on the nature
of the position in the government and the sensitivity of the information
involved.
Each Federal department or agency determines its own on-the-job training
practices, and many offer workers opportunities to improve job skills or become
qualified to advance to other jobs. These may include technical or skills
training; tuition assistance or reimbursement; fellowship programs; and
executive leadership and management training programs, seminars, and workshops.
This training may be offered on the job, by another agency, or at local colleges
and universities.
Advancement for most workers in the Federal Government is currently based on
a system of occupational pay levels, or "grades." Workers typically enter the
Federal civil service at the starting grade for an occupation and begin a series
of promotions, called grade increases, until they reach the full-performance
grade for that occupation. Pay grade increases through the full-performance
level are usually given at regular intervals, as long as job performance is
satisfactory. With each pay grade increase, an employee generally is given more
responsibility and higher pay. The exact pay grades associated with a job's
career ladder depend upon the occupation and specific job duties.
Once Federal workers reach the full-performance level of a position, they
must compete for promotions, and advancement becomes more difficult. At this
point, promotions occur as vacancies arise, and they are based solely on merit.
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