According to a report from the Partnership for Public Service, government agencies will be filing 270,000 “mission critical” jobs by the end of 2012. These jobs will be in a variety of fields, with a majority of the opportunities in medical and public health, security and protection, compliance and enforcement, and legal. Just like with any job search avenue, the savvy candidate must do the appropriate research, know the organization, and properly engage in the appropriate hiring process.
Although President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum on May 11, 2011 entitled, Improving the Federal Recruitment and Hiring Process, job seekers wishing to be successful landing a federal government job will need to understand and participate in a slightly different process than the one encountered when seeking a position in the private sector. Here’s what you need to be aware of:
Federal Job Search 101
Focus
Similar to a private sector job search, it’s critical to know yourself and to be focused. USAJOBS.gov is the official site for posting government job announcements. On average they post about 30,000 job notices a day. That can be very overwhelming and intimidating to a job seeker with an “I’ll take anything” attitude.
Mirroring the requirements for success with a private sector search, take the time to explore and discover who you are, what you like to do, what competencies you have to offer, and what tasks and responsibilities you want to avoid since past performance has demonstrated those not to be your strengths. This journey and the time it takes to get to know yourself will lead to:
• a more targeted approach
• identification of job postings that align with your qualifications
• a resume that addresses required and specific competencies with the job posting
• greater probability of success
To improve their knowledge of strengths, interests, and qualifications, job seekers often find it helpful to work with a career coach who can administer a variety of assessments to engage them in exploration and discussion about accomplishments, successes and developmental interests. They often will administer the
HBDI and Myers Briggs Type Indicator to solicit further exploration and determine work style preferences.
Networking
Every job seeker looking in the public or private sector needs to network! Your network may not be able to actually get you the job, but they will be able to share with you:
• information about what’s going on in a particular agency
• when jobs are being posted
• when part-time opportunities are available (a great way to get your foot in the door)
• required qualifications and skills
• introduction to the hiring manager
Be sure you are organizing and building your network. Utilize social media tools such as LinkedIn to assist your networking efforts.
Resume and KSAs
All job seekers have to develop an accurate resume that speaks directly to the needs outlined in the job posting. However, the resume acceptable in the private sector is not usually detailed enough for consideration in the public sector.
Think about it this way: Until the President mandated changes to the hiring process effective November, 2010, the responsibility for reviewing resumes and presenting three possible candidates to the hiring manager was totally the responsibility of someone within the agency’s Human Resources Department. Since all candidate resumes were not viewed by the hiring manager, the resume had to detail every qualification in order to “prove” to HR that the candidate had the required skill set for further consideration. In addition to a resume that often would be 6-8 pages, the candidate was also required to write out detailed statements (usually a paragraph or more) referred to as KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities) to further demonstrate past performance, knowledge, experience and alignment with job posting requirements.
Although the changes President Obama is looking for were to be implemented through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), it appears that not all agencies have updated their hiring procedures. Until all agencies are on board, job seekers may encounter requirements for the comprehensive resume with all the details as well as KSA requirements, or the new format that incorporates the KSAs into the resume and is accompanied by a cover letter. The newly formatted resume will still be longer than a private sector resume, usually by 1-2 pages.
In addition to Career Transition Consulting Services that specialize in Outplacement Services and Federal Resume Writing, resources such as USAJOBS.gov provide help with resume preparation and the application process.
Follow Up
With a private sector job search, if you don’t follow up you will probably be overlooked, or deemed to not be too interested, and therefore eliminated from the process. In the public sector follow up is also important and although it may be more difficult to do, you should seek ways to do it. If you applied on-line, the electronic application system may provide an option for you to check on status. If you applied with a paper application package, after waiting approximately 45 days (the time OPM is trying to reduce the hiring process to), it is acceptable to contact the person listed in the job announcement to inquire about the status of your package and the process.
Be mindful, especially if you are new to the federal job search process, that the process does take longer than in the private sector. The President’s mandate is all about shortening that cycle in order to facilitate the hiring manager capturing the best qualified candidates before another agency or private sector company makes them an offer. But, as I’m hearing from many agencies, we’re not there yet. It’s not uncommon that the process may take 3-6 months. Be patient, but persistent. And of course, always be courteous.
Interviewing
Interviewing for a federal government position is similar to the process used in the private sector. Many agencies and companies alike have moved to phone screening and video conferencing as interview options, in order to reduce the cost associated with out-of-town candidates coming in for face-to-face interviews.
Interviews can take place in a setting where the candidate is meeting one-on-one with an individual on the hiring team, or with a panel where the entire hiring team is participating at the same time. Usually the stress level for the candidate is higher during the panel interview. As a Career Coach, I advise candidates facing this type of interview to practice visualizing the panel process, and getting comfortable providing good body language across a team of four or five interviewers.
The focus of the interviews in both sectors can take on a behavioral or competency style or a technical style. The private sector has been utilizing the behavioral-based interview process for about 15 years. This is a relatively new process in the public sector. With this style of interview, the candidate will be asked to describe a time when … and the rest of the question will be linked to a specific requirement, response, outcome, competency or situation related to the job the candidate is interviewing for. As you would expect, technical interviewing questions will be targeted towards confirming understanding of technical or functional skills required for the position.
Regardless of the style, it’s important to practice possible questions and answers, linked to your accomplishments of course, since even the most competent speakers often get intimidated speaking about themselves. There are many sources for sample interview questions on-line and in books such as Ron Fry’s 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions.
So What’s Next?
There are jobs available in the public sector. Many agencies are preparing for the retirement of Baby Boomers that will be occurring over the next few years. Don’t overlook this avenue.
The pay and benefits for government jobs has often been assumed to be lower than the private sector. However, I think broader communications by agency recruitment campaigns is getting the word out that public sector pay and benefits are equal to or greater than the private sector. And along with that, it’s a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people your agency impacts, as well as the opportunity to serve your country.
Job seekers exploring the public sector should be aware of job search resources available at my website www.evolutionmgt.com and other resources available through Outplacement Career Coaches and Resume Writers, www.USAJOBS.gov and www.clearancejobs.com (a site specifically for job seekers holding security clearances).
What experiences have you had with public sector job search vs. private sector? I’m curious about what similarities and differences you would highlight to help someone else navigate their path to a public sector job. Please click on the comment box below and share your thoughts. If you know of someone active in a job search, please feel free to share this blog article with them.
Q&A
I received a notice for a government agency Job Fair. Do you think this is worth my time, and if you do, how should I prepare?
Nancy
Check out Dear Job Seeker... to see my response to Nancy's question.
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