|
|
Hello!
How Can I Find Federal Jobs to Match
My
Military Experience?
Dear Advisor:
I will be mustering out of the military in January, after six years in the Air
Force. I would like to obtain a Federal job that would allow me to use my
military experience. I am currently in communications. Does the Federal
government hire former military personnel for this type of job? Will my military
experience give me an edge over other applicants?
Also, what is the average salary for this type of position? Finally, how do I
locate these job openings?
M.M.
Randolph AFB, TX
Dear M.M.:
You have done well to consider Federal employment as a good opportunity for
ex-military personnel. Your military service may well give you a preference in
hiring. And, in addition, your military job experience will almost certainly
help you qualify for many positions.
The first step in any Federal job search applies equally well to candidates with
military backgrounds as it does to everyone else. Step one is to determine the
Federal job titles for which you qualify. Federal job titles may or may not be
similar to military or civilian job titles.
Information published by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) can be
very helpful in this task. “Occupations of Federal White-Collar and Blue-Collar
Workers” published by OPM is a good resource. You can obtain it on-line. Here’s
the link for
white-collar jobs
Use this for
blue collar jobs
Also the FJD has created an Army/Federal crosswalk that can help identify some
suitable Federal occupations for each Army MOS and by associating the other
military branches as well.
There are several occupations in the communications field open to a candidate
with appropriate military experience. These Federal job titles include:
Blue Collar
Communications Line
Installer/Repairer WG-2508-10
Telecommunications
Mechanic/Worker WG-2502-08/10/11
Wire Communications Cable
Splicer/Inspector WG-2504-10/11
Wire Communications Equip
Mechanic WG-2501-11/14
Telecommunications Equip Operator GS-0390-05/06/07
Telecommunications Interference Spec GS-0392-09
Telecommunications Manager/Spec GS -0391-05-15
Telecommunications Technician GS-0392-07/09
Telephone Control Coordinator GS-0303-05
White Collar
General Communications GS 2001-02/13
Communications Program Mgmt. GS 2003-05/15
Communications Clerical and Tech GS 2005-02/13
Communications Cataloging GS
2050-02/13
Communications Clerical
GS-0394-02/13
Logistics Assistance Clerk GS-303-02/13
Logistics Management Specialist GS-346-05/15
As you can see from the wide WG or GS spread these jobs occur at entry level
through middle and in some cases upper management. Your military experience
would help you qualify above entry level.
How To Find Openings
Military personnel who are mustering out and looking for Federal positions
should first contact their installation’s or base civilian personnel office and
seek help from a staffing specialist there. Candidates should also scan this
site for current vacancies. Contacting individual Agencies in the geographic
area of interest may also produce leads. The Agencies with the greatest number
of employees in the communications field are the Department of Defense Agencies,
State, and Treasury. However, these jobs occur in all Agencies.
Candidates can also contact their local Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for
more information on openings. The OPM may be able to supply a list of Agencies
in a specific geographic area—a metro or state—that hire in the job titles of
interest to the candidate. OPM addresses appear on page 4, or
on-line
.
Veterans Preference
Any veteran who leaves the military with an honorable discharge is eligible
for either Veterans Preference points or an advantage over other applicants
through the Veterans Readjustment Act (VRA). The purpose of this program is to
give Veterans a competitive advantage. More details on this program may be found
on-line
.
To submit questions to the Federal Jobs Advisor, write to: Federal Jobs
Advisor, PO Box 693, Emmaus, PA 18049. We regret that not all questions may be
answered. •
|
