|
|
Hello!
Has the government reduced
hiring? Are Federal jobs still available?
Dear Advisor,
Congress does not seem to be able to make up its collective mind on any
financial matter. Does this mean the Federal budget will be late and that as a
result Federal hiring will drop off? I know that I have outstanding job skills,
because every employer I’ve worked for told me so. My skills include Computer
Specialist, Computer Operations, Office Automation, Data Base Management,
Secretary, call the job what you will, I have the job skills to do it. What’s
more I have a great work record. Very little job hopping. Highly reliable
performance, and a solid record of promotion and job awards. Now I want to work
for the Federal government, because of the job security and benefits. I have
selected several Federal Agencies in my area that would be right for me and sent
them each a personalized letter.
Two did not respond at all. The third sent me some brochures on the Agency,
including an OF-612 application form. But no personalized reply. No offers. No
indication of interest. No invitation to call for an interview.
What gives? Can’t the Federal government recognize a good worker when it sees
one? Or, are there just no jobs?
W.M.,
San Francisco, CA
Dear W. M.,
Quite probably the Federal government will be hiring fewer workers in the next
several years than it has in the past. However, thousands, indeed, tens of
thousands of jobs will still be filled. Many thousands of workers are scheduled
to retire in the next few years. This is because the Federal workforce is older
than the U.S. workforce as a whole. Many of these retiring workers do essential
jobs. They will have to be replaced. So, while there is likely to be less
hiring, you can be sure that Federal jobs are still plentiful. Many thousands of
new hires will be made every year. And there’s no reason you can’t be one of
them. Now let’s consider your approach to getting one of those jobs.
The job hunting approach you describe may well work in the private sector,
especially in the small business arena. It does not work in the Federal
government. The difference is that in the private sector the employer does the
job-matching. The job candidate simply submits his resume for consideration and
the employer figures out which of his openings may be right for the candidate.
However, in Federal service the reverse occurs. The job candidate must do the
job-matching. The job candidate must tell the Federal employer which specific
opening, among the ten thousand or so that are open at any given time, he wants.
Consequently, it does no good to simply send in a resume and expect the Federal
employer, the Federal HR office as you put it, to find an opening that fits. The
candidate must actually write the announcement number of the vacancy for which
he is applying on his application, whether it’s a Federal resume or other form.
Failure to identify the job vacancy will, almost always, result in the
application going no farther. This is because without a job vacancy against
which to measure the candidate, there is no objective standard to apply to him.
Private Sector vs Federal
Private sector employers are in a position to create job standards on the
fly. When a great resume comes across the desk of a small businessman, for
example, he may well create a job that fits the job candidate’s skills. “Come in
to see us. You sound just right for a new job we’ve been thinking about called
Computer Operations Supervisor.” Viola!, a new job title is born.
In another scenario the private sector recruiter may have three openings. He or
she has no trouble considering job candidates for all three positions even
without the job candidate specifically requesting such consideration.
None of this works in the Federal sector, because job standards cannot be
created on the fly, and because Federal recruiters cannot apply a candidate for
a vacancy except at the job candidate’s express request.
Job standards can take months to develop and more months to be approved. Some
time ago the Office of Personnel Management developed new job standards for
positions in the information technology job series. This process, now complete,
took many months to work through the system.
So What’s The Trade Off
The Federal government’s recruitment process may not be as flexible as the
process in the private sector, but it is more objective. Standards that apply to
one candidate apply in exactly the same way to all others. Nobody gets a special
break. But nobody is unfairly overlooked either.
What you need to do to make this process work for you is obtain Vacancy
Announcements of the job openings at the three Federal Agencies in your area.
These can be obtained through this website, through the Federal Agency’s
webpage, bulletin board, or job phone line.
Study these Vacancy Announcements. You must decide which of these jobs is right
for you. Then apply. Be sure to follow the guidelines for Federal Resumes given
on this site. Very importantly, write the announcement number of the job you are
applying for on your Federal resume or application form.
When you have done this screening and preparatory work in a satisfactory way,
you will get the response you have been seeking. One of the many new hires that
will be made this year, despite the Federal deficit, can be you.
To submit questions to the Federal Jobs Advisor, write to: Federal Jobs
Advisor, Federal Jobs Digest, 1503 Radcliff Court ,Newtown Square PA 19073 . We
regret that not all questions may be answered. •
|
