Lucas Beaumont
Finding a government job may be as easy as asking a friend or family member who is in the position to help you get that job. However, for the majority of people the process will be a bit more complex.
This doesn’t mean the search for a government job is impossible. We just have to look in the correct place and follow the right path to get there. With the growth of the World Wide Web over the past couple of decades, a number of companies offer to help you find a job at some level of government. A few reliable services have done much of the legwork for you, researching which government positions are available and gathering them into searchable databases.
This may be the primary way to look for a government job today. Some services do not charge the job-hunter a fee. It may help to separate some of these job services into at least two types, however. Some will be able to put you in touch with another agency that keeps a list of jobs at all levels of government – city, county, state, even federal. For example, govtjobs.com maintains a list of groups, organizations and personnel firms. In many cases the connection you make is not directly with a government office.
Most of the services allow you to search by job type, education requirements, even salary. If you are interested in a government job in a particular region or state, many services will assist you in finding jobs in those areas, or will have a database you can search by state.
Since millions of people work in government positions at some level, it might seem that the opportunities would be outstanding. This is true in some ways and not true in other ways. Most workers in government service remain in those jobs over a long period of time, so it may not work to wait on turnover to open a position for you.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are some government positions that are simply hard to fill. A job may require special skills, international travel or language capabilities that will greatly limit the number of people who qualify. Government positions with great salary and benefits will be there if you have the skills or training required.
In addition to the online services mentioned above, you may want to check with USA Jobs, a Web site that can take you through the steps when searching for a government job and preparing a resume and/or application.
Of course, you may want to go directly to a particular state or federal agency if you are interested in a position in that specific area. Most agencies have Web information about career possibilities. The U.S. government has also established a separate procedure for students who wish to move to government jobs after college.
Using the excellent Internet tools available today, most people can find the information they need about government employment. After that it’s up to each individual to follow the steps to a career.
