| ABOUT THE HANDBOOK & THE AUTHOR? |
Selfhelper Law Press of America
A subsidiary of Do-It-Yourself Legal Publishers
1588 Remsen Avenue . Brooklyn N.Y. . 11236 . U.S.A.
E-MAIL: Director@GetFederalJobNow.Com
-------------------------------------
A subsidiary of Do-It-Yourself Legal Publishers
1588 Remsen Avenue . Brooklyn N.Y. . 11236 . U.S.A.
E-MAIL: Director@GetFederalJobNow.Com
-------------------------------------
Facts ABOUT THE FEDERAL JOBS HANDBOOK…..
TITLE: The Federal Jobs Handbook: How to Job Search
for, Apply for and Get Federal JOB.
America’s Biggest Job Secret. How the Federal Government
is Loaded with Jobs, Where They Are, and How to Get Them.
ISBN: 093704-98-0
AUTHOR: Benji O. Anosike, Ph.D. “Anosike packs his manuals
with plenty of details and he usually addresses questions
and issues within a topic more specifically than others who
dispense such tips.” – The BOOKLIST, American Library Association
EDITION: 2009 Edition.
ABOUT THE BOOK, A Summary
The Federal Jobs Handbook: How to Job Search for, Apply for and Get Federal JOB (www.
GetFederalJobNow.com), fundamentally exposes to an increasingly despairing American working
class and the swelling ranks of the American unemployed and jobless, what is probably the best
kept but yet most pleasant ‘secret’ existing in the otherwise grim unemployment picture of the
nation today. Namely, that the current gruesome economic and unemployment climate
notwithstanding, there is, in fact, still ONE major source for hope and employment which still exists and
continues substantially to hire workers, and still remains a consistent source with plentiful job
openings available, out of which the jobless American or job-seeker, if duly informed and educated,
could readily secure employment - the U.S. Federal Government civil service, our nation’s
largest employer.
By acclaimed expert & author,
Benji O. Anosike, Ph.D.
To Order? CLICK HERE
The Anosike Handbook methodologically guides the reader, in a simple, step-by-step outline that's
readily comprehensible by the average reader, through a maze of the entire Federal job hiring
process. It takes you through:
- information on the present and projected future civilian job openings and career
opportunities that are continually available in the federal government;
- the present and projected future areas of Federal job openings, and where exactly those
jobs are, or are projected to be in the future (in terms of the particular government agencies
that are applicable, as well as the jobs’ geographic locations);
- how to PROPERLY job search for those open jobs and to find them,
- how to 'decode' (i.e., interpret or uncover), and to go through, the required core
qualifications for the job (the writing of the resume, the KSA, answering the employer’s core
concerns and questions, doing the interview, etc);
- and how to properly apply for the jobs using precisely the required appropriate Federal-style
standards, and to process the application, and finally to win the jobs – successfully
IN SUM: “Just arm yourself with a copy of this Handbook,” chimed Dan Benjamin, the Sales
Manager of the book’s publishers, “and you’ll see yourself go quickly, from the ranks of the
despairing long lasting unemployed, to the ranks of the happy newly Federally employed.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A Brief Bio.
Benji O. Anosike has, for several decades of published works, lectures, and writings, public
activism and advocacy and leadership in public movements and issues, demonstrated uncanny
courage and boldness and wide expertise and credentials in a broad range of topics and issues of
interest to the American consumer and the legal and business interests. He started his life-time
pioneering role first, in political and social activism of the late 60s and the 70s against apartheid in
South Africa and colonialism in Africa and the Third world. And then, has been the leader and
intellectual godfather in the area of consumer self-help law and activism in the mid 1970s and
1980s-based “you do your own law” advocacy and movement on the East Coast, whose West
Coast counterparts boast today such prominent national self-help law advocacy voices as the HALT
(Washington D.C) and Jake Warner and the Nolo Press (California), among others.
Widely recognized and respected in the United
States as an expert in self-help consumer law
and consumer cost-cutting and cost-savings
techniques, Anosike holds graduate degrees
in labor management economics and
a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence from prominent New
York institutions, and is the acclaimed author
of some 26 books and manuals, including several
best-sellers (plus a varied and innumerable
number of articles), mostly on various topics of
American law and consumer economics, and
self-help cost-savings strategies designed for the
non-lawyer and the non-expert. His books and
manuals have run almost the entire spectrum,
from titles on probate filing and estate planning
and settlement, to personal and business Benji O. Anosike, Ph.D.
bankruptcy, incorporation of business and nonprofit
corporations, auto accident claims settlement, divorce, home sale or purchase, landlord/tenant
issues, U.S. immigration visa, legal name change, adoption, pet and animal protection laws and
estate planning , child support and family laws, and auto gas saving techniques, etc.
Anosike is a designated EzineArticles.Com Expert Author. His books have been selected by
libraries and respected literary reviewing agencies and authorities as "recommended resources"
for readers, students and researchers in the subject matters addressed. (www.realtyStudies.
com/appendix.html;http://isbndb.com/d/person/anosike_benji_O.html,http://ezineArticles.com/?
expert=Benjamin_anosike).
A one-time academic who taught government and political economy as a University Lecturer, the
patented hallmark of Dr. Anosike's writings and written works and his guidebooks, is simplicity and
presentation of "difficult" legal and technical concepts in clear, plain, non-technical language readily
comprehensible to the layman and the non-expert.
Dr. Anosike’s books and manuals have been widely acclaimed, and are distributed nationally by
major book wholesellers, such as Baker & Taylor Books, Ingram Company, Brodart Co, Amazon.com,
Quality Books, Mid-West Library Service, and others. His works have been featured and reviewed
widely in numerous prestigious national review journals, including: the Booklist, the Library Journal,
Law Books in Review, Bowker’s Legal Publishing Review, Bi-Monthly Review of Law Books,
Reference & Research Books News, the Bookwatch, the Autoweek, etc.
Anosike has written and lectured widely and appeared on several national television and radio
programs to expound on the cause of consumer and human (as well as animal) legal rights, and
the legal self-representation and self-help of the consumer of legal services, in the United States.
REVIEWS
A FEW SAMPLING OF EXPERT REVIEW OPINIONS on the Author……
“Probably the most prolific writer in the field of legal self-help in America today.” – The
BOOKLIST, the Journal of the America Library Association.
“The author of numerous self-help law books.” – The Reference & Research Book News.
“Anosike’s books are full of many positive elements” – The Legal Publishing Review.
“Anosike churns out a wild wind of self-help legal advice…packs his manuals with plenty of details,
and he usually addresses questions and issues within a topic more specifically than others who
dispense such tips.” – The BOOKLIST.
“Offers extremely practical and digestive information and advice.” – The BOOKLIST.
“The wealth of details, checklists, explanations and advice are well worth the extra expense.” –
The Midwest Book Review’s BOOKWATCH
On the author’s best-seller Handbook on settling auto insurance claims, “a systematic approach to
negotiating claims, from start to finish…a great asset, comprehensive, orderly and systematic…a
tremendous help for a consumer involved in an auto accident.” – Advancing the Consumer
Interests, the publication of American Council on Consumer Interests.
On the author’s best-seller Handbook on settling auto insurance claims, “You need [this book]
…provides ‘the essential equalizer’ for dealing with the insurance adjusters.” – The AUTOWEEK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD: The Publisher’s Message……………………….................................1
The Biggest American Job Secret
Today………………………………………………........................................1.
Federal government’s traditional hiring process has been a source of problem for job
Seeker..2
Resolving these hiring problems now enables the job seeker to take advantage of the
plentifulness of federal job
openings……………………………………………….......................................3
PREFACE
Yes, the current employment situation in the U.S. is really, really
grim………………………...............5
But the good news is there are plenty of jobs with the federal
government……………..................6.
This Handbook provides you the tools to avail yourself of this good
news……………...................6
CHAPTER 1
THE GRIM AMERICAN ECONOMY AND NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS,
VERSUS THE REALITY OF GOOD JOB HIRING PROSPECTS
BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
A. The present American economic and unemployment situation………………………7
B. The Deteriorating Unemployment Situation………………………………………….7
C. Also, Unemployment Benefits Claims Rising Figures……………………………….9
D. But the good news: there are plenty of jobs with the federal government……………9
E. The Continuing job openings and hires: the fed government as the major hirer……10
F. But here’s the significant information here………………………………………….10
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….10
CHAPTER 2
TOP DOZEN REASONS TO CHOOSE BEING A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE
1. The Nation’s Largest Employer is Hiring……………………………………………...
2. You Can Make a Difference…………………………………………………………...
3. There’s a Job for Every Interest………………………………………………………..
4. The Federal Government Can Help Pay for You to Get Educated…………………….
5. You Can Advance Quickly…………………………………………………………….
6. There are Federal Jobs All Across the Country, and Around the World………………
7. The Federal Government Values Diversity……………………………………………
8. Federal Jobs Pay Better than You Think………………………………………………
9. Flexible Work Schedules and Benefits Encourage Work-Life Balance……………….
10. The Federal Government is a Career Builder………………………………………...
11. The Most Diversified Job Opportunities……………………………………………...
12. In Some Careers, the Only Opportunity There Is to Work at What You Love……...
CHAPTER 3
THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE: WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY ARE,
A. The future trends in the federal workforce ……………………………………………
B. The Federal Workforce: an Overview …………………………………………………
C. The Anticipated Effects of the Looming Retirement Wave on the Workforce ……….
D. Help Wanted: The Numbers, Kinds of Hiring the Federal Government Will Need…..
E. The projected “mission critical” occupations …………………………………………
F. Top Employment Areas: where the government is, and will be hiring ……………….
1. Security, Protection, Compliance and Enforcement……………………………………………..
Specific Agencies
The Department of Homeland Security………………………………………………….
The Department of Justice……………………………………………………………….
The Department of Defense & Justice, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and .
Treasury Department …………………………………………………………………
Ten other agencies’ reported plans ……………………………………………………….
2. Medical and Public Health Hiring Projections…………………………………………..
3. Accounting, Budget and Business ………………………………………………………
The following agencies will also add new staff in this occupational area:
The Securities and Exchange Commission, hire of 266 accountants……………………....
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation………………………………………………..
The Departments of Homeland Security and NASA……………………………………….
4. Engineering and Sciences ……………………………………………………………….
5. Program Management /Analysis and Administration…………………………………...
6. Other Areas of Increasing, or Declining Demands………………………………………
The Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of State, and
the U.S. Agency for International Development……………………………………………………………
The Patent and Trademark Office, Clerical Support Staff………………………………..
The Top Ten: Projected Hires by professional field, FY 2007-2009…………………….
G. Sizing Up the Competition in Manpower Needs…………………………………….
Areas of Expected Intense Competition for Availability of Workers…………………...
H. Projected Federal Hiring, FY 2007-2009
I. SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4
TOP FEDERAL OCCUPATIONS IN DEMAND………………………….
CHAPTER 5
HOW TO SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT FEDERAL JOB
FOR YOU. A STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURES.
A. Do Your Research & Planning, First……………………………………………………
The trouble with titles…………………………………………………………………….
For White Collar Jobs ……………………………………………………………………...
For Blue Collar Jobs ………………………………………………………………………
B. Use the Resources at Your Disposal to Get Educated………………………………….
1. Qualifications required………………………………………………………………......
Qualifications, generally………………………………………………………………………….
Finding out the specific qualifications needed for a job………………………………....
Shortcut to matching your qualifications: Cracking the GS Code………………………
GS grading by levels by education…………………………………………………...
C. Stick to These General Principles………………………………………………………
Are You a Student, an Intern, or Veteran? Check Out these programs……………
Federal Career Intern Program…………………………………………………………....
Presidential Management Fellows Program……………………………………………...
Student Education Employment Program………………………………………………..
Veteran or disabled……………………………………………………………………….
D. How to Physically Search for Jobs: The Actual Searching Process…………………….
The Two Main Methods of Federal Job Searching ………………………………………
...Doing your search ONLINE, through the INTERNET methods…………………………
Begin with this website………………………………………………………………...
A few other good federal job good sites……………………………………………….
What the UsaJobs.gov Website search does for you……………………………………….
E. You May Search by These Criteria or Parameters………………………………………
1. Searching by the Occupational Series Function OR Occupational Group…………….
2. Searching by the Geographic Location………………………………………………...
3. Searching by departments or Agencies………………………………………………...
4. Always Supplement Your Job Hunt with a KEYWORD search………………………
F. The Second Main Method for Federal Job Searching …………………………………..
Doing your search OFFLINE, through the TRADITIONAL methods…………………..
Automated telephone system…………………………………………………………….
G. The Direct Approach: Contact Agency Offices…………………………………………
H. Other Sources of Vacancy Openings: Newspapers, Job Fairs, Etc……………………..
I. Let’s Decode the Job Vacancy Announcement, piece by piece…………...............
Basic information…………………………………………………………………………
Who may apply…………………………………………………………………………...
The opening date………………………………………………………………………….
The closing date…………………………………………………………………………..
Series and Grade Promotion potential……………………………………………………
Job duties…………………………………………………………………………………
Basic qualifications……………………………………………………………………….
Additional qualifications………………………………………………………………….
How to apply……………………………………………………………………………...
Conditions for employment…………………………………….......................
Standard legal information………………………………………………………………..
CHAPTER 6
HOW TO APPLY FOR A FEDERAL JOB, SUCCESSFULLY,
FROM START TO FINISH
A. YOUR APPLICATION WILL GO THROUGH SEVERAL LEVELS……………
B. What specific format do you submit your job application…………………………….
An automated resume…………………………………………………………………….
Any type of proper resume……………………………………………………………….
Any appropriate form……………………………………………………………………..
Federal application Form OF-612………………………………..............................
Use of the USAJOBS resume-builder-created resume……………………………………..
Estimate your GS level …………………………………………………………………….
Understand the job’s requirements. ………………………………………………………..
Be flexible about titles……………………………………………………………………...
Be specific about past experience…………………………………………………………..
Properly explain the past job titles………………………………………………………….
C. Complete your job application process………………………………………………….
.
1. FIRST: Have you completed the following by now?.............................
2. SECOND: By not, then do them……………………………………………………..
3. Go online and log on to this website…………………………………………………
D. Prepare for the job interview it……………………………….
What to do while you wait………………………………………………………………..
E. Attend your job interview.………………………………………………………………
…You may need to write a KSA on your past job experience……………………………
F. Negotiating on the salary, accepting the job………………………………...................
CHAPTER 7
RESUME: WRITING YOUR RESUME AND THE COVER LETTER
A. The Point of Resumes…………………………………………………………………..
B. The New Rule in Resume Writing Brought About by Modern Technology…………...
Résumé: It’s All about Marketing Your Skills…………………………………………..
C. The Five Major Steps to Resume Writing………………………………………………
1. STEP ONE: Compiling Information about You & the Jobs of Interest to You………
Follow the following steps:
FIRST: ……………………………………………………………………………………..
SECOND…………………………………………………………………………………...
THIRD: Organize the Personal Information you gathered…………………………………
1. Contact information……………………………………………………………………...
2. Objective statement………………………………………………………………………
FOUR: Your qualifications…………………………………………………………………
a) Your qualifications summary…………………………………………………………
b) Education………………………………………………………………………………
c) Your Experience………………………………………………………………………
d) Activities and associations. …………………………………………………………..
e) Special skills…………………………………………………………………………..
f) Awards and honors…………………………………………………………………….
g) References…………………………………………………………………………….
h) Other personal information……………………………………………………………
i) Job facts………………………………………………………………………………/
2. STEP TWO: Be certain that your resume includes the following elements…………...
a) Match your background to the specific job title you seek…………………………….
b) For the job standards of interest to you, study their job standards……………………
c) Study the qualifications and KSAs involved or the job vacancy announcements…..
…d) Use a “problem-solution” approach to your work history section…………………..
or advertisements for the job and related ones………………………………………..
3. STEP THREE: Choosing the FORMAT you want to use for the resume……………..
a) The Chronological Resume Format……………………………………………………...
b) Functional Resume Format. ……………………………………………………………..
c) Combination Resume Format…………………………………………………………...
4. STEP FOUR: Adding style to your resume……………………………………….......
Design………………………………………………………………………………………
Length. ……………………………………………………………………………………..
5. STEP FIVE: Proofreading………………………………………………………………
You want your résumé to stand out, but not for the wrong reasons……………………….
6. STEP SIX: following up with the interviewer after the interview………………….
D. The New Development in Resume Writing: Resume Writing Has Gone Digital……...
Formatting your resume and using keywords………………………………………………
Plain text résumés……………………………………………………………………………………
Role of Key Words in Today’s Resumes…………………………………………………...
You MUST Employ in Your Resume the KEYWORDS and Phrases that Apply in the
Field………………………………………………………………………………………...
How do you know or find out what the proper key words and phrases for the
occupation and salary level of your résumé is?………………………………………………………...
The Cover Letter: Introducing Yourself……………………………………………………
Parts of the cover letter…………………………………………………………………...
The Ist Part: Salutation. Whenever possible, send your letter to a specific named,
person rather, rather than to………………………………………………………………...
…The 2nd Part: The Opening……………………………………………………………………………
The 3rd Part: The Body…………………………………………………………………………...
The 4th Part: The Closing……………………………………………………………….
SAMPLES, FEDERAL JOB RESUMES & COVER LETTER…………………………
Sample 1……………………………………………………………………………………
Sample 2……………………………………………………………………………………
Sample 3……………………………………………………………………………………
Cover Letter………………………………………………………………………………..
CHAPTER 8
AT THE INTERVIEW, FIRST TRY TO ‘DECODE’ THE REAL MEANING
OF THE INTERVIEWER’S QUESTIONS
A. Do you know what the interviewer really means by these questions?
2. What are your greatest strengths? ……………………………………………………….
3. What are your greatest weaknesses?..
4. Why are you interested in working here?...........
5. Why should we hire you?...................
6. Where do you see yourself five years from now?..................................
7. What are some of your hobbies?..............
8. Would you be willing to pursue an extra certificate or credential?........
9. What were you hoping we'd ask today, but didn't?.....................
10. Do you have any questions for us?..................................................
CHAPTER 9
YOUR JOB INTERVIEW: HOW TO DO IT RIGHT AND NAIL THE JOB
To Do it Right, Follow these Steps, One at a
Time………………………………………...
A. Thoroughly Prepare for the Job Interview………
B. Much of your preparations have to be done in advance……
The following are some of the most important tips offered by experts on how
you can better prepare ahead of time for the big day………………………………………………..
1. Research the company before the job interview……………………………
2. Clear the calendar to allow for the interview………………………………
3. Practice doing the interviewing of yourself…………………………………………….
4. Plan your being properly dressed for the interview way in advance……………………
5. Plan Making a First Impression on your interviewer……………………………………
6. Be sure NOT to be late……………………
C. Going through the Actual Interview …………………………………………………..
1. Be calm, relaxed and confident at the interview……………………………………..
2. Watch out for the ‘nonverbal communication’ aspect of the interview………
3. Be careful to use the right body language in the interview……
Some ‘interview usuals’ or typical questions you may expect in an interview……………
D. Post-Interview Follow up………………………
A Follow up with a Thank you Letter…………………………………
Most thank you letters have three main paragraphs…………………………
CHAPTER 10
OTHER ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS THAT FEDERAL JOBS MAY
REQUIRE: KSAs, QUESTIONNAIRES, TESTS, ETC
A. WRITING A KSA: WRITTEN STATEMENTS ABOUT YOUR SKILLS…………
What is a KSA?..............................................................................................
The significance of a KSA…………………………………………………………….
Do your homework first………………………………………………………………..
Divide the writing process into these five steps…………………………………………….
Step 1: Brainstorm………………………………………………………………………..
Step 2: Choose the best examples……………………………………………………….
Step 3: Get specific……………………………………………………………………..
Step 4: Write a draft……………………………………………………………………
Step 5: Proofread………………………………………………………………………
B. DOING QUESTIONNAIRES, TESTS, ETC…………………………………………..
C. DOING TESTS………………………………………………………………………
D. Transcripts and other materials…………………………………………………………
CHAPTER 11
SEVEN MAIN SIMPLE STEPS TO A FEDERAL JOB: SUMMARY
A. DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST, GET THE BASIC FACTS AND INFORMATION ON IT…………
1. Get a hold of a copy of the Handbook…………………………………………………
2. And while you are at the website, also view this video there…………………………..
3. Map out (from what you learned from the Handbook), what you need to do………….
B. DO A JOB SEARCH, FIND AVAILABLE JOB OPENINGS……………………………………………
Search for job openings in the Federal Government…………………………………………….
1. OPTION ONE: Internet Sources……………………………………………………
2. OPTION TWO: Offline or Non-Internet Sources………………………………………….
C. DECODE THE JOB VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS…………………………………………………
D. PREPARE AND SUBMIT A FEDERAL-STYLE JOB RESUME ……………………………...
E. DEVELOP OTHER REQUIRED PAPERS, SUCH AS KSA, IF REQUIRED…………………………
F. PREPARE FOR AND INTERVIEW FOR THE JOB……………………………………………………
G. ACCEPT (OR REJECT) THE JOB OFFER……………………………………………………………...
CHAPTER 12
THE U.S. FEDERAL POSTAL WORKERS
A. CATEGORIES OF U.S. POSTAL WORKERS…………………………
The following are the main types of postal
workers……………………………
1. Postal Service clerks………………………………………………………
2. Postal Service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operator
3. Postal Service mail carriers. …………………………………………………………...
B. THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Window clerks………………………………………………............
C. JOB
ADVANCEMENT…………………………………………………………………
Advancement. …………………………………………………………………... ………..
D. NUMBER OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES ………………………………………………
E. EARNINGS OF POSTAL WORKERS ………………………………………………
F. IMPORTANT: OTHER COMPENSATIONS ………………………………
G. JOB OUTLOOK………..…
1. Employment change. …………………………………………
2. Job prospects.. …………………………
H. TRAINING & OTHER QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED OF AN APPLICANT IN
ORDER TO MERIT EMPLOYMENT
1. Education and training. ………………………………………………………………
2. Other qualifications …………………………………………………………………...
I. SUMMARY OF EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS
1. Age Requirement …………………………………………………………
2. Citizenship…………………………………………
3. Language. ……………………………
4. Selective Service………………………………………………………
5. Employment History. ………………………………………………………………
6. Military Service.. ………………………………………………………………….
7. Criminal Conviction History. ……………………………………
8. Drug Screening ………………………………………………………………….
9. Medical Assessment. …………………………………………………………
10. Safe Driving Record.
J. How TO APPLY FOR A USPS JOB & THE JOB APPLICATION SYSTEM
1. To locate the open or available jobs……………………………………………………
2. Searching for Jobs. …………………………………………………………………
3. Here’s basically how the recruiting and application process work at USPS ………
4. When applying for a USPS job, please note the following:……………………………
K. TRY APPLYING FOR OTHER RELATED OCCUPATIONS, ALSO…………..
APPENDICES
A. Links to credible job hunting/finding contacts & resources
B. Federal jobs by college majors
C. Frequently Asked Questions, Federal government employment
D. Resources for contacting individual federal agencies
E. Other books and manuals published by the Selfhelper/Do-It-Yourself Legal
Publisher......
FOREWORD: The Publisher’s Message……………………….................................1
The Biggest American Job Secret
Today………………………………………………........................................1.
Federal government’s traditional hiring process has been a source of problem for job
Seeker..2
Resolving these hiring problems now enables the job seeker to take advantage of the
plentifulness of federal job
openings……………………………………………….......................................3
PREFACE
Yes, the current employment situation in the U.S. is really, really
grim………………………...............5
But the good news is there are plenty of jobs with the federal
government……………..................6.
This Handbook provides you the tools to avail yourself of this good
news……………...................6
CHAPTER 1
THE GRIM AMERICAN ECONOMY AND NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS,
VERSUS THE REALITY OF GOOD JOB HIRING PROSPECTS
BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
A. The present American economic and unemployment situation………………………7
B. The Deteriorating Unemployment Situation………………………………………….7
C. Also, Unemployment Benefits Claims Rising Figures……………………………….9
D. But the good news: there are plenty of jobs with the federal government……………9
E. The Continuing job openings and hires: the fed government as the major hirer……10
F. But here’s the significant information here………………………………………….10
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….10
CHAPTER 2
TOP DOZEN REASONS TO CHOOSE BEING A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE
1. The Nation’s Largest Employer is Hiring……………………………………………...
2. You Can Make a Difference…………………………………………………………...
3. There’s a Job for Every Interest………………………………………………………..
4. The Federal Government Can Help Pay for You to Get Educated…………………….
5. You Can Advance Quickly…………………………………………………………….
6. There are Federal Jobs All Across the Country, and Around the World………………
7. The Federal Government Values Diversity……………………………………………
8. Federal Jobs Pay Better than You Think………………………………………………
9. Flexible Work Schedules and Benefits Encourage Work-Life Balance……………….
10. The Federal Government is a Career Builder………………………………………...
11. The Most Diversified Job Opportunities……………………………………………...
12. In Some Careers, the Only Opportunity There Is to Work at What You Love……...
CHAPTER 3
THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE: WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY ARE,
A. The future trends in the federal workforce ……………………………………………
B. The Federal Workforce: an Overview …………………………………………………
C. The Anticipated Effects of the Looming Retirement Wave on the Workforce ……….
D. Help Wanted: The Numbers, Kinds of Hiring the Federal Government Will Need…..
E. The projected “mission critical” occupations …………………………………………
F. Top Employment Areas: where the government is, and will be hiring ……………….
1. Security, Protection, Compliance and Enforcement……………………………………………..
Specific Agencies
The Department of Homeland Security………………………………………………….
The Department of Justice……………………………………………………………….
The Department of Defense & Justice, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and .
Treasury Department …………………………………………………………………
Ten other agencies’ reported plans ……………………………………………………….
2. Medical and Public Health Hiring Projections…………………………………………..
3. Accounting, Budget and Business ………………………………………………………
The following agencies will also add new staff in this occupational area:
The Securities and Exchange Commission, hire of 266 accountants……………………....
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation………………………………………………..
The Departments of Homeland Security and NASA……………………………………….
4. Engineering and Sciences ……………………………………………………………….
5. Program Management /Analysis and Administration…………………………………...
6. Other Areas of Increasing, or Declining Demands………………………………………
The Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of State, and
the U.S. Agency for International Development……………………………………………………………
The Patent and Trademark Office, Clerical Support Staff………………………………..
The Top Ten: Projected Hires by professional field, FY 2007-2009…………………….
G. Sizing Up the Competition in Manpower Needs…………………………………….
Areas of Expected Intense Competition for Availability of Workers…………………...
H. Projected Federal Hiring, FY 2007-2009
I. SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4
TOP FEDERAL OCCUPATIONS IN DEMAND………………………….
CHAPTER 5
HOW TO SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT FEDERAL JOB
FOR YOU. A STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURES.
A. Do Your Research & Planning, First……………………………………………………
The trouble with titles…………………………………………………………………….
For White Collar Jobs ……………………………………………………………………...
For Blue Collar Jobs ………………………………………………………………………
B. Use the Resources at Your Disposal to Get Educated………………………………….
1. Qualifications required………………………………………………………………......
Qualifications, generally………………………………………………………………………….
Finding out the specific qualifications needed for a job………………………………....
Shortcut to matching your qualifications: Cracking the GS Code………………………
GS grading by levels by education…………………………………………………...
C. Stick to These General Principles………………………………………………………
Are You a Student, an Intern, or Veteran? Check Out these programs……………
Federal Career Intern Program…………………………………………………………....
Presidential Management Fellows Program……………………………………………...
Student Education Employment Program………………………………………………..
Veteran or disabled……………………………………………………………………….
D. How to Physically Search for Jobs: The Actual Searching Process…………………….
The Two Main Methods of Federal Job Searching ………………………………………
...Doing your search ONLINE, through the INTERNET methods…………………………
Begin with this website………………………………………………………………...
A few other good federal job good sites……………………………………………….
What the UsaJobs.gov Website search does for you……………………………………….
E. You May Search by These Criteria or Parameters………………………………………
1. Searching by the Occupational Series Function OR Occupational Group…………….
2. Searching by the Geographic Location………………………………………………...
3. Searching by departments or Agencies………………………………………………...
4. Always Supplement Your Job Hunt with a KEYWORD search………………………
F. The Second Main Method for Federal Job Searching …………………………………..
Doing your search OFFLINE, through the TRADITIONAL methods…………………..
Automated telephone system…………………………………………………………….
G. The Direct Approach: Contact Agency Offices…………………………………………
H. Other Sources of Vacancy Openings: Newspapers, Job Fairs, Etc……………………..
I. Let’s Decode the Job Vacancy Announcement, piece by piece…………...............
Basic information…………………………………………………………………………
Who may apply…………………………………………………………………………...
The opening date………………………………………………………………………….
The closing date…………………………………………………………………………..
Series and Grade Promotion potential……………………………………………………
Job duties…………………………………………………………………………………
Basic qualifications……………………………………………………………………….
Additional qualifications………………………………………………………………….
How to apply……………………………………………………………………………...
Conditions for employment…………………………………….......................
Standard legal information………………………………………………………………..
CHAPTER 6
HOW TO APPLY FOR A FEDERAL JOB, SUCCESSFULLY,
FROM START TO FINISH
A. YOUR APPLICATION WILL GO THROUGH SEVERAL LEVELS……………
B. What specific format do you submit your job application…………………………….
An automated resume…………………………………………………………………….
Any type of proper resume……………………………………………………………….
Any appropriate form……………………………………………………………………..
Federal application Form OF-612………………………………..............................
Use of the USAJOBS resume-builder-created resume……………………………………..
Estimate your GS level …………………………………………………………………….
Understand the job’s requirements. ………………………………………………………..
Be flexible about titles……………………………………………………………………...
Be specific about past experience…………………………………………………………..
Properly explain the past job titles………………………………………………………….
C. Complete your job application process………………………………………………….
.
1. FIRST: Have you completed the following by now?.............................
2. SECOND: By not, then do them……………………………………………………..
3. Go online and log on to this website…………………………………………………
D. Prepare for the job interview it……………………………….
What to do while you wait………………………………………………………………..
E. Attend your job interview.………………………………………………………………
…You may need to write a KSA on your past job experience……………………………
F. Negotiating on the salary, accepting the job………………………………...................
CHAPTER 7
RESUME: WRITING YOUR RESUME AND THE COVER LETTER
A. The Point of Resumes…………………………………………………………………..
B. The New Rule in Resume Writing Brought About by Modern Technology…………...
Résumé: It’s All about Marketing Your Skills…………………………………………..
C. The Five Major Steps to Resume Writing………………………………………………
1. STEP ONE: Compiling Information about You & the Jobs of Interest to You………
Follow the following steps:
FIRST: ……………………………………………………………………………………..
SECOND…………………………………………………………………………………...
THIRD: Organize the Personal Information you gathered…………………………………
1. Contact information……………………………………………………………………...
2. Objective statement………………………………………………………………………
FOUR: Your qualifications…………………………………………………………………
a) Your qualifications summary…………………………………………………………
b) Education………………………………………………………………………………
c) Your Experience………………………………………………………………………
d) Activities and associations. …………………………………………………………..
e) Special skills…………………………………………………………………………..
f) Awards and honors…………………………………………………………………….
g) References…………………………………………………………………………….
h) Other personal information……………………………………………………………
i) Job facts………………………………………………………………………………/
2. STEP TWO: Be certain that your resume includes the following elements…………...
a) Match your background to the specific job title you seek…………………………….
b) For the job standards of interest to you, study their job standards……………………
c) Study the qualifications and KSAs involved or the job vacancy announcements…..
…d) Use a “problem-solution” approach to your work history section…………………..
or advertisements for the job and related ones………………………………………..
3. STEP THREE: Choosing the FORMAT you want to use for the resume……………..
a) The Chronological Resume Format……………………………………………………...
b) Functional Resume Format. ……………………………………………………………..
c) Combination Resume Format…………………………………………………………...
4. STEP FOUR: Adding style to your resume……………………………………….......
Design………………………………………………………………………………………
Length. ……………………………………………………………………………………..
5. STEP FIVE: Proofreading………………………………………………………………
You want your résumé to stand out, but not for the wrong reasons……………………….
6. STEP SIX: following up with the interviewer after the interview………………….
D. The New Development in Resume Writing: Resume Writing Has Gone Digital……...
Formatting your resume and using keywords………………………………………………
Plain text résumés……………………………………………………………………………………
Role of Key Words in Today’s Resumes…………………………………………………...
You MUST Employ in Your Resume the KEYWORDS and Phrases that Apply in the
Field………………………………………………………………………………………...
How do you know or find out what the proper key words and phrases for the
occupation and salary level of your résumé is?………………………………………………………...
The Cover Letter: Introducing Yourself……………………………………………………
Parts of the cover letter…………………………………………………………………...
The Ist Part: Salutation. Whenever possible, send your letter to a specific named,
person rather, rather than to………………………………………………………………...
…The 2nd Part: The Opening……………………………………………………………………………
The 3rd Part: The Body…………………………………………………………………………...
The 4th Part: The Closing……………………………………………………………….
SAMPLES, FEDERAL JOB RESUMES & COVER LETTER…………………………
Sample 1……………………………………………………………………………………
Sample 2……………………………………………………………………………………
Sample 3……………………………………………………………………………………
Cover Letter………………………………………………………………………………..
CHAPTER 8
AT THE INTERVIEW, FIRST TRY TO ‘DECODE’ THE REAL MEANING
OF THE INTERVIEWER’S QUESTIONS
A. Do you know what the interviewer really means by these questions?
2. What are your greatest strengths? ……………………………………………………….
3. What are your greatest weaknesses?..
4. Why are you interested in working here?...........
5. Why should we hire you?...................
6. Where do you see yourself five years from now?..................................
7. What are some of your hobbies?..............
8. Would you be willing to pursue an extra certificate or credential?........
9. What were you hoping we'd ask today, but didn't?.....................
10. Do you have any questions for us?..................................................
CHAPTER 9
YOUR JOB INTERVIEW: HOW TO DO IT RIGHT AND NAIL THE JOB
To Do it Right, Follow these Steps, One at a
Time………………………………………...
A. Thoroughly Prepare for the Job Interview………
B. Much of your preparations have to be done in advance……
The following are some of the most important tips offered by experts on how
you can better prepare ahead of time for the big day………………………………………………..
1. Research the company before the job interview……………………………
2. Clear the calendar to allow for the interview………………………………
3. Practice doing the interviewing of yourself…………………………………………….
4. Plan your being properly dressed for the interview way in advance……………………
5. Plan Making a First Impression on your interviewer……………………………………
6. Be sure NOT to be late……………………
C. Going through the Actual Interview …………………………………………………..
1. Be calm, relaxed and confident at the interview……………………………………..
2. Watch out for the ‘nonverbal communication’ aspect of the interview………
3. Be careful to use the right body language in the interview……
Some ‘interview usuals’ or typical questions you may expect in an interview……………
D. Post-Interview Follow up………………………
A Follow up with a Thank you Letter…………………………………
Most thank you letters have three main paragraphs…………………………
CHAPTER 10
OTHER ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS THAT FEDERAL JOBS MAY
REQUIRE: KSAs, QUESTIONNAIRES, TESTS, ETC
A. WRITING A KSA: WRITTEN STATEMENTS ABOUT YOUR SKILLS…………
What is a KSA?..............................................................................................
The significance of a KSA…………………………………………………………….
Do your homework first………………………………………………………………..
Divide the writing process into these five steps…………………………………………….
Step 1: Brainstorm………………………………………………………………………..
Step 2: Choose the best examples……………………………………………………….
Step 3: Get specific……………………………………………………………………..
Step 4: Write a draft……………………………………………………………………
Step 5: Proofread………………………………………………………………………
B. DOING QUESTIONNAIRES, TESTS, ETC…………………………………………..
C. DOING TESTS………………………………………………………………………
D. Transcripts and other materials…………………………………………………………
CHAPTER 11
SEVEN MAIN SIMPLE STEPS TO A FEDERAL JOB: SUMMARY
A. DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST, GET THE BASIC FACTS AND INFORMATION ON IT…………
1. Get a hold of a copy of the Handbook…………………………………………………
2. And while you are at the website, also view this video there…………………………..
3. Map out (from what you learned from the Handbook), what you need to do………….
B. DO A JOB SEARCH, FIND AVAILABLE JOB OPENINGS……………………………………………
Search for job openings in the Federal Government…………………………………………….
1. OPTION ONE: Internet Sources……………………………………………………
2. OPTION TWO: Offline or Non-Internet Sources………………………………………….
C. DECODE THE JOB VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS…………………………………………………
D. PREPARE AND SUBMIT A FEDERAL-STYLE JOB RESUME ……………………………...
E. DEVELOP OTHER REQUIRED PAPERS, SUCH AS KSA, IF REQUIRED…………………………
F. PREPARE FOR AND INTERVIEW FOR THE JOB……………………………………………………
G. ACCEPT (OR REJECT) THE JOB OFFER……………………………………………………………...
CHAPTER 12
THE U.S. FEDERAL POSTAL WORKERS
A. CATEGORIES OF U.S. POSTAL WORKERS…………………………
The following are the main types of postal
workers……………………………
1. Postal Service clerks………………………………………………………
2. Postal Service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operator
3. Postal Service mail carriers. …………………………………………………………...
B. THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Window clerks………………………………………………............
C. JOB
ADVANCEMENT…………………………………………………………………
Advancement. …………………………………………………………………... ………..
D. NUMBER OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES ………………………………………………
E. EARNINGS OF POSTAL WORKERS ………………………………………………
F. IMPORTANT: OTHER COMPENSATIONS ………………………………
G. JOB OUTLOOK………..…
1. Employment change. …………………………………………
2. Job prospects.. …………………………
H. TRAINING & OTHER QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED OF AN APPLICANT IN
ORDER TO MERIT EMPLOYMENT
1. Education and training. ………………………………………………………………
2. Other qualifications …………………………………………………………………...
I. SUMMARY OF EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS
1. Age Requirement …………………………………………………………
2. Citizenship…………………………………………
3. Language. ……………………………
4. Selective Service………………………………………………………
5. Employment History. ………………………………………………………………
6. Military Service.. ………………………………………………………………….
7. Criminal Conviction History. ……………………………………
8. Drug Screening ………………………………………………………………….
9. Medical Assessment. …………………………………………………………
10. Safe Driving Record.
J. How TO APPLY FOR A USPS JOB & THE JOB APPLICATION SYSTEM
1. To locate the open or available jobs……………………………………………………
2. Searching for Jobs. …………………………………………………………………
3. Here’s basically how the recruiting and application process work at USPS ………
4. When applying for a USPS job, please note the following:……………………………
K. TRY APPLYING FOR OTHER RELATED OCCUPATIONS, ALSO…………..
APPENDICES
A. Links to credible job hunting/finding contacts & resources
B. Federal jobs by college majors
C. Frequently Asked Questions, Federal government employment
D. Resources for contacting individual federal agencies
E. Other books and manuals published by the Selfhelper/Do-It-Yourself Legal
Publisher......
FOREWORD:The Publisher’s Message
What “unemployment” in America? Discover the Most,
Amazing But Pleasant “Secret” that Abides in the Otherwise Grim
Unemployment Picture Today in America: That There is, ACTUALLY,
Plenty of jobs available with the Federal Government Today! And
Then, How to Take Immediate Advantage of It.
The subject matter addressed by this Handbook, THE FEDERAL JOBS HANDBOOK: HOW TO JOB SEARCH
FOR, APPLY FOR AND GET FEDERAL JOB, could not have been more fitting for the times, or come at a
more timely time. At a time in the nation’s history, when the United States of America (and, to some
greater or lesser degree, the entire world economy) are practically in economic recession, and America
is in probably the worse recession and unemployment that it has seen since at least before Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s, the MISSION of this Handbook, in deed, its NECESSITY, is simple
and unambiguous: to expose to an increasingly despairing American working class, more particularly
the swelling ranks of the American unemployed and jobless, what is probably the best kept but most
pleasant ‘secret’ existing in the otherwise grim unemployment picture of the nation today.
And that big secret?
To a sizable population of the American public today, in the current gruesome economic and
unemployment climate, it would probably come as a big surprise, in deed, incredible or even
implausible, to hear that there is at least ONE major source for employment which still exists and even
continues to wax strong to which American job-seekers may still turn, and with a good and realistic
prospect of getting a decent job. But yes, there truly is one such a source! And it is called the U.S.
Federal Government civil service - our nation’s largest employer that still employs nearly 1.9 million
workers, and counting!
Simply stated, the Handbook outlines for the reader, whether he/she be an American job-seeker or
merely the curious, the following vital job information:
2
BUT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PERHAPS:
SURE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S TRADITIONAL HIRING PROCESS HAS BEEN
A SOURCE OF PROBLEM FOR THE JOB-SEEKER
BUT GET THIS: The general view prevalent among many independent analysts and several studies on
the subject, is that, in the words of one of such recent observers, “[Sure, the Federal government
agencies will likely continue to hire such a high number of workers per year]. However, the biggest
challenge that the Federal agencies must overcome to hire talented personnel, is the hiring process
itself.”*
The hiring process itself! The point is that many (though by no means all) credible observers would
concede that, unfortunately, the job hiring system of the Federal government has traditionally been
fraught with a myriad of rules, procedures, and practices which simply could often make it unnecessarily
difficult and less-than-smooth-running for the average American seeking to find or secure an
employment with the Federal government. The traditional problems for the average job-seeker have
ranged from excessive length of time the job application takes [one 2002 Government Accounting
Office report reported that it takes (or, at least, it took then) some 3 months for the average hire), to
the problem of undue complexity and excessive paperwork of the hiring process (The job applications
are often filled, quite unnecessarily, with irrelevant questions, jargon and acronyms, that are unduly
incomprehensible and confusing to the newbie applying for a job, and aside from that, the instructions
for the job application can be up to 35 pages in length), and so on.
To be sure, true, it should be admitted that there have been some laudable steps taken since then by
the U. S Congress and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to combat these traditional hiring
problems, and that some improvements have been actually made in the Federal hiring process since
then (e.g., notable among them, is the OPM’s overhaul of the federal hiring website and their setting
of a new 45 day target for hiring decisions to be made). Nevertheless, experts who have continued to
3
assesses and monitor the situation, still continue to have cause such that they contend that “The
federal hiring process is [still] so daunting that it often reinforces applicants’ worst fears of government
as an ineffective, unresponsive and incomprehensible bureaucracy.”*
RESOLVING THESE TRADITIONAL HIRING PROBLEMS FOR THE AMERICAN JOB-
SEEKER, WILL NOW ENABLE THE JOB-SEEKER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE
PLENTIFULNESS OF JOB OPENINGS IN THE FEDERAL SYSTEM
The fundamental premise which warranted and necessitated this Handbook, can be summed up in this
statement echoed by the Partnership for Service, the non-profit organization, in its report of its
comprehensive 2007 study, “Where the Jobs Are. Mission Critical Opportunities for America,” which
projected the trend in the American employment picture and hiring needs within at least the next two
years, and the critical position the Federal Government occupies in it, as follows:
“[our finding from the study is] that no matter what your area of expertise or where
you live, if you are looking for a job where you can develop your professional skills
and make a difference in the lives of others, the federal government has [and
will likely have] a job for you.”
There has long been one basic FACT, long known to experts in the labor hiring field and amply
established and confirmed by many credible studies on the American labor trends. Namely, that, come
what may in the American national economic fortunes, year-after-year the probable prospects would in
all likelihood remain that the U.S. Federal government would still be a strong, even growing, net
employer and hirer of workers. And, furthermore, that the U.S. Federal government would most
probably remain the most likely of all employers in the United States to provide meaningful
employment for the most diversified kinds of jobs and workers, accommodating virtually every kind of
positions, occupations, skill levels and qualifications for the American workers.
THE FEDERAL JOBS HANDBOOK seeks in the following pages to put into practical use, and in the most
affordable and accessible of ways for the average job-seeker even in today’s tightening job market,
this basic notion and premise. It outlines for the federal job-seeker in the most simple, elementary
and understandable of terms, the essential information on how to search for and locate where the
current job openings are – or are projected and likely to be in the next two years - throughout the
entire federal bureaucracy, what exactly those jobs are, the basic qualifications required for the job
applicant to be hired for the job.
And, further but most importantly for the job-seeker, it outlines, quite methodologically, the essential
information and procedures, and a clear roadmap, presented step-by-step and simply, by which the
average federal job applicant can do those things HIMSELF or HERSELF, without any further outside
assistance or costs – easily searching, by himself or herself, for the available job openings for the
kinds of jobs he or she is
4
interested in, and locating the jobs, applying for them, processing the application papers and doing the
interviews, and successfully securing the job.
This is, perhaps, simply the most affordable and the least red tape-laden, but most cost-effective way
that is available for any Federal job-seeker anywhere today to find employment with the federal
government!
Here you have it, readers and job-seekers of America! To YOUR employment needs, benefits, and
purposes!!
Thank you.
Publishers,
Do-It-Yourself Legal Publishers
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11236
------------------------------------------
*For citations on the traditional problems of the federal hiring process, see the Bureau of Labor
Statistics’ “Issue Brief” PPS-05-06 THE HIRING PROCESS; the Government Accountability Office,
“Human Capital: Status of Efforts to Improve Federal Hiring,” GAO-04-769T (June 2004); Extreme
Hiring Makeover, www.extremehiringmakeover.org; Partnership for Public Service, “Asking the Wrong
Questions: A Look at How the Federal Government Assesses and Selects its Workforce,” 2004.
Government Accountability Office, “Human Capital: Opportunities to Improve Executive Agencies’ Hiring
Processes” GAO-03-450 (May 2003). Bilmes, Linda, and Jeffrey Neal. “The People Factor: Human
Resources Reform in Government.” For the People: Can We Fix Public Service? Ed. John D. Donahue
and Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Brookings Institution, 2003. July 19, 2005
5
PREFACE
The fundamental premise of this Handbook, How to Search for, Apply for and Get the RIGHT Federal
JOB, which necessitated, in deed warranted and compelled, its writing and publication, can be summed
up in this statement echoed by the Partnership for Service, the non-profit organization, in its report of
its 2007 comprehensive study, “Where the Jobs Are. Mission Critical Opportunities for America,” which
projected the trend in the American employment picture and hiring needs within at least the next two
years, and the critical position the Federal Government occupies in it, as follows:
“[our finding from the study is] that no matter what your area of expertise or where
you live, if you are looking for a job where you can develop your professional skills
and make a difference in the lives of others, the federal government has [and
will likely have] a job for you.”
YES, THE CURRENT EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
IS REALLY, REALLY GRIM
Even as How to Search for, Apply for and Get the RIGHT Federal JOB goes to press, the labor, economic
and statistical evidence grows increasingly stronger – and grimmer - by the day, that the United States
of America is ALREADY probably in one of the worst, if not in fact the worst, economic recessions and
the most gruesome and bleakest unemployment conditions it has seen since perhaps the dreaded era
of the Great Depression of the 1930s! And, what is still even worst, that as bad and terrible the current
unemployment conditions might already seem, the far worst is yet to come in the months, perhaps
years, still ahead. That, in short, a recent assessment attributed in a late December 2008 U.S. & World
Report article to Nariman Behravash, the chief economist at the IHS Global Insight, a Lexington Mass.,
forecasting firm, and a growing list of other experts who make similar assessments, might have been
dead right that “it will get a lot worse before it gets better. We are in the midst of the worst recession in
the postwar period, even factoring in a massive [economic] stimulus program [being anxiously
anticipated by the incoming Barack Obama Administration].”*
December 2008 unemployment rate, the highest since 1992,
some 16 years earlier. Not since 1980 (some 28 years ago) has
the American work force shrunk in such a magnitude within a
period of just three months since the December 2008 job
decline had only come on top of similar losses in October and
November.
BUT, THE GOOD NEWS: THERE’S PLENTY OF
JOBS WITH THE FED
Yet, in the very midst of this most depressing of economic and unemployment conditions, many
Americans will be shocked, even dumbfounded, to hear that there still is, in reality, ONE major source
of employment existing which still has plentiful job openings and employment opportunities for
workers, and which still continues consistently to hire new workers, not fire them, even as we speak!
That continuing, constant, reliable source of employment and hirer of American workers is, of course,
the UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!
HANDBOOK PROVIDES YOU THE INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE
AND TOOLS TO AVAIL YOURSELF OF THIS ‘GOOD NEWS.’
This Handbook exposes for you, the American job-seek, the FACT that those jobs actually do exist
even in today’s worsening American job market, where those jobs are throughout the entire federal
bureaucracy (in terms of the government agencies and geographically in the country). It provides you
with the essential information on how to search for and locate where those job openings are today – or
where they are projected and likely to be in the next two years - what exactly those jobs are, the basic
qualifications required for you as a job applicant to be hired for the job.
And, most importantly for you, it outlines, quite methodologically for you, the essential information and
procedures, and a clear roadmap, presented step-by-step and simply, by which you can do those
things YOURSELF, without any further outside assistance or costs – easily searching, all by yourself, for
the available job openings for the kinds of jobs you are interested in, and readily locating the jobs,
applying for them, and processing the application papers and the interviews, and securing the job –
successfully.
You only have to follow the outlines of working the system set forth in the Handbook, step-by-step!
7
CHAPTER 1
THE GRIM AMERICAN ECONOMY AND HARSH NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS,
VERSUS THE REALITY OF GOOD JOB HIRING PROSPECTS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
THE PRESENT AMERICAN DREARY NATIONAL ECONOMIC
AND UNEMPLYMENT SITUATION
Even as How to Search for, Apply for and Get the RIGHT Federal JOB goes to press, the labor, economic
and statistical evidence grows increasingly stronger – and grimmer - by the day, that the United States
of America is ALREADY probably in one of the worst, if not in fact the worst, economic recessions and
the most gruesome and bleakest unemployment conditions it has seen since perhaps the dreaded era
of the Great Depression of the 1930s! And, what is still even worst, that as bad and terrible the current
unemployment conditions might already seem, the far worst is yet to come in the months, perhaps
years, still ahead. That, in short, a recent assessment attributed in a late December 2008 U.S. & World
Report article to Nariman Behravash, the chief economist at the IHS Global Insight, a Lexington Mass.,
forecasting firm, and a growing list of other experts who make similar assessments, might have been
dead right that “it will get a lot worse before it gets better. We are in the midst of the worst recession in
the postwar period, even factoring in a massive [economic] stimulus program [being anxiously
anticipated by the incoming Barack Obama Administration].”*
The Deteriorating Unemployment Situation
Only in November 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, amidst
the public clamor about the need for Congress and the outgoing Bush
8
administration not to delay but to move quickly on an economic stimulus package for
reviving the national economy, about crafting a mortgage relief package to rescue the crashing housing
market and, perhaps, a bigger financial aid for Detroit’s big automakers,
the biggest monthly decline in employment in a generation – the loss of 533,000 jobs for the month
of November alone!
This represents, in deed, a rise in the level of unemployment of monumental proportions, in historical
terms! Not since December 1974, some 34 years earlier, have so many jobs disappeared in one single
month, and mind you that that 1974 drop occurred only at a time nearing the very end of a severe
recession — as contrasted to the current recession, which is only just at the very beginning and just
gathering steam, rather than coming to the end.
The national unemployment rate had risen from 6.5 in October among men and women who had been
working or seeking work, to 6.7 percent. And what is more, this big drop in the November employment,
had only followed the declines in employment of 403,000 in September, and 320,000 in October, as
revised. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed
at 2.2 million in November, but was up by 822,000 over the past 12 months. The large job losses in
November were widespread across the major industry sectors in November. Both the number of
unemployed persons (10.3 million) and the unemployment rate (6.7 percent, only continued to
increase in November.
But, even still more significantly, was this fact: even this astronomical November 2008 unemployment
rate does not even include in the count those Americans who have been too discouraged by searching
for long and not finding work, that they gave up further looking, or those working fewer hours than they
would like. Add those really
9
“unemployed” people to the roster of the unemployed, and what you get is an actual whopping record
unemployment rate of 12.5 percent in November, up 1.5 percentage points since September!
Unemployment Benefits Claims Figures
Annual changes in American Unemployment Benefits Claims, Nov. 2004 to Nov. 2008.
SOURCE: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Add to the above sketched unemployment figures the emerging figures on the number of American
workers who submit new claims for unemployment benefits, and you can probably begin to get a more
complete picture of the extreme magnitude of the unemployment problem confronting the American
economy today. According to the recent figures released by the Labor Department, for the week ending
Dec. 20the 2008, the number of initial requests for jobless benefits filed by Americans, rose to a
seasonally adjusted figure of 586,000, from an upwardly revised figure of 556,000 the previous week –
reaching a figure far more than the 560,000 that economists had expected. That figure is, also, the
highest level of jobless claims that had ever been filed since November 1982, when (it is important to
remember) the economy was emerging from a steep recession, though the work force has grown by
about 50% since then.
Labor economists consider jobless claims a timely, though often volatile, indicator used to gauge the
health of the labor markets, and through it, the broader economy. And, considering that a year ago the
initial claims stood only at 353,000, the elevated level of this December 2008 new jobless applications,
is just one sign to the economist that the labor market has deteriorated rapidly in recent months,
among many others..
BUT, THE GOOD NEWS: THERE ARE PLENTY
OF JOBS WITH THE FEDERAL
Given the torrent of grim economic reports, statistical data and forecasts about the continuous rounds
of worker lay offs by industries and businesses, the growing high
10
l
evels of unemployment claims, collapsing industries and businesses, and so on, coming out of
Washington D.C. these days, and the objective assessments of several respected
economic and labor management forecasters and experts, a logical question would be: How realistic,
credible or believable could it be forecasting - as is emphatically done in this Handbook - a continuing,
active employment of new workers by the Federal government?
That’s quite a perfectly legitimate and logical question.
A contradiction, maybe, you think? Well, not really one! Economists know very well that there are a few
categories of industries and jobs that are called “recession proof.” – meaning jobs for which new hiring
will often continue to be made, and the employers will usually continue to hire new workers, no matter
the economic condition. And, among these groups, government work and government employment,
especially the Federal government’s, has always ranked at or near the very top. The available
government and public date bear this out.
The Continuing Job Openings and Hires: the Fed Government
as the Major Hirer
For example, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of
Labor on “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey News Release,” by the end of October 2008, there
were 3.1 million job openings in the United States. The job openings rate which was little changed in
October 2008 but has been trending downward for over a year, was 2.2 percent in October – the lowest
level it has been since February 2004. The hires rate decreased slightly to 3.0 percent in October, while
the total separations rate was little changed at 3.1 percent.
But here’s the significant information here: the BLS figures also show that over the last 12 months
covering that same period, the Federal government was the ONLY industry or hirer in the economy in
which the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted) rose significantly(to 2.5 percent).In contrast to
that, during the same period the rate had fallen over the year for total nonfarm and total private, as
well as in most industries, including construction; durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods
manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; information; finance, etc.
CONCLUSION
The central point here is that the government, most especially the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, is - and will
all too likely continue to be - the last but reliable bastion of secure or decent new employment in the
United States for the average job-seeker in the present times or the foreseeable future, bad economic
times notwithstanding. In fact, the Federal government is likely to be an even far more significant
factor as a major hirer of American workers in the months and years ahead, than it ever was.: Simply
put, the new Obama presidency, with the
11
projected infusion of a humongous economic stimulus program of close to a trillion dollars into the
American economy, will clearly mean more big-government programs and initiatives, thereby creating
a great deal of government jobs across the board. Look, especially, for these areas for those jobs: in
homeland security, health care, accounting/auditing, education, information technology, construction,
and the IRS, among others.
What “unemployment” in America? Discover the Most,
Amazing But Pleasant “Secret” that Abides in the Otherwise Grim
Unemployment Picture Today in America: That There is, ACTUALLY,
Plenty of jobs available with the Federal Government Today! And
Then, How to Take Immediate Advantage of It.
The subject matter addressed by this Handbook, THE FEDERAL JOBS HANDBOOK: HOW TO JOB SEARCH
FOR, APPLY FOR AND GET FEDERAL JOB, could not have been more fitting for the times, or come at a
more timely time. At a time in the nation’s history, when the United States of America (and, to some
greater or lesser degree, the entire world economy) are practically in economic recession, and America
is in probably the worse recession and unemployment that it has seen since at least before Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s, the MISSION of this Handbook, in deed, its NECESSITY, is simple
and unambiguous: to expose to an increasingly despairing American working class, more particularly
the swelling ranks of the American unemployed and jobless, what is probably the best kept but most
pleasant ‘secret’ existing in the otherwise grim unemployment picture of the nation today.
And that big secret?
To a sizable population of the American public today, in the current gruesome economic and
unemployment climate, it would probably come as a big surprise, in deed, incredible or even
implausible, to hear that there is at least ONE major source for employment which still exists and even
continues to wax strong to which American job-seekers may still turn, and with a good and realistic
prospect of getting a decent job. But yes, there truly is one such a source! And it is called the U.S.
Federal Government civil service - our nation’s largest employer that still employs nearly 1.9 million
workers, and counting!
Simply stated, the Handbook outlines for the reader, whether he/she be an American job-seeker or
merely the curious, the following vital job information:
2
- the job openings and hiring possibilities that exist currently, or will exist in the very near future,
in virtually the entire Federal civil service; - what EXACTLY each of those jobs or occupations are, and where they are located - the job titles
or positions and the government Departments or agencies where they’re located, the geographic
locations where they are across the country, and the like; - the basic duties and responsibilities for the jobs, and the qualifications and skills requirement
for an applicant getting hired for them; the numbers and kinds of new - workers projected and expected (through careful analysis and studies done by respected labor
experts and authorities in the field) to be open and available in the Federal system for new
hires within the next one of two years, through at least 2008-2009 (the studied projection is at
least about 100,000 or more permanent jobs per year);
BUT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PERHAPS:
- it provides the essential information and procedures, and the clear roadmap, outlined step-by-
step and simply, by which the average job-seeker can easily search for the available job
openings and hiring opportunities throughout the federal civil service for the kinds of jobs they
are interested, and locate the jobs, properly apply for them, and successfully secure them – in
the most affordable and the least red tape-laden way that is perhaps available to any job-
seeker anywhere today.
SURE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S TRADITIONAL HIRING PROCESS HAS BEEN
A SOURCE OF PROBLEM FOR THE JOB-SEEKER
BUT GET THIS: The general view prevalent among many independent analysts and several studies on
the subject, is that, in the words of one of such recent observers, “[Sure, the Federal government
agencies will likely continue to hire such a high number of workers per year]. However, the biggest
challenge that the Federal agencies must overcome to hire talented personnel, is the hiring process
itself.”*
The hiring process itself! The point is that many (though by no means all) credible observers would
concede that, unfortunately, the job hiring system of the Federal government has traditionally been
fraught with a myriad of rules, procedures, and practices which simply could often make it unnecessarily
difficult and less-than-smooth-running for the average American seeking to find or secure an
employment with the Federal government. The traditional problems for the average job-seeker have
ranged from excessive length of time the job application takes [one 2002 Government Accounting
Office report reported that it takes (or, at least, it took then) some 3 months for the average hire), to
the problem of undue complexity and excessive paperwork of the hiring process (The job applications
are often filled, quite unnecessarily, with irrelevant questions, jargon and acronyms, that are unduly
incomprehensible and confusing to the newbie applying for a job, and aside from that, the instructions
for the job application can be up to 35 pages in length), and so on.
To be sure, true, it should be admitted that there have been some laudable steps taken since then by
the U. S Congress and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to combat these traditional hiring
problems, and that some improvements have been actually made in the Federal hiring process since
then (e.g., notable among them, is the OPM’s overhaul of the federal hiring website and their setting
of a new 45 day target for hiring decisions to be made). Nevertheless, experts who have continued to
3
assesses and monitor the situation, still continue to have cause such that they contend that “The
federal hiring process is [still] so daunting that it often reinforces applicants’ worst fears of government
as an ineffective, unresponsive and incomprehensible bureaucracy.”*
RESOLVING THESE TRADITIONAL HIRING PROBLEMS FOR THE AMERICAN JOB-
SEEKER, WILL NOW ENABLE THE JOB-SEEKER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE
PLENTIFULNESS OF JOB OPENINGS IN THE FEDERAL SYSTEM
The fundamental premise which warranted and necessitated this Handbook, can be summed up in this
statement echoed by the Partnership for Service, the non-profit organization, in its report of its
comprehensive 2007 study, “Where the Jobs Are. Mission Critical Opportunities for America,” which
projected the trend in the American employment picture and hiring needs within at least the next two
years, and the critical position the Federal Government occupies in it, as follows:
“[our finding from the study is] that no matter what your area of expertise or where
you live, if you are looking for a job where you can develop your professional skills
and make a difference in the lives of others, the federal government has [and
will likely have] a job for you.”
There has long been one basic FACT, long known to experts in the labor hiring field and amply
established and confirmed by many credible studies on the American labor trends. Namely, that, come
what may in the American national economic fortunes, year-after-year the probable prospects would in
all likelihood remain that the U.S. Federal government would still be a strong, even growing, net
employer and hirer of workers. And, furthermore, that the U.S. Federal government would most
probably remain the most likely of all employers in the United States to provide meaningful
employment for the most diversified kinds of jobs and workers, accommodating virtually every kind of
positions, occupations, skill levels and qualifications for the American workers.
THE FEDERAL JOBS HANDBOOK seeks in the following pages to put into practical use, and in the most
affordable and accessible of ways for the average job-seeker even in today’s tightening job market,
this basic notion and premise. It outlines for the federal job-seeker in the most simple, elementary
and understandable of terms, the essential information on how to search for and locate where the
current job openings are – or are projected and likely to be in the next two years - throughout the
entire federal bureaucracy, what exactly those jobs are, the basic qualifications required for the job
applicant to be hired for the job.
And, further but most importantly for the job-seeker, it outlines, quite methodologically, the essential
information and procedures, and a clear roadmap, presented step-by-step and simply, by which the
average federal job applicant can do those things HIMSELF or HERSELF, without any further outside
assistance or costs – easily searching, by himself or herself, for the available job openings for the
kinds of jobs he or she is
4
interested in, and locating the jobs, applying for them, processing the application papers and doing the
interviews, and successfully securing the job.
This is, perhaps, simply the most affordable and the least red tape-laden, but most cost-effective way
that is available for any Federal job-seeker anywhere today to find employment with the federal
government!
Here you have it, readers and job-seekers of America! To YOUR employment needs, benefits, and
purposes!!
Thank you.
Publishers,
Do-It-Yourself Legal Publishers
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11236
------------------------------------------
*For citations on the traditional problems of the federal hiring process, see the Bureau of Labor
Statistics’ “Issue Brief” PPS-05-06 THE HIRING PROCESS; the Government Accountability Office,
“Human Capital: Status of Efforts to Improve Federal Hiring,” GAO-04-769T (June 2004); Extreme
Hiring Makeover, www.extremehiringmakeover.org; Partnership for Public Service, “Asking the Wrong
Questions: A Look at How the Federal Government Assesses and Selects its Workforce,” 2004.
Government Accountability Office, “Human Capital: Opportunities to Improve Executive Agencies’ Hiring
Processes” GAO-03-450 (May 2003). Bilmes, Linda, and Jeffrey Neal. “The People Factor: Human
Resources Reform in Government.” For the People: Can We Fix Public Service? Ed. John D. Donahue
and Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Brookings Institution, 2003. July 19, 2005
5
PREFACE
The fundamental premise of this Handbook, How to Search for, Apply for and Get the RIGHT Federal
JOB, which necessitated, in deed warranted and compelled, its writing and publication, can be summed
up in this statement echoed by the Partnership for Service, the non-profit organization, in its report of
its 2007 comprehensive study, “Where the Jobs Are. Mission Critical Opportunities for America,” which
projected the trend in the American employment picture and hiring needs within at least the next two
years, and the critical position the Federal Government occupies in it, as follows:
“[our finding from the study is] that no matter what your area of expertise or where
you live, if you are looking for a job where you can develop your professional skills
and make a difference in the lives of others, the federal government has [and
will likely have] a job for you.”
YES, THE CURRENT EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
IS REALLY, REALLY GRIM
Even as How to Search for, Apply for and Get the RIGHT Federal JOB goes to press, the labor, economic
and statistical evidence grows increasingly stronger – and grimmer - by the day, that the United States
of America is ALREADY probably in one of the worst, if not in fact the worst, economic recessions and
the most gruesome and bleakest unemployment conditions it has seen since perhaps the dreaded era
of the Great Depression of the 1930s! And, what is still even worst, that as bad and terrible the current
unemployment conditions might already seem, the far worst is yet to come in the months, perhaps
years, still ahead. That, in short, a recent assessment attributed in a late December 2008 U.S. & World
Report article to Nariman Behravash, the chief economist at the IHS Global Insight, a Lexington Mass.,
forecasting firm, and a growing list of other experts who make similar assessments, might have been
dead right that “it will get a lot worse before it gets better. We are in the midst of the worst recession in
the postwar period, even factoring in a massive [economic] stimulus program [being anxiously
anticipated by the incoming Barack Obama Administration].”*
December 2008 unemployment rate, the highest since 1992,
some 16 years earlier. Not since 1980 (some 28 years ago) has
the American work force shrunk in such a magnitude within a
period of just three months since the December 2008 job
decline had only come on top of similar losses in October and
November.
BUT, THE GOOD NEWS: THERE’S PLENTY OF
JOBS WITH THE FED
Yet, in the very midst of this most depressing of economic and unemployment conditions, many
Americans will be shocked, even dumbfounded, to hear that there still is, in reality, ONE major source
of employment existing which still has plentiful job openings and employment opportunities for
workers, and which still continues consistently to hire new workers, not fire them, even as we speak!
That continuing, constant, reliable source of employment and hirer of American workers is, of course,
the UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!
HANDBOOK PROVIDES YOU THE INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE
AND TOOLS TO AVAIL YOURSELF OF THIS ‘GOOD NEWS.’
This Handbook exposes for you, the American job-seek, the FACT that those jobs actually do exist
even in today’s worsening American job market, where those jobs are throughout the entire federal
bureaucracy (in terms of the government agencies and geographically in the country). It provides you
with the essential information on how to search for and locate where those job openings are today – or
where they are projected and likely to be in the next two years - what exactly those jobs are, the basic
qualifications required for you as a job applicant to be hired for the job.
And, most importantly for you, it outlines, quite methodologically for you, the essential information and
procedures, and a clear roadmap, presented step-by-step and simply, by which you can do those
things YOURSELF, without any further outside assistance or costs – easily searching, all by yourself, for
the available job openings for the kinds of jobs you are interested in, and readily locating the jobs,
applying for them, and processing the application papers and the interviews, and securing the job –
successfully.
You only have to follow the outlines of working the system set forth in the Handbook, step-by-step!
7
CHAPTER 1
THE GRIM AMERICAN ECONOMY AND HARSH NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS,
VERSUS THE REALITY OF GOOD JOB HIRING PROSPECTS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
THE PRESENT AMERICAN DREARY NATIONAL ECONOMIC
AND UNEMPLYMENT SITUATION
Even as How to Search for, Apply for and Get the RIGHT Federal JOB goes to press, the labor, economic
and statistical evidence grows increasingly stronger – and grimmer - by the day, that the United States
of America is ALREADY probably in one of the worst, if not in fact the worst, economic recessions and
the most gruesome and bleakest unemployment conditions it has seen since perhaps the dreaded era
of the Great Depression of the 1930s! And, what is still even worst, that as bad and terrible the current
unemployment conditions might already seem, the far worst is yet to come in the months, perhaps
years, still ahead. That, in short, a recent assessment attributed in a late December 2008 U.S. & World
Report article to Nariman Behravash, the chief economist at the IHS Global Insight, a Lexington Mass.,
forecasting firm, and a growing list of other experts who make similar assessments, might have been
dead right that “it will get a lot worse before it gets better. We are in the midst of the worst recession in
the postwar period, even factoring in a massive [economic] stimulus program [being anxiously
anticipated by the incoming Barack Obama Administration].”*
The Deteriorating Unemployment Situation
Only in November 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, amidst
the public clamor about the need for Congress and the outgoing Bush
8
administration not to delay but to move quickly on an economic stimulus package for
reviving the national economy, about crafting a mortgage relief package to rescue the crashing housing
market and, perhaps, a bigger financial aid for Detroit’s big automakers,
the biggest monthly decline in employment in a generation – the loss of 533,000 jobs for the month
of November alone!
This represents, in deed, a rise in the level of unemployment of monumental proportions, in historical
terms! Not since December 1974, some 34 years earlier, have so many jobs disappeared in one single
month, and mind you that that 1974 drop occurred only at a time nearing the very end of a severe
recession — as contrasted to the current recession, which is only just at the very beginning and just
gathering steam, rather than coming to the end.
The national unemployment rate had risen from 6.5 in October among men and women who had been
working or seeking work, to 6.7 percent. And what is more, this big drop in the November employment,
had only followed the declines in employment of 403,000 in September, and 320,000 in October, as
revised. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed
at 2.2 million in November, but was up by 822,000 over the past 12 months. The large job losses in
November were widespread across the major industry sectors in November. Both the number of
unemployed persons (10.3 million) and the unemployment rate (6.7 percent, only continued to
increase in November.
But, even still more significantly, was this fact: even this astronomical November 2008 unemployment
rate does not even include in the count those Americans who have been too discouraged by searching
for long and not finding work, that they gave up further looking, or those working fewer hours than they
would like. Add those really
9
“unemployed” people to the roster of the unemployed, and what you get is an actual whopping record
unemployment rate of 12.5 percent in November, up 1.5 percentage points since September!
Unemployment Benefits Claims Figures
Annual changes in American Unemployment Benefits Claims, Nov. 2004 to Nov. 2008.
SOURCE: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Add to the above sketched unemployment figures the emerging figures on the number of American
workers who submit new claims for unemployment benefits, and you can probably begin to get a more
complete picture of the extreme magnitude of the unemployment problem confronting the American
economy today. According to the recent figures released by the Labor Department, for the week ending
Dec. 20the 2008, the number of initial requests for jobless benefits filed by Americans, rose to a
seasonally adjusted figure of 586,000, from an upwardly revised figure of 556,000 the previous week –
reaching a figure far more than the 560,000 that economists had expected. That figure is, also, the
highest level of jobless claims that had ever been filed since November 1982, when (it is important to
remember) the economy was emerging from a steep recession, though the work force has grown by
about 50% since then.
Labor economists consider jobless claims a timely, though often volatile, indicator used to gauge the
health of the labor markets, and through it, the broader economy. And, considering that a year ago the
initial claims stood only at 353,000, the elevated level of this December 2008 new jobless applications,
is just one sign to the economist that the labor market has deteriorated rapidly in recent months,
among many others..
BUT, THE GOOD NEWS: THERE ARE PLENTY
OF JOBS WITH THE FEDERAL
Given the torrent of grim economic reports, statistical data and forecasts about the continuous rounds
of worker lay offs by industries and businesses, the growing high
10
l
evels of unemployment claims, collapsing industries and businesses, and so on, coming out of
Washington D.C. these days, and the objective assessments of several respected
economic and labor management forecasters and experts, a logical question would be: How realistic,
credible or believable could it be forecasting - as is emphatically done in this Handbook - a continuing,
active employment of new workers by the Federal government?
That’s quite a perfectly legitimate and logical question.
A contradiction, maybe, you think? Well, not really one! Economists know very well that there are a few
categories of industries and jobs that are called “recession proof.” – meaning jobs for which new hiring
will often continue to be made, and the employers will usually continue to hire new workers, no matter
the economic condition. And, among these groups, government work and government employment,
especially the Federal government’s, has always ranked at or near the very top. The available
government and public date bear this out.
The Continuing Job Openings and Hires: the Fed Government
as the Major Hirer
For example, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of
Labor on “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey News Release,” by the end of October 2008, there
were 3.1 million job openings in the United States. The job openings rate which was little changed in
October 2008 but has been trending downward for over a year, was 2.2 percent in October – the lowest
level it has been since February 2004. The hires rate decreased slightly to 3.0 percent in October, while
the total separations rate was little changed at 3.1 percent.
But here’s the significant information here: the BLS figures also show that over the last 12 months
covering that same period, the Federal government was the ONLY industry or hirer in the economy in
which the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted) rose significantly(to 2.5 percent).In contrast to
that, during the same period the rate had fallen over the year for total nonfarm and total private, as
well as in most industries, including construction; durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods
manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; information; finance, etc.
CONCLUSION
The central point here is that the government, most especially the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, is - and will
all too likely continue to be - the last but reliable bastion of secure or decent new employment in the
United States for the average job-seeker in the present times or the foreseeable future, bad economic
times notwithstanding. In fact, the Federal government is likely to be an even far more significant
factor as a major hirer of American workers in the months and years ahead, than it ever was.: Simply
put, the new Obama presidency, with the
11
projected infusion of a humongous economic stimulus program of close to a trillion dollars into the
American economy, will clearly mean more big-government programs and initiatives, thereby creating
a great deal of government jobs across the board. Look, especially, for these areas for those jobs: in
homeland security, health care, accounting/auditing, education, information technology, construction,
and the IRS, among others.
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