Federal Government Careers

Did you know...

  • The new Pathways Program (federal recruiting programs for students and recent graduates) launches on July 10. 2012?
  • There are federal job opportunities around the country and around the world. In fact, nearly 85 percent of federal employees work outside the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, and more than 44,000 work overseas.
  • The Federal government can help pay for school?
  • Most federal government jobs and internships require U.S. Citizenship.
  • Each year SNRE PhD and/or Masters students (in their graduating year) become Presidential Management Fellowship finalists
  • The Feds are hiring!  60% of federal agency staff are eligible to retire in the next 10 years!
  • U-M has a State Department Diplomat-in-Residence?  A State Department Diplomat-in-Residence helps students explore career opportunities within the State Department.  The U-M Diplomat in Residence is Jim Ellickson-Brown and his office is located in the Ford School (Weill Hall).
  • If you are a Veteran, you may be eligible for Veterans' Preference. 

FAQs...

  • Where can I find more information about working in the Government Sector?
  • A Guide to Federal jobs by college major (use to identify federal job titles that may be a fit for you and search in USAjobs.gov)
  • What types of government jobs have SNRE alums secured?
  • Federal Agencies of High Interest to SNRE Students
  • How can I learn the basics on finding and applying for federal jobs and internships?
  • Are there specific student programs to enter into federal jobs?
  • I'm returning from the Peace Corps, do I get any special treatment when applying for government jobs?
  • What are KSA's?
  • What new hiring reforms should I be aware of?
  • Government Career Events

Pathways Program: Federal Student and Recent Graduate Employment Hiring Programs

Internship Program

The Internship Program is for current students. It replaces the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) and Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP). The new Internship Program provides students in high schools, colleges, trade schools and other qualifying educational institutions with paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while completing their education.

Recent Graduates Program

The Recent Graduates Program provides developmental experiences in the Federal Government. It is intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who, within the previous two years, graduated from qualifying educational institutions with an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from qualifying educational institutions.

Eligibility:  Applicants must apply within the previous two years of degree or certificate completion except for veterans precluded from doing so due to their military service obligation, who will have up to six years after degree or certificate completion to apply.  For more information about Federal employment information for veterans, go to OPM's Feds Hire Vets website.

Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF)

  • Presidential Management Fellowship Program-- A nationally competitive two year post-graduate fellowship with a federal agency (PhD, Masters and JD students in final year of graduate school).
  • SNRE PMF Website (learn how to apply, PMF resources, view SNRE alums who are current or past Presidential Management Fellows)--in past years, we've had 1-8 SNRE students become PMF Finalists
  • Official PMF Website

Additional Opportunities for Students and Recent Graduates to Enter into Federal Service

  •  ORISE Fellowship opportunites - The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) administers a broad range of internships, scholarships, fellowships and research experiences. ORISE programs include research experiences at Department of Energy national laboratories as well as other federal agencies with research facilities located across the country as well some positions outside the United States.

Information on Government Careers

  • Partnership for Public Service (non-profit organization that works to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works)
    • Partnership Facebook Fan Page - search for "Partnership for Public Service" and their page will appear
    • Webinar: "Experienced Professionals, Masters or PhDs, the Government Needs You"--SNRE students and alums can watch this webinar from a link on your eRecruiter homepage.  Login here.
  • Making the Difference(Website for Federal Jobs and Internships)
    • A student friendly website, explaining: what kinds of federal jobs/internships are out there, how to find them, and why federal service could be a great option.
    • Internship Database: http://www.makingthedifference.org/federalinternships/directory
  • USAJOBS.gov(main Federal Government Job Search Website)
    • you can do an "advanced search" by state, department, and many other areas
    • you can set up a "job search agent" that will send you emails for positions in which you have interest.  You can set up multiple search agents (student jobs, professional careers, etc). 
  • StudentJobs.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
  • Listing of Job Titles in the Federal Government by College Major
    • Top employers in the NRE field:
      • Department of Agriculture
      • Dept of the Interior
      • Health and Human Services
  • A to Z Guide of U.S. Government Agencies and Departments
  • USA.gov(The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal)
    • check specific agency websites for internship and job opportunities
    • this website has a listing of all agencies in the Federal Government
  • The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government
    • Provides overall rankings for agencies and subcomponents
    • Also ranks agencies based on Best in Class scores in areas including Teamwork, Effective Leadership, Support for Diversity, and Pay and Benefits
  • Where the Jobs Are (Federal Government)
    • You can search by professional field and agency
    • You can also view profiles of individual agencies
    • Identifies nearly 273,000 mission-critical employment opportunities
  • About Veterans' Preference for Federal Agency Careers(for Veterans or some Spouses, Widows/ Widowers or Mothers of a Veteran)
    • Also stop in SNRE Career Service Library (Room 1520 Dana) to view comprehensive DVD on this subject.
  • Federal Student Loan Repayment Program
    • Some Federal employers may offer to provide partial student loan repayment as a recruiting bonus to top qualified candidates
    • Dependent on agency: in 2010 the numbers were up to $60,000 total ($10,000 per year)
    • On the Making a Difference website lists some agencies that do loan repayment
  • Security Clearances
  • Job and Internship opportunities on the "Hill" and in politics: HillZoo.com and TheHill.com
  • Social Networking for those interested in government: GovLoop
  • Capital Fellowship Program
    • Over sixty 10-month paid postgraduate fellowships with a California agency (sponsored by California State University-Sacramento's Center for California Studies)
  • National Research Council (NRC) Post-doc Program 
  • Housing in Washington, D.C.

Jobs SNRE Alum have Secured

To see a listing of position titles and employers, visit our field of study web pages. Click on "Employers of SNRE Graduates and Interns" and "Job Titles and Employment Sector of SNRE Alumni"

Federal Agencies of High Interest to SNRE Students

  • Bureau of Land Management
  • Congressional Budget Office, Budget Analysis Division (Natural and Physical Resources Unit)
  • National Park Service
  • Office of Budget and Management (Natural Resource Programs)
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • U.S. EPA
    • EPA Region 9 (Pacific/ Southwest) Career Opportunities Handout
    • EPA Region 9 (Pacific/ Southwest) Career Options and Curriculum Requirements
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • USDA Forest Service

Federal Government Careers 101

The Partnership for Public Service sponsors webinars and workshops on Federal Careers. See below for a listing of past workshops.  SNRE has PowerPoint presentations and voice recordings from these workshops.  Email us at snre.careers@umich.edu to obtain a copy. 

Federal Internship Opportunities - Finding and Applying (part one)
This webinar, a product of the Partnership's Making the Difference Campaign, is for students interested in finding internships, as well as those advisors looking for programs to advertise to their students. During this session, we will highlight a number of exciting internships across government, including STEP and SCEP positions, and show you how to research and find an internship that's right for you.

Federal Internship Opportunities - Finding and Applying (part two)
This webinar, a product of the Partnership's Making the Difference Campaign, is for students interested in applying for internships, as well as those advisors looking to assist their students in the federal internship application process. During this session, we will review how to apply for a federal position, including using USAJOBS.gov, analyzing job vacancy announcements, building federal resumes and writing KSAs.

Mission-Critical Occupations: Jobs in Business
Now, more than ever, the government needs individuals with backgrounds in business, finance and related fields. While many business-minded students have opted to pursue careers in the private sector in the past, the government is in critical need of people with these skill sets and has a wide variety of positions with great benefits available for these individuals. Learn more about what agencies are hiring for students in business and what programs can help your students get their start in government.

Mission-Critical Occupations: Jobs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)
Do you have students and recent graduates with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and math interested in rewarding positions in public service? The government has thousands of opportunities available in fields from renewable energy to public health to protecting our nation's computer systems. Hear from Partnership staff members and agency representatives about what it's like to work in these fields in government, as well as learn about special hiring authorities that will make it easier for your students and alumni to find federal jobs and internships.

  • Many STEM positions are hard to fill, therefore some departments are offering signing bonuses (up to 25% of base salary), help with relocation (up to 25% of base pay), or some departments offer accelerated promotion potential.

 

Did you know that Peace Corps Volunteers may be Eligible for Preferential Hiring Status for Federal Jobs?

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have non-competitive eligibility status for federal jobs for a year after finishing their service.  This year can be deferred if the Volunteer goes directly to graduate school. 

How do I answer the KSA questions when I'm applying for Federal Government Jobs?

CCAR (Context, Challenges, Action, Result) Approach to KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) - KSA are commonly required when applying for government jobs. They are questions that are asked which require an essay.

Context-Describe the specific problem you had to address. What did you have to solve, resolve, respond to, handle, etc.?
Challenges-Describe the factors that contributed to a particular challenge such as budget cuts, new legislation, institutional reform, new goals from upper management, etc.
Action-Describe the steps you took to solve the problem. Stay away from the ordinary - be extraordinary in your response!
Result-Describe the outcomes of your actions use %, #s, grades. What was the difference you made highlight THE BEST.

Example of a KSA Response Using the CCAR Approach

Context-As the Newsletter Editor in my living-learning community, I was responsible for writing articles and editing all submissions published in our monthly newsletter.
Challenges-Our community wanted to use the newsletter as a means for reaching out to alumni of the program with the goal of increasing their involvement in the community. Before I started as Editor, we had never had a submission from an alum.
Action-I decided to focus the first newsletter of the year entirely on accomplishments of our alumni, with a message throughout encouraging alumni to submit articles and pictures.
Result-Over the course of the academic year when I was Newsletter Editor, we received an average of 5 alumni submissions per newsletter. Additionally, alumni and program participants rated the quality of the newsletter higher than any other year.

Summary tips for the KSA essay

  • Address key words/phrases mentioned in the position description
  • Tie personal experiences to each KSA
  • Use illustrative examples
  • Focus on outcomes to which you directly contributed
  • Use plain language, without acronyms
  • Review your answers (with outside help) to ensure they are succinct, easy to read and grammatically correct
  • Save on a computer for other applications
  • Highlight accomplishments, not just job duties; emphasize problem solving, analytical skills, and communication skills
  • Don't use bullets in essays - use paragraph form

Federal Government Hiring Reforms (including the elimination of KSA's)

Click here for the most up-to-date information on Federal Hiring Reforms

Executive Order on Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates (December 27, 2010)

Article from the Washington Post on President Obama's Hiring Reforms

Helpful information on the hiring reforms from the Partnership for Public Service:

President Obama released a Memorandum directing federal agencies to initiate important changes to federal recruitment and hiring.  Some of the changes that will be implemented by November 1, 2010 are:

  • Elimination of essay-style questions (KSA essays) from the initial phase of the federal application process;
  • Allowing applicants to rely on resumes and cover letters or complete simple, straightforward applications;
  • Elimination of the "rule of three" approach to hiring, under which managers may only select from among the three highest-scoring applicants, to a "category rating" that permits agencies to consider a greater number of qualified candidates;
  • Instituting an 80 day hiring model from posting to offer;
  • Notifying applicants on USAJOBS Web site at key stages of the application process; and 
  • Ensuring that federal job announcements are easily understood by applicants.

In addition, the President directed OPM to:

  • Propose a framework for providing effective pathways into federal service for college students and recent college graduates; and
  • Evaluate the Federal Career Intern Program (FCIP) and provide recommendations concerning the future of that program.

Learn more about federal hiring reform at www.OPM.gov/HiringReform.

Government Career Events

  • Each summer (usually in July) a Public Service Career and Internship Fair is held in Washington DC.  This event comes recommended by SNRE Alumni!
  • The UM Career Center hosts a Government Career Fair each Winter Semester.  Check their website in late fall/early winter for more information about this event.