The U.S. Federal Government Jobs Megathread: Next time... be more careful!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > The U.S. Federal Government Jobs Megathread: Next time... be more careful!

«‹›327 »

dvgrhl: Sep 30, 2004; Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?; Soiled Meat

psydude posted:

How many of you have had success with getting paid internships? I was talking to a recruiting federal jobs recruiting representative and she said that most of them aren't listed on the USA jobs website.

When you say internships, are you meaning STEP positions? I started as a STEP, then was converted to a SCEP, then offered a full-time position upon graduation. I got an e-mail from my school's career development department with the job posting. It was sent in by a former graduate who worked there.

This made me look back through my e-mails, and I got the job notice on 09/20, had an interview on 10/02, and dropped off my employment paperwork on 10/12, and started my first day on 10/22. So 20 days from interview to starting. I think the fact I didn't have to go through USAJobs made it far quicker of a process.

That being said, we just started the new fiscal year which means we are on a continuing resolution until the new budget is passed. What that means is we are authorized to continue on as if we were on last years budget. Even still, people tend to be a little more reserved with spending and hiring from what I have seen until the new budget is approved.

# ? Oct 7, 2010 03:24

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 10, 2024 15:02

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

dvgrhl posted:

When you say internships, are you meaning STEP positions? I started as a STEP, then was converted to a SCEP, then offered a full-time position upon graduation. I got an e-mail from my school's career development department with the job posting. It was sent in by a former graduate who worked there.

Yeah, this is what I'm interested in. Did you get the offering from the career development office, or was that only after you were an intern?

# ? Oct 7, 2010 05:15

Tyro: Nov 10, 2009

dvgrhl posted:

When you say internships, are you meaning STEP positions? I started as a STEP, then was converted to a SCEP, then offered a full-time position upon graduation. I got an e-mail from my school's career development department with the job posting. It was sent in by a former graduate who worked there.

This made me look back through my e-mails, and I got the job notice on 09/20, had an interview on 10/02, and dropped off my employment paperwork on 10/12, and started my first day on 10/22. So 20 days from interview to starting. I think the fact I didn't have to go through USAJobs made it far quicker of a process.

That being said, we just started the new fiscal year which means we are on a continuing resolution until the new budget is passed. What that means is we are authorized to continue on as if we were on last years budget. Even still, people tend to be a little more reserved with spending and hiring from what I have seen until the new budget is approved.

That is great news on the speed of the process, I am considering applying to various SCEP opportunities but have no idea how the hell I will have time to complete 640 hours in under two years and not fail out of school unless I can convince them to give me school credits and 2 days off a week to go, or work on weekends. Can you work full time in summer/winter breaks and have the time count towards your SCEP time?

# ? Oct 7, 2010 14:26

LactoseO.D.'d: Jun 3, 2002

Can anyone tell me more about Economic Analyst positions? I know the FBI and CIA recruit these, but I would like to hear what the unofficial word is. On glassdoor, many FBI analysts hate being second hand citizens to the special agents. How many hours can I expect to put in at one of these positions?

I have a financial markets (energy especially) & accounting/finance background. If anyone has any places in general I should be looking, please chime in. I've already been talking with FERC and the EIA.

Also, here is a site that one of the HR contacts shared with me.
http://www.makingthedifference.org/index.shtml

It has a lot of opportunities for upcoming grads.

# ? Oct 7, 2010 21:00

dvgrhl: Sep 30, 2004; Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?; Soiled Meat

psydude posted:

Yeah, this is what I'm interested in. Did you get the offering from the career development office, or was that only after you were an intern?

I only got notice of the internship opportunity from my career development office. They were only involved in passing on the email though. After that, everything happened between me and the Feds.

Tyro posted:

That is great news on the speed of the process, I am considering applying to various SCEP opportunities but have no idea how the hell I will have time to complete 640 hours in under two years and not fail out of school unless I can convince them to give me school credits and 2 days off a week to go, or work on weekends. Can you work full time in summer/winter breaks and have the time count towards your SCEP time?

The speed will vary a lot depending on agency though. The most annoying thing about starting is that they really really don't want you to start until the beginning of a pay period. I could have started a week earlier than I did, but it wasn't the beginning of the pay period so I had to wait.

I did work full time during winter, spring, and summer breaks. All time worked counts towards your SCEP time. During school I worked 20 hours a week. My university had an option where I could get credits for my internship, and I did look into that option. But in the end it was less hassle for me to just take an extra class. Plus, I enjoyed all of my senior level electives so I didn't really want to miss out on any of them.

Also, you have something like 3 months (I believe) after you graduate to finish up as a SCEP, so you really should be fine to get your hours in. Assuming you had 2 years I would be really amazed if you didn't get 640 hours without much thought. It's a good gig for a student, the biggest hassle I had was turning in my transcripts and updating my schedule every quarter.

# ? Oct 8, 2010 04:23

Tyro: Nov 10, 2009

dvgrhl posted:

I only got notice of the internship opportunity from my career development office. They were only involved in passing on the email though. After that, everything happened between me and the Feds.

The speed will vary a lot depending on agency though. The most annoying thing about starting is that they really really don't want you to start until the beginning of a pay period. I could have started a week earlier than I did, but it wasn't the beginning of the pay period so I had to wait.

I did work full time during winter, spring, and summer breaks. All time worked counts towards your SCEP time. During school I worked 20 hours a week. My university had an option where I could get credits for my internship, and I did look into that option. But in the end it was less hassle for me to just take an extra class. Plus, I enjoyed all of my senior level electives so I didn't really want to miss out on any of them.

Also, you have something like 3 months (I believe) after you graduate to finish up as a SCEP, so you really should be fine to get your hours in. Assuming you had 2 years I would be really amazed if you didn't get 640 hours without much thought. It's a good gig for a student, the biggest hassle I had was turning in my transcripts and updating my schedule every quarter.

Awesome thanks for the info. That's great news about being able to count time the summer after graduating. I'm a grad student so I have very little free time, working even 16 hours a week (which I believe is the minimum at many SCEP programs) would be a huge, huge commitment.

# ? Oct 8, 2010 11:54

chuchumeister: Jul 23, 2007; Stuffed with dericious cream for your pleasure!

This might seem an incredibly naive question, and I've tried to find the answer myself by looking up the pay grades and such, but I can't figure it out.

When a job announcement lists a salary, is that before taxes, Social Security, etc. or after? Basically, I'm wondering if the announcement says I'll get $30k a year, do I get $30k or something way below that?

I'm waiting to hear back from a legal assistant position... the announcement closed on the 17th last month, so I know I've still got a bit to wait but still, money's getting tight and if I get that job, it might be the difference between getting to stay in my apartment or having to sublease.

# ? Oct 9, 2010 04:10

Communist Pie: Mar 11, 2007; ...Robot!

chuchumeister posted:

This might seem an incredibly naive question, and I've tried to find the answer myself by looking up the pay grades and such, but I can't figure it out.

When a job announcement lists a salary, is that before taxes, Social Security, etc. or after? Basically, I'm wondering if the announcement says I'll get $30k a year, do I get $30k or something way below that?

I'm waiting to hear back from a legal assistant position... the announcement closed on the 17th last month, so I know I've still got a bit to wait but still, money's getting tight and if I get that job, it might be the difference between getting to stay in my apartment or having to sublease.

It will be before taxes (because the amount after tax depends on more than just income, such as if you're married or have kids). It may or may not include the locality adjustment. The easiest way to tell that is to compare it to the base pay scale and see if it matches (if it doesn't then it probably includes locality pay).

# ? Oct 9, 2010 04:22

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

chuchumeister posted:

This might seem an incredibly naive question, and I've tried to find the answer myself by looking up the pay grades and such, but I can't figure it out.

When a job announcement lists a salary, is that before taxes, Social Security, etc. or after? Basically, I'm wondering if the announcement says I'll get $30k a year, do I get $30k or something way below that?

I'm waiting to hear back from a legal assistant position... the announcement closed on the 17th last month, so I know I've still got a bit to wait but still, money's getting tight and if I get that job, it might be the difference between getting to stay in my apartment or having to sublease.

The announcements will list a pay range. If they're GS scale, you can find the pay grades on OPM's website. There is base pay that's the same nationwide for each grade, plus locality pay that varies by area. If you don't see your area, use the "Rest of US" table. There are different "steps" to each GS scale, which allow a progression of raises across your career. You will get a step increase every year to Steps 2-4, every two years from steps 5-7 and every three years from steps 8-10. These are automatic. If your job listing is for a single GS scale, you'd start out as "Step 1". If it lists a range of GSs (like some generic listings do), then you'd have to contact the HR person to find out which GS grade your position is.

There are also "pay bands" at some agencies - these are very flexible and there's no set salary, just a big range. They'll often parallel the GS scale for comparable positions, but not necessarily.

In all these cases, this is your annual salary. Taxes, retirement, social security, health insurance, etc, is all taken out of this. You'll probably get somewhere about 2/3 of it as take-home pay after taxes and all come out, but it's hard to say until you get that first paycheck as taxes vary depending on income and deductions, costs of insurance plans vary considerably as well, and how much retirement you're taking out.

For example: If your job was a GS-5 and you lived in Virginia Beach, you'd start as a GS-5 step one making $31,315 annually. Your typical paycheck (every other Friday) would be $1204, with about $800-900 or so take home pay after deductions. This time next year, you'd get a raise to GS-5 step 2, making $32,359.

grover fucked around with this message at 12:16 on Oct 9, 2010

# ? Oct 9, 2010 12:08

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

A quick tip on retirement for federal employees: Put 5% into TSP!! TSP is the federal equivalent of a 401k mutual fund, with a number of different mutual funds. C-fund tracks the S&P500, S-fund is small caps and I-fund is the international fund. G & F funds are for bonds and poo poo and have low risk but low returns- you'll use them when you're 60, but use C, S and I now.

No matter what funds you select, the government will put in 1% of your base pay automatically into TSP as part of your retirement. If you put in more, they will match you $1 for $1 up to 3%, and $.50 for $1 up to 5%. So:

code:

You put in:  Gov matches:  Total:
    0%            1%          1%       
    1%            2%          3%
    2%            3%          5%
    3%            4%          7%
    4%           4.5%        8.5%
    5%            5%          10%

As you can see, it's a very good return on your investment, regardless of what your debt situation or other investments look like. With compound interest, $500 now will be matched by $500 by the gov, and be worth $15,000 in 40 years when you retire. [note: this is at 7% a year average return. C-fund has averaged 9.3% since inception in 1988.] You'll need this, as the pension under FERS (Federal Employee Retirement System - aka) sucks rear end. FERS gives you 1% of your averaged top 3 years of pay for every year of service. Work 25 years, get 25% of your pay as your pension. You'll get a pittance from social security on top of that. At most of our ages here, early retirement is possible at 55, but full retirement benefits won't come until 67. And congress is talking about pushing that even older. If you want to retire at a reasonable age, you need to plan for it now. I have, I've even timed my mortgage payments to end just before retirement as a sort of supplement, and I'm on track to retire at 55 at close to my full salary.

# ? Oct 9, 2010 12:30

facialimpediment: Feb 11, 2005; as the world turns

grover posted:

A quick tip on retirement for federal employees: Put 5% into TSP!! TSP is the federal equivalent of a 401k mutual fund, with a number of different mutual funds. C-fund tracks the S&P500, S-fund is small caps and I-fund is the international fund. G & F funds are for bonds and poo poo and have low risk but low returns- you'll use them when you're 60, but use C, S and I now.

The Lifecycle funds are also worth a look as well, depending on what the employee's targeted retirement age is. The L-funds use a mix of all of the other funds, starting with a high risk / high return early in a person's career, then progresses to a low risk / low return strategy towards retirement. It's basically Diversification for Dummies.

For instance, myself with about 1.75 years in would go for the L-2040 which is 20% assorted bonds and 80% assorted stocks. Since I don't have that much built up, it's set up for higher returns and higher risk. Meanwhile, a person just about ready to retire would be in the L-2010 which is roughly 75% bonds and 25% assorted stocks. The near-retiree's savings are basically locked up, but there's still potential to gain money from increases in stocks. Each ratio in the L-funds recalculates slightly each quarter.

But seriously, contribute 5% every pay period. The 5% match is excellent, plus the money put into the TSP isn't untouchable until retirement. Federal Employees can pull money out of their own TSPs as a loan-type withdrawal (you eventually have to pay it back) if something unexpected happens or a major purchase is coming up. The downside is that the loaned money isn't making any type of return; I know of a few employees that took out too many loans and their TSPs are hurting because of it.

# ? Oct 9, 2010 19:42

McCoy Pauley: Mar 2, 2006; Gonna eat so many goddamn crumpets.

grover posted:

The announcements will list a pay range. If they're GS scale, you can find the pay grades on OPM's website. There is base pay that's the same nationwide for each grade, plus locality pay that varies by area. If you don't see your area, use the "Rest of US" table. There are different "steps" to each GS scale, which allow a progression of raises across your career. You will get a step increase every year to Steps 2-4, every two years from steps 5-7 and every three years from steps 8-10. These are automatic.

If a job potentially pays several different grades, and you hit Step 10, do you at some point (in some automatic way) move up to the next grade (e.g., go from, say, GS 12 Step 10 to GS 13 Step 1)? Or is moving up a grade not something automatic based on time?

# ? Oct 9, 2010 19:46

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

McCoy Pauley posted:

If a job potentially pays several different grades, and you hit Step 10, do you at some point (in some automatic way) move up to the next grade (e.g., go from, say, GS 12 Step 10 to GS 13 Step 1)? Or is moving up a grade not something automatic based on time?

No, once you hit step 10, you stop getting raises. To go between GS levels requires a promotion or a special job program with built-in raises. Like, entry level engineers will go GS-7, 9, 11 over an 18 month period. But most are simply that grade.

BTW, congress usually votes small cost of living adjustments most years after new years. They're small, rarely more than 3%, and are supposed to keep the wages in-line with inflation. You'll get these whether you get a step increase or not.

# ? Oct 9, 2010 19:55

JohnnyHildo: Jul 23, 2002

Skandiaavity posted:

Sundae - I believe they're authorized to reimburse your expenses for it at least under GSA Schedules.

The fact that agencies are authorized to do something doesn't mean they're obligated to do it. In federal hiring, reimbursement of expenses related to the hiring process is the exception, not the norm.

# ? Oct 9, 2010 22:58

chuchumeister: Jul 23, 2007; Stuffed with dericious cream for your pleasure!

grover posted:

pay stuff

Thanks so much, this is exactly everything I needed to know. The only thing that's making me go :psyduck:

is that I'm waiting tables right now, working an average of 20 hours a week or less and bringing home about that much anyway.
The announcement had the lowest grade as $31,315 so it's with locality pay included.

Oh well, if I get the job, at least it's a foot in the door. Right? Right? :smith:

# ? Oct 12, 2010 03:39

Tyro: Nov 10, 2009

McCoy Pauley posted:

If a job potentially pays several different grades, and you hit Step 10, do you at some point (in some automatic way) move up to the next grade (e.g., go from, say, GS 12 Step 10 to GS 13 Step 1)? Or is moving up a grade not something automatic based on time?

Someone please correct any misinformation I provide. I'm not a federal employee but many of my friends are and this is my understanding of the system.

To sort of build on/simplify what Grover said, you typically start out at a lower grade (5/7/9) based on your experience and education. The first few increases in grade within your job description are basically automatic if you are performing well and are unrelated to steps. This will get you (in about 4-6 years) to whatever is considered "journeyman" level which varies based on the job and agency. Journeyman is often around GS11 or GS12. You will normally still get step increases but any increases in grade after that are legit competitive promotions often including a change in job description to becoming some sort of manager. Of course this all goes out the window if you end up at an agency with pay bands. But the vast majority of them use the GS system.

Example:
Year 0: New hire starts as GS7 based on experience and education.
Year 1 (2 if FCIP): Performance review, promoted to GS9 step 1.
Year 2-3: Performance review, promoted to GS11 step 1.
Year 3-5: Performance review, promoted to GS12 step 1, journeyman level.
Next year: GS12, step 2.
Next year: GS12, step 3.
After a few years, competitively promoted to GS13.
etc.

Tyro fucked around with this message at 12:58 on Oct 12, 2010

# ? Oct 12, 2010 12:54

dvgrhl: Sep 30, 2004; Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?; Soiled Meat

Tyro posted:

Someone please correct any misinformation I provide. I'm not a federal employee but many of my friends are and this is my understanding of the system.

To sort of build on/simplify what Grover said, you typically start out at a lower grade (5/7/9) based on your experience and education. The first few increases in grade within your job description are basically automatic if you are performing well and are unrelated to steps. This will get you (in about 4-6 years) to whatever is considered "journeyman" level which varies based on the job and agency. Journeyman is often around GS11 or GS12. You will normally still get step increases but any increases in grade after that are legit competitive promotions often including a change in job description to becoming some sort of manager. Of course this all goes out the window if you end up at an agency with pay bands. But the vast majority of them use the GS system.

Example:
Year 0: New hire starts as GS7 based on experience and education.
Year 1 (2 if FCIP): Performance review, promoted to GS9 step 1.
Year 2-3: Performance review, promoted to GS11 step 1.
Year 3-5: Performance review, promoted to GS12 step 1, journeyman level.
Next year: GS12, step 2.
Next year: GS12, step 3.
After a few years, competitively promoted to GS13.
etc.

This is sort of true, but only for professional series jobs - and even then it's not that cut and dry. For professional series jobs, you do go GS-7/9/11 but it's not automatic. You have to hit certain percentages of your critical elements for your performance evaluation. This really depends on your supervisor as to how easily you meet these metrics. It's designed to be fairly objective, but in practice there's still quite a bit of subjectivity to it.

For non-professional series jobs though, it works much different. First, you will probably be hired in at a GS-4/5 depending on several factors. Then the promotional track is GS-5/6/7/8/9. If you go above that then I think it goes to GS-11. I've never heard of anyone being a GS-10 and I'm not even sure if it's possible on the pay scale now. These jobs more so than the professional series are less "automatic" on the GS level promotions.

# ? Oct 12, 2010 15:41

Tyro: Nov 10, 2009

dvgrhl posted:

professional series jobs

Cool, thanks for the info. I am looking at professional jobs exclusively, but it's good to know how the process works in a general sense.

# ? Oct 12, 2010 15:46

11b1p: Feb 5, 2008; This picture is worth 20 words or something.

Soooo... I have no other job prospects right now. Is TSA really a decent way of having one's "foot in the door" as far as government jobs are concerned?

# ? Oct 12, 2010 16:35

CherryCola: Apr 15, 2002; 'ahtaj alshifa

So I'm going to be taking my NGA vision test soon. I'm pretty sure that I'll pass with my glasses prescription and all, but the lady who called me really freaked me out with this whole YOU CAN ONLY TAKE THE TEST ONCE AND IF YOU FAIL YOUR EMPLOYMENT OFFER IS REVOKED thing. Have any of you taken one of these federal eye tests? Is it actually easy to fail? Just in case, I'm going to an optometrist tomorrow to get a basic near and far acuity test. Do I really need to worry, though?

edit: in reply to the post below. I got rejected from that other job anyway (what a waste of both of our times, I had nothing about managerial experience on my resume and I get rejected because I have no managerial experience? I didn't even apply for that job! they called me! ARGH!) So yeah, I'll be probably doing temp stuff while the clearance goes through. I was pretty painfully honest on my clearance, though.

CherryCola fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Oct 13, 2010

# ? Oct 12, 2010 23:28

Odradek: May 23, 2007; Don't hate me because I'm cute

CherryCola posted:

Well, if I do get this other job and they offer me a decent salary, I may have to go with them since it's so much closer to my field...even though it would also be darn helpful to have security clearance.

The clearance process can be overwhelming, but it serves as a good introduction to life as a Fed. I'll second the advice about being honest on all the forms and to not worry about the poly if you really haven't done anything horrible in the past.

If you get a job at NGA and it turns out to not be all you expected, it is relatively easy (after getting a few years under your belt) to rotate to other IC agencies (a big buzzword these days is "Joint Experience" - you're seen as a more well rounded officer if you do some time in another part of the community) and to make contacts in places where you would prefer to work. Having the clearance and contacts increases your opportunities to get where you want to be.

Hope to see you on the high side soon!

# ? Oct 12, 2010 23:35

Gin and Juche: Apr 3, 2008; The Highest Judge of Paradise
Shiki Eiki
YAMAXANADU

So I finally got another phone interview set up with an entry level program within the DoD. I really hope this works out. I need something damnit!

# ? Oct 13, 2010 00:01

jerman999: Apr 26, 2006; This is a lex imperfecta

How long do I need to work for the government to "keep" the matching dollars put into the TSP? If I'm only planning on staying for a year or two, is it worth it?

# ? Oct 13, 2010 04:02

Eddain: May 6, 2007

11b1p posted:

Soooo... I have no other job prospects right now. Is TSA really a decent way of having one's "foot in the door" as far as government jobs are concerned?

Most people who join TSA only stay for a year or so and then transfer to another agency, like CBP or ICE.

# ? Oct 13, 2010 13:35

Spike McAwesome: Jun 18, 2004; Zombies? Or middle-management? I can't tell...

USCIS had an open house here yesterday, so I went to check it out and pick up some information for my students. They had a table set up specifically to talk about USAJobs.Gov and other such information. I told the woman there that I was interested in working in immigration in some way, either USCIS or ICE. Her advice?

"Apply for both, take whichever one pays more, then work your way up and shift agencies if you want. That's what we all do."

# ? Oct 13, 2010 17:38

Gin and Juche: Apr 3, 2008; The Highest Judge of Paradise
Shiki Eiki
YAMAXANADU

Just got done with my phone interview, I am pretty hopeful except for that line about "competitiveness". Usually competitive when it comes to government employment means not a snowballs chance in hell.

# ? Oct 14, 2010 14:26

Handsome Ralph: Sep 3, 2004; Oh boy, posting!
That's where I'm a Viking!

Well I finally found gainful employment that isn't retail and isn't a temp gig with a research database company. It's not with the Feds but it's certainly a huge step in the right direction considering the way the economy is right now. Here's to hoping after a few years of experience and a grad degree under my belt, I can finagle something with the Fed.

Handsome Ralph fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Oct 14, 2010

# ? Oct 14, 2010 15:41

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

Going to a government and NGO job fair on Monday hunting for internships.

On a side note, it looks like the CIA is fiendishly recruiting college grads this year.

# ? Oct 14, 2010 18:10

pantslesswithwolves: Oct 28, 2008; Ba-dam ba-DUMMMMMM

psydude posted:

Going to a government and NGO job fair on Monday hunting for internships.

On a side note, it looks like the CIA is fiendishly recruiting college grads this year.

Is this a school-specific job fair, or can anyone attend? I just moved to DC and I'd like to start my in-person job hunt.

# ? Oct 14, 2010 20:28

Pompous Rhombus: Mar 11, 2007

I just applied for a TSA (TSO) job, waiting to be scheduled for the test.

Anyone have any suggestions/info about those rear end-end of nowhere towns in Alaska? Might as well turn this poo poo into an adventure. Apparently Adak only gets two flights a week...

# ? Oct 14, 2010 21:51

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

suboptimal posted:

Is this a school-specific job fair, or can anyone attend? I just moved to DC and I'd like to start my in-person job hunt.

This particular one is school-specific, however I do know that they have open house job fairs all the time in D.C., particularly at GWU. There was also a big one recently at UVA.

# ? Oct 15, 2010 16:27

chuchumeister: Jul 23, 2007; Stuffed with dericious cream for your pleasure!

Didn't get the job. I think I'm just going to go back to school. :sigh:

I only graduated undergrad in May, and I don't have much relevant experience, so I shouldn't have expected much but... a girl can dream.

Speaking of, I know veterans get preference but I wonder if they've been out of the service for a while, does the hiring agency assume their technical skills have degraded, maybe even to the point of being ineligible for the position? I found a job that I reasonably think my boyfriend could apply for but he hasn't been on active duty since 2002. He went to college after, and has been managing a bar since so it's not like he's been working in related fields. 8 years is a long time...

# ? Oct 16, 2010 20:22

Pompous Rhombus: Mar 11, 2007

chuchumeister posted:

Didn't get the job. I think I'm just going to go back to school. I only graduated undergrad in May, and I don't have much relevant experience, so I shouldn't have expected much but... a girl can dream.

Speaking of, I know veterans get preference but I wonder if they've been out of the service for a while, does the hiring agency assume their technical skills have degraded, maybe even to the point of being ineligible for the position? I found a job that I reasonably think my boyfriend could apply for but he hasn't been on active duty since 2002. He went to college after, and has been managing a bar since so it's not like he's been working in related fields. 8 years is a long time...

Yeah, it's just that up until a few years ago, employers used to be willing to train new college graduates. Now it's more the norm to expect them to have that experience already (working for free as an intern) or to have a graduate degree. It sucks and we're just contributing more to the inflated expectations by going to grad school as a response, but I've got a couple blank applications on my desk right now, even though I have zero desire/interest to go back to school right now. OTOH, I have negative desire to keep working my lovely $11/hr + no benefits job and living in Tampa, sooo

IIRC the veteran's preference thing isn't related to their skills at all, just the fact that they served and were honorably discharged (KSA's or whatever are another story). Dunno if there's an expiration date on it, although my guess would be that there isn't. If he got out in 2002 I suppose that would mean his clearance, if he had one, has lapsed.

Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Oct 16, 2010

# ? Oct 16, 2010 22:11

Digital Prophet: Apr 16, 2006; "..and then came the black crow, herald of doom, who foretold the coming of death."

chuchumeister posted:

Speaking of, I know veterans get preference but I wonder if they've been out of the service for a while, does the hiring agency assume their technical skills have degraded, maybe even to the point of being ineligible for the position? I found a job that I reasonably think my boyfriend could apply for but he hasn't been on active duty since 2002. He went to college after, and has been managing a bar since so it's not like he's been working in related fields. 8 years is a long time...

I work with a retired gunnery sergeant who hasn't served in 40 years or something, so I don't think there is a cut off date. Like Pompous Rhombus said, I don't think it has anything to do with their assumed technical skills. They still have to qualify for the basic job they're applying for, its just that the veterans preference gives them additional points that might put them ahead of other people who also qualified. If your boyfriend was honorably discharged, he still should qualify for those extra points, regardless of when it was.

# ? Oct 16, 2010 22:19

chuchumeister: Jul 23, 2007; Stuffed with dericious cream for your pleasure!

Pompous Rhombus posted:

Yeah, it's just that up until a few years ago, employers used to be willing to train new college graduates. Now it's more the norm to expect them to have that experience already (working for free as an intern) or to have a graduate degree. It sucks and we're just contributing more to the inflated expectations by going to grad school as a response, but I've got a couple blank applications on my desk right now, even though I have zero desire/interest to go back to school right now. OTOH, I have negative desire to keep working my lovely $11/hr + no benefits job and living in Tampa, sooo

IIRC the veteran's preference thing isn't related to their skills at all, just the fact that they served and were honorably discharged (KSA's or whatever are another story). Dunno if there's an expiration date on it, although my guess would be that there isn't. If he got out in 2002 I suppose that would mean his clearance, if he had one, has lapsed.

I'm the same way. I have no interest in going back to school, at least for right now, but where I want to be financially is just not going to happen without further education. Unless I win the lottery or something. Maybe I'll just take out a bunch of loans in the amount that it'd cost to go to grad school and just play the lottery all day.

That makes sense. I had kinda assumed the preference was because they figured these vets would have prior related experience, but it's really more just to give them a leg up in the hiring process, right?

# ? Oct 16, 2010 22:22

Nessus: Dec 22, 2003; After a Speaker vote, you may be entitled to a valuable coupon or voucher!

psydude posted:

On a side note, it looks like the CIA is fiendishly recruiting college grads this year.

Any/all grads? When they came to my school in Houston they were quite open that they were only really interested in native speakers of foreign tongues.

# ? Oct 16, 2010 22:43

Pompous Rhombus: Mar 11, 2007

Nessus posted:

Any/all grads? When they came to my school in Houston they were quite open that they were only really interested in native speakers of foreign tongues.

There are plenty of jobs with the CIA that don't require foreign language proficiency. Native speakers are also a lot more likely to have issues obtaining a clearance.

# ? Oct 17, 2010 03:30

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

Nessus posted:

Any/all grads? When they came to my school in Houston they were quite open that they were only really interested in native speakers of foreign tongues.

They're recruiting the poo poo out of our Latin American and Iberian Studies majors for their foreign media intelligence section. I just so happen to be one, so they've been hitting me up.

# ? Oct 17, 2010 03:38

amethystbliss: Jan 17, 2006

Just registered on USAJOBS this morning and am a bit overwhelmed. I'm living overseas to get my masters degree and will graduate/move back to the States in June/July. Should I apply for jobs with closing dates around June or July of 2011? Or since the process can take longer, should I apply for jobs with earlier closing dates? I'm surprised to see closing dates that are a year from now- are these rolling applications or will they seriously not even look at them for a whole year?

Also, the few jobs I've looked at don't mention any kind of clearance as they're mostly healthcare or social services related. Will the fact that I have a foreign husband (who has a valid green card) and loads of family in Iran be an issue?

# ? Oct 17, 2010 11:53

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 10, 2024 15:02

Digital Prophet: Apr 16, 2006; "..and then came the black crow, herald of doom, who foretold the coming of death."

amethystbliss posted:

Just registered on USAJOBS this morning and am a bit overwhelmed. I'm living overseas to get my masters degree and will graduate/move back to the States in June/July. Should I apply for jobs with closing dates around June or July of 2011? Or since the process can take longer, should I apply for jobs with earlier closing dates? I'm surprised to see closing dates that are a year from now- are these rolling applications or will they seriously not even look at them for a whole year?

Also, the few jobs I've looked at don't mention any kind of clearance as they're mostly healthcare or social services related. Will the fact that I have a foreign husband (who has a valid green card) and loads of family in Iran be an issue?

Apply for everything. At worst if you aren't back in time to start a job you end up getting, you tell them you made a mistake and won't be back until X time. They may just let you show up then if its not crazy. At best you'll get back at exactly the right time after its taken them months to finally call you.

Your husband and family shouldn't be an issue, but I don't know for sure. It also probably depends on what level of security clearance your profession requires. At higher levels I am willing to bet it does matter, even if they don't tell you that.

# ? Oct 17, 2010 14:24

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > The U.S. Federal Government Jobs Megathread: Next time... be more careful!

«‹›327 »