|
laxbro posted:Have you ever met any refugee officers? Any perks that go along with the job besides getting to visit cool countries? I worked pretty extensively with them in my last post. They had a fairly high degree of autonomy and a lot of work travel throughout the region.
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 22:13
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 07:03 |
|
|
Thesaurus posted:I have a phone interview next week for a claims representative position in the Social Security Administration. I've never had a fed job interview before, so I'm not sure if there are rote questions or anything. Anyone have one weird old trick I should know about? I will be speaking with a District Manager, if that matters. We used to do normal interviews with various open ended questions that often followed up on responses... Last I checked, though, we now do entry level interviews the same way we do promotion interviews, handing the person a sheet before (or emailing if it is a phone interview) with 4 or 5 questions on it and letting them answer without giving them feedback. It is rather strange and can be off putting if you never did it before. Not that I need to tell you this, but at the time having listened to many, many phone interviews... Please make sure you sound awake. We had more than a few people who sounded like (or even told us!) they were just getting up when we called. Best thing you can do is show some interest in the organization itself. When they are done asking questions and ask you if you have any, have some, and bonus points if they relate to the mission of the organization and current events/challenges facing it. Don't come off negative, though. Do come off as well informed. Quick Edit: Okay, another thing that seems common sense... If you are asked where you see yourself in 5 years, don't answer "Working for someone else." I mean you have no idea how many people with good resumes shot themselves in the foot saying something like this. e_wraith fucked around with this message at 18:33 on Jun 30, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 18:29
|
|
|
Thanks for the tips. I think the interview went well. Question: how "mobile" are fed jobs once you're in the system? For example, if I take a job in a small town, would it be feasible to eventually transfer to a city or another location? Is it something that people do in the government/agencies? I ask because this job is in a small town and I'd probably want to move back to the city (or another state) eventually. Is there a timeline for being able to do within agencies? I know the SSA is huge and everywhere, so I assume that would help things.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2014 23:52
|
|
|
Basically every single supervisor/manager/general higher-pay-grade person I have met in USCIS has at some point said something like "blah blah and when you move for a promotion" or "detail opportunities as far as the eye can see!" or something similar. It seems like people who actually stay where they start their first federal position are the unusual ones. I kind of hope this is true so I can secretly stay in Vermont and someday become President of Vermont.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2014 00:24
|
|
|
Yep, as Quarex said, extremely mobile. And even in some odd one off group that only has one office in Outer Mongolia there's still always DC, and of course there's the ability to move from agency to agency. It's kinda my question at the moment, do I stay or do I go... I took the job because I wanted to go overseas, and there may be potential for me to do that at the moment, but I may screw up my next career move by doing so, and it isn't so easy anymore to move up. It isn't a problem if I am willing to go anywhere when I get back, but I am not sure I want to do that, nor do I really want to go back to DC that much. So anyway, lots of options, maybe sometimes too many!
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2014 12:30
|
|
|
Thesaurus posted:Thanks for the tips. I think the interview went well. I think this depends highly on the agency and even the specific POD. I've been told many times about how great being mobile is, and know some people who have benefited from it but at the same time I've also heard of positions being outright cancelled because only people from outside the POD/region made the BQ list. All things equal though being mobile should open up more opportunities.
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2014 12:35
|
|
|
I'm about to put in an application for a job as a Magistrate Judge Courtroom Deputy. The job description says "qualified applicants selected for interviews will be tested," but goes on to say "Judiciary employees are not covered by the Office of Personnel Management's civil service classification system or regulations." Are they talking about a drug test, a federal civil service exam, or some other kind of test? Is it something I can do some prep for?
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 04:45
|
|
|
I've been waiting for about 2 weeks to hear about the next step in the process for a job with the IRS. How long does it usually take to hear back after the initial step?
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 19:58
|
|
|
himurak posted:I've been waiting for about 2 weeks to hear about the next step in the process for a job with the IRS. How long does it usually take to hear back after the initial step? I had an exact timeline of my hiring at USCIS written out at some point, but from the "are you still interested in this job?" e-mail to having me take a test online was about a month, from the test to the "all right come work for us" e-mail was about six weeks, and from the "come work for us" e-mail to "here is your start date" was another two months (which was, itself, another month after that). So almost 6 months for me after "for real" step 1.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 20:26
|
|
|
Quarex posted:It depends, what was the initial step? I assume it was them at least contacting you and saying "OK YOU!" rather than "applying." Yea it was the we'll be in touch email. That makes me feel less nervous since the private market is really slow this time of year. Thanks
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 22:17
|
|
|
Thanatosian posted:I'm about to put in an application for a job as a Magistrate Judge Courtroom Deputy. The job description says "qualified applicants selected for interviews will be tested," but goes on to say "Judiciary employees are not covered by the Office of Personnel Management's civil service classification system or regulations." Are they talking about a drug test, a federal civil service exam, or some other kind of test? Is it something I can do some prep for? That sentence is just letting you know that judiciary jobs aren't part of the competitive service and essentially serve at the pleasure of the judges.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2014 03:56
|
|
|
JohnnyHildo posted:That sentence is just letting you know that judiciary jobs aren't part of the competitive service and essentially serve at the pleasure of the judges. So, the test they're talking about probably is a civil service exam?
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2014 09:34
|
|
|
Thanatosian posted:So, the test they're talking about probably is a civil service exam? I'd guess it's a drug test.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 18:23
|
|
|
I am interested in getting into Intelligence Analysis at the NSA or CIA, or maybe some other government (possibly even private?) institution. I am a political science undergrad that graduates next year with a bachelors, but I am considering going to grad school. What would I want to get my masters in if I decide I am pretty serious about this line of work? Is a masters required? I know with the CIA they strongly prefer a masters.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 17:13
|
|
|
I said come in! posted:I am interested in getting into Intelligence Analysis at the NSA or CIA, or maybe some other government (possibly even private?) institution. I am a political science undergrad that graduates next year with a bachelors, but I am considering going to grad school. What would I want to get my masters in if I decide I am pretty serious about this line of work? Is a masters required? I know with the CIA they strongly prefer a masters. I would say definitely something beyond just political science. Studying a less common region helped me out a lot.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 17:18
|
|
|
CherryCola posted:I would say definitely something beyond just political science. Studying a less common region helped me out a lot. My last semester of undergrad I have pretty much free reign to learn whatever I want. I was thinking of picking up some statistic classes? When you say studying a region of the world, would that be international politics?
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 17:24
|
|
|
I said come in! posted:I am interested in getting into Intelligence Analysis at the NSA or CIA, or maybe some other government (possibly even private?) institution. I am a political science undergrad that graduates next year with a bachelors, but I am considering going to grad school. What would I want to get my masters in if I decide I am pretty serious about this line of work? Is a masters required? I know with the CIA they strongly prefer a masters. Also do an internship if possible.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 22:34
|
|
|
Yarrbossa posted:Also do an internship if possible. I applied for the internship for the CIA, but I missed the deadline for the NSA. I will try for the NSA one next year, the applications open up again in September. I haven't heard anything from the CIA yet, and this was a few months ago so I don't think I got even considered. :\
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 22:39
|
|
|
An Asian language probably wouldn't hurt.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 01:26
|
|
|
Evil SpongeBob posted:An Asian language probably wouldn't hurt. "Mom! That anime is going to finally pay off!" I shout from the bottom of the basement stairs. Mom yells back asking me to take the trash out. In all seriousness, an Asian region is what I would want to study so your suggestion is perfect for my goals.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 01:29
|
|
|
Jeeze when I asked the thread about how to become an intelligence analyst last year, it was pretty much "if you were not in intelligence in the military already, good luck, there are not really any entry-level intelligence jobs" ... where were all you positive influences back then!?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 01:30
|
|
|
Quarex posted:Jeeze when I asked the thread about how to become an intelligence analyst last year, it was pretty much "if you were not in intelligence in the military already, good luck, there are not really any entry-level intelligence jobs" ... where were all you positive influences back then!? It seems to me the CIA is the place to hit up for this. That said, they don't specifically say these positions are available but I mean it's the CIA, they are probably always in need of more people, right? I thought about the military, but I don't know. My sister-in-law is in the airforce and has been intelligence analyst for 11 years now and loves her job, but it requires a lot of traveling around the world for very long periods of time.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 01:35
|
|
|
Quarex posted:Jeeze when I asked the thread about how to become an intelligence analyst last year, it was pretty much "if you were not in intelligence in the military already, good luck, there are not really any entry-level intelligence jobs" ... where were all you positive influences back then!? This is basically the impression I get. Prior military service or interning is the best way to get in. You could always check out contractors(which are a bit easier to get into usually I think), although I don't know how much the CIA contracts out.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 01:45
|
|
|
Intelligence analyst chat: Sometime in the next two years, I'll be finishing a philosophy PhD (ivy league university, FWIW) with a decent set of mathematics skills (coursework equivalent of a physics MS while I was here -- my university won't actually grant a physics MS unless I enrolled in the physics department and paid for it  ). No military background, and once upon a time I was pretty comfortable with Russian and could probably get back up to speed fairly quickly. Does the PhD even matter, given that it's not in any kind of regional studies/IR field?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 02:30
|
|
|
Gregor Samsa posted:Intelligence analyst chat: Sometime in the next two years, I'll be finishing a philosophy PhD (ivy league university, FWIW) with a decent set of mathematics skills (coursework equivalent of a physics MS while I was here -- my university won't actually grant a physics MS unless I enrolled in the physics department and paid for it Of course it matters! Everything helps and you might be surprised at the specific skill-sets you use an intelligence analyst. It's definitely mis-guided to think that only IR or regional studies people end up as intel analysts. Getting a degree doesn't really teach you what you need to know to do the job. It's not like being able to write an academic paper on an esoteric topic for an IR class automatically means you're qualified to be an intelligence analyst - and this is coming from a guy with a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Security. Sure, the background knowledge helps and obviously being able to demonstrate that you can effectively research and think critically is essential, but quite frankly nobody is going to care about a paper you wrote as a poli-sci undergrad. Your papers, as a PhD, may very well be different, but the point is that it'd be incorrect to think that intelligence analysts all have a political science, international relations, or regional studies background. Re: "getting in" - Interning and being able to point to actual outside-of-school work you've done in anything you can swing as relevant seems like the best way to me, outside of joining the military. Language also would definitely help.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 03:16
|
|
|
Evil SpongeBob posted:An Asian language probably wouldn't hurt. I studied Urdu and that's probably the main reason I got my job.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 04:37
|
|
|
CherryCola posted:I studied Urdu and that's probably the main reason I got my job. Looked up what that language even was and yeah, I can see why that got you your job. What other languages would you recommend?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 04:42
|
|
|
I said come in! posted:Looked up what that language even was and yeah, I can see why that got you your job. What other languages would you recommend? Arabic is always good, but also go for less commonly taught ones. Punjabi, maybe African languages. Just look at what's going on I'm different areas of the world and figure out what they speak in the parts that are becoming problematic. Central Asian languages might be useful too, especially since you don't see as many people studying those ones. The key building a unique knowledge base that not every single international relations undergrad is going to have. Edit: oh and be a good writer, for the love of god.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 04:50
|
|
|
CherryCola posted:Arabic is always good, but also go for less commonly taught ones. Punjabi, maybe African languages. Just look at what's going on I'm different areas of the world and figure out what they speak in the parts that are becoming problematic. Central Asian languages might be useful too, especially since you don't see as many people studying those ones. Do they test your knowledge of the language you claim to be fluent in during the interview process? I was going to try to learn on my own but I don't know how that will go over.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 04:54
|
|
|
I said come in! posted:Do they test your knowledge of the language you claim to be fluent in during the interview process? I was going to try to learn on my own but I don't know how that will go over. It depends on the agency. CIA requires a pretty high level of fluency, and I'd assume NSA does, too. DoD offshoots are a little more relaxed. I took a proficiency test to get a nice little bonus on my paycheck and to be able to put my ranking on my resume. Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone probably won't get you to a very competitive level, though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 05:09
|
|
|
CherryCola posted:It depends on the agency. CIA requires a pretty high level of fluency, and I'd assume NSA does, too. DoD offshoots are a little more relaxed. I took a proficiency test to get a nice little bonus on my paycheck and to be able to put my ranking on my resume. Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone probably won't get you to a very competitive level, though. Okay that is good to know before I go out and waste money. What would you recommend? I'm not fully aware of my options.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 05:11
|
|
|
I got my PhD in astronomy last year and am just finishing up my first year of a 2-3 year postdoc. Long story short, I don't really see a (good/healthy) future for myself in academia. I've been looking on usajobs just to see what I could possibly do with an astronomy degree (also physics bachelors, but I assume nobody cares about your bachelors/masters if you have a PhD), and it looks like there are a decent amount of "physical scientist" positions in a variety of different agencies (DOE, Army/Navy, etc), but I worry that my experience and degree are far too specialized to be useful. There is also the issue that astronomy academic jobs require you to apply a ~year or more in advance, meaning I'm starting applications now and will have to decide if I want to stay in or not by February-March. From what I can gather based on the usajobs postings, the application is much shorter and you can't apply that far in advance, but I could be wrong. I did do two summer internships during my undergraduate years at LANL, but I'm not sure if work at that level will help me much. Basically I just want a stable job making a decent salary in a field at least somewhat related to astronomy and/or physics. I'm completely open to relocate and live anywhere, whether it's some remote Alaskan research outpost or in the middle of DC. I would hope I could find something but I still worry that my degree will hurt me more than it helps and that I'm stuck working at universities or nothing forever. Has anyone in those fields or related fields abandoned academia and switched to government work? Also, I doubt it will but will having worked in Switzerland (but being a US citizen) for 2 years hurt me at all when getting security clearance, assuming I need it?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 10:10
|
|
|
More intelligence analyst stuff: So I know a few people who have gone that direction, and all were from the military. Not that that should dissuade anyone, as others have said needed languages go a long way there as well. And I am not sure if it is still true, but a few years ago agencies were hurting for people with Economics degrees, preferably masters but undergraduate were desired as well so long as they were from quantitative Economics programs.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 15:44
|
|
|
I said come in! posted:Okay that is good to know before I go out and waste money. What would you recommend? I'm not fully aware of my options. Just FYI learning a language from scratch up to the point where it could get you an intelligence job is going to take a lot of work/time. This is even more so the case for less commonly taught/learned languages (most of those that would be very valuable to the intelligence community). Not trying to be discouraging. I only say this because you mention that you're finishing your undergrad soon, so you don't have as much time as you might want. You can still acquire proficiency, but it will probably require you dropping some real cash and time to do the courses, immersion, etc. Learning a little conversational Urdu isn't going to get you any jobs. If you want to take on a language, I'd select one where the culture/language/region interests you personally. Otherwise, it'll be hard to keep yourself motivated to learn Uzbek if you're just doing it for an unspecified future job. If I were starting over and had the money/time, I'd enroll in an immersion course in Tajikistan to learn Persian...
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 17:30
|
|
|
I translated for the government for seven years. I'm going to tell you straight up that if you want to be a linguist, a little bit of foreign language studies in college isn't going to help one bit. There's a tremendous difference between conversational language skills and the ability to read nuanced language when there are deadlines and sometimes lives at stake, especially when the people doing the talking don't want you to understand what they're saying or planning. If you're really interested in linguistic work, I have to recommend going abroad. Immerse yourself in the language and culture. Maybe try your hand at being a foreign service officer in the Department of State? You'll get experience, time-in-service, and get the opportunity to go abroad on Uncle Sam's dime.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 18:59
|
|
|
Drewski posted:I translated for the government for seven years. I'm going to tell you straight up that if you want to be a linguist, a little bit of foreign language studies in college isn't going to help one bit. There's a tremendous difference between conversational language skills and the ability to read nuanced language when there are deadlines and sometimes lives at stake, especially when the people doing the talking don't want you to understand what they're saying or planning. The foreign service has its own thread if you are going to look into it. Edit: if this was referring to the guy who wanted into the CIA, check if intelligence agencies will even hire former diplomats. I know serving in the peace Corp disqualifies you from serving as an intelligence officer for 5 years. The government doesn't want to give the wrong impression. Stolennosferatu fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Jul 10, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 19:30
|
|
|
I think a good idea to better help you guys help me is to just link to the career I am interested in; https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/analytical/political-analyst.html
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 19:48
|
|
|
Stolennosferatu posted:The foreign service has its own thread if you are going to look into it. There's no such restriction with the FS.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 19:49
|
|
|
Stolennosferatu posted:The foreign service has its own thread if you are going to look into it. I think it's the other way around. You can't go PC if you've done intel related work.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 00:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 07:03 |
|
|
Evil SpongeBob posted:I think it's the other way around. You can't go PC if you've done intel related work. It's both. The idea is to keep the two areas separate so that foreign governments don't think PC volunteers are spies.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 04:38
|
|
