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Hmm, knowing that part-time TSA positions give full benefits/contribution toward retirement makes it sound like a less-terrible idea. But it is still hard to think about the idea of a job that would work out to be like $10/hour plus benefits being my long-term source of income. Also, Artificer, the Foreign Service megathread over in Ask/Tell might be interesting to you, too. Edit: Oh no new page now my comments make no sense The Foreign Service process is good to get underway before you finish school, since it is a multi-stage process that can last a year (or maybe more, I have not finished it myself).
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Jun 12, 2013 23:43
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Artificer posted:I hope this is the right thread for this. If it's not please tell me and I'll scoot off somewhere else. Any interest in Foreign Service? Intel agencies need Chinese speakers as well.... 
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Jun 13, 2013 03:12
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Evil SpongeBob posted:Any interest in Foreign Service? Intel agencies need Chinese speakers as well.... Some, yeah. I'll go over there next too. Thanks. If you guys have got any other advice regarding general Federal Government Jobs, hopefully in international policy (if that is a thing) of some sort, would be nice too. I'm not terribly picky, though. I'd just like to be able to do something with my PoliSci degree, now that Law School is out of the question, and I'd like it to be in a field I'm interested in.
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Jun 13, 2013 07:33
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Artificer posted:I'm not terribly picky, though. I'd just like to be able to do something with my PoliSci degree, now that Law School is out of the question, and I'd like it to be in a field I'm interested in. This is going to be harder than you think it is but it is doable if you are talented
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Jun 13, 2013 11:18
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hitension posted:This is going to be harder than you think it is but it is doable if you are talented Yeah, I'm aware that PoliSci might be a difficult degree to apply to a career in this case, but given how dire job markets can be around now just getting a Federal Government job would be handy. I'll spend some time thinking and researching what it is I want to do and maybe more details will help.
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Jun 14, 2013 07:33
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Artificer posted:Yeah, I'm aware that PoliSci might be a difficult degree to apply to a career in this case, but given how dire job markets can be around now just getting a Federal Government job would be handy. I'll spend some time thinking and researching what it is I want to do and maybe more details will help. Depending on how your Chinese is there is lots of import/export work.
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Jun 14, 2013 15:05
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I'm also currently in SoCal and am looking for something useful to occupy my time with now that I'm no longer studying for the LSATs. I've got an application at an internship in but of course I'm not guaranteed to get in. Are there any options available for me right now that may be leveraged into something useful for applying to the Federal Government later on? Or something mildly related? I'm aware that most deadlines are past and many positions have already been filled.
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Jun 14, 2013 22:37
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Since PT employment came up, let me take the chance as the resident HR Spc. to clarify something. Here's the rules regarding what service will actually count towards your retirement under the FERS pension plan: http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/creditable-service/ Worth nothing: "With certain minor exceptions, a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) employee cannot make a deposit for non-contributory service performed after January 1, 1989." This means that many part-time positions may not count towards FERS retirement at all. This includes a lot of temporary or seasonal appointments that are not renewed yearly (like some IRS or Forest Service employees). Maybe you had a summer paid internship? Those used to count but don't now (honestly it sucks, but I'm not complaining about not having to go back and verify the hours worked by summer interns like I have to for people who were able to buy back summers worked prior to 1989. Finding records for that is a pain). Only FICA is withheld for them (which, don't forget, is a retirement plan we all get! Hooray!).
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Jun 14, 2013 22:44
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If any of you are thinking of taking contracting jobs right now that are funded out of the discretionary budget (non-military and Medicare)... DON'T (unless you'll work for under 40k, which is like working for 25k anywhere else, and have a wealthy roommate)
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Jun 20, 2013 22:28
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De Nomolos posted:If any of you are thinking of taking contracting jobs right now that are funded out of the discretionary budget (non-military and Medicare)... Why?
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Jun 21, 2013 05:43
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Considering my current salary is about 9-14k a year depending on my hours, 25k sounds like a lovely upgrade. And benefits? Woohoo!
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Jun 21, 2013 07:16
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I applied to the Wildlife Biology position in White plains, NY. They extended the application date by a week, so now I wait longer. To all USDA goons: tips? I'm willing to relocate. Was in a bio honors society in undergrad (BA biology), 9 creds into MA biology ecology, evo, behavior focus (3.7). Published in a botanical journal and currently a member of an animal behavior lab where I am doing a bird study. I need out of my current job. I can only hope 
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Jun 24, 2013 17:41
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I guess I'll post my story, and a question related to it: I had just graduated with my Master of Library Science degree, and after 4 additional months searching, I got hired by the Air Force to work at at library in Japan. I managed to piss off my supervisor without realizing it or intending it within about 30 minutes of arriving. I don't want to argue about the details of it, but she more or less immediately set about constructing a case for firing me. A few items in it were true and my fault (of those several were things she was equally guilty of); a few were true but I was set up for failure by her; and a plurality were lies. However, her supervisor dismissed my protests, primarily by referring to the fact that she was an "award winning librarian." (I later found out that these awards were based on self-reported statistics from the branches she managed, and the current stats were largely falsified.) Everyone I spoke to said that as a probationary employee I had no recourse unless the firing were based on race or sex discrimination. A week after I left, she fired a volunteer for misunderstanding her vague instructions precisely the same way I did. So I know it wasn't just me. About the same time, a 10 year employee quit...the youngest local employee had been there 6 years...turnover had been very low. All the employees there were afraid of her. She was the first supervisor I'd ever had who was clearly a sociopath. Anyhow: None of this would have been so bad, I think, if it hadn't been for the fact that I was overseas when it all happened. The market for English-speaking librarians exists in Japan, but it is considerably smaller than in the US. I had little ability to search for a new job in my field as the end was coming. (Which, BTW, is how I ended up teaching English in China.) I was living off-base in an apartment I couldn't afford, which was paid for by the Air Force. They would not give me a housing allowance for anything cheaper. So I couldn't stay there after getting fired without large initial costs to get into a new apartment. (Much larger than in the US.) If I'd been living on base, I'd've just been out. If I DID in fact have legal recourse, there were no resources available to me there; while in the US I imagine there would have been civilian lawyers I could have gone to. Basically, the most generally-applicable lesson to be learned from my situation is DO NOT GO OVERSEAS FOR YOUR FIRST FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT. I would have been in a generally better position after being fired if I'd been in the US prior to being fired. (Just to be clear, they would have paid to fly me back.) If I had not been a probationary employee, it would have taken more than just the word of my supervisor to fire me. She would have had to provide actual evidence. I know I'd never work for the Air Force again even if they'd have me. Probably not DoD, either. (Though the Army people I met seemed a lot happier.) What I want to know is, if I've been fired for "cause" during a probationary period, is there any point to me applying to any sort of federal employment at all?
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Jun 26, 2013 07:44
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Am I the only one whose saved searches are all turning up dozens-bordering-on-hundreds of "Emergency Management Specialist" jobs of varying types? For anyone who knows something about how FEMA works, is this some sort of effect of the federal budget or whatever, or did some sort of major disaster funding program just happen? Or is this normal and I just have not been looking at USAJobs long enough to see this sort of thing? Also I would like to state that I actually got my first legitimate "you are best qualified!" e-mail, which is strange since I know I was referred to the hiring manager at several other jobs. Anyway, it is from the uniformed US Secret Service position--but why is an academic-in-training best qualified for a federal police job? I am not sure.
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Jul 1, 2013 10:20
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Quarex posted:Am I the only one whose saved searches are all turning up dozens-bordering-on-hundreds of "Emergency Management Specialist" jobs of varying types? I don't know if this poo poo still happens (probably) but sometimes you used to see candidate pools or military recruiting ads on USAjobs listed a hundred different times. Where it isn't an actual specific position, but a category of position, and they just list it a whole bunch of times, like once for each possible duty station, or just every location available on USAjobs (because hey, they'll hire you no matter where you're from!). Secret service is kind of high-end police, ya know, and even regular cops aren't ALL meatheads. Depending on your academic background you might actually be someone they could specifically use.
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Jul 1, 2013 11:00
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So I'm a recent JD graduate studying for the bar right now. I landed a great district court clerkship and I'd love to work for the CFPB or SEC and be pretty interested in a counsel position for another agency. The clerkship's term is one year. Should I just start applying like mad as soon as I start the clerkship? There are some special programs for clerks at DOJ/CFPB/SEC, but I'm in the dark for everything else.
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Jul 2, 2013 19:46
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VideoTapir posted:I don't know if this poo poo still happens (probably) but sometimes you used to see candidate pools or military recruiting ads on USAjobs listed a hundred different times. Where it isn't an actual specific position, but a category of position, and they just list it a whole bunch of times, like once for each possible duty station, or just every location available on USAjobs (because hey, they'll hire you no matter where you're from!). The Secret Service thing certainly makes sense when you put it like that. Particularly since I got two messages today: one saying "let us know by tomorrow if you are going to take the examination on Friday" and I was like "oh ... well, I did not know there was an exam, fun!" and then the second one saying "and let us know by tomorrow if you are going to take the Special Agent exam on Monday" and then I was like "Wait, how many exams are there?" But I am not sure that anyone here has the answer to this specific question.
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Jul 3, 2013 00:55
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Quarex posted:All around great response, thanks for the information. Or you could spend 1 minute on their website finding it out..... http://www.secretservice.gov/join/apply.shtml
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Jul 3, 2013 04:12
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Evil SpongeBob posted:Or you could spend 1 minute on their website finding it out..... I have even been here. I do not see how what I said warranted that snarky a response. Particularly since that flowchart does not even list the first exam I mentioned.
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Jul 3, 2013 04:32
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It's the second and third clickable bubble one the flow chart. The POST (for UD) and SAEE (for SA) followed by the physical abilities test. Snarky-ness is an unfortunate side effect of over 20 years with the USG. Mea culpa. Realistically, though, many entry level LE jobs go to 5 and 10 point veterans. Sequestration and previous FY budget battles have severely limited new hiring numbers. The majority are going to preference eligible candidates.
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Jul 3, 2013 04:40
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Yeah, I am sure I have no chance, but since that seems to me to be what using USAJobs is all about, it may come with the territory. I do apologize though, you are clearly right that the POST is the thing I was talking about; it just used a different name in the e-mail whereas the Special Agent exam was called the same thing. And since I apparently do not understand synonyms, I stared at the screen like a confused dog. (Related: I applied for another investigative job that said you were eligible through education, and then asked nothing but questions about how much experience you had performing criminal investigations. Why allow for educational qualification if you need the normally-qualifying work experience anyway?) I think I already complained about that earlier in the thread. I need a new complaint. Is there such a thing as an entry-level government job other than the pathways/internship/fellowship things? I thought I was being all slick applying for every program analyst and management analyst job I saw, but then I just finally put it together the other day that those numbers in the 80s on my application e-mail are my (terrible) scores for these jobs. And these scores are somehow the lowest of all the jobs I apply for, despite seeming to be the most appropriate for my skills. I guess "[Whatever] Assistant" is the entry level job. I guess I am just surprised that every entry-level job seems clerical in nature. Maybe this should not surprise me.
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Jul 4, 2013 06:03
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Quarex posted:
Probably the same reason they advertise positions even if they already have someone picked out.
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Jul 4, 2013 07:56
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Quarex posted:Is there such a thing as an entry-level government job other than the pathways/internship/fellowship things? I thought I was being all slick applying for every program analyst and management analyst job I saw, but then I just finally put it together the other day that those numbers in the 80s on my application e-mail are my (terrible) scores for these jobs. And these scores are somehow the lowest of all the jobs I apply for, despite seeming to be the most appropriate for my skills. Excepting the military and the foreign service, there are really no such things as entry level jobs in the federal government other than the administrative positions you talked about. If you really want to become a federal employee, I'd start looking at government contractor positions in your field. Almost every federal employee I work with started out as one and then was hired on later.
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Jul 4, 2013 14:49
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Shotgun any Federal job you are willing to do. It is much easier to lateral over after you get career status. Veterans do not get preference in status employee only jobs.
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Jul 4, 2013 17:02
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Good point, VideoTapir. Maybe they are supposed to advertise a certain number of jobs that you can qualify for via education but nobody says they have to realistically be attainable for those people.psydude posted:Excepting the military and the foreign service, there are really no such things as entry level jobs in the federal government other than the administrative positions you talked about. If you really want to become a federal employee, I'd start looking at government contractor positions in your field. Almost every federal employee I work with started out as one and then was hired on later. Evil SpongeBob posted:Shotgun any Federal job you are willing to do. It is much easier to lateral over after you get career status. Veterans do not get preference in status employee only jobs. Dr. Quarex fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Jul 4, 2013 |
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Jul 4, 2013 22:55
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Evil SpongeBob posted:Shotgun any Federal job you are willing to do. It is much easier to lateral over after you get career status. Veterans do not get preference in status employee only jobs. Glad you said this, as it is germane to my own situation. I'm settling nicely into my first public sector job. It's low stress, the benefits are fantastic, and the pay is...enough. It's clearly the best job I've ever had. So naturally, my ungrateful gen Y rear end is already starting to think about the next step. My internship period with the DCMA is three years long, and I'll be coming out of it as a GS-12 by May 2016. If I'm still single (or at least similarly geographically mobile) either then, or one year after that when I could start qualifying for a GS-13 position, then it occurs to me that I might very much like to try something else at that time. I could stick to the DCMA. If I want to move to Virginia, there are some cush sounding GS-13/14 positions that revolve around statistical analysis. But really, I'm bringing it up here and now because staying in my agency is the obvious choice, and I'd really like some suggestions that I might not have thought about. I think it would be kind of nice to get away from the military industrial complex for one. That's not gonna be easy because the gov doesn't give a poo poo about my original career (music), and they only rarely ever seem to hire people in my current career (computer engineering, though I really do software quality assurance for the DCMA) for agencies that aren't involved in building weapons. So part of why I'm asking NOW years before I'll make any kind of move is because at this point, I still have some time to get some relevant experience or rack up the right Graduate education credits if there's a super cool (non blowing-people-up related) government career path I could start to aim my nose at. Other things that would be nice: not needing a security clearance (that poo poo makes me nervous that I'll gently caress up and get fired), and tangentially, a position that doesn't require random drug testing. I'm not a junkie or anything, I just hate peeing in a cup. It's a violation of my privacy I'd rather not tolerate. Even if I do only get randomly pulled once every ten years, it just burns me up that they can do that and hold my career hostage to it! Oh, and while being able to get to a higher pay certainly wouldn't suck, I'm not willing to accept a super stressful job for it, so probably not interested in the SES track, though I'm not necessarily opposed to leadership or management. Other than that, I'm not putting any limits on a potential career path at this point. I'm even totally willing to go back to school and get another degree in something completely unrelated if I think it'll get me a cooler job eventually. My personal career choice was being a musician, so once I realized that I couldn't do that without tolerating unacceptable pay for almost literal slavery (or getting lucky, which I'm not), I utterly ceased to give a single poo poo about what I do for a career as long as its not stressful. tl;dr - I've got my foot in the door, and I've got years to make a plan. Now what?
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Jul 4, 2013 23:11
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If you're doing software QA, there are tons of jobs in the DC area. I'm currently a contractor with the National Cancer Institute, and my colleagues have done similar work at NTSB, the Census, and a few other places. I'm assuming getting in on the federal side (not a contractor) will be trickier since there are a lot fewer positions, but the jobs definitely do exist. e: How did you land the job? Did you apply through USAJobs or was it a special program? I'd love to make the jump to the fed side. gimme the lute fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Jul 5, 2013 |
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Jul 5, 2013 03:40
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gimme the lute posted:If you're doing software QA, there are tons of jobs in the DC area. I'm currently a contractor with the National Cancer Institute, and my colleagues have done similar work at NTSB, the Census, and a few other places. I'm assuming getting in on the federal side (not a contractor) will be trickier since there are a lot fewer positions, but the jobs definitely do exist. quote:e: How did you land the job? Did you apply through USAJobs or was it a special program? I'd love to make the jump to the fed side. You got it! I just applied through USAJobs. It's a special internship program the DCMA does. They call it a "keystone internship". I was lucky and applied when there were like 20 different computer engineer positions they were trying to fill. They actually hire way more general engineers, (normal) QAs, contract administrators, and industrial specialists.
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Jul 5, 2013 06:08
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I'm considering taking a pay cut but someone help me decide if going GS is the way to go. I'd be losing about 10-15% salary as a contractor and moving back to help desk at a GS-7 spot. But I think it might be nice to get my foot in the door as a GS. The worst part would be going back to hell desk.
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Jul 5, 2013 15:28
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Is there a site like this but for State instead of Federal jobs? Whats a job that hires more than most due to high turnover, like the McDonalds of Federal/State jobs? Is it forestry aids? Because that's like the only job I see looking at USAJOBS at the lowest paygrade. That and working as a civilian on a military base which is probably given to friends/family of military anyway. Anyone in Florida have any luck with an entry level, will train you type job working for the county/state?
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Jul 5, 2013 15:46
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FlyWhiteBoy posted:I'm considering taking a pay cut but someone help me decide if going GS is the way to go. I'd be losing about 10-15% salary as a contractor and moving back to help desk at a GS-7 spot. But I think it might be nice to get my foot in the door as a GS. The worst part would be going back to hell desk. Is job security your only motivation for going fed? Are you in the DC area? I was in your boat a year ago and could have made a little less money by going fed to get in at GS-9. I'm still a contractor now but get GS-11 type money. If you're in the purchasing (requisition, acquisition) sector I can give you a few pointers on getting out of hell desk.
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Jul 5, 2013 16:07
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Seamonster posted:Is job security your only motivation for going fed? Are you in the DC area? I'm not in DC. Job security is the main attraction along with new opportunities and slightly better benefits more time off etc. I just ran the numbers and it's more of a pay cut than I realized. It would be basically going from gs 11 to gs 7 with the hopes of landing a higher gs job later on.
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Jul 5, 2013 17:10
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Quarex posted:Good point, VideoTapir. Maybe they are supposed to advertise a certain number of jobs that you can qualify for via education but nobody says they have to realistically be attainable for those people. Apply anyway. Contracting firms have an incentive to fill the billet as quickly as possible, so they're very flexible when it comes to hiring. They also respond very quickly.
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Jul 5, 2013 20:11
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Seamonster posted:Is job security your only motivation for going fed? Are you in the DC area? I would like to tell you as someone that often does join purchases with the US government I hate you all.
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Jul 6, 2013 18:03
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I imagine I am not supposed to talk about the Secret Service Special Agent exam any more than anyone is ever supposed to talk about anything involving the application process, but a few delightful things are surely safe to mention: * The test was in "Suite 1600." I pushed "16" on the elevator call screen. It informed me there was no floor 16. Another applicant was there with me, and we seemed equally concerned/confused (and noted there was no number to call). Fortunately I sprung into action and "found a guy" who informed us that only the not-by-the-front-doors elevators went up that high. Why? And why is there not just a sign that says "floors 12+ need not apply" by those first elevators? * Total sausage fest * Of the seven people taking the exam, everyone else but the guy who never said anything mentioned currently working or having recently worked for ICE or as an officer of some sort. Though they were all very friendly except Silent-o. * The proctor was this great older lady but ... she pronounced Scantron ... as "Scranton." I did successfully not laugh, despite it happening about 15 times. * This was up on someone's door: 
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Jul 8, 2013 22:40
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Man, I applied for that same listing and it seems like a JD was considered insufficient. What 
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Jul 9, 2013 00:05
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When did you graduate? Maybe they figure if you entered a JD program after 2008, you must not be very bright.
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Jul 9, 2013 05:37
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Hahaha, harsh  Probably not true, though.Are you, Feed Me A Cat, talking about the Secret Service Special Agent application? I have no idea what else it could be, but I do not want to stupidly assume too much. We had time before starting the actual test to sit around for a couple of minutes, and I am pretty sure I was the only person qualifying based on education there, given that the highest degree anyone else seemed to have marked was a bachelor's degree. I confess to being surprised that a law degree would not be seen as more useful than two social science master's degrees (though I am within a year of finishing my doctorate ... and anyway, that qualification actually does not differentiate between "three years into your program" and "finished with your program").
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Jul 9, 2013 08:28
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Feed Me A Cat posted:Man, I applied for that same listing and it seems like a JD was considered insufficient. What Assuming you're talking about the Special Agent position with USSS: I have twice applied for it, and both times been given the no thanks email without even being allowed to take the test. I've applied to a number of federal law enforcement positions and always been able to at least take their test, and twice have been very close to getting hired by agencies that I'm pretty sure are more selective than USSS. And yet, they do not even want to offer me a chance. I have a JD and at the time, several years work experience.
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Jul 9, 2013 23:48
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Kase Im Licht posted:Assuming you're talking about the Special Agent position with USSS: I've been researching 1811 jobs for quite some time and talked to a number of recruiters/agents on and off the record. From what I've gathered, these positions are extremely competitive. A JD isn't an entrance ticket, or even much of a boost. Agencies have an idea of what they want an agent to be and look at the person and a person's life as a whole. I've heard of countless 30+ year old current Police detectives, former military, with a JD types who get passed over in favor of a 22-25 year old with little or no experience who fit the mold. In doing all this research a common denominator is an outraged graduate degree toting civilian with a feeling of entitlement. I'm not saying that this is you, but that the process is very different from the civilian sector. I'd also venture to say that 1811 positions are more competitive than the vast majority of civilian sector jobs. Not many professions offer you amazing career stability, 100k+ a year (GS-13) with great benefits and retirement, and a chance to do some pretty exciting/interesting/abnormal/difference making work. I'm about to graduate with a Finance/Accounting degree (generally very sought after by agencies) and have four years of combat arms military experience (qualified as a disabled veteran). This gives me a pretty solid leg up for most agencies (or than the FBI) yet I still expect to get rejected over and over again. My plan is to get a job in the finance sector while shot gunning applications to all the 1811 positions I'm interested in. I expect that if I ever do land a job, it will take years to go through the process. Most of the agents I've chatted with also mentioned that it took them years to land the job. Ignoranceisbliss88 fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Jul 10, 2013 |
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Jul 10, 2013 00:22
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