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What are the hottest jobs in the federal government this year, and how do you get them? To find out, we conducted our annual interview with Monster Federal Career Coach and Gov’t/Public Service Careers message board expert Kathryn Troutman.
Troutman is the author of the Federal Resume Guidebook as well as other books on strategies for the federal job search.
Monster: The President’s FY2008 budget was recently released. Based on that, where can we expect to see government hiring?
Troutman: Combating terrorism and protecting the homeland will be the number one initiative for the federal employees and leaders. Opportunities within the Department of Defense agency or civilian job openings with military services will be greatest.
That means the Department of Army will have a high number of civilian positions. And the Reserves units will have civilian positions. The Department of Homeland Security agencies will be hiring many intelligence, security, special agent, analyst and other positions. Supporting our veterans as they return from the war will result in job positions with the Veterans’ Department and Veterans Hospitals.
Monster: How do you know if you qualify?
Troutman: The only way to know if you qualify is to read the vacancy announcement qualifications page. It will tell you if you need a degree, or one or more years of specialized experience in a certain field.
Monster: So, let’s say you do qualify. Why, in your opinion, would someone want to join the government ranks?
Troutman: Lots of reasons. Competitive pay with annual raises, great benefits, a family-friendly workplace, job stability, decent training and career advancement. Federal employment is considered to be relatively stable, because it is not affected by cyclical fluctuations in the economy. It’s also great to help the government provide better services and protection for our nation.
Monster: How about from a longer-term perspective, what trends do you see in hiring?
Troutman: Well, according to the report “Where the Jobs Are -- the Continuing Growth of Federal Job Opportunities” (Partnership for Public Service and National Academy of Public Administration, February 2005), most of the new hires for the next couple of years in the federal government will come in five major areas. These are security -- that’s both enforcement and compliance -- medical and public health fields, engineering and the sciences, program management and administration, and accounting, budget and business, which includes revenue agents and tax examiners needed mainly by the Internal Revenue Service.
Monster: So, more specifically, what are some of the jobs in security and the sciences?
Troutman: Well, security includes inspectors, investigators, police officers, airport screeners and prison guards. And demand is growing for specialized workers in border and transportation security, emergency preparedness, public health and information analysis. As far as engineering and the sciences, these jobs include microbiologists, botanists, physicists, chemists and veterinarians.
Monster: Do you, as a resume adviser and job coach specializing in this sector, foresee demand for any other types of jobs?
Troutman: One department that jumps out is the US Department of Health and Human Services, which will need health insurance specialists and claims and customer service representatives to implement the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit.
Monster: What will suffer?
Troutman: The US Department of Labor expects employment declines will be the greatest among office and administrative support occupations and production occupations, due to increasing office automation and contracting out of these jobs. And as a general rule, the government sells very little, so it employs relatively few sales workers.
Monster: What are your chances of getting a job if you’re coming from the private sector?
Troutman: The government has in the past hired and promoted from within government, but 2006 is seeing a change. More vacancy announcements are posted for “Open to all US Citizens” than ever. And the federal human resources specialists are improving their recruitment strategies for hiring from outside the government.
They’ve got a ways to go. According to a recent article published by the Partnership for Public Service, “New Call to Service for America's Baby Boomers,” the federal government is filling only 15 percent of vacancies at the “mid-career” level (GS-12 to 15) with external candidates; less than half of these openings being open to applicants from outside government.
But Ligaya Fernandez, a senior research analyst at the US Merit Systems Protection Board, says more and more positions are being opened to outside applicants and/or filled with outside applicants. So your chances of getting into sector from outside are looking better and better. The 15 percent hired number isn’t very high, but it should come up.
According to federal resume writers and coaches, more private industry mid-level and senior-level Baby Boomers are trying to land federal positions and their success numbers are improving. It’s estimated that some 35 percent of the federal resumes that went through federal resume writing and consulting firms were from private industry and military applicants. The other federal job seekers are typically those seeking to leave the military and federal employees seeking advancement inside government. Those applying include police officers, social workers, mortgage brokers, financial analysts, military personnel, teachers, business owners, social workers, state vocational rehabilitation counselors, IT specialists, administrative staff and even sales and business professionals, who are seeking career opportunities in the US Government.
Monster: But if the current hiring of mid-career professionals is only 15 percent, is it worth the time to apply?
Troutman: Yes, play the game. Learn about the jobs, focus your resume, make sure you can apply (ie, the job is open to all US Citizens) and submit for positions. The odds will get better and you will be there when an agency needs to hire from outside.
