Uncle Sam’s hiring spree

I have a question, is there any hope for men who has messed up in the past, but if given the chance; will serve my countyr, and become an officer of the law?

Annie

I am curious . Has anyone recently been hired by any agency? or is all the so called hiring really going to contractors such as Staney. Despite a good resume, good agency interviews and reasonable expectations of an offer I have not received any offers. What is really going on? I am told the agencies are waiting for funding , then the budget has to be approved etc….. Why does the government website continue to show vacancies when no one is being hired.?

Please look very closely at the GS schedule before you even apply for a govt job. GS-7 TOPS OUT at $48,933, GS-9 TOPS OUT at $59,852 in the DC/MD/VA area (an expensive area to live in). Govt pays *way* less than the private sector, especially in expensive-to-live areas.

The hiring process (and I know this from personal experience) not only takes long but is usually so confusing, frustrating, and onerous…even to longtime insiders! Trust me! You could apply to 20 private sector jobs via an internet job board in the time it would take you to apply to a govt job.

Also note that the govt pension is not any where near as good as it once was. Pension is 1/3 to 1/4 what it used to be. The onus is on the employee to dump a lot into his TSP (the govt’s version of the 401k) to make up for the difference and prepare for retirement. But if you’re being paid so much less, how will you be able to do this while providing for your family? Govt sector is not worth it, in my opinion. Not until a lot of the old-school mechanisms change.

And PS, you may not get laid off, but you could get “RIF”‘ed (Reduction in Force) especially if exposed to “cut-able” programs/initiatives. Will spending for the “war” on terror continue at this rate indefinitely? Want to bet your career on it?

I read the same statistics about +2 years ago, so I applied through the USAJOBs website and made contact with a IRS recruiter in the Jacksonville, FL office. I am a CPA (BS in Accounting) and hold an MBA in Finance. Guess what?? In the 9 months I kept updating my information on the website and calling the recruiter, no one at the IRS was interested in me. I think they want uneducated people at the IRS.

i have worked for the fed for 15 years,don”t

I am a Desert Shield/Desert Storm Veteran. I hold a BS in Accounting, honorable discharge, accolades and awards, secret clearance and some goddamn HR rep from the IRS emailed me after an interview for entry level Revenue Officer and had the audacity to tell me they hired someone “more suitable” for the position. “More suitable”? I have applied to many federal agencies and never respond back. Since my discharge, I have never been able to gain employment. HR departments are operated by racial minorities and women, so a white male does not stand a chance in hell. When you apply, you have to put your SSN on the app. Well can they not check your age, race, gender with the SSN?

I was recently awarded a prestigious position with a well known government agency. I have been waiting for my clearance for 10 months: in fact no one is even working on it (no one has called any of my references). In April I was told to pack my bags I was moving to DC. For months I called my contact and calls went unreturned. It turns out my contact got fired; probably for not returning calls. Well my bags have been packed and I told my landlord I was moving. In order to find out who the new contact was, I had to do some serious investigating. Once I got a name I had to call that person 60 times (I counted) before somebody picked up. When I got the information it was wrong. Finally I found out who the new contact was and was told that I will be delayed 9 months. My marriage and health have suffered tremendously. The backup for clearances is over ten thousand. The system cannot process 193,000 jobs- it is not possible. Those jobs will not be funded and it is just as well because the people in those positions were not doing their jobs in the first place. To apply for one of those jobs on http://www.usajobs.gov will take you about 4 hours per job (if you are lucky). If you get called back- play the lottery. DO NOT WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT- If you are a brilliant person, your abilities will never be fully appreciated or utilized. If you are looking for job security-as a concerned citizen- do not work for the government. We need hard chargers, who are on the precipice of being fired every day, not slackers. I would never do this again…ever. I do not recommend anyone working for the government-EVER.

I’ve worked for two federal agencies (FAA and DOE) and neither situation required me to “know somebody”. I got in through hard work and demonstrated skill.

Do I like working for the feds?Consider:

- I work 80 hours every 2-week pay period and get overtime (real overtime, not capped) for even the shortest delay in my departure for home.
- I never take the job home with me. My time off is completely my own.
- I get so much vacation time my friends think I’m a German citizen - over 5 weeks per year.
- Last but not least, I earn a 6-figure income.

Oh, and should I forget to mention it, my work is actually relevant to millions of Americans - I’m the “air traffic controller” of the high voltage power grid. I keep the lights on.

What’s not to like about working for Uncle Sam? Give me “Club Fed” any day of the week.

I supported Dept of Justice for 6 months. The motto we gave the Human Resource group was “We Hire The Best Of The Desparate” because who else would wait the 9-18 months to go through the hiring and clearance process. In the agencies (DOE/DOD/DNI/DON/DOJ) I’ve worked at each is unique and has its own culture. The government workers are good people but even they discuss the negatives of no accountability or accountabilty with no responsibility, the politics, slow advancement, inability to change skill mixes of employees which would require lay offs and the general number of those who have retired but not left. Give me the private sector any day!

I have been working for the Federal Government for almost two years and I have noticed how difficult it is to move up (get promoted). Only advice I can offer is to get in as high a position as possible because once you are in, it almost impossible, with all the rules, to move up quickly.

Yes,there are pluses and minuses in working working for the Feds,as in any job.I thoroughly enjoyed my career as an Education Specialist with DOD.
I always wanted to travel overseas,and was fortunate enough to have had 2 (4year) “tours of duty” in Germany and
managed to visit 8 European countries
on weekends and holidays.I enjoyed providing educational services to the
soldiers,Marines, and sailors and took great satisfaction watching them advance in their military (and later civilian) careers. Oh yes,I forgot to say was lucky enough to spend 11 years in San Diego,Ca.as well.Tough
duty.

Whenever I deal with anything goverment,,whether a real in person or on the phone experience,,,coupled with the daily debacles by government,,I get the impression that they are a bunch of low caliber people that could not get hired in the private sector. The government has way to many jobs that could be eliminated and would never be missed, except the moron that had it.

I graduated in law and worked for the State Legislature (Tennessee)in the Judiciary Committee. I noticed that the government is very rule-conscious, and was more concerned that you come in on time, go through the proper channels than the quality of work you do. I took extra hours of my time researching the proposed Rules of Civil Procedure in order to make a report to the Committee. This was not factored in, if I wanted to come in after breakfast, instead of before.
Also, if you want a job with the government, you must know somebody within the department. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

I made the transition from private (oil sector) to public (Diplomat - State Department) 5 years ago. Yes, it was a large pay cut…but since then I have worked in India, Hungary, Malaysia, Belgium, Slovenia, and Germany. The perks are good - free housing, school for the children, a decent retirement plan. I can’t speak for the non-State Department Foreign Service jobs, but this job is stimulating, interesting, rewarding, and I have met a lot of extremely well qualified Americans who enjoy serving and representing their country overseas.

Why Not outsource all the work that needs to be done by the government. I think that might solve alot of problems.

I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelors degree in criminal justice/criminology a year ago. I have been working at NIH (National Institue of Health) as a contractor for 4 years now, doing accounting clerical work. I live in the Baltimore area and would like to get a job in the government near there. Does anyone have any suggestions of agencies around there that my background (criminology degree and NIH work experience) would help with? Thanks.

Good things:
- Stellar benefits
- Work anywhere
- Actually make a difference at work
- Good odds of working with smart, dedicated people (I’m sure it varies but where I worked it was pretty hard to not pull your weight)
- Ability to spit in the face of anyone who accuses you of not being a “patriot”
- Once you’re in, you’re in — it’s pretty hard to get fired, and the government’s never going out of business

Bad things:
- Pay is usually lower than private sector (sometimes substantially lower)
- You think your HR’s incompetent now? Normal parts of being an employee like getting hired, raises, promotions, etc. all take FOREVER
- Tried pot one time in high school? You might not get the job
- Your hard work is frequently ruined by the people at the very top or very bottom of the ladder
- The entire culture changes every 4 years (with new president, cabinet, etc)
- You will never get a new computer. Ever.

I work in an investment bank and looking to make a transition to a Fed job. I am a Project manager- IT (10 years exerience) but very well versed in Finance side. I actually have MBA (not from Ivy) and will appear for CFA Level 3 in 2008.
Can anyone suggest how difficult it would be to get into a regulatory Fed jobs like SEC etc.? I understand that there is a lot of demand. Also, any indication on compensation to expect.

If you like to work hard and make an impact, you can do that in the federal government. If you want to be lazy, you can probably get away with it. But why? I’ve worked in the federal government in for nearly 30 years and some time in the private sector. I’ve seen some of the worst and some of the absolute best in civil service. Most are good and hard working, with just a few bad apples. The private sector has it’s problems too–with some of those folks, it’s all about the “billable hours” and “selling business,” which is necessary to get promoted. And they’d sell their grandmothers to get ahead. But some of the folks in private sector are terrific too. Any place you go will be what you make it.
And, BTW, when I came back to civil service, I was hired 3 months after I submitted my application, 3 weeks after I interviewed. It would have gone quicker, but the hiring authority became seriously ill which slowed things down.

Be prepared for low pay, little recognition, a slow career path and a long wait to get hired.

I’ve been working as a government contractor for two years and would love to convert over to be a “real” employee. Unfortunately, only current Federal employees can apply for the open positions in this agency - so even though I’ve been doing the job for two years, I can’t apply for the new openings. There very well may be a “hiring spree” for Information Systems Specialists, but what good is it if you can’t even qualify to APPLY?
Frustrating.

Well and great that the Feds are looking to finally fill thousands of open positions, but because of ridiculous OPM polices and procedures, be prepared to apply and wait at least 4 to 6 months for a response.

My question remains that if the Federal Government has dire need for staff for priority positions, why does it take such an insanely long period to fill positions? Ridiculous.

You have to be extremely careful if you decide to get a government job. There are tons of ways you can trip yourself and you have to disclose everything including things that you don’t want your mum or family know. For example, if you are a diabetic, you have to tell your boss (it is none of his/her business). So all the incentives may look great but you may end up on the street with having to pay back for your graduate tuition and your student loans.

I have worked for a company where if an employee had to go on an extended medical leave, none of the coworkers knew anything other than the employee was sick.

I’m in my tenth year now, and you have to be cautious of getting brain rot when working for the government. We’re using 10-year old computers. There are meetings after meetings after meetings. I see people in the I.T. field who have spent their careers here, but still take three whole minutes to open up our project’s homepage on the internet. It’s slow and unproductive. Be prepared to spend lots of time in the break room discussing how you’d run the country and why everyone else who is, shouldn’t be.

the wheel does not turn as fast or does not at all. And do not attempt to reinvent the wheel, you’ll get crushed. You can try do that if if make it to the top, but if you haven’t yet, just go with the flow. On the other hand, there are no shareholders lighting fire on the CEO’s feet to improve the bottomline, so don’t have to worry about outsourcing, whole dept getting axed, “terrific job” in the am, security escort in the pm…..that kind of stuff.

Don’t let people fool you into thinking that the government is complete sloth and politics. Yes, sometimes things are slow moving and there are the occassional employee who would never last a minute in the private sector, but there are a lot of pluses. If you want a job where you feel like you’re contributing to something greater than selling a widget and also lets you enjoy life with a lot of vacation time, you should seriously consider the government. I have been in the government for 7 years with a couple of different agencies, including a brief stint at the White House budget office, and can tell you that it’s a good deal.

prepare for sloth and politics. Speed and quick reaction is not a priority in government. Satisfing mandatory hiring criteria wins out over job knowledge in working for the government.