Thinking creatively about the Federal job search

2011

Obtaining legal experience and training in the Federal

Government

Overview

Advantages of working for the Federal Government

Where to look for Federal Government jobs

The types of jobs that a recent law school graduate might consider

How to use USAjobs.gov Tips for a federal resume

Advantages of working for the Federal Government

Jobs Training Experience and responsibility Portability of skills Opportunity for career growth and

development Benefits; retirement, health

insurance, flexible work schedule etc…

Where to look for Federal Jobs

Typical entry legal jobs- Honors programs (deadlines in late summer/fall of 3L year)

Policy Fellowships with numerous Federal Agencies are filled through the Presidential Management Fellowship (deadline in fall of 3L year).

The majority of Federal hiring is managed through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM runs the USAjobs.gov, a website with postings of many federal jobs.

Important: Attorney positions are ‘exempt’ and do not need to be posted on USAjobs, therefore it is critical when looking for attorney positions that you also go directly to the Agency’s website.

Moving Beyond Honors Programs-

Types of positions to consider General:

Hearings and Appeals Specialist (series 0930)

Contract Specialist (series 1102) Labor Relations Specialist (series 0201) Estate Tax Examiner (series 0920)

Specific examples of available jobs

(J.D. preferred, not required) Benefits Advisor (DOL- EBSA) Investigator (DOL- EBSA) Hearing Officer (Social Security

Administration) Investigative Operations Analyst (FBI) Officer Corps- DHS

Examination Officer Adjudication Officer Immigration Service Officer

How to Use USAjobs.gov

www.usajobs.gov Search Jobs Advanced Search Occupational series

Contract Administrator Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist License Examining Officer

FBI has their own vacancy website, www.fbi.gov

Qualifying Education or Training

The following shows the amount and level of education typically required for each grade for which education alone can be qualifying. At GS-13 and above, appropriate specialized experience is required for all positions.

GRADE QUALIFYING GS-9 Master's (or equivalent graduate degree such as LL.B. or J.D. as specified in

qualification standards or individual occupational requirements),or2 academic years of progressively higher level graduate education

GS-11 Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree,or3 academic years of progressively higher level graduate education,orFor research positions only, completion of all requirements for a master's or equivalent degree

GS-12 For research positions only, completion of all requirements for a doctoral or equivalent degree

Examples of current open positions on USAjobs.gov

Equal Employment Specialist , Department: Department Of Agriculture

PERM-OCR-260-11-EEO-DP Appeals Officer, Department Of Agriculture

WA431680 CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR, Department Of The Army

NCAS11769444D Investigative Analyst, Department Of State

Job Announcement Number: DS-2011-0256

Federal Government Resume and Competencies/KSA Tipsadapted from the Office of

Personnel Management1. Pay Attention to Keywords Whether you're writing your first federal resume,

updating an existing one, or answering a position's competencies/Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's), use keywords from the job description and duties.

You might be the most qualified person for the position, but without using keywords, you could be overlooked.

2. Single Key Word Communicates Multiple Skills and Qualifications

Consider the list of action verbs in the Job Search Handbook. A single word can convey both skills and qualifications.

3. Study Job Announcements Read the job announcement carefully.

Consider your resume and your answers to questions. Make certain that your answers accurately reflect the skills, experience, education and other required credentials important to this position. Look for “buzzwords” and use them in your resume and questions/KSAs.

4. Be Concise Consider using bullets on your resume so that a recruiter

can easily identify your skills and experience. If a recruiter is skimming your resume, are they able to see

your qualifications in just a few seconds? Although being concise is important, don’t eliminate

relevant experience to save space- it is important to include ALL relevant experience, in an easily accessible manner.

5. The Sales Pitch Applications are read quickly, make certain you answer the

KSA in a clear and direct manner. Use the same language (read keywords/ buzzwords) that were used in the KSA.

For any questions about qualifications/degrees, state in the first line that you have the required degree/ qualification and then go into more detail.

If there is a question about writing ability, begin the answer by stating your writing experience. Examples include; writing memos and briefs, legal writing courses, and internships with Judges.

6. Use an Editor’s Eye KSA's should only address the question asked. Do

not try to include other skills or talents in your answer.

Have someone else read your answers and review your resume to ensure that you have answered the question being asked. Have no typos or grammatical errors.

7. Use Numbers to Highlight Your Accomplishments

Numbers can help to quantify an accomplishment and can give context that helps the reader gain perspective of the tasks.

Numbers can also be an effective way to quantify your successes

Numbers can also be used to show an ability to work on a team (if this is a skill for the job) e.g.. “Worked with a team of 5 attorneys and 2 paralegals….”

8. Think Money Similar to numbers, using amounts of money can help to

quantify and give perspective to your accomplishments. Before formatting your resume or answering KSAs, think

about the ways that you’ve made money (perhaps through grant writing or increasing donations), saved money (researched, identified and recommended a new vendor to save the organization 10 percent) or managed money (managed a budget of $20, 000).

9 . Think Time When formatting a federal resume or answering KSAs,

consider including the amount of time you spent on projects and accomplishments as a way to quantify your examples.

Specifically think about how you routinely manage your time to meet deadlines. Make statements that you met your deadlines- they might be internal deadlines for a judge or a supervisor, or an external deadline such as filings with a court.

Adapted from usajobs.gov, a United States Office of Personnel Management website

Helpful websites

www.makingthedifference.org www.partnershipforpublicservice.org www.pslawnet.org