Federal Government Jobs

Finding Federal Jobs

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) maintains a database, USA JOBS, for nearly all federal government jobs, including vacancies in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and civilian positions in the military departments; the database is updated daily. The site allows you to search for employment by state, agency, etc. Use your browser's "Back" button to return to EcoEmploySM.

• USAJOBS - The official and free federal government jobs database.
  
  
• Learn about student employment  (text version).
  
  
• Jobs in major federal government laboratories.
  
  
• Find out about the Presidential Management Fellows Program.
  
  
• Consider EPA Internships.
  
  
• View federal wages and salaries (OPM)
  
  
• Get more information about civilian jobs in Defense.
  
  
• Additional job information for past and present military personnel.

Applying for Federal Jobs

Many positions can be applied for with a résumé, but it must contain all the same information requested in the federal job application (OF-612), especially (as quoted from OPM):

• Job Information - Announcement number, title and grade.
  
  
• Personal Information - Full name, mailing address (with zip code), day and evening telephone numbers (with area codes), Social Security number, country of citizenship, veterans' preference, reinstatement eligibility, highest federal civilian grade held.
  
  
• Education - High school (name, city, and state), colleges or universities (name, city, and state), majors, types and year of any degrees received (if no degree, show total credits earned and indicate whether semester or quarter hours).
  
  
• Work Experience - job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and telephone number, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours per week, salary, and indicate whether or not your current supervisor may be contacted. Prepare a separate entry for each job.
  
  
• Other Qualifications - job related training courses (title and year); job-related skills; job-related certificates and licenses; job-related honors, awards, and special accomplishments.
  
  
  
  

Federal job announcements usually contain detailed instructions, follow them exactly. In addition to the résumé / application form, be sure to include all other required documentation specified in the announcement, such as veteran or disability documentation, college transcripts, etc.

Make sure you include an attachment, called a Supplemental Experience Statement (also known as a Narrative Statement), describing how you are proficient in each of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's) mentioned in the announcement; be sure to mention accomplishments, awards, specialized training, etc. that are relavant to the KSA's. The response to each KSA item should be one-half page to one page in length. At the top of each page list your name, social security number, job title, and vacancy announcement number. The KSA's are also known as Knowledge, Abilities, Skills, and Other Characteristics (KASOCS), Ranking Factors, or Qualification Criteria.

• Download the federal job application in PDF format, visit the OPM forms library, or call 912-757-3000 (TDD 912-744-2299).
  
  
• Official career information from the:
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Forest Service
  • Geological Survey
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • National Park Service
  • Smithsonian Institution
  
  

A Warning about Federal Job Scams

The links above demonstrate that free and official sources exist for finding federal jobs and related information. You should never have to pay for it! There are Web sites, newspaper ads, and magazine ads that claim to help you find federal jobs for a fee -- beware! More information about the scams is available.