The federal government has thousands of job openings every year. From positions as national park rangers, lawyers and medical professionals to carpenters, electricians, cooks and clerical workers, federal agencies provide an exceptional range of opportunities. They also offer competitive pay and excellent benefits. And most people with criminal records are welcomed and eligible to apply — with some exceptions.
The only issue could be how do you manage to navigate the bureaucracy and get one of these positions? Applying for government jobs can be more involved than applying for those in the private sector. Although they may have the appropriate qualifications, many applicants are disqualified because they make minor errors, such as not including a date or sufficient work experience details. Or they forget to upload a required form.
Government officials realize that applying for federal jobs is a challenge for many people. And, in order to broaden the pool of diverse candidates, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has created a series of webinars. They are presented by the staff of the OPM’s Recruitment Policy and Outreach division. Although the webinars are free, each is limited to 1,500 participants. And registration is required.
The webinars, and the dates they will take place are:
Writing Your Federal Resume
In this webinar, participants will learn how to write a competitive federal resume. It will be offered on:
- July 23, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- August 10, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
- August 27, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- Sept 15, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
Navigating USAJOBS – Finding and Applying for Federal Jobs
USAJOBS is the federal government’s employment website. This webinar will help job seekers navigate the site. They will learn how to create a profile, search for desired positions, apply for jobs and check their application status. It will be offered on:
- August 5, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- August 26, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- Sept 9, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
Interviewing
Learning how the federal government conducts interviews will give applicants a better understanding of what will take place when they happen. This webinar covers the types of interviews that federal agencies conduct, how they conduct them and how to prepare. It also includes information on the questions that interviewers are likely to ask and how to respond using the S.T.A.R. (Situation/Task, Action, Result) method. The dates for this webinar are:
- July 27, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- August 6, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- August 25, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
- Sept 17, 2020 at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
- Sept 30, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Once you are ready to find and apply for a federal government job (or jobs), in addition to exploring USAJOBS, you may want to consider The U.S. Postal Service. They are constantly hiring new employees and provide excellent opportunities for those who qualify. One of our most popular articles offers information on just how to go about applying for a postal service job. Good luck!
