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Jobs in Government – Trends and
Opportunities
By Mary Chapman
The federal government is the nation’s largest employer, yet many college
students don’t think of civil service when considering careers. In fact, only 3
percent of the current full-time federal workforce is under 25, according to the
non-profit Partnership for Public Service (PPS). There are opportunities,
however. The largest federal agencies project they will hire about 193,000 new
workers over the next two years, mostly due to an aging workforce, the PPS said.
If stepped-up college recruitment
efforts succeed, the agencies should have little trouble filling many of
those positions. As it now stands, however, the government is struggling
to compete with the private sector for high-demand talent, particularly
on college campuses.
“Most of the time when students graduate
they don’t think about the federal government, which is why (government
recruiters) have been so proactive the last several years,” said Ruben
Britt, assistant director of the career and academic planning center,
Rowan University in New Jersey.
Britt said agencies such as the U.S.
Mint, the General Services Administration and the Department of
Agriculture have recently visited his campus, many of them looking for
liberal arts majors; of course, agencies such as the Army Corps of
Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency are seeking majors in
science-related fields.
In any case, colleges are increasingly
doing their part to present government employment as a career option.
For example, each year Rowan has what it calls its Federal Government
Day, when reps discuss with students what their agencies have to offer.
“Salaries are very competitive with the
private sector, especially considering benefits like pensions, tuition
reimbursement and flex-time,” Britt said.
Indeed, government employers have
strengthened their on-campus presence and none too soon. Federal
government recruiting decreased during the government’s hiring freeze in
the late 1990s, and faces increased competition from private and
non-profit sectors.
In late 2005 a new congressionally
funded effort titled the Call to Serve Recruitment Initiative – designed
to promote federal service – looked at how government could better
recruit college students into civil service.
A follow-up 2007 study concluded, among
other things, that cost-efficient federal recruiting efforts can make a
difference; exposure can raise student awareness and improve perceptions
of federal government; the more students know about federal service, the
more they like it; and technology is useful, but a physical campus
presence is most effective.There has been progress. In the study,
for example, students at Clark Atlanta University were asked whether
they had heard anything within the last six months about opportunities
in federal government. Forty percent had in 2005, compared to 62
percent had in 2007.
If Joe Abbott has his way every student
will know about U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a component of
Homeland Security. The director for national recruitment, Abbott said
his agency has upped its on-campus efforts in recent years. After all, a
click on the agency’s Web site, www.cbp.gov, reveals openings in many
fields, including agriculture and auditing.
Still, the agency is heavily comprised
of border patrol agents – firearm wielding, bilingual law enforcement
officials responsible for securing U.S. borders and protecting support
staff – and some of these same agents can be seen on college campuses.
“They also serve as recruiters, men and
women who can talk about these jobs, and know what they’re talking
about,” Abbott said.
The agency particularly likes to visit
campuses where it has relationships with the administration and student
groups, and those that have accounting, agriculture, auditing and
criminal justice departments, he explained.
“We’re looking for people who want a
career in law enforcement, people who want to serve the country but not
in the military and those who like the outdoors and dealing with
people,” Abbott said, adding that most of the agency’s employees have
historically come from the private sector.
Michael Douglas heads up the agency’s
newly established minority recruitment strike team, which ultimately
hopes to increase African-American employment at CBP from 1.2 percent to
at least 5 percent in the next two years.
“We’re going to be using a
cultural-based approach to recruit,” said Douglas, also an assistant
chief patrol agent. Recruiters will first focus on schools in Louisiana
and Mississippi this winter, followed by Alabama and Georgia.
“We’re looking at areas where there are
few applicants,” he said. “They don’t know who we are or what we do. I’m
from Kentucky, and I had never heard of border patrol in my life.”
Douglas said some students have been put
off by the Spanish language requirement. As with many government
positions, students also must get through a months-long application
process that calls for background checks and drug tests.
And there are other
challenges.
“In some places along the southwest U.S.
border, they may be the only Black person in that whole city,” said
Douglas. “Sometimes it’s hard to adjust to.”
Still, after attending the 55-day
academy, border patrol agents can earn about $70,000 annually after 2.5
years, Abbott said. They also have many opportunities for advancement in
a sector not subject to job-threatening mergers and acquisitions.
“We’re not going to get bought out by
Boeing,” said Abbott. “Congress has made it very clear that border
patrol is a priority in this country. It’s not a novelty that’s going to
wear off.”
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Carla E. James is one of only
10 female African-American Border Patrol agents in the
nation. She protects the Arizona-Mexico border.
(Photo Credit – courtesy U.S. Customs and
Border Protection) |
Carla James is said to be the agency’s
first African-American female border patrol agent, joining two weeks
after graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma with a criminal
justice degree. Now an 11-year veteran based in Tucson, Ariz., James
said she loves what she does.
“I chose a government career because I
was looking for a challenge, and more opportunity and freedom. I’ve
gotten that,” said James, who is fluent in Spanish but admits to
sometimes having trouble with dialects.
“We’re outdoors, and I don’t do the same
thing every day.”
Other efforts are afoot to promote
government employment among college students. Delores Dyer is program
specialist for national historic landmarks with the Department of
Interior, National Park Service. But she also serves on the Federal
Executives Board’s Partners in Equality Council, established not to
recruit per se, but to establish partnerships with colleges that
hopefully will lead to government jobs.
“We met with some colleges and
universities to find out what information we can bring regarding federal
employment,” Dyer said. “We discovered that college grads were not aware
of the benefits that the federal sector has to offer in the way of
employment.”
The 35-member council, comprised of
representatives of a cross-section of federal agencies, conducts
workshops at colleges and universities.
Al Johnson, director of career services
at Alcorn University near Lorman, Miss., said he also has noticed an
uptick in the number of federal agencies on his campus. “Anything that
deals with Homeland Security is on the upswing with us,” Johnson noted,
adding that the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and
Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Secret Services, ATF, FBI,
DOE, and several branches of USDA also have relationships with Alcorn.
“You get a (cost of living allowance)
every year, and if you keep your nose clean you get a promotion,”
Johnson said.
Each fall, Richard Stockton College of
New Jersey hosts a federal job search panel, consisting of
representatives of federal government. “We invite them out because the
federal job search process is complex, and a lot of students don’t
understand what it takes to apply,” said Walter Tarver, director of
career services.
Agencies on the panel include the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and
the Internal Revenue Service. “When it’s the government, people
sometimes think negative,” said Tarver. “But there are a lot of
opportunities, and interest has increased.”
Sandra Gibson, assistant director of
career services, North Carolina’s Elizabeth City State University, said
several government agencies visit her campus, including Homeland
Security, the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
“Technology is great, but these are
agencies that actually visit the campus, and that’s always best,” Gibson
said, adding that her office helps students with the federal government
application process.
According to USA.gov, the “best places
to work” in the federal government in 2007 was led by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of State and
Government Accountability Office, and the Justice Department. More than
280 federal agencies were taken into account.
Within the next two years, it is
projected that nearly 80 percent of federal job openings will be in five
professional fields: security, protection, compliance and enforcement;
accounting, budget and business; engineering and sciences; medical and
public health; and program management/analysis and administration.
That range of fields covers a lot of
ground, and prospective employees.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out and take a
challenge,” said Dyer of the Partners In Equality Council concerning
government employment. “Stay open-minded. The opportunities are there.”
Tips for
Finding Government Jobs
1. In
some fields, government jobs require background investigations. Anything
except complete honesty during the application process will
automatically eliminate you from contention.
2. Even
if no one in your family has ever had a government job, don’t be afraid
to take on new challenges.
3. A
willingness to relocate – sometimes overseas – could help with a
government career. If there is a desire to travel, a civil service
career could be an option for you.
4.
Consider the entire package before deciding on an employer or career
track. For example, some private sector positions may offer more
starting salary, but recruiters say government jobs often have better
benefits and more opportunities for advancement. And with corporate
acquisitions, buyouts and mergers out of the equation, there is more job
security.
5. Begin
your government application process early in your senior year. Depending
on the position, the process could last a couple of months.
6. Check
out Web sites for particular government agencies to see what positions
they have to offer, and what is required.
7. Being
open to learning a language, particularly Spanish, will help to nab some
government positions.
8. Talk
with your career services director about government opportunities.
9. Check
out USA.gov to get an idea of what kind of government jobs are available
now.
10. As
with the private sector, an internship can only help garner entry-level
hiring. Check out the federal internship directory -
www.makingthedifference.org for opportunities. |
