2008 flicc career and job fair finding a federal job from michele masias

transcript

Info Professionals in Federal Government

So you want to be a fed!

Michele MasiasLaw LibrarianU.S. Department of Justice

Discussion Points

Employment Outlook

Types of Federal Libraries and Jobs

Finding a Government Job

Applying for a Government Job

Federal Resume

KSAs: Knowledge, Skills, & Ability

Interviewing Tips

Questions

Employment Outlook

Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics: The Fact Book, 2005 ed.: http://www.opm.gov/feddata/factbook/2005/factbook2005.pdf

Barr, Stephen. Senators Urge Government to Streamline Hiring Process. Washington Post, Friday May 9, 2008, D04.

Best Places to work in the Federal Governmenthttp://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/about/

2.7 million employees2.7 million employees

300,000 new hires per 300,000 new hires per yearyear

1/3 eligible to retire by 1/3 eligible to retire by 20122012

$61K / $79K$61K / $79K

Federal Libraries

• Agency Libraries• Academic Libraries• Medical Libraries• Law Libraries• School Libraries (DODDS)• Museums & Historical Centers• Family Libraries (Air Base, Army Post,

others)• Scientific & Technical Libraries & Info

Centers

What is a Job Series?

• 1410 – Librarian Series• 1411 – Library Technician Series• 1412 – Technical Information Services Series• 1420 – Archivist Series• 1421 – Archives Technician Series• 1499 – Library and Archives Student Trainee

Series

More information: http://www.opm.gov/fedclass/text/gs-1400.htm

How Can I Find Government Job?

• USA Jobs – http://www.usajobs.opm.gov

The Mother Ship!The Mother Ship!

OPM.gov – http://www.opm.gov

The Devil is in the Details!The Devil is in the Details!

FEDERAL RESUME

• May be on paper or electronic– Follow the announcement carefully

• How a Federal resume differs from a private sector resume:– Always in reverse chronological order (most recent

jobs first)– Two - six pages long (3-5 for electronic)– Contains compliance information

• Announcement number• Title and grade of job• Social Security Number• Country of citizenship (most require US citizenship)• Veterans’ preference, etc.• Highest Federal civilian grade held

There’s More!

• Work Experience– Job title with series and grade if government, duties and

accomplishments, employer’s name and address, supervisor’s name and phone number, starting and ending dates (mo/yr), hours per week, salary, and indication whether supervisor can be contacted.

• Education– High school through college

• Name, address, date of diploma• Training

– Course title and year taken• Job-related Skills

– List language skills, computer skills, typing speed, etc.• Job-related Honors, Awards, Professional Memberships,

Leadership activities

The Dreaded KSAs

• Knowledge: An organized body of information, usually of a factual or procedural nature, which, if applied, makes adequate performance on the job possible.

• Skills: The proficient manual, verbal, or mental manipulation of data, people, or things. Observable, quantifiable, measurable.

• Abilities: The power to perform an activity at the present time. Implied is a lack of discernible barriers, either physical or mental, to performing the activity.

• Context: Describe the situation.• Challenge: Describe what needed to be done.• Action: Describe specifically what you did – your role• Results: Describe the outcome in concrete, verifiable

Writing Tips

• Write in the first person (“I”)• Plain English – down to earth – interesting, thought

provoking• Brag tactfully – Can quote from written awards or use

statistics.• Buzzwords/Keywords (Especially important for

electronic scanning of resumes and KSAs)– Use many of the keywords from the announcement

without overdoing it– Winning Words

• Action Verbs – ex. Train, analyze, recommend• Specific Nouns – ex. Reports, budget, policies• Descriptors – Accurate, National, Monthly, Diverse• Results – Increased, Quicker, Reduced, Improved

Interviewing Tips

• Research the agency & be prepared to ask questions about what you want to know about the organization

• Ask yourself: is this the right job for me?

• Learn the questions that are commonly asked & practice

• Show up on time & look your best

• Be prepared for anything!

Contact Information

Questions???

Michele MasiasLaw Librarian

U.S. Department of JusticeWashington, D.C. 20530

202.616.7734Michele.Masias@usdoj.gov

2008 flicc career and job fair finding a federal job from michele masias

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