Feeling uneasy about your job security? Worried about the future of your industry? Perhaps it's time to consider working for Uncle Sam. Unlike many other employers, the federal sector is hiring. In fact, the feds are looking to fill 193,000 positions by 2009, according to a report by the Partnership for Public Service.
But if you're not crazy about the idea of moving to the swamp, a.k.a Washington, D.C., you can take comfort in the fact that 86 percent of federal jobs exist outside the capital. Thousands of positions are available in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, San
Diego, Norfolk-Virginia Beach, New York City, Salt Lake City, and Oklahoma City.
The types of opportunities in government vary widely, but the positions highest in demand are for police officers, investigators, food inspectors, security and prison
guards, airport
screeners, customs and border patrol agents, immigration agents and
intelligence analysts. Part of the demand comes from high waves of retiring federal workers. The remaining demand stems mostly from what's politically hot and/or the emerging priorities in the security realm.
If you're interested in a federal job already, a few facts might sweeten the deal for you. First, the federal government offers locality pay to subsidize the higher cost of living in more expensive cities. Second, some federal agencies offer
recruitment bonuses, relocation incentives, and student loan repayments up to $60,000 in exchange for service. And then of course there are the more well known incentives, like retirement benefits based upon salary and years of service, and 401K contribution matching - something that might not be helpful now during a plummeting market but does hold value for the future...we hope.
As expected, government jobs are in high demand. So the best advice we can give you is to apply early and expect waits of six to eight months before hearing anything about the job. Given the nature of the recruitment process and the high volume of job applicants, it takes considerably longer to hear back from the government about a job than it would to hear from the private sector. The good news is, few people lack the patience to fill out more than two job applications for the fed, so the longer the application is, the better your chances of getting the job may actually be.
Read More: 10 tips for landing a federal job