By Derrick T. Dortch
Thursday, February 3, 2011; B03

With all the talk of hiring and pay freezes at federal agencies and consolidation of various functions of multiple agencies, it seems there won't be many federal jobs left. But future job seekers should not worry. The demise of the federal government has been greatly exaggerated.

As long as there is a federal government, there will be federal opportunities.

No doubt, though, that some programs, personnel and hiring will take a hit. But some things will remain in place, including some level of focus on a diverse workforce.

Several programs have been set up to assist in developing a workforce that looks like the country's population. The programs have various names, among them, Special Emphasis Programs, Selective Placement Programs, Employment Programs and Employment Initiatives. Throughout the federal government, the programs are designed to assist in the recruitment and career advancement of veterans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Hispanics, disabled veterans, people with disabilities, women and, in some cases, military spouses.

Each special emphasis, selective placement or employment initiative will have a program manager that serves as the resource person or adviser on concerns for a particular constituency.

For example: On Nov. 9, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13518, Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government. The order established the Veterans Employment Initiative, which is designed to assist people who have served in the military find federal government employment. Its Web site, FedsHireVets.gov, provides resources, including a directory of Veteran Employment Program managers.

There is the Selective Placement Program for those who have disabilities. Most federal agencies have a Selective Placement Program Coordinator, Special Emphasis Manager (SEM) for employment of adults with disabilities, or equivalent, who helps agency management recruit, hire and accommodate people with disabilities. Part of these managers' job is to advise other agency managers about job candidates with disabilities. A directory of Selective Placement Coordinators is available at www.opm.gov/disability.

For women, there is the Federal Women's Program (FWP). Most agencies have a Federal Women's Program Manager who can be contacted about opportunities. For African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, there are also special employment programs with program managers who can be contacted to assist in providing information about recruitment initiatives and career advancement.

Many times these special managers are based in the human resources, equal employment, civil rights or diversity office within an agency. You can search for these managers online, including using google.com/unclesam and search.usa.gov.

Remember, the more you know and the more contacts you have, the more success you can achieve.

Got a question about getting hired? Post it in the comments sectionfor this column at washingtonpost.com/fedpage or e-mail federal jobs expert Derrick T. Dortch at federalworker@washpost.com.