Government Careers

Applying for Federal and Security-Related Jobs

Federal careers expert Derrick Dortch was online Wednesday, June 10, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss government job searching and military transition. Dortch is president of The Diversa Group, a firm that focuses on career counseling and development.

The transcript follows.

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Derrick Dortch: Good Morning, Good Morning! Today is a beautiful day and we are going to have a great show. There is a great deal going on out there as it relates the federal government. I know I may say this a lot but there is so much going on that it is very much so hard to keep up with. The big thing that came out this week is the President's push to create or save 600,000 jobs. You can learn about it here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/recovery/

Many of these jobs will be summer jobs and jobs that support the various transportation projects out there but on the federal side there still will be a need to bring in more people to oversee these projects, get money to these projects, ensure compliance and so on. Keep looking for jobs under the Recovery Act. As I mentioned before there is a push to get many people into these jobs by August.

I am not going to delay on getting to your questions because I want to make sure I can answer as many as possible. So if you have any questions about the federal job search, security clearances, military transition or how to succeed in your career in general please ask. Also is you have any good advice or would like to share some comments I would love to hear them.

As promised I am answering a question or two from the previous show and posting my response. Below is a question from VA Beach and my response to help her succeed.

Well without delay on to the show. THANK YOUR FOR STOPPING BY. You are truly appreciated. ENJOY THE SHOW!!!!

QUESTION FROM THE PREVIOUS SHOW

Virginia Beach, Va.: Because of family obligations, I had to leave the government after 30 years of work in the procurement field because of family obligations. Now because of the economy and the fact that I cannot get retirement for a few years, I am again seeking employment. I am experienced in procurement and understand that President Obama is looking to reform this part of the acquisition government process. USAJobs has not been conducive to getting employment and another Federal Jobs website just stores my information without much success. I have attend government job fairs and have not been called back into civil service. I am also a degreed candidate and is presently working on my MBA. My experience in the government has now been augmented with computer skills as I have worked for the Microsoft Corporation until the contract expired with a contact company. I would like to got a different route and use an online referral source such as LinkedIn so that I can get immediate consideration as I am sure to be an asset in the procurement reform that President Obama speaks on. Are you knowledgeable of an email address from a colleague in LinkedIn that I can network for a government job with my stellar accommodations. I need to know when is the next conversation that you will be having on line. Thanking you in advance.

Hello VA Beach,

Thanks for your question. Family is important so you did the right thing. The good thing is there are definitely federal positions out there and there will be an increase in them over the next couple of years. The area of contracts/procurement is very big and there a good number of jobs available. Also Secretary of Defense Gates mentioned earlier this year that Department of Defense (DoD) plans to bring back 13,000 personnel in this career field. Since you are in the Virginia Beach area you may want to direct your job search towards the military bases in the area since they do hire a good number of people. In doing a quick search on USAJOBS I found this position that may be just right for you that is in Norfolk, VA:

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CONTRACT SPECIALIST / ADMINISTRATOR / PROCUREMENT ANALYST (ACQUISITION)

SALARY RANGE:?40,093.00 - 169,504.00 USD /year

Please note that the actual salary will be based on grade level, job location, and the HR system (e.g., GS, DEMO, NSPS).

OPEN PERIOD:? Wednesday, May 20, 2009

to Thursday, May 20, 2010

POSITION INFORMATION:?

Various appointment and work schedules.

Permanent and time-limited positions may be filled from this announcement. Positions may have full time, part time, and/or intermittent work schedule. Time-limited positions may be extended at the discretion of management and in accordance with applicable regulations. Holiday/weekend and/or shift work may be required.

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=79304413

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I am sure you can find other positions in the surrounding areas but if you are willing to move then there are a large number of positions in Washington, DC and the surrounding area as well as other states.

Let me address you not getting any call backs. If you have this experience and you are not getting any results as it relates to calls for interviews or recruiters sitting down with you at career fairs then you need to take a serious look at your self-marketing materials. With the experience and education you have told me about you are very marketable and should be very competitive in the process so something about your federal resume, KSAs and any other self-marketing materials is not getting the attention you deserve and need. Take a serious look at your materials, possibly even have a professional critique your materials to determine what the problem is. There are several professional firms including mine that can provide you a resume critique. Either fix the problems yourself or have a professional or someone do it for you but after you rework your materials get back out there.

The time is definitely now.

I hope this helps. If you have more questions please contact me at dtd@diversagroup.com. Take care and I wish you much success.

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Washington, D.C.: Is there a realistic hope of getting an SES job if you are coming out of private industry or do those jobs mostly go to people promoted from within the government?

Derrick Dortch: The quick answer is yes, there are a good people who have come out of the private sector and come into the federal government in a Senior Executive Service (SES) position. On my radio show "Fed Access with Derrick T. Dortch" that airs each Friday at 12 noon on Federal News Radio 1500 AM and on FederalNewsRadio.com I have interviewed several agency heads who came into government from the private sector. Two examples are below. In my interviews with them I discuss how they entered federal government. I have included the links so you can listen how they got into government service.

The key for applying to an SES job is to really take a look at it closely and determine if you are truly qualified, If you do a qualifications analysis and the position seems right for you then the key is developing a very strong package that includes your Federal Resume, PTQs (Professional Technical Qualifications ) and most importantly your ECQs (Executive Core Qualifications). Having a strong package is critical so make you put some quality time in telling your success stories from your professional experiences that relate to the ECQs.

Here is the SES site:

http://www.opm.gov/ses/

Here are the interviews I mentioned above:

Ellen Herbst

Director of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

Part 1 of the Interview:

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=1590734

Part 2:

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=1596810

Tim Cox

Chief Executive Officer

Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH)

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=1664961

If you are qualified go for the SES position. Yes some rise up the ranks but you can definitely get in from the outside.

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Anonymous: I am interested in working for the IRS, but I'm 68 years old. If I'm otherwise qualified, are there age restrictions for federal agency positions?

Thank you.

Derrick Dortch: Thanks for your question Anonymous. There are no age restrictions to work for the federal government. There have been people who worked for the federal government well into their senior years. The only positions that have age restrictions are usually those that are law enforcement, Clandestine Service, or have some special mission where they want the person to enter usually before the age of 37. This is a small number of jobs. The majority of federal jobs have no age restrictions on them so definitely apply. The IRS and Census definitely need people on a consistent basis so take a look at both of them but look at all agencies and positions that you are qualified to apply to. The key for you is to make sure you have a strong package. Being 68 I am sure you have a great deal of work experience to put down. Make sure it represented in a targeted, powerful and persuasive way that will get you the interview.

When you go into the interview you should never be asked questions about age but make sure you present yourself in a manner that there is no concern about age and your performance. Show them that the wisdom, maturity, and skills you bring to the table will benefit them.

I hope this helps and please keep me abreast of how your job search goes. Take care and I wish you much success.

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Falls Church, Va.: Hello Mr. Dortch, I saw that you deal with international employment, so I was just wondering if we had to go through the regular process for a job like U.S. residents or do we need to mention any line in our resume to let the company know that we are international students seeking employment. I have a double masters degree -- One from the University of Findlay, Ohio in hospitality management and the second one in sociology from India. I was going through the job posting and I found a few but very interesting jobs that caught my attention and would love to be a part of it. Thank you!

Derrick Dortch: Thanks for your question Falls Church. Yes I do deal with International Employment. The answer is YES you do go through the process just like regular U.S. Citizens. Where the process will differ is really determined by your status. If you are Green Card holder then you can apply to most jobs in the United States because you are authorized to work here. The only jobs you can not apply to are Federal Jobs but there are some federal jobs that do allow Green Card holders to apply, They are rare but there are some out there.

If you have a VISA you can work in the United States but your restrictions are really based on your VISA status and how long you can be in the country. Some employers will want to take a look at that when they are hiring you.

To really answer your question I would need to know more about your specific situation but in the job search you definitely apply by developing a targeted, powerful and persuasive resume and cover letter focused on certain jobs and then you go through the interview process. You need to know your status and what it allows you to do because every employer does not always know so if they have questions you may have to educate them and put them at ease if they are hesitant to hire you.

One suggestion is that you can focus your job search on Multinational Companies, Non-Profits and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who operate in multiple countries and hire multinationals all the time. These organizations will know how to effectively deal with any VISA and work issues and will also sometimes sponsor you.

Contact me directly at dtd@diversagroup.com if you have more questions. This can be a complicated process and can sometimes be tough to give a complete answer in this format.

You can also find more information on work authorization and VISAs at www.uscis.gov. Look for Employment Authorization.

I hope this helps. Take care and I wish you much success.

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Springfield, Va.: It seems that landing a federal job entails doing the exact same job previously. Is this the case?

Derrick Dortch: Thanks for your question. I would not say that this is true. Some jobs you have to really get into the federal government to learn how to do but that is the case with many jobs. The key is to really show that you are qualified. You have to be able to match what I call your SEEQ (Skills, Experience, Education/Training, and Qualifications) with the positions you are interested in and then show it in your federal resume, KSAs/Essay Responses, and other supporting materials. Many times what we do has direct parallels to what the government is asking for. We just have to figure out what those parallels are. Let me give you one example.

I met with a person recently who once served as a missionary and was in charge of a program of getting missionaries into certain hotspots around the world to provide assistance and to talk about God, Jesus Christ, and Salvation. He expressed interest in national security and intelligence. In our conversation I pulled out how him being in charge of this program was very relevant and would be marketable in to the Intelligence Community. He wondered how so I explained.

First: The Intelligence Community (IC) loves International experience. Spending time on the ground in a country, especially areas where you were able to really work in that country provides valuable knowledge and experience as it relates to cultural intelligence. A country's religious, political, cultural viewpoints will affect how they look at the United States, how they respond to certain international situations and so on. Having these cultural experiences is very important to the IC.

Second: Being in charge of this program and putting people on the ground in a country that was in crisis requires him to do a great deal of intelligence gathering and operational planning. He uses OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) to get information on the country, to assess the security environment on the ground, and to determine what is the best way to keep his people safe while they do their work. He does operational planning as it relates to logistics, travel to, from and in the country and much more.

Third: He does a great deal with HUMINT (Human Intelligence) as he talks to people on the ground, builds relationships with church leaders, tribal leaders, government leaders and more.

I could go on but I hope you see where I am coming from. Many times you have to find how your experience relates to the job you are applying to in the federal government. From there you have to present that in your federal resume, KSAs and other materials.

If you need help in doing this or have more question please contact me at dtd@diversagroup.com. I hope this helps. Take care and I wish you much success.

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Annapolis, Md.: Derrick, can you tell us of any upcoming D.C. area career fairs or information sessions where representatives of the intelligence community, specifically the CIA, will be available to discuss opportunities?

Derrick Dortch: Hello Annapolis,

The one thing that I will give some members of the Intelligence Community credit for is that they will let you know where they will be participating in career fairs. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Security Agency (NSA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are usually three of the best in doing this:

DIA Recruiting and Hiring Events

http://www.dia.mil/employment/events.htm

NSA Career Fair Schedule

http://www.nsa.gov/applications/careers/recruit_events/index.cfm

FBI - Recruiting Events

https://www.fbijobs.gov/21.asp

The good thing about seeing where these agencies will be is that when you find one agency participating in one of these career fairs/recruiting events you will more than likely see several other agencies participating.

I hope this helps. If you need more information on the IC contact me directly at dtd@diversagroup.com. Take care and I wish you much success.

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Bitterville: My fiancee and I have been applying for a variety of federal positions and are repeatedly encountering the same frustrations. Many of the position-specific questions are worded in such a way that you have to answer "yes" or "no" to whether you have performed a specific task for 52 weeks, rather than asking for examples of the pertinent abilities that would qualify you to handle the job. I realize this makes it easy for some low-level drone to winnow down the candidates, but if the government is facing a crisis in staffing, with huge numbers of high level employees retiring in the coming years, why is the system not improving in ways that make it possible to attract and hire qualified people from the private sector? The current system seems biased in favor of those who are already "in" (regardless of how low level they were when they got there) and those who are fresh out of college and can sail through a clearance because they have no past to check out. Meanwhile, those of us with highly responsible jobs in the private sector are at a disadvantage because our "tasks" do not perfectly match those of a federal position -- regardless of the fact that we have held positions of far greater authority and could perform said tasks blindfolded. Is there anything in the works to change this? Thanks.

Derrick Dortch: Hello Bitterville,

First, you are not alone in your frustration. I hear it from many people and I can say that some agencies are definitely moving forward in the process of trying to change the application process. It sounds like you and your future spouse have some good qualifications but you may need to rethink some of the strategies you are using to get in the door. I don't know specifics based on your question but contact me directly at dtd@diversagroup.com and lets talk and see if I can provide you some direction that will yield some results.

Do not give up. There are federal jobs out there for you. I know the process can be long and frustrating. I see things from both sides so I hear why federal agencies do set up the process the way they do but I also hear the frustration that people have because its such a long process and they feel that they are applying and their resume goes into a black hole and they never hear any response.

There is a way to get past this so contact me and lets see if we can turn Bitterville into HAPPYVILLE!

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Columbia, Md.: Hi! I am currently pregnant and have decided not to continue at my current job once I deliver. I do have the option of staying at home, but would really prefer a federal job, particularly ones that highly support teleworking or flexible/condensed work schedules. Since moving to D.C. 10 years ago, I have applied to many government jobs and have been curtailed by the extremely long response time it has taken for agencies to get back to my application. My questions are: Is this still the case? i.e. I should start applying now b/c it will take months before anything happens? And, is it possible to achieve a coveted telework of flex work federal job for someone who has never been a fed employee? Any advice tips you can give me would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

Derrick Dortch: Hello Columbia, MD,

Thanks for your question. The process has greatly improved in the past 10 years. Many changes have taken place since 1999. I have been working with helping people get into the government since before this time and there has been many advancements in the federal hiring process. The one thing that has not necessarily changed is the length of the process. That really depends on the agency. Some have gotten better and others are still the same but the one good thing I can say is that there will be a good amount of federal hiring this year and over the next two years so it is a good time to plan to get into the federal government.

Let me make this suggestion. Take this time right now to really plan out your federal job search. Think about what agencies and positions you want to target and begin developing your materials that are targeted, powerful and persuasive. Do your homework on agencies. Look at the ones who do have Telework programs and look at positions in them. Here is a list of agencies with Telework Programs already in place. Each of them have a Telework Coordinator:

Click an organization to view contact information.

Agency for International Development (AID)

American Battle Monuments Commission

Agriculture (USDA)

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)

Commerce (DOC)

Defense (DoD)

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

Education

EEOC

Energy

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

Export Import Bank

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Federal Labor Relations Agency (FLRA)

Federal Mediation and Conciliatory Board (FMCB)

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

General Services Administration (GSA)

Health and Human Services (HHS)

Homeland Security (DHS)

Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS)

Interior (DOI)

International Trade Commission (ITC)

Justice (DOJ)

Labor (DOL)

Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

National Archives

National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

National Mediation Board (NMB)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

National Security Agency (NSA)

Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC)

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Securities and Exchange Commission

Small Agency Council

Small Business Administration

Smithsonian

Social Security Administration (SSA)

Selective Service System

State

Transportation (DOT)

Treasury

United States Postal Service (USPS)

U.S. Courts

Veterans Affairs (VA)

You can also find more information on Telework at: http://www.telework.gov/

Also I would suggest you take a look at Best Places to Work site developed by the Partnership for Public Service. This way you can look at agencies who may have the work/life balance you need and want. You can find that site here:

http://data.bestplacestowork.org/bptw/index

I would suggest you do your planning now and then wait till you have your baby to start the process. You may find you do not want to jump back out into the job market right away. Since you do have the option you can really take your time and do some good planning and preparation. You may want to hire an career expert to help you in the process so that when you are ready you will have your strategy in place as well as your target agencies and your materials ready to apply.

Let me also say this. I want you to keep monitoring USAJOBS, AVUECENTRAL.com and the agencies websites to see what jobs become available. Make sure you keep yourself in the loop. If you do see that dream job that does open up do not wait to apply. If you do get a call about the interview and you are near the time when you will have the baby many agencies will understand and something can be worked out to accommodate you.

I could go on and on with advice but have to close up so I hope this is helpful. If you have any other questions please contact me at dtd@diversagroup.com.

Congrats on your upcoming baby!!!

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Silver Spring, Md.: Is there someone who could fix our resume according to the standard of the government requirements. I heard that the format for the resumes for the government is different.

Derrick Dortch: Contact me directly and I will provide you a list of firms who do this.

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Chicago, Ill.: I recently had a second interview with a federal agency in Washington, D.C. At the end of the interview, they said that they wanted to make a decision fast, but there was a possibility that I would have to speak to one more person. I'm concerned that they will want me to travel to D.C. again for a third interview. I have already been there twice at my own expense. I am very interested in the position, and really need to find something as I'm currently unemployed. But it seems unreasonable to me that they would ask me back a third time at my own expense. If the issue of a third interview arises, what is your advice? At that point, can I at least ask questions to find out how serious they are, such as how many people they are still considering, and what they are hoping to get from a third interview? I hesitate to ask for a phone interview, but would that be reasonable at this point? Or do you think it would be a point against me? Thank you!

Derrick Dortch: Chicago,

I think I received and email from you. If not contact me directly at dtd@diversagroup.com again today and I will make sure we talk by tomorrow. Congrats on the second interview!

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Washington, D.C.: Mr. Dortch, could you discuss the laws governing the hiring practice of agencies as it relates to hiring veterans? I understand that if a veteran applies and makes the referral list the hiring agency MUST hire the vet over other applicants. Is this true?

Derrick Dortch: Hello Washington, D.C.

I will make sure I answer this question in detail for next show.

My producer is telling me that I have to close. We will be back in two weeks with another great show and I will answer this question above and another from this week and post them in my intro. Thank you so very much for stopping by and submitting your questions and comments. You are very much so appreciated. I also want to say thank you to my Producer Sakina for the great work she does in producing my show.

Also this week I will be talking to the Director of the Medical Reserve Corp (MRC) on my radio show "Fed Access with Derrick T. Dortch" on Federal News Radio 1500 AM at 12 noon. MRC is a federal volunteer program that provides emergency medical response and health services in the community. Its a great way to network and get valuable experience. Definitely an interesting program and you may want to get involved so tune in.

Till next time take care, be careful, enjoy this great weather and I wish you much success in your career, work, and life.

Derrick T. Dortch

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