Government Careers

Applying for Federal and Security-Related Jobs

Federal careers expert Derrick Dortch will be online to discuss government job searching and military transition on Wednesday, July 8, at 11 a.m. ET. Dortch is president of The Diversa Group, a firm that focuses on career counseling and development.

Find more career-related news and advice in our Jobs section.

The transcript follows.

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Derrick Dortch: Good Morning, Good Morning! Today is a beautiful sunny day and we are going to have a great show. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. I had a chance to go down to the fireworks and talk to many of the law enforcement and first responders as well as some of the people attending and it was a very peaceful, wonderful celebration that everyone enjoyed. There is a lot going on that I want to share with you so I am going to start off with that today.

CAREER FAIR: The Partnership for Public Service (PPS) will be sponsoring a Public Service Career and Internship Fair. The Partnership for Public Service will be hosting its annual Public Service Career and Internship Fair on July 16, 2009 from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at the National Building Museum. Last year's fair brought together 67 federal agencies and 3,000 students and young professionals to promote government career and internship opportunities, and we anticipate an even larger crowd this year! There will be a large number of agencies there who you can talk to. What I suggest is that you do your homework. Find out what agencies will be in attendance and then begin looking on the agency website at the career section as well as looking at the agencies on USAJOBS. Find out what jobs are available that match what I call your SEEQ (Skills, Education, Experience, and Qualifications). Print those jobs out and develop targeted self marketing materials around the position. Remember targeting is important when developing your self-marketing materials (resume, federal resume, KSAs, etc). On the day of the fair, take your self-marketing materials with you along with the jobs of interest and then have a very targeted, strategic conversation with the representative from the agency. While you are talking to them show them how what you have in terms of your SEEQ is a direct match to what they need. Show them also that you know the business of that agency.

Now keep in mind this. Many of these agencies will not always have recruiters or HR personnel there. Some will be employees from different departments who are representing their agency. Many of these people will direct you to the website or provide you information. This is great but you are there to make a contact to push your process forward. If you are being directed to more informational sites or material make sure you continue to show how you are a good fit and also ask good questions about the position and the agency. Be persistent and assertive but not too much. Do it with the right mix of finesse. If they are not taking resumes make sure you ask if there is a HR point of contact or Recruiter that you can follow up with to ask questions to and send your resume. Also ask for the person who you talk to for information. Some may give it to you and some may not. Do not be discouraged if they do not. The key is to try. For some agencies you will be successful.

The key to this and any career fair is to get some face time. Even if you have met with agencies before at other fairs or events and its one of your agencies of interest make sure you go and talk to them again. It may be a different person or the same person. If its a new person then you have a new person who is possibly a point of contact. If is a representative you have spoken to before then you are showing your persistence. The more preparation you do ahead of this and any other event the more you will get out of it. Trust me if you make the right impression and can show that you are a direct match by demonstrating your knowledge of the agency and the issues they are dealing with and that your SEEQ will allow you to come in and help them deal with these issues effectively then you might just get an interview out of the fair.

Here is more information on the fair:

http://www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/programs/calltoserve/careerfair.shtml

I will be there walking around so I hope to see many people there. There will be a career fair for veterans and their spouses on July 17th being sponsored by Department of Homeland Security. DHS has a large number of jobs available and they are definitely looking for good people. For veterans this is great job fair for you to attend. If you are not a veteran do not worry many DHS departments will be at other career fairs in the next few months. I know Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be aggressively attending career fairs as well as NASCAR and PRO Bull Rider Events and setting up recruiting booths. You can see this schedule here:

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/careers/recruiting_events/rcruit_evts_near.xml

Here is the information on the Veteran Job Fair for DHS: Veterans Job Fair, July 17, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel,100 H St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20001Constitution Room A, Level 3B)

(Take Metro Center stop, exit at 11th Street) The job fair is open to all active duty, retired, former service, Reserve/National Guard servicemembers and their spouses. Explore career opportunities in law enforcement, immigration and travel security, prevention and response, and mission support by attending the job fair and talking to representatives. Learn more about the Department that touches the lives of all Americans and find out how Departmental careers contribute to the mission of defending America. Speak to Department professionals about continuing your service to America.

Workshops

• How to apply for federal jobs
• Understanding and applying veterans preference in federal hiring
  
  

I also want to talk to you really quickly about Schedules A, B, and C. There are some positions within the federal government that fall under these schedules. OPM says this about these schedules: OPM provides excepted service hiring authorities to fill special jobs or to fill any job in unusual or special circumstances under "Schedules A, B, and C." These excepted service authorities enable agencies to hire when it is not feasible or not practical to use traditional competitive hiring procedures, and can streamline hiring.

Let me give you a break down of the schedules. This comes directly from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM): Schedule A Appointing Authorities: These authorities describe special jobs and situations for which it is impractical to use standard qualification requirements and to rate applicants using traditional competitive procedures. For example, you must use a Schedule A exception to hire attorneys because, by law, OPM cannot develop qualification standards or examinations for attorney jobs. You can use exceptions for other special jobs, including chaplain, law clerk trainee, medical doctor, dentist, certain interpreters, experts for consultation purposes, and some others.

Other Schedule A exceptions will enable you to fill any job under special circumstances. Examples include:

• When you have a critical hiring need to fill a short-term job or to fill a continuing job pending completion of examining, clearances, or other procedures.
  
• When you have a temporary or part-time job in a remote or isolated location.
  
• When you must hire a noncitizen because no qualified citizen is available.
  
• When you must quickly staff a temporary board or commission established by law or Executive order.
  

You can also use Schedule A authority to hire applicants with mental retardation or a severe physical or psychiatric disability to fill any job in which the person is able to perform with or without reasonable accommodation. Applicants with disabilities frequently apply for consideration under Schedule A. You can use a Schedule A authority to hire them on a "trial" basis. Then, after 2 years of successful performance, you may noncompetitively convert them to a permanent appointment in the competitive service or they may remain on the excepted service appointment.

Schedule B Appointing Authorities: These authorities also apply to jobs and situations for which it is impractical to rate applicants using competitive procedures. However, under Schedule B authorities applicants must meet the qualification standards for the job. For example, Schedule B includes hiring authorities for the Student Temporary Employment Program, the Student Career Experience Program, and the Federal Career Intern Program. Only students qualify for student programs; it is not practical to use competitive procedures for them.

Schedule C Appointing Authorities: OPM may grant hiring authority under Schedule C on a case-by-case basis in situations for which political appointments are appropriate. Schedule C appointees keep a confidential or policy-determining relationship to their supervisor and agency head. Generally, the authority to fill a Schedule C job is revoked when the incumbent leaves and agencies need specific approval from OPM to establish or reestablish the position.

Now once you understand that these positions are out there and you know that there may be streamlined hiring processes or procedures that provide more hiring flexibility then you may want to target these type of jobs. Let me give you one example of a Schedule A that was just posted in the Federal Register.

Schedule A

The Schedule A authority is amended to read:

Section 213.3106(l) Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

(1) Positions needed to establish the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. These positions provide for the independent and objective conduct and supervision of audits and investigations relating to the programs and operations funded with amounts appropriated and otherwise made available for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. These positions are established at General Schedule (GS) grade levels for initial employment not to exceed 3 years and may, with prior approval of OPM, be extended for an additional period of 2 years. No new appointments may be made under this authority after January 31, 2011.

This special agency that has been ramped up is called SIGAR. The reason they fall under Schedule A is because of the unique mission and because of the critical hiring need. Now some positions that fall under Schedule A, B, and C will not always be posted on USAJOBS. Sometimes they will but there is no guarantee. None of positions for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) are posted on USAJOBS so just doing a search there would yield no results. Schedule A, B and C positions are often times posted in other places and directly on the website of the agency. The reason I am telling you all of this is because you have to remember that your federal job search can not just stop at USAJOBS. You have to dig deeper.

So, lets ask the question where would we find the jobs for SIGAR? Well the answer is: They are posted on the SIGAR website: sigar.mil

If you go here you will find this in the employment section:

SIGAR, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, has a highly specialized mission, reporting to both the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State, on our independent and objective oversight of Afghanistan reconstruction. We are focused on promoting economy, efficiency and effectiveness, as well as to prevent and detect waste, fraud and abuse in reconstruction programs and operations supported by the Afghanistan reconstruction funds. SIGAR is a temporary organization enacted to ensure accountability during the period of U.S. involvement in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Current Recruitment SIGAR is selectively considering qualified candidates for the following positions:

• Auditors (Series 511) and Program Analysts (Series 343) with performance and/or financial audit experience with the Federal or a State government
  
• Investigators (Series 1811) with experience in investigating white collar crime, money laundering, organized crime, and drug trafficking
  
• Hotline and Investigative Analysts (Series 1801)
  
• Inspectors (Series 802 and Series 343) with engineering experience and preferably a degree in Civil Engineering and/or a certified professional engineer as well as Program Analysts.
• Logistics Specialist
  
• Public Affairs Specialist
  
• Purchasing Agent
  
• Records Management Specialist
  
• General office support SIGAR will also accept resumes from US Government employees who wish to be considered for a detail assignment E-mail your resume to jobs@sigar.mil or fax your resume to (703) 428-0817. Here is the website: http://www.sigar.mil/about/Employment.aspx

Now for some people they are not interested in going to Afghanistan. Others will jump at this opportunity to do some incredible work, do some good networking, and build some skills and experiences that may lead to a great government career. What I will say is that if you are able, willing and interested it is a great opportunity and if used correctly can lead so some great things as it relates to your career.

Other positions that were recently posted fall under Schedule C. These are usually your political appointee positions. Here are some of the positions that were approved in April 2009 and publicized on July 2, 2009 in the Federal Register:

Schedule C

The following Schedule C appointments were approved during April 2009.

Office of Management and Budget BOGS90010 Confidential Assistant to the Director. Effective April 20, 2009.

BOGS90011 Confidential Assistant to the Chief of Staff. Effective April 20, 2009.

BOGS90012 Special Assistant to the Deputy Director. Effective April 20, 2009.

BOGS90014 Special Assistant to the Director. Effective April 20, 2009.

BOGS90015 Special Assistant to the Director. Effective April 20, 2009.

BOGS90018 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Director for National

Security Programs. Effective April 20, 2009. BOGS90019 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Director for Education, Income Maintenance and Labor.

Effective April 20, 2009. BOGS90020 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Director for Natural Resource Programs.

Effective April 20, 2009. BOGS90021 Confidential Assistant to the Deputy Director. Effective April 20, 2009.

BOGS90022 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Director, Strategic Planning and Communications.

Effective April 20, 2009. BOGS90023 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Director for Health.

Effective April 20, 2009. BOGS90024 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Director for Legislative Affairs.

Effective April 20, 2009. BOGS90025 Special Assistant to the Director.

Effective April 28, 2009. BOGS90026 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Director for Education, Income Maintenance and Labor.

Effective April 28, 2009. BOGS90027 Confidential Assistant to the Associate Administrator.

Effective April 28, 2009. Office of Personnel Management PMGS31263 Senior Advisor to the Director. Effective April 9, 2009. PMGS31267 Senior Advisor to the Director. Effective April 9, 2009.

Office of Science and Technology Policy TSGS09001 Executive Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. Effective April 7, 2009.

Office of the United States Trade Representative TNGS00007 Public Affairs Specialist for Public and Media Affairs. Effective April 23, 2009.

Presidents' Commission on White House Fellowships WHGS31270

Associate Director for President's Commission on White House Fellowships. Effective April 9, 2009. WHGS31271

Staff Assistant for President's Commission on White House Fellowships. Effective April 9, 2009. WHGS31288

Education Director, for President's Commission on White House Fellowships. Effective April 20,2009.

Department of State DSGS69845 Deputy Chief of Staff for the Secretary of State. April 16, 2009.

DSGS69857 Staff Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management. Effective April 16, 2009.

DSGS69860 Staff Assistant to the Secretary of State. Effective April 16, 2009.

DSGS69864 Staff Assistant for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. Effective April 16, 2009.

DSGS69847 Deputy Director for Policy Planning Staff. Effective April
17, 2009.

DSGS69848 Executive Assistant for the Deputy Secretary. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69850 Staff Assistant for the Under Secretary for Management. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69851 Staff Assistant for the Secretary of State. Effective April17, 2009.

DSGS69852 Special Assistant for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69853 Staff Assistant for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69854 Policy Advisor/Chief Speechwriter for Policy Planning Staff. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69858 Senior Advisor for Public Affairs. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69859 Protocol Officer Visits to the Chief of Protocol. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69861 Staff Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69862 Special Assistant for the Legal Advisor. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69863 Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for the Secretary of State. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69865 Special Assistant for the Chief of Staff/Counselor. Effective April 17, 2009.

DSGS69868 Deputy Assistant Secretary--House for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Effective April 27, 2009.

DSGS69869 Legislative Management Officer, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Effective April 27, 2009.

Department of the Treasury

DYGS00359 Senior Advisor for the Under Secretary for International Affairs. Effective April 1, 2009.

DYGS00513 Senior Advisor for the Counselor to the Secretary. Effective April 9, 2009.

DYGS00496 Senior Advisor, Business Affairs and Public Liaison. Effective April 10, 2009.

DYGS00514 Special Assistant for the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. Effective April 10, 2009.

DYGS60317 Public Affairs Specialist for the Assistant Secretary (Public Affairs). Effective April 10, 2009.

DYGS00436 Public Affairs Specialist for Public Affairs. Effective April 24, 2009.

DYGS00483 Senior Advisor for the Assistant Secretary (Terrorist Financing). Effective April 24, 2009.

DYGS00487 Deputy Executive Secretary. Effective April 28, 2009.

Department of Defense

DDGS17131 Special Assistant for the Assistant Secretary for Defense (Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict and Interdependent Capabilities). Effective April 1, 2009.

DDGS17192 Special Assistant for Strategy, Plans and Forces for Defense (Strategy, Plans, and Forces). Effective April 1, 2009.

DDGS17195 Special Assistant for the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Effective April 2, 2009.

DDGS17196 Principal Director (African Affairs) for Defense (Africa). Effective April 2, 2009.

DDGS17201 Staff Assistant for Public Affairs (Press Secretary). Effective April 6, 2009.

DDGS17193 Principal Director, Western Hemisphere for Defense (Western Hemisphere Affairs). Effective April 7, 2009.

DDGS17157 Special Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary for Defense (Budget and Appropriations Affairs). Effective April 9, 2009.

DDGS17197 Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Defense for Policy. Effective April 9, 2009.

DDGS17200 Principal Director to Central Asia. Effective April 9, 2009.

DDGS17203 Advance Officer to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary. Effective April 16, 2009.

DDGS17204 Confidential Assistant to the Deputy Secretary for Defense. Effective April 16, 2009.

DDGS17205 Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs. Effective April 17, 2009.

DDGS17206 Special Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary for Defense (Budget and Appropriations Affairs). Effective April 28, 2009.

DDGS17207 Defense Fellow for the White House Liaison. Effective April 28, 2009.

DDGS17209 Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics). Effective April 29, 2009.

Here is a full listing of Schedule C positions posted recently:

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-15660.htm

Many political appointee positions have not been filled and although many positions will be given to those in the right circles if you do have the right experience and qualifications I have seen times where the doors will open. For these schedule C positions you will need to apply through the White House. Here is the link:

https://app2.whitehouse.gov/ppo/

Its better to know exactly what position(s) you are targeting within this administration and develop a targeted package that really sells you and shows you are the best qualified candidate and then submit.

I hope that information is helpful. I am going to start going to your questions now. So without any other delay let me get right to today's show. Thank you for stopping by and if you have any questions about the federal job search, your career, writing federal resumes and KSAs that win interviews, security clearances, military transition or anything else related to succeeding in your career, work and life then please ask. Also if you have some good advice, tips, suggestions, recommendations or information to share please do so. Anything that will help people succeed is welcome. ENJOY!

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Washington, D.C.: Please, please offer some tips on negotiating a higher step within a pay grade when accepting an offer!

Derrick Dortch: Good morning D.C.,

Thanks for your question. The key to negotiating a higher step is this. First before you apply to any position make sure you keep all the details about the job. You should keep a record of what job you apply to and when you apply to it. Keeping a job search record or diary comes in handy when you are evaluating your job search as well as when you are preparing to negotiate salary. All federal positions will provide you the salary range for that position and will usually state what you are promotable to in terms of GS or Pay Band levels. When you are given an offer and you are not happy with the numbers take a moment and let them know you will think about offer. During that time develop what I call a "Salary Justification Letter" or "Salary Negotiation Letter". In this letter state what was offered and then state what you think you should receive or basically what you want as it relates to salary. After you state this then you begin to take 4 - 5 bullet points and you justify your rationale. It may be your advance degree, it may be your significant relevant experience, it may be that the salary you are making the private or non-profit salary is significantly higher and you would like the government to come up higher, it can be a number of things. The key is that you need to ask for what you want and then justify it in writing. After you send the letter then you state to the HR person that you would like to discuss. The reason I like to use the letter is because it clearly states what you want in writing and why you think you are justified in asking for it but I also like it because it gives you more power in the negotiation.

After the HR person has reviewed the letter you two will discuss salary more and he or she will more than likely try to see what they can do to bring you up a step or to a higher number especially if the justification is solid. I have seen this work many times when working with my clients after we got to the Conditional Offer of Employment and salary negotiation stage. Try this and let me know how it works for you. Take care and I wish you much success.

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washingtonpost.com: How to Negotiate Salary

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Woodbridge, Va.: No one in the media is addressing the recently retired federal baby boomers who still need some extra cash, have much to offer but don't need to start a new "30 year" career.

Derrick Dortch: Thanks for your comment. You make a good point. Let me address it. For those who are retiring from the federal government right now but still want to work it is a great time for you. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 the federal government is and will continue to be doing a good amount of hiring for the next year or more. These positions are focused on supporting the economic stimulus. These positions are open to all people for the most part but there is a desire and need by many agencies to hire federal retirees or Annuitants. Now with these jobs you can be rehired by the federal government and still receive your full retirement while getting a full check for the new position you assume.

Here is what the Office of Personnel Management released in March 2009:

http://www.chcoc.gov/Transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalId=2132

I suggest you begin looking at USAJOBS and look on the first page and click on:

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Jobs

Opportunities currently available under the Recovery Act

See if there is any position that is a good fit and go for those. You may also want to do keyword searches under "TERM", "NTE", and "PSC". These are term limit or NOT TO EXCEED or Personal Service Contract jobs. Many of them are good for federal retirees because it allows you to come back in a work for a couple of years.

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

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Springfield, Va.: Derrick -- After being laid off, I picked up a short term contract where I was supposed to get a Public Trust Clearance. I filled out all the paperwork and submitted it to the government. The project ended before the clearance check even started. I heard from friends and some former clients that they received a questionnaire from OPM regarding me. How can I can find out if I got the clearance?

Derrick Dortch: Hello Springfield, VA,

The best way to find out if you have a clearance is to talk to someone who works at a government contractor and have them talk to their Security Officer and see if they can do you a favor and pull you up. This is not suppose to be done but it happens often.

If they can do this then they should be able to find out if your clearance went through or not. I have had people who have been in similar situations with government contract jobs or federal internships that did not pan out where they had a clearance but no one notified them. Now this is regular because if you are not working for that organization they have no obligation to tell you if you have a clearance or not.

What I would also suggest is that you go back to the people who employed you. Talk to your point of contact as well as the security specialist there and ask them if they can look you in the system to see if your Public Trust Clearance went through.

Public Trust is one of lower level clearances so it does not take a long time to complete so it could have very well have gone through.

If it has put it on your resume and when talking to government contractors let me know that you are CLERABLE and that you began the process at one point in time and now have a Public Trust Clearance. If you have other skills, education, experience and qualifications that are needed then they might just go ahead and hire you and put you in for a Secret or Top Secret clearance.

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

Now what I will tell you is that a Public Trust Clearance is

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Philadelphia: Derrick, two questions:

I am looking to relocate to the D.C. area but most of the job announcements I'm responding to state that relocation expenses will not be covered. I'm ok with paying my own way, but will being an out-of-towner hurt my chances?

Second question: I've been very frustrated when it comes to checking the status of my various applications because there are so many ways to submit them in the first place. Some agencies use USAJobs, some use Avue, others use Application Manager. I even applied for one job that accepted paper applications only. Is there any movement towards getting some standardization in this area?

Derrick Dortch: Hello Philly,

Being an out of towner should not hurt you too much. You can get to DC pretty quickly by car or train so do not worry about that as much. Most in the DC area know the proximity of Philly to DC so they will not throw you out of the running if you are from out of town. Now what can and will happen is that if other candidates are closers and they show equal or better qualifications for the position then they will go with that candidate before you. The key for you is to make sure you are selling yourself the right way. When I say the right way I mean that you are targeting the right positions that are a match to you and your qualifications and you are developing targeted packages (federal resume, resume, KSAs, etc.).

To your second question. There is much talk in Congress and OPM about streamlining the process but to be honest I do not see this happening anytime soon. John Berry the new OPM Director is definitely thinking about how to make this process better so I do have hope to see some change this year. We will have to wait and see. For now what I recommend is that you take time and develop some flexible self marketing tools that can be used for the various application systems and have them ready so that when you see positions you want to target you can modify and tweak a little and submit your package. Have materials that are "APPLICATION READY". Make sure they are targeted but always be ready to respond when that job announcement comes out for a position you are interested in.

Hang in there and do not give up. Take care and I wish you much success.

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Washington, D.C.: I am currently a federal employee with a security cleaance. I know that the government has a need for people who have Arabic language skills. I do not speak Arabic, but I have always been proficient at learning new languages. Are there any government programs or agencies that provide or pay for Arabic instruction, perhaps in exchange for a commitment to work for a particular agency? I have heard of the Boren Awards, but they are only available to college students, and I completed my undergrad and graduate degrees years ago.

Derrick Dortch: Hello Washington, DC,

I am not sure what agency you work for but some agencies like State Department, Department of Defense and others who do a great deal of work on the international side have very intense training institutes and schools focused on teaching their employees languages. If you work on in an agency in the intelligence, defense, or international affairs community then you should be able to talk to someone in HR or your career/professional development office about these programs.

Now is you are not a federal employee in one of these agencies I would suggest a couple of options. First take a look at the Defense Language Institute. They have an Associates of Art Degree program where you can learn a language. The eligibility is the following:

Applicants must be a member (or dependent of a member) of the U.S. Military on Active Duty, Active Reserve (IRR does not qualify), National Guard, or a U.S. Federal Government service employee and active upon completion of degree requirements; (for more information, see pg. 26 of the General Catalog 2006-2007 at www.dliflc.edu) semester credits or 4.5 quarter credits.

You can find more information on the program here:

http://www.dliflc.edu/academicaffairs.html

I would also suggest you take a look at the USDA Grad School. They have some great language programs. Here is the site here: http://graduateschool.edu/

I would also suggest you look at the Foreign Service Institute. Talk to your agency and see if they will sponsor you taking language studies there.

In terms of agencies bringing you aboard in exchange for you saying you want to learn a language. I would suggest you look strongly towards the CIA and other intelligence agencies. The intelligence community is pushing very hard to teach the majority of their personnel foreign languages. In this community if you want to learn they will provide the opportunity at CIA University or other places.

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

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Silver Spring, Md.: I have 10 years of federal service however it took place over 20 years ago. I worked as a translator/steno in a European embassy, as a Dept. of the Army civilian. I received various awards during my 10 years.

Afterwards, I returned state-side and because of my husband's occupation was unable to continue in a federal job.

Question. When applying for government jobs now, I wonder whether or not to cite my previous experience since it ended in 1986.

What should I do when completing on-line applications for a federal job for which the "public" may apply. I assume I have no special standing as a former federal employee over 20 years ago.

Thanks.

Derrick Dortch: Hello Silver Spring, MD,

Thanks for your question. I have never followed the rule of only going 10 years back on your work history. I am not sure who made that rule up but it is not a rule you should follow. Sometimes what you did 20 years ago maybe the most relevant to what you are trying to get into today. It also may make you the best qualified. Being a translator in an European Embassy means that you have some excellent language skills as well as understanding of cultural intelligence. Europe is a place full of history that does not change much. Yes there is are some progressive movements but history is very important in Europe.

I saw this to tell you that if you wanted to target the Intelligence Community or agencies within Foreign Affairs what you did then and if you language skills are still very solid then someone might be very interested in talking to you about an opportunity.

I wold also call the Department of Army and talk to Human Resources Command (HRC). Your records should still be in there files. Ask them for an SF-50 and see if they can provide you something to show your government service. Just like military service your former years as a fed do not go away. You just need to track down the information. I know as a Veteran I have had to track down information from the time when I served in the Marines. The information is somewhere, you just have to track it down.

Also in reaching out to HRC you might establish some additional contacts they might be helpful. There is a great need for people with language skills as teachers, translators, analysts and more in the defense and Intelligence Community. This may or may not be what you want to do but if it is then use it to market yourself.

If you served as a federal employee at one time you need to find out what your former status is and get an SF-50 and and find out if you have any status now that you can use to make you more competitive. Track down your old federal employer and try to get your records. Here is the site for Army Human Resources Command:

https://www.hrc.army.mil/

If you have trouble I talk to many people at HRC so let me know (email me at dtd@diversagroup.com) and I will see if I can put you in touch with someone who can help you.

Take care and I wish you much success.

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Pay Grades: Is the range indicated the range you could possibly start from? Or is the high range the most you could ever make in that position and you could not start out at that salary?

I'm asking because I was worked for a company (not federal government) once that gave me the mid-range to start with, but at raise time was told the highest end of the range was not the top they would offer to candidates, but was actually the most I could ever make in that position and would get no more raises once I reached that leve.

I'd misunderstood this when I accepted the job and am wondering if it works the same in the government.

Derrick Dortch: Hello and thanks for your question. With salary I have seen the full range of things happen. I have seen some people start out in the lower range and over years work their way up to the higher range. I have also seen a person cap out a salary range and have to have more money requested because they were the candidate the selecting official wanted and they were taking a $20,000 pay cut to come into government from the private sector. This person really wanted to work for this agency but they had to get a salary that was in some type of range of what they were getting before. The range in this example was $80,000 - 100,000 and the person ended up getting a little over this with special allowances through HR.

You have to honestly determine what you are worth and what you bring to the table that will prove that you worth what you are asking for as it relates to salary. This will help you determine what range you should start at. If you are an entry-level candidate then you may start at the lower range. If you are a mid-level candidate then you may start at the mid range and go higher. If you are senior level candidate you may start between the mid and the cap.

Different places will tell you different things about salary. Every organization and sometimes agencies will handle things differently. The key is to know your worth and negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. Do not be afraid to do this. No one will withdraw an offer based on negotiations if you are doing it right.

If you do start and you are at the CAP or close to it then you may get Cost of Living Adjustments but you may not move significantly higher in salary but you may be eligible for bonuses or performance awards. If you do find yourself in this situation then you will have to begin looking for a higher level position after a couple years to move up in salary. This is common.

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

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Washington, D.C.: KSA's... can you talk a bit about what is needed and expected with these questions? Thanks!

Derrick Dortch: Hello DC,

This is an answer I provided someone about KSAs during a previous show. I hope it helps:

The key to the successfully doing a government job search is applying what I call the "TP3 Method to the Federal Job Search": T -- Target the right federal position. This means you are targeting the job that you definitely have the skills, qualifications, experience and education and training being sought at least at an 80 percent margin. P -- Prepare the right package. You have to prepare a federal resume and the KSAs (if needed) that sell you. It has to tell your success stories, achievements and what results you can produce. It can not be a job description. P -- Persistence. You have to be persistent and continue to look for jobs, network with federal officials, go to jobs fairs where government agencies will be in attendance. P -- Patience.

In the federal job search it may take and employer 30 - 45 days to respond back to you. Be patient but if you follow the other steps above you will be successful. By doing this you avoid the frustration of apply to the wrong government jobs that do not fully match your skills, education, experience and qualifications. When you apply to jobs that dont match you what you end up with is a very frustrated job search.

You are probably running into KSAs as you apply for these positions. With KSAs you have to look at them as weed out questions. If you do not meet the criteria the question is asking then you are not fully qualified for the position and should not apply. You just have to look for position where you meet the qualifications. That is key. KSAs are something that many, many people find difficult and they can definitely be one of the reasons you are not getting any responses. The other problem could be that you are targeting the wrong kind of positions. You may be targeting positions that you feel are right but you do not have some of the skills, experience, education/training or qualifications that are required. These are the two biggest problems I see job seekers having on a consistent basis.

I do think that working with someone who understands the federal job search process and having someone develop your self marketing package (federal resume and KSAs) is not a bad investment. I think if you can afford it, then it can be well worth your money and wise. The key is again making sure you are targeting the right positions. Even if you have someone prepare your package and you are targeting the wrong positions then you just wasted money.

When looking at positions you are interested in make sure you analyze them in detail. Read the job announcement thoroughly, look at the KSAs critically and make sure that you can at the minimum match what is being sought after by 80% or more. When it comes to the KSAS questions make sure you can answer each one. If there is one that is too specialize or asking for something you do not have then that position is not for you and I recommend you do not waste your time, energy and resources on that position. KSAs are written to weed people out. They are used to see if you a person really does have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job. If you do have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job make sure you focus on pulling out success stories from your experience. In whatever you have done I am sure you have a good number of success stories. Make sure you begin jotting them down and then follow the steps below.

REMEMBER: Put success stories in both your resume and KSAs. Here is an answer I have posted before and I hope it helps you and others today. Here you go: KSAs (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) give many people problems in their government job search.

The key in writing a successful KSAS is to not only be concise but it is to tell your success stories that prove that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job. I have seen many KSAS responses where people put down their duties as it relates to the question but they do not tell their own story.

You have to use one of several methods when writing KSAS responses. They are the SAR, STAR, or CCAR. SAR is: Situation, Action, Results STAR is: Situation, Task, Action, Results CCAR is: Context, Challenge, Action, Results As you see each method is asking you to describe a situation or challenge you faced as it relates to the question. From there you start to talk about what action or tasks you took to handle the situation. In telling your actions you want to focus in on who you worked with, what techniques you used, what tools or technology did you use, etc. Then you tell what were the results of your actions and what success stories you have to share.

The government recommends that you think about five things when developing your KSAs to reinforce the idea of organizing your thoughts when responding. For each KSAS ask yourself these five questions regarding individual tasks you performed.

1. What action was performed?

2. Why was the action performed?

3. For whom was the action performed?

4. What were the accomplishments?

5. Did the action produce a significant impact on others or the work environment?

In the seminars I teach about KSAS writing I tell the participants to write the KSAs as if they were answering an interview question. I always suggest the following:

State Your Case! Start off with Power!

When you start out answering any KSAS question start out immediately telling the HR Representative, Recruiter, Hiring Manager/Selecting Official why you are qualified. Whether it is your extensive experience in relevant positions, your education and training or other qualifications let the reader know from the beginning that you have what it takes to do the work and this is how and where you received the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Tell About Your Relevant Experience! Show You are Qualified!

Describe the relevant experiences that have provided you the knowledge, skills and abilities to do this work. Tell about your experience as if you are in the interview and describing what you do and why you are qualified.

Tell Your Story! Sell Yourself and Prove Your Case/Qualifications!

From your relevant experience provide success stories that demonstrate provide proof that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities required to do that work. Think of at least two to three success stories from your experiences that you can use to sell yourself in your KSAS response.

Use the CCAR, SAR, or STAR methods to tell your success stories and what actions you took in the situation or when faced with a challenge and the positive results your work produced.

You also want to make sure you are out there networking, networking and networking. There are so many people applying online you have to do what you can to make yourself more visible. This means that you are going to career fairs where government agencies of interest will be participating. This means that if you are in the DC Metro area going to events where government officials will be speaking and trying to meet them and introduce yourself.

This means using any contacts that you may have through family, friends, school or a number of other places to see if there is anyone you know who works for the government in an area of interest. If so begin talking to them about your interest and see if they can help you.

I could go on and on for quite a while on this but I hope this helps to get you started.

I hope this is helpful and I wish you much success. If you need additional help in this endeavor please contact me at dtd@diversagroup.com.

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Silver Spring: I'm praying second time is the charm. I really want to work for the FDA as I love the mission and the commute is phenomenal. I have 7 years of attorney/audit experience, but none specifically in FDA policy or procedure. I've applied for positions and am not ranked best qualified. What can I do to make my application stand out?

Derrick Dortch: Hello Silver Spring,

You loving the mission of FDA is a good start to wanting to work for an agency. Federal agencies love people who love their mission and it sounds like you have some qualifications FDA would be interested in. There is much you can do to make yourself best qualified but unfortunately my producer just gave me the signal that I have to wrap up the show for today. Please contact me at dtd@diversagroup.com and I will get you on my calendar do I can point you in the right direction.

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Derrick Dortch: Well my producer has indicated that I have to wrap up today's show. Thank you for your great questions and thank you so much for stopping by the show. YOU are truly appreciated.

For all of those who have emailed me recently please know someone will be contacting you within the next 2 - 3 weeks. We have received alot of email traffic but for anyone who wants to speak to me I will definitely get you on my calendar soon. Thanks for your patience so far and someone from my office will be contacting you soon to set up a time for us to talk.

We will be back in two weeks. Till then take good care of yourself, enjoy this beautiful weather and be careful. Know that I wish you much success in your career, work and life. See you in a couple of weeks.

Derrick T. Dortch

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