I am a new professional and I have been applying for positions through usajobs.gov but I have also heard that going that route my chances are slim. Can anyone give some advice as to how I can even get so much as an interview?
I am a new professional and I have been applying for positions through usajobs.gov but I have also heard that going that route my chances are slim. Can anyone give some advice as to how I can even get so much as an interview?
Check out all the great blogs, discussions, and links under the Knowledge tab – HR/Hiring
https://www.govloop.com/page/hiring-1
Lots of tips there but my short advice is: write great complete application packages (most do a crappy job), network like crazy, and apply/follow-up to a lot of jobs. The jobs are out there but like any big bureaucracy (like a GE or Accenture) it takes time and effort to navigate and get the job of your dreams. But its worth it so don’t give up!
Thanks and I was on the verge of giving up for now anyway. I was told by two individuals that the language used in the job descriptions I should also use the same/similar language on my resume or in the KSAs.
You are right on the second part.
And as the quote “find a job is a full-time job.” Job hunting is never fun and always takes up a ton of time and a lot of work. The only time job hunting is easy is when you are not looking and occasionally opportunities come your way.
I echo GovLoop.
I am currently spending between 9-12 hours a day job searching and it is a full time job. Also, make sure you have an amazing cover letter, that captures the attention of the reader. Consider your cover letter is a very to the point sales and marketing piece on how you match up against the job reguirements.
If you do not mind, please tell us what you do and what you are looking for as well, as somebody may know somebody. Also do not discount state, county and city government job sources as well.
See if any of these help:
http://www.dcjobs.com
http://www.craigslist.com
Maryland State Government
Maryland http://www.marylandjobs.co/ and other city links http://www.marylandjobs.com/links/index.cfm
http://www.governmentjobs.com
http://www.govtjobs.com
Here are some others sources Some you may already know of.
1. Monster.com- You can narrow your search by location, keywords, and employer; plus, Monster has plenty of job search extras: networking boards, job search alerts, and online resume posting.
More about Monster Jobs
Sponsored Links
http://www.myFindaJob.com
LocalJobExplorer.com
http://www.topusajobs.com/
2. Indeed.com- A Meta Search Job Engine
Indeed.com is a very solid job search engine. Unlike Monster, you cannot submit your resume from Indeed.com, but the job search engine more than makes up for that by being a meta search engine of many of the major job search engines and job search boards out there. I’ve found that Indeed uncovers a lot of jobs that you wouldn’t normally find on most job search sites, and they do a good job of making their job search features as easy to use as possible.
3. USA.gov
Think of USA.gov as your gateway into the huge world of US government jobs. Navigate to the USA.gov home page, click on the Jobs and Education section, then Government Jobs. You’ll find a wealth of resources here to help you find jobs working for Uncle Sam.
4. CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder offers job searchers the ability to find a job, post a resume, create job alerts, get job advice and job resources, look up job fairs, and much more. This is a truly massive job search engine that offers a lot of good resources to the job searcher; I especially appreciate the list of job search communities.Make sure you make a tweak to resume regularly to keep it at the top of the virtual pile recruiters sift through.
5. Dice
Dice.com is a job search engine dedicated to only finding technology jobs. It offers a targeted niche space for finding exactly the technology position you might be looking for.
6. LinkUp:
LinkUp is a job search engine that searches for jobs within company websites.
7. Yahoo Hot Jobs: Yahoo Hot Jobs is one of the largest and most well known job search engines on the Web.
8. SimplyHired: SimplyHired also offers a very unique job search experience; the user “trains” the job search engine by rating jobs he or she is interested in. SimplyHired also gives you the ability to research salaries, add jobs to a job map, and view pretty detailed profiles of various companies.
9. LinkedIn.com: LinkedIn.com combines the best of two worlds: the ability to scour the Internet for jobs with its job search engine, and the opportunity to network with like-minded friends and individuals to deepen your job search.
10. Craigslist: There are all sorts of interesting jobs on Craigslist. Just find your city, look under Jobs, then look under your job category. Non-profit, systems, government, writing, etc. jobs are all represented here.
Good Luck!
Update your resume to incorporate as many key words in the job annoucement as possible. I wouldn’t recommend stretching your credentials on your resume, but I would make sure that you phrase your duties and accomplishments using words that are referenced in the job posting. Also, do the same thing for your KSAs responses. KSAs can be intimidating and honestly a pain in the butt to do. As you apply for more jobs you will start to see the same KSA questions come up again. Save your responses for future use. This way you won’t have to come up with new answers when applying for government jobs again. Good luck and hang in there. Keep an eye out for HHS. I hear that the department may be picking up its hiring again.
LOL. Last week I worked up my first set and it took me three days. I think your words pain in the butt, it putting it lightly. But, at least I have a framework now to work from.
Don’t forget your LOCAL government. Try cities and counties, not just the feds!