Thinking About Federal Jobs?

– Thanks to guest blogger DJ Bingler for this post.

Are you looking for a federal job that offers national exposure, reliable benefits, and job security? Until recently the federal government was the usual haven for job seekers looking for long-term job security plus great health and retirement benefits. However, with the onset of federal sequestration cuts, federal jobs have been fewer in number and harder to find. But, they’re still there, and there will always be critical federal positions that must be filled. So if you’re looking for a federal job, this may be a good time to expand your job search to include federal contractors.

The ‘go to’ web site for federal jobs has always been www.usajobs.gov. A recent search of the site in my area revealed an interesting mix of jobs with various federal agencies. There weren’t as many jobs as I expected, but they were all offering excellent opportunities to qualified candidates.

To supplement my USA Jobs search, I looked at the state and national labor exchanges. From the WorkInTexas.com home page, I selected “Search All Jobs” and typed in the keyword, “federal.” Between the state labor exchange (www.workintexas.com) and the national labor exchange (http://us.jobs/), my job search yielded hundreds of job possibilities. Some were federal government jobs while many of the others were jobs with well-recognized federal contractors. WorkInTexas.com includes job postings from US.jobs, so all you need is a WorkInTexas.com job seeker account and the Job Posting ID and you can logon and find out how to apply.

Not so long ago, all state agencies required you to submit a State of Texas Application for a state job, and federal agencies required the federal form OF-612. But, that’s all changed now! Federal agencies will now accept either the optional OF-612 or a resumé. This is a big change and a huge benefit for job seekers. However, a word of caution since substituting a resumé in place of the OF-612 means you’ll need a great one, one that is very detailed, current, and that supports your work experience.

So, whether you’re looking for a federal or civil service job or you want to find a job with a reliable federal contractor, I recommend searching www.usajobs.gov as well as www.workintexas.com to find “federal” jobs. Maybe you’ll find the dream job you’ve always been looking for!

What .Jobs Gets Us

You might recall work TWC did in the fall of 2011 to develop some microsites utilizing the ease and power of the .jobs universe, offered to us by our friend and partner, DirectEmployers Association.

The real beauty of .jobs is how simple it is and how much visibility it can generate for job postings in WorkInTexas.com. That is, it allows us to help, in particular, small and mid-sized employers who might not have large HR shops or marketing budgets, recruit with the big boys on the big stage, to the extent that they want to.

For this week’s post, I’m providing a link to a friend’s blog who recently wrote about just how much more visible our job content has become. It’s staggering, to put it lightly. And best of all, it’s part of the basic services we offer to all employers and supported by workforce professionals in 200 offices across the state.

Check it out.