Administrative, Professional, and Technical Jobs at Federal Employers
Federal employees are involved in a broad range of tasks that aid in government operations. They can be classified as administrative, professional or technical.
When preparing your federal resume, be sure to highlight your key work as well as volunteer and academic experiences. Include the dates of the beginning and the end of each one and the number of hours that you worked.
Administrative
Federal Administration jobs provide the opportunity to be part of the executive branch. The departments that make up this portion of the government are varied in the responsibilities they have and the types of work they do from agriculture to treasury as well as healthcare, education and more. The Department of Agriculture is responsible for everything from food security to rural development, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics handles statistical tasks. The Census Bureau is another agency in this department, while the U.S. Copyright Office is within the Library of Congress. The General Services Administration, the Social Security Administration (which manages federal offices supplies, as well as supervises military operations), and the Department of the Army (which supervises military training and operations) are other agencies which employ administrative staff.
A person in this position can expect to be responsible for filing documents, handling calls, examining the status of requests and other related duties. These positions are available in most government agencies, but are more common in larger and more well-known ones. These kinds of jobs are ideal for people who thrive in a high-speed environment, love working with a lot of people, and are able to think strategically and remain confidential in difficult situations.
Some of the biggest advantages of a government administrative job include good salary, good benefits and excellent career opportunities. In addition to competitive pay and a pension, the government also offers health insurance to its employees at affordable rates. It is not uncommon for a person working in a government position to be promoted to a different position within their organization or to a different agency. They are typically able to do this without having a break in their service.
Additionally federal employees are able to take advantage of a substantial amount of sick leave and vacation time. The government also allows you to carry a certain amount over from one year to another. Leave for sick days are earned at a rate of 13 days or 104 hours per biweekly pay period. Likewise, annual leave is earned according to the duration of employment and is able to be carried over up to 240 hours.
fela claims railroad employees provide vital services to millions of people, whether they're providing healthcare and investigating criminal activities, or developing science. Federal employees are a diverse group with more than 350 occupations and responsibilities. OPM data shows that administrative, technical, and professional jobs account for more than half of federal employment. Administrative workers manage payroll, train new employees and create a procedures for operating in a standard manner. Professionals design budgets and evaluate policies. Certain professionals require a degree to enter the field, like lawyers and financial managers. Some professionals are able to gain experience through on-the-job or specialized training such as the one for occupational therapists and nurses in table 1.
Skills that are specific to technical jobs. Many of these, such as computer and information research scientists, may need an advanced degree to get into. Statisticians are expected to grow at the fastest rate of all jobs. They employ statistical techniques to collect data and organize it. Scientists who work for the National Institutes of Health, and engineers who design buildings and consumer products may also require a bachelor's degree.
The government offers a wide range of benefits to employees, including health insurance and vacation plans. The government also offers employees the chance to travel and meet colleagues from other areas of the nation or across the globe.
One of the best ways to find out whether a career in government is the right choice for you is to talk to federal employees. Talking to a Wellesley Advisor or attending a panel discussion on federal hiring can help you understand more about the process and receive tailored guidance.
If you are already a federal employee, you can use the Career Transition Service (CTS) to change agencies without competing with other employees. To do so, you must first complete a transition plan. In the majority of cases, a transition plan will help you to know what you need to do to move into a competitive position within a different agency.
Technical
The federal government is a vast organization that requires workers with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities to keep it running. It employs experts for all kinds of technical positions, including help desk computer expertise to cybersecurity. A majority of these jobs require advanced degrees and high levels of education. Many tech professionals have decided to pursue careers with the federal government, as it is a stable job without financial bubbles that can explode. It also lets them apply their expertise directly.
These positions may have lower salaries than those in the private sector, but they are still competitive. There are many other benefits. The majority of government jobs provide dental and health insurance, as well as long-term care and life insurance. Federal employees also have the option of choosing from a range of vacation and sick days that are covered by the employer and carry over any unused leave.
Federal careers are ideal for those with family obligations or personal commitments because it typically offers flexible work schedules, such as telework and remote jobs to ensure a balanced balance between home and professional duties. Additionally, a lot of federal agencies offer a range of monetary recruiting such as relocation, performance and award awards.
In addition to the obvious benefits for a career aside from the obvious benefits for professionals, some tech professionals are drawn to work in the federal government for the unique opportunities it can offer them. There are fellowships for emerging tech talent that provide entry into the public sector via the U.S. Digital Corps, Presidential Innovation Fellows program and the opportunity to work directly on issues that affect their community by way of the Federal Technology Careers Initiative or 18F.
Some of the most fascinating and influential work of the federal government occurs in the fields of science, medicine and national security as well as engineering. These positions could involve the development of vaccines for deadly diseases, fighting sexual and racial discrimination as well as solving climate change issues. These projects and the people who work on them have a significant impact on the nation.
Blue Collar
Many blue-collar jobs require specialized or manual labor. These jobs can be more physically demanding, but they also offer a higher satisfaction in the job for people who prefer working with hands and learning a trade. Depending on the industry certain blue-collar jobs require higher education than white-collar jobs. Some vocational schools offer courses which are less costly and shorter than a four-year institution, while others offer unpaid or paid apprenticeships.
The term "blue-collar" is used to describe people who are paid hourly and are required to perform manual tasks as opposed to salaried office staff. The term dates back to the 1920s, when workers often were wearing darker-colored clothes -- such as boilersuits or denim--to conceal dirt and other debris from their clothes, which might make them look dirty after working. Blue-collar employees may be unionized to guarantee their jobs security and competitive wages. They are employed in many different fields, including construction, logging and mining.
There is a general perception that blue-collar workers are less in the social hierarchy than white-collar workers, however this isn't always the case. Certain blue-collar positions -- such as electricians, welders and subway operators -- require a lot of skills and training and can command high salaries. However, some jobs require less education and pay as much like some retail or office jobs.
Most white-collar jobs require at minimum an undergraduate degree, and higher-level management positions often require specialized degrees and certificates such as a MBA or CPA. Some professions, such as doctors and lawyers, may also need licenses or certifications to practice.
Although white-collar jobs in federal agencies aren't as lucrative as those in the private sector, they have a lot of advantages including insurance at a low cost and generous sick and vacation time. Some agencies offer flexible work schedules, compressed work weeks and childcare facilities. A career in the government is likely to require travel, especially for safety investigators and field engineering teams. Many people are enthralled by this aspect of their work because it provides them with the opportunity to travel and make an impact on people's lives.