Uncle Sam is the nation's biggest employer—the federal government employs 1.8 million civilian employees. Approximately 84% of federal positions are located outside Washington, D.C.
Government jobs aren't just limited to the federal level, either. There are opportunities at the state and local levels, too. Many students don't consider working for government as an option, but it's a good bet.
Think about it: each government agency needs employees with a variety of skill sets and expertise to function. Are you brilliant with numbers, computers, science, or words? Are you fluent in another language? Do you want to have a career in which you serve others? Are you interested in working to make America—and the world—a better place?
If so, keep reading. Here's a sneak peek into the different levels of government and how you can jumpstart your search for an internship or job.
Jobs on the Web
The federal government is big—the Executive branch alone has 70 different agencies. So where should start your search? A good place to learn about opportunities within the federal government is www.usajobs.opm.gov. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the human resources gateway to federal government positions, is responsible for this site.
There's also a site geared for students, www.studentjobs.gov. You can view job postings, read articles that give overviews about what various government agencies do, and link to individual agency Web sites. Keep in mind that individual government agencies post jobs, too.
What would a job search be without using Monster? Everyone's favorite job search site recently added a public service site, publicservice.monster.com.
A Call to Serve is an initiative to encourage students to consider civil service employment in the federal government. Visit www.calltoserve.org, particularly the links under the "Answering the Call" column. There's a handy section about finding internships in the federal government.
Internships
Government internships are varied and, like internships in other career fields, a great way to get hands-on experience and make valuable contacts. Internships at most levels of government are offered by individual agencies and departments.
Live, Learn & Intern
Experience a Capital Semester through The Fund for American Studies—spend the spring semester or summer in Washington, D.C. Participating students take classes at Georgetown University and may intern at Capitol Hill, with federal agencies, media outlets, foreign embassies, trade associations, political organizations, policy groups, and corporate lobbying offices.The deadline to apply for the spring 2004 program is December 1, 2003. The deadline to apply for the summer 2004 program is January 15, 2004.Check out www.dcinternships.org for more information.
Department of State Internships
The Department of State is the official international relations arm of the United States. It formulates, implements, and supports U.S. foreign policy; assists U.S. citizens abroad; and manages the human and material resources that provide the platform for U.S. foreign policy.
The Department is looking for students with a broad range of majors, such as Business or Public Administration, Social Work, Economics, Information Management, Journalism, and the Biological and Physical and Engineering Sciences, as well as those majors more traditionally identified with international affairs. Intern duties and responsibilities may vary according to post or office of assignment.
The State Department offers 900 internships. These internships are highly competitive and the majority of them are unpaid. Domestic and overseas internships are offered.
- Domestic: These are primarily located in Washington, D.C. Some positions may also be available at State Department offices in other large cities in the United States.
- Overseas: The remaining internships are at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Not all overseas posts are able to participate in the program, and participation may vary from year to year.
Students must specify an overseas post by name or domestic assignment by bureau on the application. "If you have a regional interest, say the Middle East, you may want to do an internship in the Near Eastern Affairs bureau," said Evan Reade, Deputy Regional Director, Office of Foreign Missions.
Students interested in overseas internships should know the language that's spoken where they're posted. For example, "If you're posted in North Africa, you should have a strong knowledge of French," said Reade.
An internship at the State Department is an excellent way to serve the country and gain a glimpse into what it's like to work for the federal government. "If they're thinking about a career in the State Department and they haven't lived overseas and they don't know what they're getting in to, I'd recommend they have an overseas internship," said Steve Browning, Diplomat in Residence at UC Davis. Browning has served in the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and Washington, D.C.
"If they've had a semester abroad or a year abroad and know what it's like to live overseas and are more interested in the broader policy picture, [an internship in] Washington may be more helpful," said Browning.
The application deadline for fall 2003 internships is March 1, 2003. The application deadline for spring 2004 internships is July 1, 2003.
Visit the State Department's Web site to learn more about internship opportunities and the application process: www.careers.state.gov/student/prog_intrn.html.
Internships are an excellent preparation for future careers in international affairs, including the Foreign Service and the Civil Service.
Federal
If you're interested in working for the government as a diplomat, you must take the Foreign Service exam. The exam has two components: a written test and, if you pass that phase, an oral assessment.
"The written part of the exam tries to get a handle of the applicant's knowledge base, what you know," said Browning. "The oral assessment looks at if you have strong leadership skills, how you work with a group. Can you get a lot of diverse, muddled information and analyze it and synthesize it? Do you have good judgment skills?"
Previous State Department internship experience gives applicants a breadth of knowledge from which to answer questions during the oral assessment. "The assessment is designed so that experience in an embassy overseas or even living overseas isn't an advantage," said Browning.
"Having said that, we have a lot of hypothetical questions and scenarios that we set in an embassy situation. To the extent that you understand what an embassy is and how it operates, you may be more comfortable fielding those types of questions. Part of the oral assessment is your motivation: What is driving you to be a diplomat? An intern who can say 'I've done it, I've lived it, I've worked it, and that's what I want to do' can speak with more authority," said Browning.
Test takers have to be at least 20 years old on the day of the test and U.S. citizens. There's no charge to take the exam and you may take it as many times as you wish. The next opportunity to take the Foreign Service Written Examination (FSWE) will be sometime in Spring 2004. A firm date hasn't been set yet—check the State Department's Web site for exam update information.
"We're particularly interested in recruiting scientists and engineers," said Browning. "The issues we're dealing with are more scientific than we have in the past. Now we're dealing with things like genetically modified foods. A generalist diplomat who has a BA in English may have a hard time dealing with those issues."
Why Serve?
"It's been an incredible experience. I can't imagine doing anything else. I think most of us would also agree that it's a lifestyle, not a career. We spend two-thirds of our careers overseas, and we move every two or three years to a new embassy. It's a wonderful opportunity to serve our country," said Browning.
To learn more about the duties of a Foreign Service Officer, visit www.careers.state.gov/officer.
State of California
For government jobs within the state of California, make www.spb.ca.gov your search starting point. From here, you can link to individual state agencies, view specific opportunities and openings, and learn how to apply for jobs and internships.
California uses position-specific exams to screen applicants. You must first take these exams to become eligible for a position. Exam scores are ranked in comparison to other test takers'; you need to score within the top three ranks to become "reachable," or eligible to apply for a position.
At this point, contact letters may be sent to the reachable pool of candidates, however, because there are often more candidates than needed to create a manageable pool of interview applicants, not all candidates in a reachable rank will receive a contact letter. You can also look for vacancies on the vacant positions database portion of this Web site.
"You have to be in the state system and go through the exam process," said Mike Espinoza, an audit manager with the state Controller's office.
Students may apply for positions without taking an examination. Student assistant positions are listed on www.spb.ca.gov/wvpos/vpstudent.cfm.
Another good in-state resource to investigate is the CalJobs page: www.caljobs.ca.gov that's part of the Employment Development Department (EDD).
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County employs more than 17,000 people and provides services that range from maintaining roads and airports, to hospitals and healthcare, to social services for children and adults, and libraries. It even has its own "CSI" unit.
The county offers paid internships. All interns receive stipends based on the level of the internships. Interns must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA and show proof of their grades. Positions are held for a maximum of one year; most interns typically serve during the summer.
There are four levels of internships, three of which are open to SJSU students:
What are some advantages of an internship with Santa Clara County? "It's a wonderful opportunity for someone to see government and service to the public in action. Once you actually get in the county [system], then the doors are wide open for promotional opportunities and advancements," said Celeste Cooper, a management analyst for Santa Clara County.
- Level one internships are for high school students
- Level two internships are open to freshmen and sophomores
- Level three internships are open to juniors and seniors, and the internship must relate to the student's major
- Level four internships are open to graduate students who finished their masters within the past six months
The county is in the process of adding internships to its Web site. Until this portion of the Web site is live, Cooper recommends interested SJSU students ask their academic departments if they have relationships with county departments and agencies.
Cooper also highly recommends students ask for informational interviews with employees in the department in which they're interested. Students should contact county departments/divisions in which they'd like to work, areas that are related to their major. Through an informational interview, students can "see what criteria they're looking for and see if it's a good match," Cooper said.
Go to http://www.sccjobs.org/jobs.html to view the types of opportunities and departments/agencies within Santa Clara County or call (408) 299-5830.
Students may also e-mail Cooper for more information: Celeste.Cooper@esa.co.santa-clara.ca.us.
City of San Jose
Junior and senior students are eligible for internships with the city of San Jose. You may view open positions at http://jobs.cityofsj.org or e-mail your resume to alice.cheung@ci.sj.ca.us or call (408) 277-4766. Resumes will be forwarded to the appropriate city department based on your major and interests. It's up to individual departments to contact internship candidates. Internship openings may not always be available at specific times; resumes are kept for 12 months.
We hope this overview of government jobs has inspired you to explore the possibilities of working for the red, white, and blue. Good luck!
Jobs on the Web
Internships
Federal
State
