How is finding a job in the government different than the private sector?
There are many differences between finding a job in the federal government versus the private sector. The federal government has many rules for hiring and managing employees. The goal is to provide fair and equal opportunity to all applicants and employees.
Eligibility
Eligibility, in the federal hiring process, refers to being part of a particular group of people that an agency wants to hire – whether it's a current federal employee, a veteran, a recent graduate or someone from the general public. There are different eligibilities in the federal government; and we use hiring paths to distinguish who can apply to which jobs.
Your eligibility has nothing to do with your work experience, education, skills, and other qualifications. You can apply for any federal job, but you may not be eligible for the job if you don't fall into one of the required hiring paths listed on the job announcement. The hiring agency will not review your application if you are not eligible.
Understand how eligibility is different from qualifications.
Application process
The federal application process is very structured. The hiring agency must follow a specific review process and vetting system. This process helps agencies hire the best-qualified people, while being fair to all applicants.
When you apply for a federal job, the hiring agency reviews applications in three stages:
Review for eligible and minimally qualified candidates. The hiring agency will review all applications to see who is eligible AND minimally qualified and will only send those along for a second review. Candidates who are not eligible or do not meet the minimal qualifications will not continue in review process.
Review for best-qualified candidates. The hiring agency will identify the best-qualified applicants. This is not a ranking. There could be 1, 10 or more people who are best-qualified. The best-qualified candidates will go to the hiring manager for a third review.
Review by hiring manager to select hires. The hiring manager will review all best-qualified candidates and decide who they want to interview. After interviews, the hiring manager will decide who they want to hire.
Learn more about the federal application process.
Your resume and qualifications
Remember that your resume may not initially be evaluated by someone who is familiar with your field. For best results, avoid jargon and explain your skills and accomplishments clearly using similar words and phrases to those in the job announcement(s).
Because of this increased need for clarity, the resume you use to apply to a federal job may require more information than the one you would use to apply to a private sector job. It’s acceptable for your resume to exceed the commonly recommended two pages.
Learn more about what to include in your resume.
Appointment types
An “appointment” is how the federal government fills their jobs. There are two main categories of appointments: permanent and temporary. Appointments do not affect the number of hours per week you work. Rather, they tell you if there's a specific end date for the job.
Permanent appointments have no specified end date. With a permanent appointment you can stay in the job until you decide to leave, retire, or are fired.
A temporary appointment has a specific end date—these appointments have a ‘not to exceed date' from one year or less to four years.
The Overview section of the job announcement will list the appointment type.
Learn more about appointment types.
Service types
The federal government has three services and the hiring process and rules for each service are different. And, once you're a federal employee, your service type affects your eligibility to apply to another job in another service. You can move from service to service, but there are different rules and requirements you must follow.
The three service types are:
- Competitive
- Excepted
- Senior Executive