Open to the public

Eligibility

You're eligible as long as you're a U.S. citizen or national. Sometimes a non-U.S. citizen is eligible, too.

Even if you're eligible under one of the other hiring paths, you can still apply to jobs that are **Open to the public**.

Can I apply if I already work for the federal government?

Yes. Anyone, including current federal employees, can apply to these jobs. But, if you're a current federal employee and you apply to an open to the public job, you'll have to compete against the general public. Your status as a federal employee does not guarantee you'll get the job.

How do I know a job is open to the public?

In the job announcement look for the This job is open to section. When a job is open to the public you'll see the open to the public icon: There may be other groups listed that can also apply.

In search you can also select the Open to the public filter. Your results will display all jobs that are open to the public.

Documents you may need

Depending on the job, you may need to provide several different documents with your application. The Required documents section in the job announcement will list any required documents. Learn about the different document types.