Just a few, short years ago, it was often said that the employment process in the federal government was tantamount to a root canal – a long, challenging and often frustrating experience. Bright, well-prepared college graduates could usually find well-paying, upwardly mobile positions in private industry before they could land jobs with the Feds. Yet today things are just the reverse. The employment process now is largely implemented online. That is a major change. Previously, the process was primarily implemented by mail. Today's process is much quicker in terms of finding information on available job vacancies; the submission of one's application for a given vacancy; and the amount of time it takes for one to learn if they have been accepted for an interview or a position. All federal employees and applicants for federal jobs are no longer required to take the Federal Service Entrance Exam. The old and complicated Federal Job Application, officially known as "Form 171," is no longer required.

While private industry is undergoing a severe employment crisis characterized by downsizing, layoffs and sagging stock prices, the federal government with its multitude of departments, agencies, offices, board, authorities, councils and commissions offers job seekers an abundance of meaningful employment opportunities. In fact, federal government opportunities are a shining star across the employment landscape, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). While the events of September 11, 2001, prompted many private employers to stall or cutback on hiring, the government, conversely, was planning to recruit large numbers of new college graduates. Up to 30 percent of federal employees will be eligible for retirement by 2005, according to OPM and reported by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). And following the September 11^th terrorist tragedy, thousands of new positions are opening up in planning for homeland security. What’s more, federal employers in 2002 are reportedly offering average starting salaries of $33,175 to bachelor’s degree graduates with non-technical degrees and $44,383 to bachelor’s graduates with technical degrees.

The Office of Personnel Management provides a specific listing of entry-level jobs at (www.usajobs.opm.gov), as well as a page oriented to students seeking internships, summer jobs, and other student-oriented opportunities called the Student Search Page. The job openings are listed by categories, such as Professional, Administrative, Technical Positions, Information Technology and Telecommunications. In addition, there are listings by each governmental agency. A sampling follows of recent available federal jobs with listed starting salaries:

• Accountant-Department of State-Washington, D.C. area and Charleston, S.C., $38,406
• Architect-Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command-Norfolk, VA, $54,275
• Audiologist-Veterans Health Administration-Decatur, GA, $54,825 Auditor-Social Security Administration-Dallas, TX, $55,405
• Biological Science Lab Technician-Veterans Health Administration-throughout Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri, $22,737
• Agricultural Program Specialist-U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency-Colchester, VT, $34,451

When Deborah C. Johnson ponders her career in government, she thinks immediately of the great opportunities for professional growth that she has reaped leading to her position now as a computer specialist with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Financial Management Services. Johnson’s career in government has spanned 23 years. She is a mathematics and business graduate of North Carolina Central University in Durham, completing an MBA program at the University of Maryland University College, and certified in Configuration Software Management.

Johnson has participated in a number of government-sponsored programs for professional growth and development, including leadership awareness, mid-level management, and women’s executive leadership. “I strongly recommend finding a career path that is in line with your major skills and abilities,” Johnson advises students and graduates. “As with any organization, it is always advantageous to keep your skills polished and knowledge enhanced.” She adds that versatility is always a benefit to a governmental organization or work group. Never being afraid of taking risks is also an important attribute, such as applying for positions that attract you, but for which you don’t know if you qualify.

Further, amid the scandals of some of corporate America’s most prestigious companies, such as Enron, and WorldCom, private industry salaries overall in 2002 have been depressed for new college graduates. NACE’s Summer 2002 issue of Salary Survey shows that salary offers in many fields are significantly lower than in 2001, which means increased competition among job seekers, translating into lower starting salaries.

In business fields, for instance, accounting graduates earned a less than 1 percent increase, for an average starting salary offer of $39,768. And, graduates in the once hot field of management information systems saw their average starting salary offer drop 6.3 percent to $42,705. But, despite falling salaries, the basic qualifications for most professional “civil servant” jobs remain intact. Some of them are:

• A high grade point average is helpful, but not the only determining factor.

• The ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• The ability to be comfortable meeting and interacting with the general public.
• The temperament to be a “self-starter,” or someone who can be left to accomplish his or her work without constant supervision.
• The ability to adapt, since government offices are subject to change based on the election of the Chief Executive and his appointment of non-career supervisory staff.
• The ability to work effectively and comfortably with people who have varied backgrounds, ethnicity and experiences.

“Continuing education is crucial if you wish to excel,” says Charles “C. J.” Garris of Upper Marlboro, MD, a special services technician with the General Services Administration. The GSA is the “umbrella” agency in the federal government that oversees buildings, the procurement and acquisition of supplies and equipment; and the development of policies and guidelines for all of the governmental agencies. Garris also urges that new African-American governmental workers become affiliated with Blacks in Government, or BIG,  (www.bignet.org), an organization founded in 1975 to represent the interest of black civil servants.

“Take advantage of every opportunity to advance yourself, and don’t let anyone hold you back!” exhorts Dr. Marjorie A. Costa, a noted pioneer for equal employment opportunities in the federal government and a founder of BIG who is now retired from the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Costa worked as an instructor and associate director at the Columbia University School of Public Health before taking up government service as the national director for Family Planning during the 1960s and ‘70s. Then, it was called the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and racism and bigotry “were rampant” in the federal government.

In 2000, African Americans totaled 17 percent of the federal civilian workforce.

Most college graduates can expect to be “rated” at between a GS-9 to a GS-12, based on their educational background, work experience and special qualifications for the given job. The current salary range for GS-9, 10, 11, and 12 positions  (for all government agencies) is as follows:

(This information is extracted from the “Salary Table 2002” for those employed in the Baltimore; Washington; Maryland; Virginia, and West Virginia areas. Locality pay varies, based on your duty station.)

• GS-9: Year I, Starting Salary =$38,406, with a net yearly increase of 4.77%. The salary by Year 10 = $49,924.

• GS-10: Year 1, Starting Salary = $42, 294, with same percentage of yearly increase. The salary by Year 10 = $54,986.

• GS-11: Year I, Starting Salary = $46,469. The salary by year 10 =$60,405.

• GS-12: Year 1, Staring Salary = $55,694. The salary by year 10 = $72,400.

Brenda C. Compton-Turner, a senior education program specialist in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition, has spent 37 years in the federal civil service. “New graduates seeking federal opportunities must begin the process by understanding the rules of the game,” she advises. “Pay close attention to the special requirements listed in the job announcement for which you are applying,” Compton-Turner adds. “ It is also important that you pay close attention to the appearance of your application package.” Many applicants are looked upon negatively by government hiring managers, when they submit an application replete with misspellings, grammatical errors and typos, according to Compton-Turner.

Mary Elizabeth Pashchall, (left) an information management specialist for the U.S. State Department, says the types of positions graduates can go for are diverse. Pashchall, who works as an indexer, researcher and electronic publisher, believes that the variety of jobs makes it possible for graduates to follow their interests. “Since the inception of my career with of the Department of State, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to study and learn more about my field, foreign relations. I’ve learned to appreciate diverse ethnic groups and view geopolitical situations objectively.”

Author and lecturer Lyle Crews Sr., formerly a senior official in the U.S. Department of Energy and who is now retired, urges young applicants to keep in mind that “the impression that one makes during the job interview is of crucial importance.”

He advises that an applicant take a good look in the mirror and speak into a tape recorder preceding the interview, and then go to face his potential employers “dressed for success.”

Equally important is to know what you want and keep your eyes on the prize.

“My advice to young, Black students would be … never sacrifice your education for any amount of fun or job. Speaking from experience, it has been hard returning to school after dropping out. However, I know that the outcome of my return will reap a lifetime of benefits,” says Melva Manley of Laurel, MD, who serves as a security officer with the General Services Administration (GSA) while she pursues her bachelor’s degree in business at Southeastern University in Washington.

In addition to all the previously mentioned benefits of being employed by the “new” federal government, workers can expect a full array of fringe benefits. They include: tuition reimbursement, health and life insurance, annual and sick leave, retirement, and paid holidays. So, if you have not considered federal employment as a potential career, now is the time to check it out!

[Online Helpers For Federal Job Applicants]

Dr. James H. Lockhart has been a federal official for more than 30 years in key offices of the U.S. Department of Education. He is serving his 22nd year as an official in the Office of English Language Acquisition, U.S. Department of Education and was the principal founder of the Department of Education Chapter of Blacks in Government.