Finding Jobs and Careers
If you're looking for a government job then chances are that you won't find job openings posted on the typical career services website such as Monster or CareerBuilder. On the contrary, the government provides its own Internet portal for job seekers to find and apply for many different employment opportunities; the website is USAJobs. Job opportunities can be sorted by salary range, which department it is for and even the state in which it is located.
Various entry level state government jobs can also be found on individual states' websites as well as at CareerOneStop centers across the nation; CareerOneStop centers are the job centers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Entry Level Job Qualifications
The qualifications for entry level job openings with the government vary based on the type of job you're looking for. In general, many entry level jobs with the government are extremely competitive, which means that you should have credentials that stand above the rest of the applicants. Many entry level government jobs require a minimum of an associate's degree to qualify although some can be found that require experience in a particular field or a combination of professional experience and education. The types of jobs that you'll find that require these qualifications will be mainly assistant-type jobs. For example, a social services assistant job for the government typically requires an associate's degree. Annual salaries for these types of jobs also vary, but typically hover around the $25,000 to $35,000 mark on average.
Many other higher-paying jobs such as professional researchers, archeologists, and psychologists are also jobs available in the government sector. Entry-level requirements for these job opportunities typically include an advanced educational degree such as a Master's or a PhD. For these jobs that require more education, higher pay can be expected but also expect to have some real-world experience under your belt aside from your educational experience.
Virtually all of the federal and state government departments post job openings at one time or another. A few of the major federal government departments where entry level jobs are found include the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, as well as Department of Veterans Affairs.
A job with the government is definitely an opportunity that could mean a lot for your professional career. Not only will you be rewarded with annual salary reviews in many cases but most government jobs also have the standard eight-hour work day requiring no weekend work. Applying for entry level employment opportunities may also require multiple attempts since these jobs are very competitive, but eventually settling into a government job can be great experience.
