[jaredo155]

I have been trying to get a federal government job for the past 6 years now, having applied for somewhere between 40 and 50 positions probably. I have made it to various levels of consideration, but I haven’t even ever gotten to the interview stage. I have a Bachelor’s in Economics, a Certificate in Accounting, and am working on my Master’s in Finance. I currently work for a fortune 500 healthcare company as a staff accountant (1.5 years), and worked for a large corporate pharmacy company previously as a tax accountant (about 4 years). I just received an opportunity to work for a large state university in their grant accounting department. I am just wondering if that experience working for what is technically a government organization, would help me at all in the long run in trying to work for the federal government? Also I have always heard that government jobs are hired based on points, and since I don’t have my CPA or Master’s yet that it makes it a lot harder to stand out. Anyone know if this is true, and exactly how many points are given for what things? I appreciate any advice anyone has!

AUD - 2/2013 - Passed!
BEC - 5/2013 - Passed!
FAR - 8/2013 - Passed!
REG - 11/2013 - Passed!
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

[jokami]

The thing with federal government is that you have to make it to what they call “the list”. If you make the list you are in good shape… The thing is that this works by points and whoever make the top ten in “the list” are the ones who get the privilege of being interviewed. The bad bad worst devastating part is that unfortunately for us normal citizens; the government gives a special consideration to: veterans, army wives, disabled, and some other an advantage by providing them extra points just for being that… and sometimes it pull us back to an over tenth place.

B - 62, 70, 72, 79!!!
A - 68, 81
R - 70, 82
F - 84

"The limit to your abilities is where you place them" - Fortune Cookies

[Anonymous]

Only 40 or 50? Haha I've gotten one offer (the position I am currently in) but if you look on my application status page, I think there are 140+ listed. Sure, plenty of them I wasn't going to make the “best qualified” or “most competitive” group, but I did it anyway. What do you mean by “various levels of consideration?” Do you mean “referred” or “referred to selecting official?” While those are generally good things, do not put so much stock into them that you get your hopes up. It is still as competitive as at any point until you receive that conditional offer. That is partially true, that government jobs are based on points. You get, usually, a 5 or 10 point “bonus” (well-deserved) if you have veteran status and/or a resulting disability (based on %). Most of it comes down to to your responses in the questionnaires in each announcement. I am sure you have seen the questions where it may ask something like, “what is your experience analyzing financial statements, responding to a request for blah blah, etc, etc.” and the choices have responses of “no experience,” “education but no experience,” all the way up to “I am an expert and deal with this work on a daily basis.” Then, a lot of the announcements I have done have asked, like you mentioned, about what level of education you have reached and what certifications you have. So, obviously, you are gonna take a big hit on an announcement where lots of people with CPAs, CFAs, etc and a master or Phd are applying. I don't know if you've heard about the “keyword” argument as well. A lot of people say that you should use a lot of keywords from the application's “duties” and “requirements” section as to match well with what the “computer system” wants to see. Honestly, if you could, and I say this because I know some announcements will say, “do not send in hard copy, fill online application only,” I would send in a hard copy to the person addressed at the bottom of the page online. I've done that twice and it worked one of the two times ha. Overall, it is a pretty tough process to get through, especially if you are not having communication with an applicant coordinator or HR staff. Sorry for the long response but let me know if you have any additional questions.

[jaredo155]

@chiguy19 So my best bet is probably to finish my Master's, get my CPA, and just keep applying to every possible opportunity I see? By various levels I just mean the majority I got an email saying I wasn't selected or I didn't meet the minimum qualifications, and then a couple I got an email telling me I was referred to the selecting official and then they would contact me to say my point total wasn't high enough. Also with the IRS I made it to the stage where you take the personality survey, and apparently I didn't fit the personality they were looking for (I am still kicking myself for that one). So would you say work experience weighs much at all on being considered, or is it only going to help you once you have made the top 10 list you mentioned before? Well I appreciate very much your advice, hopefully I will eventually find an opportunity to get into the system.

AUD - 2/2013 - Passed!
BEC - 5/2013 - Passed!
FAR - 8/2013 - Passed!
REG - 11/2013 - Passed!
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

[Anonymous]

Yes, definitely, get the CPA and Master's done as quickly, but assuredly, as you can. I actually haven't even finished either yet. I'm just halfway through the CPA as of today and have one class left to finish my master's. But, I am in a different position because I started last year in the SCEP (fancy gov't intern name) program which is now the Pathways programs for students and recent grads, so I wasn't going up against full-timers or those with years of experience and multiple degrees. Yeah, I've gotten plenty of emails, most expected, saying I didn't meet minimum requirements or that I was referred to the selecting official but was not chosen. Usually BQ lists are about 10-20 people long but it depends on the agency and how many people that agency is looking to hire obviously. I have no experience with the IRS but that's interesting and I didn't know they had such a survey like that. To a certain point, work experience does matter because you will see announcements where it will say something like, “do you have 52 weeks of experience equivalent to at least a GS-X (7 or 9 or 11 or whatever)?” and to me that seems like that would be no problem for you as you have multiple years already. What sucks is that you can't really expound on your accomplishments/experience/achievements in those questionnaires because they are just multiple choice questions and people can even embellish what they have done to get to a better “score.” So, in response to your question, I would say it is more helpful once you have made the list because then you will hopefully get an interview and be able to explain how those years have made you the best candidate

[Anonymous]

@jaredo155

Don't waste your time applying for the positions that are only looking for 1 person. Focus on the multiple openings (ie IRS, DCAA, DCMA etc.) If you only have a bachelors you'll probably want to target the GS-7 spots. Masters and/or CPA start usually around GS-9. Keep in mind it takes a LONG time for them to get back to you for an interview. Usually around six months from the time you apply if you make the list. Making the list is determined by how many points you score based on your credentials and the questionaire you fill out. You want to score at least a 95 or more to have a good chance of being called.

BE PERSISTANT. If you're flexible with the location your willing to work from (ie willing to move), you have a MUCH better chance of being called up.

[msgolds]

I agree with everything dtomasello said.

I Also, know I said this in an earlier post, but for any current students who are considering federal employment, APPLY FOR INTERNSHIPS! Intern appointments are much easier to land than full-time federal appointments, and they can easily be converted to full-time post-graduation. For non-students, things that work in your favor are veteran-status, Masters / CPA, high GPA, more or less any time of accounting / auditing experience, experience with federal contracting. Do not expect to be called back right away. The applicant pool is huge, and government hiring managers are presented lists of three potential hirees at a time, which they either need to hire or give specific reason for their rejection. And, after you get called, expect to spend a good six months or so on your background check.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[Anonymous]

Yea, the timeline can be awfully frustrating. Mine was about 6 months total. Here's a good link to a lot of internship openings if anyone is curious

https://www.usajobs.gov/JobSearch/Search/GetRefineControlResults?Keyword=pathways&Location=&SelectedRadiusOption=20&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Search%21

[SMUT_Co]

Hiring right now for a lot of agencies has slowed. The IRS is hiring for attrition at a rate of 1 new person for every 4 people who retire. There is frustration with people who work in the government with lack of positions available.

When I was looking for a job with the Government I applied to 50+ jobs over a three-month window. I would spend about 5 hours a week trolling USAJOBS for positions and applying to all vacancies, this was in 2009 and 2010 when there were a lot of positions available. I eventually was hired for a job i applied for with my third choice of POD.

The timeline to hear back about making the BQ list or interviewing painfully slow but after you hear you have been accepted for the position be prepared to start about a month later. I applied in March for a job I was eventually hired for in September. I was contacted in early July for an interview and received an offer the first week of August.

You just have to keep applying and eventually have the right combination of correct answers to be selected.

Good Luck

FAR: Done
REG: Done
AUD: Done
BEC: Done

[Author]

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