Federal Government Jobs – Other Information (Part 5 of 5)

Federal Government Jobs – Other Information (Part 5 of 5)

If you have ever applied for a Federal Government job, or been through a staffing process, you know it’s not as easy as it looks. So, what can you do to improve your chances of getting your first Federal Government job?

In my first post of this series, I talked about the steps you can take to actually find the job for which you want to apply.

In my second post, I outlined how to interpret the job poster in the job poster, and what each of the sections means.

In my third post, I broke down the Essential Qualifications, and how you can demonstrate you possess them.

And in my most recent post, I described the qualifications that would be assessed at a later date.

What else do you need to consider when looking at the job poster?

The next sections of the job poster include:

• Operational Requirements
• Conditions of Employment
• Other Information

Lots of people think that once they have looked at the essential requirements for the position, they don’t need to read any further.  However, there will be very important information in these sections that you need to consider before applying.

Let’s break them down further.

Operational Requirements

This outlines what you will have to do to work in this position and in this environment.   If you are not prepared to meet any of the requirements that are listed in the job poster, the position may not be right for you, and you should reconsider applying. It will include statements such as:

• Willing and able to work in a busy environment, including exposure to unsettling and/or graphic material.
• Willingness and ability to travel for work and/or training purposes using various modes of transportation.
• Willingness and ability to work overtime as required.

Conditions of Employment

This is the section that describes what you require before being hired, outside of essential qualifications.   Failure to meet these conditions will result in you not being offered the position.  This section includes such things as:

• Security Clearance (i.e. Reliability Status, Secret, Top Secret)
• Valid Driver’s License

Other Information

This contains very important information and should be read carefully before proceeding with the application process.  This will help you plan and prepare for each step in the process, and to gather any relevant documentation that will be required, i.e. education credentials.   It includes such information as:

• Reference checks may be sought.
• An interview may be administered. Interview(s) may be conducted via telephone, video-conference or other similar means.
• A test may be administered. Please note that written test(s) may be administered during weekdays and/or evenings and/or weekends.
• Testing/interviews will be conducted at locations of the employer’s choice and may require candidates to travel to the test/interview location.
• You must provide proof of your education credentials.

If you’re not sure how to go about preparing yourself for these next steps, don’t  be afraid to reach out to a Certified Professional Career Coach who has extensive experience preparing clients for the Federal Government job process.  Take the guess work out of it and make sure you know how to proceed.

I hope this series of posts has helped provide insight into the Federal Government staffing process, and has or will help you prepare for each stage in the process.  You will go through many steps to be successful with the Federal Government job process. The more you understand the process, the more prepared you will be, which will improve your chances of being successful.