In this week’s BVA Happenings, BVA Deputy Director of Government Relations Alek Libbin comments on the challenges of finding employment with the federal government. He also offers a few tips for those who may be interested in applying soon.

The search for a new job and then landing one is hard. Getting a job in the federal government is even harder. In 2021, more than 17 million job applications were submitted through USAjobs.gov. Of that, approximately 300,000 received a job offer, a success rate of 1.7 percent. The process is difficult for many reasons—some good, some understandable, and some that many consider absurd. 

The good reasons for the challenge include the fact that the benefits and security of a federal job are sustainable, which attracts fierce competition. The average job announcement receives 200 applicants. Further, the federal government is bound to higher standards of non-discrimination than other employers in the form of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age. Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protect disabled applicants and employees, requiring federal agencies to make reasonable accommodations of any known disabilities unless such accommodation would cause undue hardship. These protections also increase the number of applicants and require more time for federal human resource officials to determine if a person is eligible for protections. 

Some understandable reasons are that the federal government needs more verifications and a more complete resume that matches a job description than those typically requested in the private sector, where time on the job can be the most important qualification requested. Further, if you claim any form of disability, certification, and/or service-related preferences, no matter how minor, they will require the verification that many private employers do not request. 

The absurd reasons relate to the reality that job postings and questions are in a complex language that is difficult to understand. As a personal example, I applied for a Policy Advisor position in the winter of 2022. This is the information offered followed by the question below:  

You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: 

Demonstrated working experience independently performing analytical duties in support of planning, development, evaluation, and decision-making affecting administrative and operational aspects of office-wide operations; AND 

Providing advice and assistance on overall division management matters such as workflow, records management, training, and/or enhanced document production; AND 

Providing guidance to upper-level management on personnel, human resources, administrative, and organizational issues related to mission requirements.  

Do you meet the specialized experience at the GS-11 level as stated in the vacancy announcement? Yes or No  

Breaking this question down, they are asking if I meet the job requirements. The question asked if I was qualified in three ways, all of which have sub-categories. This means that human resource personnel must determine if I meet all three job requirements, how I meet them, and if I am qualified enough at the GS-11 level. The GS-11 is the government pay scale and may or may not correspond to job title and duties.

Thankfully, the federal government at least recognizes that it hires differently than private employers and hosts regular workshops to advise prospective applicants. One such virtual workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 11. Registration can be located here. Good luck to all applicants out there!