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Frequently Asked Questions Employment

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  • How do I apply for Federal employment? View more
    There must be a job opportunity announcement (JOA) in order to apply for a Federal job.  A Federal application consists of submitting a resume, usually completing an assessment and may require additional information such as: transcripts, SF-50s from government employees and/or DD 214.   Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind while applying for jobs: 1. Find a job opportunity announcement that matches your skills and interests by using the search jobs function (http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/). · Search by occupation, agency name, location, announcement number · Click Search for Jobs   2. After finding a job of interest, it is very important that you carefully review the "Qualifications and Evaluations" section of the job opportunity announcement to see if you qualify for the job.   3. After you carefully review the "Qualifications and Evaluations" section, review the How to Apply" section of the job opportunity announcement. When applicants do not follow the instructions provided in the "How to Apply" section of the job opportunity announcement, the application will be considered incomplete and they are not considered for the job.   4. After following these initial steps, you are now ready to apply for a Federal government job. Additional Information:   When you apply for a position, we recommend that you print out the job opportunity announcement, so that you will have the information to refer to when checking on your status after the closing date. When an agency's job opportunity announcement is closed, it is removed from USAJOBS®. We do not provide copies of closed job opportunity announcements. You can also save the job opportunity announcement as an HTML Web page. To save, you must view the job opportunity announcement on your screen. Then, go to "File", "Save As", select "Web Page, complete" and click "Save".   You can also log into "My Account" and create a "Saved Search" that will notify you by email when jobs meeting your qualifications have been added to the system.   For more information, visit http://www.usajobs.gov/firsttimevisitors.asp to learn about Employment Information, Federal Hiring Processes, and how to assess your skills and interests to match potential career opportunities.  
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  • What does GS, WS, WG, YA, VN etc. mean in a position’s title? View more
    Positions within the Federal Government are classified by occupational series, grade or pay level, and pay plan. Pay plans identify the pay system under which the position is covered. Many white-collar employees are paid under the General Schedule (GS), which is regulated by title 5 and administered by OPM. GS positions, including other white-collar positions, are paid annual salaries. Current GS salaries may be viewed at http://www.opm.gov/oca/06tables/index.asp. Blue-collar employees are paid under the Federal Wage System (FWS). FWS positions are craft, trade, and laboring positions and include several different pay plans (WS, WG, WL, etc.). FWS positions are paid on an hourly basis. For current FWS rates, please visit http://www.opm.gov/oca/wage/Wagesch.asp and select a state and county for the corresponding wage schedule. Some agencies have statutory authority to administer their own pay systems. Employees within these agencies may be paid under separate pay systems (e.g., pay bands) with separate pay plan codes. For instance, the YA pay plan is used only by the Department of Defense for positions classified under the National Security Personnel System (NSPS). The VN pay plan is specific to nursing positions within the Department of Veteran Affairs. Because of variations in independent personnel systems across the Federal Government, it is recommended applicants contact the hiring agency directly to obtain definitive information about pay plans other than the GS.
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  • What does it mean when the vacancy announcement's Who May Apply section says "all sources" or "status applicants" and/or "reinstatement eligibles”? View more
    These are groups of individuals the agency may identify as groups from which it will accept applications to compete for its vacancy. When a vacancy is open to “all sources”, it means anyone may apply. While there are no restrictions on the groups of candidates who may apply to these types of announcements, in most cases, U.S. citizenship is required. In rare cases, agencies may hire certain non-citizens when there are no qualified U.S. citizens available, unless the appointment is prohibited by statute. In addition, Congress frequently restricts agencies’ ability to hire non-citizens into the excepted service as well, through appropriations provisions. “Status applicants” refers to those individuals who are current or former Federal civilian employees who hold or held non-temporary appointments in the competitive service, not the excepted service.  
    NOTE: Certain veterans eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) may also apply and be considered under vacancy announcements limited to status candidates. For information on VEOA eligibility, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp#Veterans_Employment_Opprtunities_Act_of_1998.
      Reinstatement eligibility refers to the ability for those individuals who previously held a career or career-conditional appointment to apply for jobs in the competitive Federal service open to status applicants. There is no time limit on reinstatement eligibility for those who either have veterans' preference, or acquired career tenure by completing 3 years of substantially continuous creditable service. For more information on reinstatement, please visit: www.usajobs.opm.gov/ei2.asp.
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  • Are SCEP students who are converted to career or career-conditional appointments subject to the probationary period required by 5 CFR § 315.801? View more
    Yes. However, time spent on the SCEP appointment may be credited towards probation provided it meets the requirements of 5 CFR § 315.802
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  • What will my salary be? View more
    There are 15 grades in the General Schedule (GS) pay system; each grade has 10 steps. Upon your first appointment to a GS position, you will typically be placed in the first step of the grade for which you are selected. Occasionally, exceptions can be made for applicants with hard-to-find or highly desirable skills. These exceptions are at an agency’s discretion and are not an employee entitlement. (Some agencies have statutory authority to administer their own pay systems. Employees in these agencies may be subject to different pay-setting rules.) Current GS salaries may be viewed at http://www.opm.gov/oca/06tables/index.asp. In certain situations, agencies, at their discretion, may offer recruitment, relocation, or retention incentives. Information on recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives is available at http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/html/3RS_newQAs.asp. The Senior Executive Service (SES) includes most managerial, supervisory, and policy positions classified above GS grade 15 or equivalent positions in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Compensation for SES positions is based on a pay-for- performance system. For additional information, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/ses/compensation.asp.
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  • Is there an age limit for Federal employment? View more
    Generally, applicants for most Federal jobs must be (1) at least 18 years old, or (2) at least 16 years old and: • Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or • Have completed a formal vocational training program; or • Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or • Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Some positions, like those in law enforcement have a maximum entry age and the age may vary from agency to agency but generally falls within the range 34 yrs to 37 yrs.  Please review the job opportunity announcement or call the agency directly to find out specific information about the job of interest to you.  What does status candidate means?
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  • How do I find a job? View more
    Searching for job opportunities on USAJOBS® is very easy.  To search for jobs, select “Search Jobs” from the USAJOBS home page or go to http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov At the job search page, you can:   1) Search Jobs by "Location", "Job Category", "Salary range", "Pay Grade", and/or 'Search Keyword'; or 2) Select a more refined search from the specialty search options at the top of the page including "Agency", "Series", "Senior Executive" or "Advanced". If you are looking for a particular position, use the "Keyword Search" box to indicate the specific position or location of interest  Additional tips for keyword searching can be found at:  http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/help/index.asp?ma=keyword_tips
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  • Do time in grade restrictions apply to students in the Student Educational Employment Program? View more
    No. Time-in-grade restrictions apply only to competitive service positions. See 5 CFR § 300.603).
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  • Why have I not heard anything back after applying? How long does it take to hear from an agency after I have applied? View more
    The Office of Management and Budget has mandated that agencies are responsible for evaluating and providing status to applicants at four points which are:   Application Received Application Assessed Applicant Referred or Not Referred to Selection Official Applicant Selected or Not Selected   Although each agency is different, generally, you will hear from the hiring agency in about 15-30 days after the job opportunity announcement (JOA) closes.  If you have not heard from the agency, you should contact the agency that posted the JOA to inquire about the status of your application. You may also go to "My Account" to view your application history.  The contact information for each announcement is listed in the lower portion of the JOA and also on the floating menu on the right hand side of the JOA.  If the JOA has closed and no longer appears on the USAJOBS® website, you can contact the human resources office of the hiring agency for additional information and assistance or feel free to click on Contact Us.
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  • Who do I contact about a job announcement? View more
    If you have questions regarding a position to which you are applying or to find out the status of your application, please speak to the point-of-contact listed for each job opportunity announcement  (JOA).  The contact information can be found at the lower portion of the JOA and also on the floating menu located on the right hand side.  If the JOA has closed and no longer appears on the USAJOBS® website, you can contact the human resources office of the hiring agency for additional information and assistance. If you are looking for a way to contact the agency headquarters, please visit http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml.  
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