Federal Job

Having Trouble Getting a Federal Job?

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Getting a federal job is a lengthy and difficult process. Many postings receive hundreds, or even a thousand or more applications. I tell most clients that 9-12 months is the time that it can take to get a federal position; while it can happen sooner, this is a realistic timeframe. Even if you are transitioning from the military, you should not expect to get a federal job immediately.

In my view, getting a federal job takes three things:

  1. Applying for jobs for which you are truly qualified. By this, I mean that you already possess the specialized experience required in the job announcement AND you can provide the highest and best answer to every question on the occupational questionnaire. If, when you review the questionnaire (and I always recommend reviewing the questionnaire before applying), you cannot provide the highest and best answer to each question (or at least 90%), you should pick another announcement.

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What do You Know about the Senior Executive Service (SES)?

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The Senior Executive Service (SES) is the highest civilian service in the government. Membership in the SES demands leadership, professional integrity, a broad perspective, and a commitment to the highest ideals of public service.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) administers the SES program which was created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. Applying for the SES is a multi-level process that requires demonstration of a candidate’s executive core qualifications or ECQs.

The ECQs were identified after extensive research into the leadership attributes of successful executives across the government and private sectors. ECQs include leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen, and building coalitions. These competencies are used to test potential candidates on the needed leadership qualifications to be an executive in today’s civil service.

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Thinking about the Senior Executive Service (SES)

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Before applying for a Senior Executive Service (SES) position, it is important to assess whether you have the qualifications for and genuine interest in becoming a member of the Senior Executive Service. Being a member of the SES involves much more than just meeting time-in-grade requirements.

In order to be eligible for the Senior Executive Service (SES), you must meet time-in-grade requirements and be able to demonstrate your possession of OPM’s five executive core qualifications (ECQs): Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, and Building Coalitions. Qualifying for the SES is about more than proving your managerial capabilities—it is about true leadership.

Not everyone wants to be a leader—many are comfortable remaining as a manager, and others like being an individual contributor without responsibility for supervising, managing, or leading people. What is the difference between being a manager and a leader?

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Thank You for Attending My Presentation

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I’m so glad you attended my presentation and welcome to my website. I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter in the right sidebar. When you do, you’ll receive monthly articles and updates.

As promised, here’s the link to download a PDF copy of the slide deck for your own personal use:

sftw the federal application process 01-2015

If you are ready to invest in professional support with a federal job search insider, please review our services and contact me to set up a consultation.

SES Application & Selection

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First and foremost, a successful SES application will demonstrate that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) which serve as the leadership competencies for all SES positions.

The ECQs are:

  • Leading Change
  • Leading People
  • Results Driven
  • Business Acumen
  • Building Coalitions

In addition to the 5 ECQs, there are 28 sub-competencies to the ECQs including everything from Accountability to Political Savvy. The full set of ECQ definitions and sub-competencies can be viewed here. Most ECQs narratives are 10 pages long (2 pages per ECQ); the Office of Personnel Management has set font and margin size requirements as well as page limits, and recommends a specific rubric for preparing ECQ statements.

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