Federal Jobs

Federal Benefits Update

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If you haven’t yet heard of the threats to federal benefits contained in President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, you haven’t been paying attention.  However, if you’re receiving the Solutions for the Workplace monthly newsletter, the odds are good that you’re aware of the danger on the horizon.

Most of the proposals are a re-hash of those that have been presented in the past and have gotten nowhere.  The Congressional Budget Office, the Simpson-Bowles Commission and budget proposals coming from the House of Representatives have made the same or similar proposals over the last several years.  The difference is that now the same party controls both houses of Congress and the Presidency, making the changes somewhat more likely to be enacted.  Note that I used the modifier “somewhat” in the previous sentence; it’s no slam dunk to enact such major changes to long-time benefits.

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Development is About More than Training

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Most agencies offer both formal and informal development opportunities. The formal type of development encompasses traditional training programs, while informal development occurs during every day work. Do not neglect the multiple informal opportunities most of us have to improve ourselves at work. And, in these times of increasing budget pressures, it may be easier to take advantage of informal, rather than formal opportunities.

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Four Steps to Plan Your Career

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No one cares more about your career than you do. As an employee, you need to be proactive in your career—this includes creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP) with your supervisor. And, if your supervisor does not offer this opportunity, seize the reins yourself! There are four steps to planning your career: Assess, Explore, Plan, and Take Action.

Planning your career can seem like a difficult task, but with the right approach, you can open up new doors without feeling overwhelmed. No matter where you are in your career – whether you are a long-time federal employee, a new employee, or a Veteran entering the civilian workforce – career planning with this four-phase career development model can help you break things down into manageable steps. Here’s how it works:

Assess
During the Assess phase, you get to ask yourself an important question: What do you really want to do with your career?

You can start this process on your own – it’s as simple as brainstorming about your interests, priorities, and goals. Or, you can get feedback from people who know you well.
As you assess yourself, be sure to focus on your strengths. While it’s important to understand and work on your shortcomings, the biggest career growth can actually come from further developing skills or behaviors in which you already excel. Finally, as part of the Assess phase, you should think about the tradeoffs you are willing to make in your career. For example, if your goal is getting a higher paying job, think about how long a commute you are willing to have in exchange. Considering tradeoffs like this can give you more insight into your actual priorities.

Explore
During the Explore phase, you are looking for opportunities that move you toward your overall career goals. This means researching various career paths on your own or through conversations with others.

A good first step in the Explore phase may be to find a mentor in the career field that interests you who can talk with you about next steps or good developmental opportunities for you to complete.

Another great activity is to shadow someone in the workplace. Job shadowing is when you observe someone for a day to learn more about whether that person’s career field or specific job could be a good fit for you. Express interest to the person you want to shadow and see if he or she has enough time available. Then, work with your supervisor or mentor to set it up.

In the Explore phase, keep in mind that any activity that helps you discover more about a career you may be interested in is worth considering. This includes the activities above but can also be as simple as having lunch with someone who is knowledgeable about another career to get his or her insider’s perspective.

Plan
Now that you understand yourself and the career possibilities in front of you, you are ready to create a plan. Coming up with a solid plan can be easy when you approach the process with an Individual Development Plan (IDP). IDPs provide the structure you need to stay on track.

You can set effective career goals in your plan using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Timebound) method, which will help you think about the concrete steps you will take to achieve your goals. Is there training you need to complete to be eligible for a new position? Or are there experiences you can get in your current position that will qualify you for your next? For instance, if one of your goals is to improve your communication skills, you might plan to gather feedback on your communication skills from your peers and supervisors and then spend time learning about different communication styles. Or, you could take a course to learn about communicating effectively during meetings.

Take Action
Now, you’re ready to put your plan in motion. Depending on the goals you have identified, you may be taking a few hours of training each week, shadowing another employee to see what it takes to succeed in his or her position, or applying for a new job. As you complete your planned steps, don’t forget to gather feedback on your activities from a supervisor or mentor. You should also review and adjust your IDP as you go based on your progress toward your career goals.

By using these four phases for your career planning, you will be well on your way to the career you want. But remember to be flexible – developing your career is a continuous process. As your priorities evolve, you should feel free to bounce back and forth between the four phases, getting what you need from each.

Make Your Job Search Part of your Routine, Always Network

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I often hear comments along the lines of, “I’ve never had to look for a job, they have always just fallen into my lap.” While that may have been true in the past, for most of us, a successful job search requires organization and effort. You will need to develop a routine to be successful in your job search. It is important to do something to move your job search forward every day. You will need to create a new set of priorities and schedules—and write it down so you can hold yourself accountable.

Since you’re employed but seeking new opportunities, you need to make an extra effort to make time for your job search. Be consistent in the amount of time you spend each week looking for a job. Don’t spend 40 hours one week and then nothing for the next two weeks! The hardest part is getting started. Once you get the momentum into your search, you will want to keep moving forward. Set a schedule and stick to it.

First you need to decide whether you’re looking for another federal job or if you want to transition to the private sector. If you want another federal job, you should create a search agent on USAJOBS. The search agent should target the agencies, positions, grades, and occupations you’re interested in. You should also update your federal resume, making sure to include quantifiable accomplishments and metrics to give your work context. In addition, take a look at your LinkedIn Profile (you have one, right?). While the federal government doesn’t typically use LinkedIn to conduct job search, hiring managers will often look at LinkedIn to “check you out” prior to interviewing. You can and should use LinkedIn for networking—reach out to potential contacts and let them know you’re thinking about making a change, and ask them to notify you if they have an opening that might be of interest. You should also network in person; attend professional meetings if possible and let your friends and others know that you’re open to a job change.

If you have decided to transition to the private sector, the underlying concepts are the same; you need to have a private sector resume that uses key words, has accomplishments and metrics, and shows that value you offer to a potential employer. If you haven’t written a private sector resume in many years, please know that they have changed. The old “objective” statement at the top of the resume has been replaced with a “qualifications profile” that immediately showcases who you are and what you have to offer a prospective employer. Likewise, it is considered old fashioned to include a section on references in your resume; instead, you should have a separate reference page.

Unlike the federal government, most of the private sector uses Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) to screen applicants. If you’re applying online for a position — whether through a company’s own website or a portal like Indeed or Monster — it’s likely that your resume and application will be entered into a database. This makes ensuring that you customize your resume for each job posting essential, as ATS is searching for key words.

Networking is essential for a private sector job search; even with the widespread usage of ATS, it’s humans that still do the actual hiring. Having a referral from someone already in the organization you are targeting is very helpful. Research consistently indicates that more than 40% of jobseekers identify networking as the reason they found their most recent job. Social media is also critical to your private sector job search; many recruiters and companies use LinkedIn to “source” applicants. Your LinkedIn presence should present a positive professional image—and your other social media, such as Facebook, should not undercut that image. You should also make sure that the job titles and dates on your resume match those on LinkedIn.

It is also important to track your job search. Keep a list of the jobs you applied for, the dates you applied, and the results. You may also want to keep copies of the specific job postings so that you can properly prepare for interviews when called. Prepare a list of people in your network and then develop a log of when you reached out, what you discussed, and any appropriate follow up. Sign up with various job search boards, but be careful about putting personal information such as addresses, social security numbers, and the like, in the public domain. Read professional journals so you know what is going on in your industry. Attend job fairs. Develop your references. And most importantly, do something every day to further your job search!

The Top 10 Reasons You Were Not Picked for an Interview

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Over and over I hear, “if I could only get an interview, I could get the job…” Yet, far too many times, you’re not called for an interview. What could have happened…you thought you were the perfect fit…and you may have even received an email saying that you were referred to the hiring manager.

Of course, truly knowing the precise reason for not getting interviewed for a specific position is difficult to figure out but here are some of the more common reasons why you were not called for an interview:

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Questions to Ask Your Interviewers

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Interviews are for both the employer and you, as an applicant. A great way to ensure “fit” is to ask questions during an interview.

Never walk into an interview without specific questions for the interviewers. Even if you work in the unit where you’re interviewing, it is important to demonstrate that you have thought about the position and are interested in the interviewers’ needs and wants, not just your own. Typically, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions toward the end of the interview; you want to be prepared!

You should not ask questions about how you will be trained, when you will get promoted, or whether you can work at home; instead, focus on demonstrating that you are interested in the employer’s needs.

You may want to prepare 5-6 questions; you may not get to ask them all (3 is probably plenty) and it is possible that your interviewers will have answered at least a couple during the process. Here are some questions you could ask; you should prioritize what is most important to you.

• What are the next steps in the process?
• What are your goals for the person who fills this job in their first 90 days? First year?
• What did the person who held this job before do well that you would like to see continued?
• Are there major organizational changes in the works that might change how this position functions? (Or if you know of those changes, you can ask how those changes might affect the position)
• What do expect to be the biggest learning curve for the person who fills this job?
• Since this position has been vacant, what topic or issue of this position has taken up the most time?
• What is a typical day like?
• Describe the organization culture.
• What do you most like about working here?
• Is there anything else I can provide that would be helpful to you in making your decision?