All hiring for federal positions, for both current students and recent graduates (0 -2 years out), is now going through the PATHWAYS Programs. These are the PATHWAYS Internship program and the PATHWAYS Recent Graduates Program.
The PATHWAYS Internship program is for paid internships for current students in an academic major relevant to the position and who can hopefully complete 640 hours of work prior to graduation. The student may then be considered for non-competitive conversion to a full-time position.
The PATHWAYS Recent Graduates Program is for individuals about to graduate (December 2012 or May 2013), or who have graduated within the past 2 years, or veterans who have graduated within the past 6 years.
While different agencies will have different job requirements, the basic procedure is the same:
Establish an account on www.usajobs.gov . Load your resume and unofficial transcripts into your account. Or use the federal resume builder feature.
To search for jobs, you can browse jobs by agency, by geographic region, by job title or keyword. After identifying jobs that interest you and that seem to match your skills, review the vacancy announcement carefully, especially the ‘Qualification and Evaluation’ section. You must follow all the instruction in the “How to Apply” section and be sure to apply within the open dates of the announcement. Sometimes, this can be a very short window of opportunity, so don’t delay.
You may also be directed to the system’s Application Manager to answer and submit an online questionnaire.
This is why it is helpful to have your basic account and resume ready to go in the USAJOBS system. More detailed information is available through the website at:
http://www.usajobs.gov/ResourceCenter . Check it out!