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Interest in public service careers is growing among graduating college seniors, but the focus is on nonprofit employment rather than federal jobs, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Brookings Institution.

"When asked about public service they tend to think about what nonprofits do first," said Paul Light, director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Public Service. "Seniors do not see government as the best place to go for helping people."

Though 67 percent of the 1,002 liberal arts and social work students surveyed said that helping people was the most important job characteristic for them, just 16 percent of those surveyed said that government was the most effective at doing that.

"Somewhere along the way, government lost its meaning as a destination for those who want to help people and make a difference," the Brookings report said.

The survey found that 62 percent of respondents have given serious consideration to working in a public service-related job with 36 percent equating public service to helping people. But more of those graduating seniors expressed interest in nonprofit organizations than they did in the federal government, survey results showed.

Aside from the belief that government did a poor job of helping people, Light pointed to the lengthy and paperwork-riddled hiring process as another reason recent college graduates are less prone to seek government employment. As many as 63 percent of the students described the government hiring process as confusing, and 78 percent said it was slow.

"Government at all levels needs to do something bold to ... assure they will have the chance to serve their country through their work," Light said.

Light moderated a panel that included Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Volcker, chairman of the National Commission on the Public Service, a 10-member bipartisan group of former federal officials who spent last year studying the government's organization, outsourcing strategies and personnel systems. Rumsfeld said inefficiencies in the Defense civilian personnel system and hiring processes act as a deterrent to recruiting students.

"We offer them a ream of paperwork and promise to get back to them in three to five months," Rumsfeld said, describing how recruiters handle potential applicants.

"The decades-old system of hiring, firing, recognizing, promoting and paying civilian employees needs to change," said Rumsfeld, whose plan to revamp the Pentagon personnel system was included in the fiscal 2004 Defense authorization bill approved by the House late last month. "Civilian personnel are really managed outside the department with a set of rules and regulations fashioned for another era."

Volcker also blamed the antiquated civil service system for the disinterest in government employment.

"We have a personnel system that was designed for a different kind of government," said Volcker, whose group issued a report in January that recommended implementing more flexible personnel systems.

"After all the frustrations of trying to achieve some reforms, I think we have a real opportunity to effect some change," Volcker said, referring to the proposed National Security Personnel System at the Pentagon and the flexibilities given to the Homeland Security Department. "I hope that those two initiatives are followed by a broader framework making it easier to bring about changes across government."

COMMENTS

• I can't blame anyone for bypassing federal public service for nonprofit jobs. The CEO of the federal government and his Cabinet Deputies bash federal employment and employees at every opportunity. Just yesterday the Secretary of Defense said he needs wide ranging changes in his civil service in order to recruit talented employees and I quote from yesterday's Washington Post, "burdensome civil service rules, many of which date to the middle of the past century, mean the department cannot recruit talented employees and sometimes must hire private contractors...to perform tasks that would be better handled by civilian workers." What a bash and great insult to every DoD civilian employee, especially those who lost their lives on 9/11. The President seems to take delight in telling his employees they only deserve a 2 percent raise next year -- while the military gets more than 4%. The morale in the federal civil service is the worst I've ever seen and I've served the government for almost 15 years. Yes, go work for a nonprofit organization and have a wonderful career helping people and being appreciated for your efforts. Having your CEO and his deputies constantly calling you untalented is not rewarding. GovExec.com reader Posted June 5, 2003 10:29 AM
• This is not surprising and reflects a real long term problem for government. Why would anyone in their right mind apply with the government? When I first applied, I applied with HUD and it took three weeks and a call from me to them to find out that the position for which I had been interviewed was not authorized (it was a 15 spot). The guy that interviewed told me I would get the job if it were authorized, and I told him to forget it. Later I got a job that was misrepresented totally in the interview: I was led to believe that I would do the work only to find out later that all I did was review contractor work—how boring does it get? And you wonder why students look elsewhere? The only reason for a decent student to apply for a government job is if there are no others available. GovExec.com reader Posted June 4, 2003 6:48 AM
• Why would I encourage my college-educated child to enter government service? The pay isn't equitable. You can't be sure you can build towards a retirement because the push to contract out is never ending. More work, fewer people, lower pay raises, pay banding. Every administration comes in and wants to leave their mark on government through reform. The only thing that saves the government worker is both parties want to get the credit for government reform, but want to do it when they are in power. So whoever is not in power at the time refuses to cooperate with the current administration. Politics is all it is. As civilians, we provide the stability so the "warrior" is free to get fit, stay fit, prepare for and go to war. Our contribution is not recognized or appreciated. Working for the feds is like having your neck in a guillotine: they have the blade raised and the mob (Democrats/Republicans/Contractors) is crying "Drop It!" with the administration lamenting to the press just how worthless you are. During this, you are expected to do an outstanding job, with less people, funds, training and benefits. No, dear graduates, federal service is not a wise career move. Come in, burn hot for a few years and then move on, because if you stay, you soon won't be the best and brightest either! GovExec.com reader Posted June 4, 2003 11:09 AM