TOPICS
TOPICS
OPM studies show heightened interest in federal careers
Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James said Thursday that recent studies show the federal government is the employer of choice for "a large and talented pool of enthusiastic and well-educated people."
Her conclusion was based on surveys conducted among more than 300 finalists for positions with the Presidential Management Fellows program and more than 900 attendees at an April joint private- and public-sector job fair at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
At the job fair, respondents said that a federal career appealed to them more than one in the private sector by a ratio of 6 to 1. And nearly two-thirds of respondents said they were more interested in government work today than they were a few years ago.
Nearly 60 percent of the finalists in the Presidential Management Fellowships program--which places top students and promising early-career professionals in rotating agency assignments and provides training and development courses--said the main reason they wanted a federal career was to serve their country or to make an impact in people's lives. Eighty-five percent of the job fair respondents said "helping people and making a difference" made federal work appealing.
At the same time, 95 percent of the finalists said they found government pay and benefits competitive with private industry, while 79 percent of the job fair respondents said government pay and benefits appealed to them.
The Polling Company, a Washington-based firm, conducted the surveys for OPM.
"The supply is there, and the demand is there," said Doris Hausser, OPM's senior policy adviser, adding that the tough part is connecting the right applicants with the right jobs. Of the New York City respondents, 41 percent said it was a challenge to build the right skills for a federal job, and 39 percent said it was difficult to learn about job opportunities in the federal government.
OPM has held 11 recruitment fairs since last September in cities from Las Cruces, N.M., to Miami, with more than 40 agencies participating as exhibitors.
COMMENTS
- I applied for a higher position in another location. The hiring agency chose to use OPM for the hiring process. The job closed more than three weeks ago, and I still don't have any idea if I am even rated qualified, let alone if I made the cert. When I contacted OPM (Raleigh, NC) to inquire, they told me I would get a letter in the mail telling me of my status. It was supposedly mailed 6 days ago, and is not yet in my mailbox. I was told they don't give results over the phone, and I was welcome to request results by email. I inquired if the response would be forthcoming within one day, and was told "yeah, if they ever get our system to work." Computers have been down for several days up there. I am in my 18th year of civil service, and have yet to see a smooth transaction in hiring when OPM gets involved. GovExec.com reader Posted July 22, 2004 8:51 AM
- These folks who "have a heightened interest in federal careers" are about to get a rude awakening; little or no acknowledegement of sent resumes and applications, cryptic job announcements, cronyism,and lengthy waits for clearances. Also, since the economy is still in a slump, of course ANY employment looks appealing. I guarantee you when things pick back up, and they will, myself and many others may be looking outside the government for a fulfilling, satisfying career. What is so amusing is that OPM touts the federal government as THE number one employer, when in fact, many state and some local governments offer far better pay and benefits. I don't want to leave the FEDS, but I may have no choice.... GovExec.com reader Posted July 20, 2004 2:29 PM
- "Of the New York City respondents, 41 percent said it was a challenge to build the right skills for a federal job, and 39 percent said it was difficult to learn about job opportunities in the federal government" It is so easy to find job postings for the government that the people answering this question obviously are not well-qualified and talented people! Not only is it easy to find the jobs but the application process is very very easy! These people obviously just want to walk in and start working without any screening. There are many of us in the government that the personnel system has restricted from jobs by a classification label established by clerks that have no idea of how to evaluate a resume! They simply do a keyword search and never think! Likewise, there is no process for promotion - at least in DoD. I have military managers that are here at most for two years (few made it that long)! I get outstanding ratings but never a promotion (they don't want to bother with the paper work) because there is no payoff for them! I have been in the top step of my grade since I was hired (12 years) and the job content has changed significantly without any rewrite of my job description or performance plan and no regard for how I might feel about the changes. This is the worst personnel system that I have ever experienced in my long career either in the private sector or in the government. It is no wonder that DoD is a mess in terms of financial control and lack of qualified people. If these potential employees want to work for the government they better avoid DoD! Citizen Posted July 9, 2004 7:08 AM
