Anyone Work Only During Business Hours?

[Anonymous]

good Q

[Anonymous]

It depends on the type of job that you are looking for in the gov. First you have to make sure your background and resume fulfill the qual standard. You should find that under the qualifications section. Second it depends on how the vacancy is rated. If it is the rule of three only the top three scores go forward including vets and if vets apply they automatically float to the top. You cannot select a non vet over a vet. the only way to pass them is for them (vet) to decline or for the position to be in a series where there are other factors apply..like education for a medical officer for example. your best bet is to keep your eye open for those vacancies that are looking to fill a lot of positions at once. also don't be afraid to call the hr contact and ask how you rated or what you are missing.

hope this helps

[Anonymous]

PP here..If you post the series or title i can give a little more insight and alos the grade you believe you qualify for.

[Anonymous]

Hi- I'd love your help- but doing a quick search- the jobs I was interested in the past are not there- there were quite a few of them at the time too.. Could I contact you if and when I do see an opening? Just my luck- some help and no prospective jobs!

[Anonymous]

Govt. worker here too. Same deal as the rest. Work 830 - 5, no weekends, never stay late.
To immediate previous poster who asked about how to get a job with the govt: Personnel is like a black hole, I'm not sure where resumes go. Through some miracle I got my job by responding to an ad in the Post. So you CAN get a job by answering one of their ads, but it's much easier if you have an internal contact to whom you can send your CV. That person can then pass it along to whoever is hiring.

[Anonymous]

Personnel is not a black hole..you just have to be invested in the process. As with everything in the gov there are laws that govern the process. For the PP there does not have to be a job open now I just need to know the titles you were interested in and the grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am lucky to work 9:30-5, and get a lenient lunch hour, for which I use to go to the gym. In my business (publications), this is type of workday is rare. I art direct magazines and in every job I've had before this, I would have to put in tons of unpaid overtime to meet printer deadlines, but they were for more glamorous magazines for which many people were dying to work for. And I did not want to be the first person to leave work. Then I had kids, and that had to stop...so I moved to DC and now work on not so glamorous magazines that never make it to the newsstand, but my hours are awesome. My job is so lenient, I can even teach at the gym on my lunchbreak. I guess it depends on your employer. There are many companies these days that know the value of having a "family-friendly" work environment. I believe there was an article in the Washingtonian about it last year.

I just HAVE to ask where you work. If you don't want to share on this board, will you PLEASE email me offline? ([e-mail]). I am in the same line of work and would love to find a workplace environment like you describe. I am currently a SAHM, but am starting to explore my options for going back to work at some point. Any information you can share would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personnel is not a black hole..you just have to be invested in the process. As with everything in the gov there are laws that govern the process. For the PP there does not have to be a job open now I just need to know the titles you were interested in and the grade.

I believe it was an Analyst (a very generic title) and it was a GS11 or so- not exactly sure - the salary range was rather large. What would this info. tell you?

[Anonymous]

The title you gave tells me that the position that you are looking for is in the 0343 Program or Management Analyst series and does not have a positive education requirement. At the grade level you wish to apply you would need to demonstrate that you have a somewhat advanced grasp or knowledge of program or management work. That series is very broad which is good and bad. It is kindof a catch all and with no positive education a lot of vets apply which may be why no one has called you. I would encourage you to do a few things. One keep applying. There is a great book by K. Trautman (sp??) titled How to Apply or How write a federal resume. It will shed a lot of light, but I would see if I could get it from the library. Once you read it once and get the gist you won't need it again. Two Pay attention to the "How to Apply" page. With all the apps received if you miss something like answering all the questions or submitting support dox you will be ineligible off the jump. Third Talk to the HR contact sometimes esp larger agencies they may be no help or centralized but you never know you may get someone who will tell you who the selecting official is or what they are really looking for! Fourth if you are really interested ask for the position description. it is a public document and they should provide if it is requested. Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The title you gave tells me that the position that you are looking for is in the 0343 Program or Management Analyst series and does not have a positive education requirement. At the grade level you wish to apply you would need to demonstrate that you have a somewhat advanced grasp or knowledge of program or management work. That series is very broad which is good and bad. It is kindof a catch all and with no positive education a lot of vets apply which may be why no one has called you. I would encourage you to do a few things. One keep applying. There is a great book by K. Trautman (sp??) titled How to Apply or How write a federal resume. It will shed a lot of light, but I would see if I could get it from the library. Once you read it once and get the gist you won't need it again. Two Pay attention to the "How to Apply" page. With all the apps received if you miss something like answering all the questions or submitting support dox you will be ineligible off the jump. Third Talk to the HR contact sometimes esp larger agencies they may be no help or centralized but you never know you may get someone who will tell you who the selecting official is or what they are really looking for! Fourth if you are really interested ask for the position description. it is a public document and they should provide if it is requested. Hope this helps.

hi- I was hoping you'd post- yes- it was a management analyst position- in Herndon- the commute to DC would be too much. Aside from obviously relevant work experience (just not within the govn't) I have an MBA from a very good school- - I did do the entire application (did not miss anything)- I called HR- and frankly was told (laughed at ) that no one gets a call back and that either I go in for an interview or would hear nothing back- and that it would take 9 months for them to even consider candidates.

Frankly, I'd rather I avoid what I have experienced- I understand procedures and filling out appropriate forms but I would like to hope I was even considered. I guess knowing someone within the government to help send the resume to the hiring manager or as PP said- an actual washington post ad with a contact name.

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm sorry you got such crappy treatment there are bad HR Specialists everywhere. I am sure that the selecting official would have wanted to look at your resume.Please know that not all HR is like that in the government. There have been new things put in place to ease the process and be more marketable and attract highly qualified candidates like yourself.

[Anonymous]

Another government lawyer here. I telecommute 80% of the time. On the one day I go to the office, I work from 6:30 to 3:00.

[Anonymous]

To those seeking govt. jobs -- if you don't know anyone who works in the Agency where you'd like a job, try locating a name of a division director/branch chief and emailing them directly. With some internet searching, you should be able to find names.
You'd be surprised how often division heads are looking for qualified people but never receive resumes from personnel.
Our division has hired several people that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those seeking govt. jobs -- if you don't know anyone who works in the Agency where you'd like a job, try locating a name of a division director/branch chief and emailing them directly. With some internet searching, you should be able to find names.
You'd be surprised how often division heads are looking for qualified people but never receive resumes from personnel.
Our division has hired several people that way.

Thank you! This is good advice! Hopefully I can avoid depending solely on HR to do their job..

[Anonymous]

I work for a private company and also have what I consider great hours (8/8:30-5:5:30). Like OP, my work is contigent on others but I am clear upfront when due dates are and this helps. I also just do not stay late and do not take work home with me. And I try my best not to think about work at home (or my DC at work) - I find this separation of roles (mother and professional) really helps. For OP - if you took a paycut for better hours, then you should be insistent on those hours. Talk to your boss about it if you need to. For those of your searching for a government job, just be careful...from what I know about them the hours might be good but the maternity policy is terrible (at the department my husband works for there is no paid leave - not sure if this is standard) plus vacation is bad until you gain years of senority (my husband started with 2 weeks, although his sister who has worked in government for 10 years has 6 weeks). Then again, government is one of the only places that still has retained a pension plan!