Government Jobs - Salary Range Listed in Job Announcement

[Anonymous]

Is the salary range listed in a government job announcement typically the starting salary range, or is it the range of what one could ever hope to get with raises in that position? If it says something like $40,000 - $60,000, could I start at $60,000 and keep moving up? Or are they saying I would start at $40,000 and could never make more than $60,000 in that job?

[Anonymous]

It is the full range for that job, so you can't go higher without a grade increase. But there will continue to be COLAs that push it up, and you can apply for new jobs that push you to a higher salary after a year. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is the full range for that job, so you can't go higher without a grade increase. But there will continue to be COLAs that push it up, and you can apply for new jobs that push you to a higher salary after a year. Good luck!

Okay, thanks. This tells me what I need to know about the job.

[Anonymous]

Your starting salary within the range will generally depend upon how well you meet the qualifications for the position. For example, for many government jobs, you have to have served in a position with responsibilities equivalent to the minimum grade level of the job for a specific period of time before you'd be eligible to start at a higher grade/salary. Sometimes the requirements are educational -- e.g., a person with just a college degree would start at one grade level/salary, but a person with a masters degree could start at a higher level.