Anonymous wrote:To all with insight: I have been qualified by the initial round on almost all applications, but am not getting referred to the selecting official because I am not a veteran. I know they get preference, but should I just keep applying and hope I get through one day? Seems as if thousands apply, so I also wonder if it even makes sense. Thanks!

I told myself I'd keep trying for Fed jobs until I'd submitted 100 applications. I got referred to the selecting official on application 20-something, and referred, interviewed & hired on #40. My arvice is that it can work if you keep at it, but it will try your patience.

Seedy yet thread? No

To all with insight: I have been qualified by the initial round on almost all applications, but am not getting referred to the selecting official because I am not a veteran. I know they get preference, but should I just keep applying and hope I get through one day? Seems as if thousands apply, so I also wonder if it even makes sense. Thanks!

Some places still do KSAs, some don't. 10:05's basic point about the more federal applications you do, the speedier and better you get at them is spot on.

And, yeah, applying doesn't cost you anything. I think two hiring freezes were enacted and expired during the time it took my clearance upgrade for my current job to be adjudicated. So, there's a definite chance that if you get stuff in the pipeline that even places that have hiring freezes now, will get back to you, eventually.

10:05, none of the jobs I've applied for have had KSAs.

Do these still exist in 2013 in your basic GS11 jobs? Was I supposed to do them even though the ad didn't ask for them?

As a former federal employee I say apply, you have nothing to loose, plus I found the more fed applications you complete, the less time consuming they become. For example, there are generally questions (Knowledge, Skills, Ability - KSAs) that take some time to discuss. This is not the place to be short and sweet - show yourself off, but be truthful. You are competing for a job. Also, be prepared for the hiring process to take time and to have them comb through your entire background. Good luck!

Many of the finance-related agencies are wholly unaffected by the sequester. They are not funded by Congress, but by user fees from banks. Go ahead and apply. Other agencies are still hiring and making the cuts in other places.

I'd go ahead and apply if I were you. The hiring process may wind up being hung up for months, so I certainly wouldn't expect to be hired anytime soon. But some agencies may want to hire thw moment funds come available, and if you apply now your resume will be in the right hands when the time comes.

Looking at options at the FDIC, FHA, and some other finance type jobs. Given the upcoming sequester, is it even worth my time?