Federal Jobs in the United States

Federal Jobs Overview

Federal workers frame the bedrock that maintains this country’s overlying governmental structures and systems. With so many services being provided, federal jobs vary tremendously in nature, with availability in three branches: legislative, which makes laws and includes Congress and the agencies that support it; judicial, which oversees legal matters and how laws are applied and includes the Supreme Court and the rest of the federal court system; and executive, which is comprised of the president, various departments (such as the Departments of State, Education, Defense, Commerce, and the like), and associated agencies, such as the Federal Housing Administration.

Are you motivated to make an impact in the lives of Americans nationwide? Are you interested in joining a truly diverse workforce? Then you should consider a career with the federal government. According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), there are about 2.1 million civilian federal workers, and opportunities abound in a wide array of fields, so whatever your interests may be—you’re very likely to find a job that matches your ambitions.

If you want to go beyond the scope of federal work, you can also search through our vast selection of administrative jobs. Or you may feel compelled by these roles:

• data entry jobs
• customer service jobs
• office manager jobs

Federal Job Education and Skills

The OPM categorizes federal jobs based on the tasks being performed. Here’s a breakdown of the occupational categories within the federal government:

• Administrative (such as accountants and HR associates).
• Clerical (such as secretaries and office clerks).
• Professional (such as lawyers and analysts).
• Technical (such as chemists and computer scientists).
• Blue collar (such as janitors and HVAC specialists).
• Other (such as firefighters and correctional officers).

A college education may not be needed for some federal jobs (although they will require at least a high school diploma). However, if you want administrative, professional, or technical positions, you’ll need a bachelor’s (and a master’s or Ph.D., in some cases, too). Whatever your role in the government, you’ll need to master skills such as the ability to maintain confidentiality, a sense of empathy for the electorate, tolerance, and open-mindedness.

Learn more by reviewing Monster’s chief of staff job description, administrative assistant job description, and cleaner job description templates.

Update Your Federal Job Resume

Recruiters for federal jobs will potentially scrutinize your resume in a deeper manner than the private sector, so it’s important that you have everything in order. Create a resume that tells a clear story, highlighting your most noteworthy accomplishments. And don’t feel restrained by length. You should provide a full picture of your background, with all the relevant details that will help determine whether you meet federal eligibility requirements (which could change from one position to another).

Monster has further resume-writing recommendations for government job seekers and a guide to completing requested KSA (Knowledge-Skills-Abilities) questionnaires, which some federal jobs mandate. Or you can also search through our extensive collection of resume writing tips.

Depending on the position, you may want to include an enticing cover letter with your application too. Take a look at our administrative assistant cover letter sample and our expert advice on writing powerful cover letters for more insight.

Interviewing for a Federal Job

To prepare for your federal government job interview, run a practice session at home. Try your hand at answering the following questions:

• What inspired you to work for the federal government?
• What made you apply to this position at this agency [or department]?
• Are you more comfortable working within a relaxed or strict environment?
• Where do you see yourself five years from now?
• What’s your view on our current president and administration?

Additionally, you can browse through our general guidelines on how to best respond to job-interview questions.

How Much Do Federal Jobs Pay?

Given the sweeping variety of jobs within the federal government, salaries and wages are contingent on specific positions. To find the median pay for federal jobs, take a look at the numbers from the Office of Personnel Management. You can compare those to private sector salaries for similar positions using Monster’s Salary Tools. For instance, the median salary for a financial analyst is $68,161 in the private sector and $83,240 in the public sector.

Make a Difference With Federal Jobs on Monster

You love this country, and you want to work for the federal government to make it even better. You’ve come to the right place. Create a profile on Monster so that we can promptly connect you to top recruiters and send you customized notifications too.