1 / 10

Navigating the Federal Job Market

Navigating the Federal Job Market. James MacDonald Economic Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture. Presentation for the Session on “Finding a Job at the ASSA Meetings” AAEA Annual Meeting, Seattle, August 14, 2012. Applying for Federal Jobs. Dual/Parallel Processes

nolen
Download Presentation

Navigating the Federal Job Market

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Navigating the Federal Job Market James MacDonald Economic Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture Presentation for the Session on “Finding a Job at the ASSA Meetings” AAEA Annual Meeting, Seattle, August 14, 2012

  2. Applying for Federal Jobs • Dual/Parallel Processes • Traditional “academic style” Process • Ads in JOE, AAEA newsletter, etc • Interviews at AAEA, ASSA • Visits to agency • Official Federal hiring policies and procedures • WWW.USAJOBS.GOV • http://www.ers.usda.gov/AboutERS/Employment/ • Follow them both

  3. ASSA is the Primary Job Market • Enormous, alienating, and efficient • Check for AAEA functions • Most federal agencies have adjusted • Some ag econ departments have not • We want vita and job market paper well before • We do cold interviews, but not many

  4. Once You Get an ASSA Interview • Learn about the agency first • Go to the website; ask faculty & friends • Try to envision the nature of the work • At your interview • Be prepared to discuss your JMP • Ask about the work • How would a month be spent? How do assignments get chosen? How is success measured & promotion attained? • Your goals: what do you want to work on? • After your dissertation • In five years

  5. After Your ASSA Interview • Normal agency timing... • Two weeks, and then staggered, for visits • Most visits will be like academic—seminar/interviews • But, uncertainty abounds • Don’t be afraid to call • Don’t burn bridges • Do have your “official” procedure completed

  6. Top 10 Reasons To Work at ERS • 1. Influence on Policy • 2. The ERS Team • 3. Modern Facilities • 4. State-of-the-Art Support • 5. Location, Location, Location -- The Capital City • 6. Publish and Flourish • 7. Seminars Abound • 8. Career Building • 9. Competitive Salaries and Benefits • 10. Work-life balance

  7. But is That What You Want?What’s Not at ERS? • Make, and advise on, policy decisions • Manage federal programs • Super-competitive salaries • Free choice of research projects • ERS is food, farm, rural, resource • You’re constrained within them Here’s where “career-building” comes in

  8. Start Early & Be Prepared! • Contact information James MacDonald Chief, Agricultural Structure & Productivity Branch USDA Economic Research Service 202-694-5610 macdonal@ers.usda.gov

More Related