Contact: Kathryn Troutman or
Sarah Blazucki
(410) 744-4324

Federal Hirings and New Ten Steps Title Signal Hope and Jobs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Baltimore, MD--

"There is no better book to teach people movingfrom the entrepreneurial world into government agencies.."

Joyce Lain Kennedy, syndicated careers columnist

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "The graying of the Federal workforce and initiatives to support homeland security are creating varied opportunities for employment by the government," asserts Kathryn Kraemer Troutman, a leading Federal jobs expert and author of the newly released Ten Steps to a Federal Job: Navigating the Federal Job System. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports dismal data on long-term joblessness and permanent layoffs are becoming a growing phenomenon, dispirited job seekers can find hope in these openings. Positions range from executive, to scientific, to law enforcement, to managerial, to information technology, to the trades, to administrative and more.

Job hunters, however, need to equip themselves for the Federal application process, which experts agree can be daunting. Paul Light, the Brookings Institution's V.P. and Director of Governmental Studies, summed up the problem when he suitably characterized the process as "a tough climb." Light declared Troutman's Ten Steps to be "the best guide you can find for the challenge." But how well do actual job seekers, the "non-experts," apply Kathryn Troutman's advice? Some former private sector employees who made the transition to Federal jobs agreed to evaluate Troutman's methods for applying for Federal employment. Three of their profiles appear here.

Three Case Studies

Teresa Allison received her M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999 at the height of the technical boom. She had intended to go into government service after college. "But Federal jobs seemed inaccessible. So I took the PeopleSoft consultant position," Teresa explained. PeopleSoft laid her off in December 2001. Luckily When the economy slowed, PeopleSoft lost business. Teresa sensed she faced a possible future layoff. Luckily she found Troutman's books and website (http://www.resumeplace.com/).

Troutman's book in hand, Teresa submitted her an application with the U.S. Agency for International Development for a budget information management position in July 2001. She interviewed in August and received an offer in September, contingent on a security clearance, . PeopleSoft laid her off just before Christmas. A day later, she learned the security clearance had come through.which was completed just after Christmas. Teresa got the job.

"Kathy explains the steps of applying for a Federal job in a manner that everyone can understand. I like the way she covers how to understand the vacancy announcements, which helped me write my Federal resume and KSAs. The many examples in the book and on the CD were invaluable," Teresa noted.

Lucy Luo, a 35-year-old Worldcom casualty, holds a MBA and a BA from Southeastern University. "By following Kathryn Troutman's steps, I finally stood out among 65 qualified applicants and got the position. Kathryn's instructions were especially useful for preparing the Federal resume and KSAs based on vacancy announcement and for following up," Lucy acknowledged. In August, the USDA's Agriculture Research Services in Washington, D.C. offered Lucy a job as a Financial Manager. She sent in about 40 applications since April

At 58, Lana Moreland expected to retire from the SPX plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan where she had worked for 26 years. But her retirement plans were thwarted when the local plant closed in December 2001. Not wanting to relocate, Lana appreciated Troutman's suggestions for searching the government's job website (http///www.usajobs.opm.gov/) for local Federal vacancies. "Kathryn's insights helped me interpret announcements, which sometimes seemed like code," Lana commented.

Lana is currently celebrating her first year with the cataloging division of a Department of Defense agency in Battle Creek, Michigan. The job is a quick commute from her home. "I look back and ask myself, 'Why didn't I apply with the federal government 20 years ago?' It was worth every second it took to apply correctly," Lana said gratefully.

The homeland security budget has allocated millions for Federal positions, plus another 50,000 Federal jobs are currently open. "The government needs people now!" Troutman notes. In addition, retirement data projects that within the next two years, the government will need to hire more than 250,000 people. And with half the Federal workforce reaching retirement within 10 years, many more jobs will become available. From all accounts, following Kathryn Kraemer Troutman's Ten Steps to a Federal Job: Navigating the Federal System is the best way to prepare a Federal job application package that will gain an interview for one of these positions. For more information or to interview Kathryn Troutman, call Sarah Blazucki (410) 744-4324. (Ten Steps to a Federal Job: Navigation the Federal Job System, 290 pages, The Resume Place, October 2002, trade paperback & Mac/Win CD-ROM, ISBN: 0-9647025-3-3 $38.95). > See www.resume-place.com for further background.