The timing couldn’t be better – opportunities are on the rise for jobs in the federal government. What is causing this phenomenon? These new opportunities are the result of major agency restructuring, an aging workforce approaching retirement, and the creation of the new Department of Homeland Security. Today, nearly every federal agency is undergoing some realignment to address new demands for technological skills, information management, law enforcement, intelligence, physical security, cyber security, computer technology, and foreign languages. Studies show that the government will need about 16,000 more technology professionals over the next decade, and hundreds of experts in Asian, Middle Eastern, and other languages.
How can you take advantage of these opportunities to move up the career ladder? First, you need a plan!
Setting Goals Makes the Difference
If you want to position yourself to move into a new job or gain a promotion, you need to do something that makes the difference between staying where you are and moving up. No one is going to come along and just promote you or hire you away into your dream job. You must develop a plan.
Here are some ideas about how to develop a career strategy. If you will invest just one hour per week in long-term planning and goal setting for your career development, the investment in yourself will be like money in the bank when you land that new job or a promotion.
Step 1. Know Thyself. What are your personal limits? What are you willing to do to move up? Are you mobile? Are you willing to change you geographic location or move to a different agency? There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay where you are, but your career strategy will have to be much different than that of someone who is willing to move or change agencies.
Step 2. Start with a statement of your dream job. Don’t worry that you might not qualify for your dream job right now, that’s why you’re making a plan. Think about the characteristics of your dream job rather than a specific job title. For instance, do you want a job that allows you to use your communications skills or other special talents? Do you want a job that allows you to use flex time? Thinking in terms of characteristics of the job rather than its classification will help you see possibilities other than the ones you already know about.
Step 3. Expand your picture. What kinds of jobs would have some or all of the characteristics you’d like? Write them down, even if you aren’t qualified for them right now.
Step 4. Consider the obstacles. What stands in your way? Don’t be too quick to conclude you need an extra degree or a different credential-what you actually may need are different skills.
Step 5. Make a plan for overcoming each obstacle. You must face the barriers that stand between where you are now and where you want to go. If you don’t have the right skills, how can you get them? If you don’t know the right people, how can you meet them?
Step 6. Develop a timeline. Once you identify your goals, the obstacles, and how you’ll overcome them, you need to assign a time line to achieve those goals. Ask yourself, “When do I want to achieve my goal?” Then break your plan down into phases or steps. What do you need to do first? Is there a step you need to take before that? Work backward until you identify the very first action you need to take to reach your goal.
One hour a week doesn’t seem like a lot of time, and it isn’t. But that’s all you need to focus on at this point. In one hour, you could gather all the material you need for your resume. In one hour, you could read your or another agency’s website to review new programs and mission statements.
The advantage of spending one hour per week is that it keeps you from feeling overwhelmed by a long-term project. In just a few sessions, you will be amazed at how much progress you’ve made. Setting up and going through this process will give you a feeling of immense control and personal security. If there’s a set-back in your agency, you don’t have to panic: you’re already on your way to something better. If you don’t like a particular offer or work situation, you don’t have to let desperation drive your decision: you can continue to develop yourself. Invest time in yourself: it will make the difference.
This week I have been teaching “Federal Job Search – By the Numbers” to hundreds of current and former military personnel who are about to be separated or retired and would like to land the best government jobs in America.