(BALTIMORE, MD - June 17, 2003) - Last week's announcement by the Labor Department of a rise in the unemployment rate (to 6.1%) isn't a sign that would surprise many jobseekers, says work search consultant Kathy Troutman. She's noticed that discouragement is running high among those looking for employment in what is being termed a "jobless recovery." (While the GNP reflects a growth in the economy of about 2% over the past nine months, more than 2.5 million jobs in the United States have been cut since March 2001.) Troutman believes that this is a time when jobhunters must carefully research where the open positions are.
"Two sectors currently hiring are the Federal government and private companies that contract with the Feds," Troutman notes. "There's a lot of movement in government right now because of the retirement of their aging workforce. At the same time, we're seeing more contracting out of the Federal jobs."
A visit to Fedjobsearch.com shows that more than 45,000 actual U.S. Federal jobs are currently available; these openings are scattered across the U.S., with some also located overseas. In addition, the website goveexex.com is providing insight into which government contractors could be hiring with its featured list of the top 100. To study the list, visit http://www.govexec.com/top200/02top/s3chart1.htm.
Troutman, the author of Ten Steps to a Federal Job, says that the Ten Step work-search approach outlined in her popular employment guide works with both the U.S. government and their contractors. She notes that the only step that would be different is #8 (about submitting applications), as applicants need to deal directly with a government contractor when seeking work from them. In either case, jobseekers will need to research who is hiring, what the jobs are, the location of the openings, and the job titles-steps that are all addressed in her book. Federal-style resumes-covered expertly and comprehensively by Troutman in a number of her titles-also meet the needs of either of these employers.
In addition to considering the employment sectors that are healthy, moving to a region where these positions are available may be necessary for success in snaring a job right now, Troutman asserts. For instance, a June 6th article in the Washington Post reported that the nation's capitol gained thousands of jobs over recent months while many other locales around the country suffered. "Lots of people have relocated in order to be working," Troutman says. "What else can you do if you live in a place where the employers just aren't hiring?" She suggests that other major urban areas would be likely spots where new workers would be sought for Federal jobs and U.S. government contract hires.
What kinds of positions are the government and their contractors looking to fill? Troutman has recently noticed:
- All sorts of IT jobs
- Science and engineering openings
- Public affairs work
- A need for program developers/managers
- Accounting and finance positions
- Middle management jobs
- Contract and purchasing assignments
- Grants management work
"People also need to look at the Defense agencies," Troutman recognizes. However she admits that in these cases a snag for former private industry employees could be not having a security clearance already in hand. She suggests getting in with contract work as one way to get the security clearance process started.
Contract work may also lay the groundwork for getting a regular government job later, Troutman adds. "As a contract worker, you can be interacting right with the Federal employees. You get to meet people and start to develop relationships. Eventually you might be able to move over to a Federal position, where the benefits and terms tend to be better."
New Federal employee Bill McDonnell, who just landed a government job as a "Project Officer-Audiovisual Production Specialist," offers some additional advice for those people still out there searching. "Persist, persist, persist," he recommends. "Don't be discouraged if the application process is difficult. As the saying goes, 'just do it.'"
Read about the Ten Steps book here, including the Table of Contents.
The Ten Steps book has become a trainer's curriculum and basis for a popular trainer's certification program being implemented in U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, workforce centers, veteran's job centers and universities U.S. wide.
Read about the Certification here.
