Defense Contractor Jobs for Officers

A particularly promising avenue for retiring military officers is the field of defense contracting. With their hard-won skills, experience, and security clearances, military officers are well-positioned to do extremely well in this industry.

Defense contracting offers a bridge between the military and civilian sectors, allowing veterans to continue serving in a capacity that leverages their expertise. This industry plays a critical role in supporting the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) by providing essential services, products, and technologies.

Here are some fields to research, depending upon your specific background.

1. Project Management

Military officers often have experience leading teams and managing complex projects. Defense contracting firms value these skills for overseeing contracts, ensuring deliverables meet specifications, and managing stakeholder relationships.

2. Logistics and Supply Chain Management

With a background in military logistics, officers can transition into roles focused on supply chain management, procurement, and distribution within defense contracting companies.

3. Technical and Engineering Roles

Military officers with technical or engineering backgrounds can work on developing and implementing advanced technologies, systems, and solutions for defense applications.

4. Consulting and Advisory Services

Retired officers can provide consulting services, advising defense contractors, and government agencies on strategy, operations, compliance, and risk management.

Required Qualifications

Security Clearances

Many defense contracting positions require security clearances due to the sensitive nature of the work. Retiring military officers with active or recently expired clearances (e.g., Secret, Top Secret) have a significant advantage in the job market. Maintaining or renewing security clearances can be crucial for accessing higher-level positions.

Experience

While specific experience requirements vary by position and company, military officers often possess valuable experience in areas such as leadership, operations, project management, and technical expertise. Tailoring your resume to highlight relevant experience and skills can enhance your competitiveness in the job market.

Education and Certifications

Depending on the role, defense contracting companies may require or prefer candidates with specific educational backgrounds or certifications. Pursuing relevant certifications (e.g., Project Management Professional, Certified Supply Chain Professional) can demonstrate your commitment to professional development and enhance your qualifications.

How to Find Opportunities

  1. Networking: Utilize your military network, attend industry events, and connect with professionals in the defense contracting sector. Networking can provide insights into available opportunities and help you establish valuable connections within the industry.
  2. Online Job Boards and Company Websites: Explore job postings on reputable online job boards (e.g., LinkedIn, Indeed) and defense contracting company websites. Tailor your application materials to align with the job requirements and company culture.
  3. Utilize Transition Assistance Programs: Take advantage of resources like the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to access career counseling, resume assistance, and job placement services tailored for transitioning military personnel.
  4. Work with Recruiters: Consider working with recruiters who specialize in placing veterans in defense contracting roles. Recruiters can help match your skills and experience with suitable opportunities and provide guidance throughout the application process.

Defense Contractor Listing

Several major defense contractors in the United States regularly hire retiring military officers. While the specific hiring needs of these companies can vary over time, here are some well-known defense contractors that have historically shown interest in hiring transitioning military personnel:

  1. Lockheed Martin Corporation: A leading aerospace and defense company, Lockheed Martin offers a wide range of opportunities in areas such as aeronautics, missiles and fire control, rotary and mission systems, and space.
  2. Boeing Defense, Space & Security: Boeing is a major aerospace and defense contractor that provides products and services in areas including aircraft, satellites, and defense systems. They often seek candidates with military experience for various roles.
  3. Northrop Grumman Corporation: Northrop Grumman specializes in aerospace and defense technology, including autonomous systems, cyber solutions, and mission systems. They value the skills and expertise of military veterans and actively recruit from this talent pool.
  4. Raytheon Technologies Corporation: Raytheon Technologies is involved in areas such as defense, aerospace, and cybersecurity. They offer opportunities in engineering, operations, program management, and other areas relevant to retiring military officers.
  5. General Dynamics Corporation: General Dynamics provides a wide range of products and services in the defense sector, including information technology, marine systems, and combat systems. They frequently hire veterans for roles that align with their military experience.
  6. BAE Systems, Inc.: BAE Systems is a global defense, aerospace, and security company that offers opportunities in areas such as electronic systems, intelligence & security, and platforms & services. They actively recruit transitioning military personnel for various positions.
  7. Leidos Holdings, Inc.: Leidos is a science and technology company that focuses on areas such as defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. They value the skills and experience of military veterans and offer opportunities in various fields.
  8. CACI International Inc: CACI is a provider of information solutions and services in areas such as defense, intelligence, and cybersecurity. They often seek candidates with military experience for roles that require specialized skills and expertise.
  9. L3Harris Technologies, Inc.: L3Harris Technologies is a global aerospace and defense company that offers products and services in areas such as communications, space, and electronic systems. They have a strong commitment to hiring veterans and offer various opportunities for transitioning military personnel.
  10. SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation): SAIC is a technology integrator that provides solutions in areas such as defense, space, and intelligence. They actively recruit veterans for roles that align with their military experience and skills.

Please note that the hiring needs and opportunities at these companies can change over time. It’s recommended to research each company’s current job openings, hiring practices, and veteran programs to identify potential opportunities that align with your skills and interests. Additionally, leveraging networking opportunities, attending industry events, and connecting with recruiters specializing in defense contracting can help you explore potential career paths within these organizations.

Conclusion

Defense contracting offers rewarding career opportunities for retiring U.S. military officers, allowing them to continue serving in a civilian capacity that leverages their skills and experience. By understanding the industry landscape, required qualifications, and effective strategies for applying, retiring military officers can successfully transition to fulfilling civilian careers in defense contracting.

Medical Sales Jobs for Military Veterans

Sales is a profession tailor-made for many Veterans, especially officers. Why? – because the best salespeople need many of the qualities that make a good military officer – aggressiveness, drive, willingness to take calculated risks, and capacity to work as a team member within an organization. And most large companies are eager to hire military candidates.

But sales as a profession has a checkered reputation. You can catch a sense of this from the classic stage play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. In the play traveling salesman Willy Loman lives a life of frustration and financial hardscrabble, finally giving up and taking his own life by crashing his car into a bridge abutment. So not exactly your idea of a dream job?

But there’s another side to the sales story. Today, many companies offer terrific opportunities for salespeople – who, by the way, they prefer to call Account Managers or Account Executives or Territory Managers – and the job may be as much consulting and customer relations as it is direct sales. There are innumerable types of such positions out there, but in this posting I’d like to focus on medical sales.

The medical sales position usually involves consultative direct selling of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, capital equipment, or so-called “disposables” to hospitals and physicians in a given territory. (“Disposables” means single-use medical supplies, like syringes, medical gloves and gowns, etc.).

Selling such products to physicians and hospitals can be highly lucrative. Base salaries starting out are $60,000 to $80,000, and OTE, which means “on-target earnings” (i.e., including sales commissions) is usually around $120,000. That simply means the company expects you to earn that much with commission added to base. That is great compensation for a young person in an entry-level job. And you do not have to have any particular technical skills – training is provided by the employer. However, there’s a catch (as always). You have to be a natural salesperson. Outgoing, professional, likeable, driven to succeed. Well-organized. For while landing a medical sales position may not be too difficult for most Vets, keeping it is another matter. Your employer will expect you to meet or exceed quota, quarter after quarter. Just being good isn’t enough, you have to be very good. As time passes, you’re expected to develop a “brag book” of sales accomplishments – like “20% over quota last year, President’s Club two years…..” etc. So you see, this is not a job for slackers or people satisfied to vegetate in a cubicle.

On the plus side, you’ll probably discover very quickly if a medical sales job is for you. If it’s not, fine, just move on to something else. If it is, you’ll ascend the sales ladder to more and more lucrative territories, perhaps even moving into sales management. Many of these folks eventually earn in the low to mid-six-figures, and of course there are also the Superstars. Typical successful medical Sales Reps regularly earn in the low six figures after 3-5 years. Superstars can earn much more, with the rare rep cracking seven figures. Think big house in the suburbs, expensive cars (plural?), ski condo in Colorado.  And a lot of very, very hard work, too, of course.  For most, though, med sales offers a solid middle-class lifestyle, not a wealthy one

The area of biggest demand in the healthcare field today is pharmaceutical sales. AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Merck are a few of the big-name employers. They are hiring veterans on an ongoing basis.

Medical sales can be an especially great career option for transitioning military, officers both men and women. Jobs for military are plentiful. The top employers are aware of the skills you’ve developed in the military and are interested in recruiting you. Unlike in many office jobs (including, by the way, inhouse sales – which you should avoid) you can’t be too aggressive, too driven, too ambitious in this field. Nor is a great deal of experience needed – at the entry level, they’re typically looking for people who can sell, period. However, a word of caution: choose your first employer carefully. Only work for a medical products or services company with name recognition and best-of-breed products or services. Do some research on the Web before you accept a job. Check Glassdoor.com, to name one good resource, and talk to anyone you know in sales. What’s it like to work for this company?  In particular, you’re probably not ready to jump into a startup company at this point. The top companies have the best training programs, and that’s what you’ll need most. Also, of course, such companies have well-established customers and markets so that “selling” can translate largely to “order taking.” That means less pressure while you’re learning. In any case, you should consider taking some consultative training courses on your own (often available at community colleges – or check the Internet). Some employers weigh such training heavily in picking new employees.

As indicated, pharma is the biggest area and has the most jobs for veterans. But competition is toughest there and, on average, you’ll make more money in medical devices or medical capital equipment (such as diagnostic equipment). Employers in these latter fields (one of the most lucrative in medical sales) will often consider candidates with sales in other fields, especially B2B, such as office equipment. However selling medical capital equipment can be complex and demanding, and requires a high technical skill level.

Clearly, medical sales is not for everyone. You have to be an extrovert who loves a challenge, loves talking to people, including strangers, enjoys the thrill of the hunt. And also someone who doesn’t mind spending a couple nights a week at a motel. You have to be a Type A personality through and through. If you’re all of this, medical sales may have much to offer – high income, status, a sense of being your own boss. By the way, another plus is that people in the health care field – your prospective clients – tend to be upbeat, positive professionals. In this field, who knows, even Willy Loman might have wound up a superstar.

Construction Industry Jobs for Military Veterans

“There’s definitely a need for people in the construction industry,” says Pete Chronis, president of Reece-Campbell, an Ohio construction company. He says many of the contractors his company works with are very worried these days about finding enough skilled workers in the training pipeline. “There is a certain amount of ruggedness required for these jobs. We need to make a bigger effort to glamorize and publicize jobs like these which involve working with your hands.”

For transitioning and unemployed Vets, especially former junior military officers, now is the perfect time to get some training for a construction industry trades job. Jobs like electrician, carpenter, welder, plumber, and heating-a/c installer pay top dollar and – with the housing industry picking up, as it has been – employers are tearing their hair looking for qualified people and are hiring military officers. You’ll have few job worries plus a solid middle class income for as long as you work.

How do you get the training needed? The answer is via the Veterans Affairs GI Bill OJT Program (“On the Job Training” Program).

With this program you’ll be able to work in the field you pick while at the same time completing your classroom study and training on the way to journeyman status.

Are You Qualified for the OJT Program?

The rule is simply this: if you are qualified for the GI Bill and you start a new job or apprenticeship program (for example, begin an accredited trade school course in carpentry), you can apply for the program. In some cases the VA will even pay retroactively for OJT from the past 12 months. However you’re not permitted to receive GI Bill OJT benefits if you are already receiving GI Bill education benefits (for example, you’re in a college Bachelor’s degree program). Info on how to get started in the program is provided at the end of this article.

Types of Jobs

There are some great jobs for Veterans out there, including former military officers, if you don’t mind a certain amount of physical exertion (and, in some jobs, getting your hands dirty).

Training/apprenticeship usually ranges from a couple years to five years but once you’ve gotten your training you’re in a secure job that’s currently much in-demand throughout the US and overseas as well. And best of all you can work while you’re getting trained.

Here are a few of the applicable construction trades jobs, with links to the Bureau of Labor Statistics job market forecast for the job –

Electrician – BLS predicts a 12% increase in electricians by 2018.  Average starting income is $60,030.

Plumber — In high demand for new construction and ongoing maintenance. Average starting income is $59,880..

Welder – Welders are needed in office building construction but also in many other industries, such as autos and shipbuilding. Average starting income is $47,010.

Heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration mechanic. – Demand for HVAC mechanics and installers will increase by 26 percent by 2018, says BLS. Average income is $54,366,.

Who’s Hiring

Who’s hiring Vets who participate in the VA OJT Program? Here are just a few of many major companies that now participate:

Proctor & Gamble Co.

Merck Pharmaceuticals

Pirelli Tire Co.

Cessna Aircraft

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.

Lockheed Martin

Bell South

Toyota

Comcast

Pratt & Whitney Engine Co.

Plus of course thousands of local/regional construction companies, and many other types of companies. Not to mention, of course, that you can go into business for yourself..

Getting Started

To get started contact your local VA Regional Office or local State Approving Agency (SAA). Your SAA will help you get started on the process and answer any questions you have about the VA OJT Program.

Also, there’s now a terrific online resource to help you get started at Helmets to Hardhats.

Franchising Opportunities for Veterans

For many former American Military Officers and other Vets, franchising has proven to be the perfect career solution. With thousands of franchises to choose from, ranging from very low cost to very expensive, available virtually anywhere in the country, training provided, back-up business assistance provided – it’s been a no-brainer for a large number of ex-military. And as a plus, once successful, these Vets are often in a position to provide jobs for military themselves.

Take the case of Cpt. Andrew Wilson. After leaving the military about ten years ago, Wilson bought a 1-800-GOT-JUNK franchise. Okay, not glamorous, but within a year he was raking in almost $1 million in revenue. “I wanted a career where I wouldn’t get stuck in a cubical manning the fax or copy machine,” said Wilson. From there he branched out to invest in another franchise called YOU MOVE ME. That has worked out well, too. Now he’s his own boss and the sky’s the limit to how far he can go in franchising.

Not everybody will be as successful as Wilson, and franchises can fail just like other businesses. But in many ways Vets are a perfect match for franchising, which relies heavily on following established procedures, building relationships, and working hard (sound familiar?)

If you want to look into franchising and see what’s available, including financing options, a good place to start is the VetFran website. VetFran (Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative) is a project of the International Franchise Association. It’s a group dedicated to assisting transitioning officers and enlisted men and women in researching and finding the perfect franchise, as well as helping them find financing.

Start by downloading their VetFran Toolkit, which is specifically designed to assist Vets interested in this field. It includes a Franchising 101 online course, a finance assessment, a workbook for prospective franchise owners, and partner links to currently available franchising opportunities, including low cost franchising opportunities. The kit also provides info on accessing the VetFran Mentor Network, enabling you to get advice from an experienced franchise professional.

As for financing, a service to check out right away is BoeFly, which enables you to apply for a loan from several financial institutions at once via one online form – a five minute process, according to the website.

Here are a few other great franchising resources for Vets –
Military-Friendly Franchises – Use the Matchmaker Tool to find franchises meeting your specs.
Best for Vets: Franchises – Franchises ranked from a Vet perspective
Veteran Business Services (VBS) – This is a PDF download. Offers a tool to conduct feasibility analysis and due diligence on multiple franchises, and also offers several special Veteran discount programs and other jobs for Veterans options to consider.  

Private Military Contractors (PMC's)

Private military contractors represent a large and very lucrative job market for Vets these days, including military officers — or, at least, for those with the right stuff.

Companies like Blackwater USA (now Xe), Sandline, Military Professional Resources, and numerous others have six-figure jobs for highly-skilled combat professionals, with a marked preference for former special ops personnel (although so-called “Tier 2” jobs are also available for former commissioned and non-commissioned military officers with traditional infantry or combat experience).

Take note thjobs for military contractors are not for your average green-shaded bookkeeper. Are you the kind of person who loves adventure and danger and who might, some years past, have gotten a genuine rush from roaming Southeast Asian jungles, taking fire in Baghdad, or hunting terrorists in the mountains of Afghanistan?  Before you say yes consider that hundreds of PMC’s were killed in the Iraq war — clearly, this is a job that puts you in harms way.

But the pay is excellent with some PMC’s (also known as “Security Contractors”) earning, as said, in the the low six figures (up to about $350K is possible, around $175K – $225K more likely).  So how does a Vet get a military contractor job?

First, you need to be ex-military (with only a very few exceptions).  Although not essential, it’s best to approach employers with a specialization, such as explosives, weapons, security, intelligence, or jungle combat.  Particularly good specializations are extractive security and VIP close protection. Also, though it sounds a little overwhelming, learning an Asian or Middle Eastern language is a huge plus (but don’t worry, very few PMC’s have this skill).

The number one qualification sought by employers is special services experience (SEAL, Ranger, etc).  Employers are primarily looking for fighting machines and they are not interested in any candidate not in peak fitness. This is where being a PMC differs so much from being, say, a private bodyguard.  As a PMC you will quite likely face action and life-threatening situations. Most bodyguards, as you probably know, never find themselves in life-or-death situations like this.

Who are the employers?  You can find a list of virtually all of them posted at PrivateMilitary.org.  Another great resource for PMC jobs for military is DangerZoneJobs.com.

Jobmarket Trends

Believe it or not so-called sequester and DOD budget cuts when they occur are actually favorable from the standpoint of PMC’s and security (now a $100 billion business).  The reason is that, as DOD reduces our military presence overseas, the US State Department ramps up its PMC hiring.  For example, in Iraq, PMC’s performed a wide array of missions funded by State, such as training, security and reconstruction.

Another trend is anti-piracy operations, which have been assisted in many cases by PMC’s. Piracy in the Horn of Africa has declined by almost 30% as more and more commercial fleets have hired private armed guards to safeguard their vessels.  But piracy continues to be an issue worldwide nowadays, not just in the Horn of Africa region.

Then there’s the spread of radicalization, evidenced in the murder of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other US citizens in Libya some years ago.  At present PMC’s are in high demand throughout the entire African continent to provide security, especially around oil fields in the north.

The important point is that, DOD cutbacks or budget revisions notwithstanding, opportunities for PMC’s are strong with other government agencies like the State Department, and commercial entities as well as the military.

For more background on this field, check out Contracted:  America’s Secret Warriors by Kerry Patton.

Police Officer Jobs for Military Officers

Want a job that pays a middling salary, is unusually dangerous, and often involves long, grueling and strange hours? But one which will not tie you down to a desk, will not require you to put up with office politics, will allow you much personal initiative, will enable you to meet a wide variety of people (admittedly, some you’d rather not meet), will allow you to provide an essential public service, and which offers some very good advancement opportunities – that’s the position of police officer.

For many transitioning military officers, Vets and reservists, the move from military camo to PD blue seems like a natural. Being a citizen soldier has much in common with being a police officer – military life, like police work, exists within a hierarchical structure, can be physically demanding, requires courage and commitment. But there are some major differences, and if you plan to apply for a police officer position you should know that recruiters and interview boards are on the lookout for hyper-aggressive personality traits that, while often acceptable in the military, are deemed inappropriate for police work.

For example, if you take the attitude that, as a police officer patrolling an inner-city neighborhood, you’ll be working in a kind of combat zone, you’ll probably get rejected. Nowadays, “community policing” is the accepted philosophy of virtually all big-city police departments. That means they want “kinder, gentler” recruits who will defuse potentially violent situations and exude a calm, friendly demeanor to citizens, never a confrontational attitude. Show an overly-aggressive “them vs. us”  attitude and you’ll be selected out every time

You may wonder if having a PTSD diagnosis will disqualify you from police officer jobs. The answer seems to depend on which police department you apply to. PTSD is not generally an automatic disqualification for police employment and many agencies have specific protocols for evaluating PTSD candidates. Virtually all departments – at least in their publicly stated policy pronouncements – that are offering jobs for Veterans indicate that PTSD diagnoses are evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if symptoms interfere with job requirements. You may be able to get further info on the department’s website, or better yet, by talking to current members of their force.

Demand for police officers, deputy sheriffs and state troopers is on the rise right now and opportunities are great, especially for vets. Starting salaries are generally around $55,000, or somewhat less at small or rural communities. There are 18,000 police departments in the country, and insiders say it’s always a good idea to apply to several at one time – don’t pin your hopes on just one department. Insiders also suggest you start researching jobs at least six months before you leave active duty if you can, as the hiring process in law enforcement is one of the most time-consuming of any occupation. To get started, just call the departments of your choice and find out where and how to begin the application process. Many of course will provide this kind of info on their websites.

What’s involved in landing a job as a police recruit? The hiring requirements and processes vary, but in general you need an honorable discharge, a high school diploma, and a reasonably clean background (no felonies – though you probably won’t be disqualified for a minor misdemeanor). Expect a background investigation more intense than you’d like – even some of your former neighbors (including the little old lady across the street who didn’t like you very well) may end up getting called or visited.
You’ll have to pass both a physical and written exam. The physical exam should be no problem for most Vets, and as to the written exam you should spend some time with a police officer exam study guide (available in public libraries). A few positions require polygraph exams but if you can answer the question “Have you ever committed a crime?” with reasonable aplomb, you’ll do fine.

Once you’re hired and have made it through the police academy (a three to eight month program not too different from boot camp), you’ll have a year-long probationary period. Eventually you can aspire to become a detective, sergeant, or even lieutenant, or to specialize in crime lab work, or other fields. Incidentally, many police departments are now making special efforts to recruit Veterans, especially former officers, and giving them hiring preference over non-vets. As many as a third of some large urban departments are Vets these days. Also these employers are usually very accommodating to reservists, continuing their benefits and full pay if they are deployed or away for training.

Finally, you should know that, in some cases, it is possible to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits while in a police department training academy (something to check into if you are offered a position).

Police work is attractive as a source for good veteran jobs for many reasons, not the least of which is that, as said, it is somewhat similar to the military experience. But you should be forewarned police work has little in common with the high-octane adventures you see police officers and detectives involved in on TV or in the movies. Although law enforcement agencies are pseudo-military in structure, much of the work is routine and reactive in nature, say insiders, and does not entail the rigid rules and rank structure of the military.

So how can you get a better sense of what it’s like to be a police officer? Many departments offer shift riding programs that enable you to ride along with an on-duty officer.  Give it a try – it’s the closest you’ll get to experiencing what it’s like being a police officer yourself.  Just contact an agency you are considering applying to and ask if they offer a ride-along program.

For much more on police officer careers, check out College Grad – Police & Detectives.

Working for the Feds

What’s the real deal about working for the federal government?  You’ve probably heard it’s a good option for transitioning military officers and Vets, given that you’ll receive veteran preference in the hiring process. But you’ve probably also heard it can turn out to be a bureaucratic nightmare even though jobs for military are plentiful throughout the federal government today. 

Federal employment has some great advantages and some unique disadvantages. Nothing determines whether your job is great or awful as much as which agency or department you work for. They are not all the same. You won’t read that in any book on “How to Get a Government Job,” but it is the most important thing you can know.

The best advice to hear if you are considering becoming a federal civil servant is to research the organization that offers you a job before accepting that job. You need to contact some other Vets or other friends who are current federal employees and find out what the reputation of that agency or department is – the word always gets out on an agency like, for example, the Federal Communications Commission (thumbs down). We can’t go through the list of all agencies in this brief blog post and rate them for you, but most current Fed employees can give you all the insight you need. Again, and this is important – there are some agencies/departments you really, truly do not want to get stuck in. On the other hand, some others, like the Department of Agriculture and the Government Accountability Office, are good.

As to the hiring process itself, never submit your resume for a federal job opportunity. The Feds have their own very detailed application form (SF 171). Don’t fill this out in a half hour and shoot it off. Spend time on it, then review it, improve it, perfect it, before submitting. Unlike in private industry, where personal interviews are extremely important, you will be hired by the Federal government, or not hired, largely on whether you appear to have the exact qualifications for the position as detailed in the SF 171. 

There are many great advantages to a good federal job. One is the retirement benefits, which are seldom matched in the private sector. But the biggest advantage is something you probably haven’t considered – it is the opportunities for training and for making contacts. Federal jobs are often springboards to high-paying private-sector jobs. Oftentimes private sector employers will hire you after you’ve been a federal civil servant awhile because you have worked on important issues, got good training, and made some important governmental contacts. This is something to keep in mind when weighing the plusses and minuses of working for the Feds.

But are there any good jobs for military these days? Yes, with a 2 million workforce even replacement federal government hiring is massive. There are always thousands of good opportunities. To get started, go to USAJOBS.gov and review present openings in your field or occupation. Also, be sure to check out the Feds’ new portal for Vet hiring at FedsHireVets

Review each job description (“Announcement” in fed-speak) carefully and if you find some that interest you, tweak your SF171 forms to tailor them for those specific jobs. Pay particular attention to the KSA’s section (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities). These are the ranking factors that the OPM (Office of Personnel Management) or other government personnel staffer will focus most on.

But working for the federal government can’t be recommend without qualification. Like in the private sector, there are horror stories. You may find yourself in an agency parked at a metal desk and left to your own devices, without being offered training and without job assignments. Many federal workers complain that they are bored out of their minds as there is just not enough work to do, or it is mind-numbingly routine work, or their supervisors’ main activity is to go to lunch for two hours every day. Of course, this can happen in any job, public or private, but seems more common in government, especially at the federal level. If you find yourself in this situation, the best advice is to get out…. fast… before it rubs off on you.

On the other hand, you may have a great experience and career in federal employment. The federal government is huge and varied. So choose your job wisely. Just because you’re offered a position doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Do your research, then decide.