Working for America: Opportunity is Knocking!

Dr. Johari M. Rashad

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Penn State University Harrisburg, PA November 20, 2009

The Partnership for Public Service

inspiring The Partnership works to to revitalize our federal government by a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.

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Agenda  Breaking down government stereotypes  My federal story  Resources you can use to learn more about federal career and internship opportunities  Question and answer session MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Myths About Federal Employment  The political science major myth  The low pay myth  The Washington myth  The bureaucracy myth MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Myth #1: The Political Science Major Myth Breaking down myth #1:  Federal employees are all liberal arts majors. The government doesn’t need people with other backgrounds.

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Busting Myth #1: Find Your Federal Fit In FY 2008, roughly 101,805 people were hired in the federal government at the entry level (GS-5, GS-6, GS-7, GS-9) into some of the following occupations:

Occupation

Medical and Public Health Legal (e.g., paralegal specialist or attorney) Investigation (e.g., border patrol agent) Business and Accounting Natural Resources and Biology Social Science, Social Work and Psychology Engineering and Architecture Education Information Technology

# Employees

12,847 11,557 11,119 10,704 7,053 4,138 3,213 1,424 1,289 MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Myth #2: The Low Pay Myth Breaking down myth #2:  Salaries for federal employees are low. You’re better off going to work in the private sector.

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Busting Myth #2: The General Schedule  Most Federal salaries are set by the General Schedule (GS) pay system, which goes from Grades 1-15  Each pay grade has 10 steps  Varies by geographic location  Within a few years, you could progress through several grades MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Busting Myth #2: General Schedule Grade Criteria

Grade

GS-5 GS-7 GS-9 GS-11

Qualifying education

4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree OR a bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree with one of the following: • Class standing (upper third of class) • • 3.0 or higher GPA; 3.5 or higher GPA in major Honor society membership Master’s degree (or equivalent) Doctorate degree Source: opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp

GS-5 and GS-7 are considered “entry-level”

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Busting Myth #2: Sample 2009 Starting Salaries Atlanta Chicago

City GS-5

$32,039 $33,639 Seattle New York City San Francisco $32,718 $34,582 $36,309 Washington, D.C.

Source:http://opm.gov/oca/09tables/indexGS.asp

$33,269

GS-7

$39,687 $41,669 $40,527 $42,837 $44,976 $41,210

GS-9

$48,545 $50,969 $49,573 $52,398 $55,015 $50,408 MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Busting Myth #2: Sample 2009 Starting Salaries

City

Atlanta Chicago Seattle New York City San Francisco Washington, D.C.

Source:http://opm.gov/oca/08tables/indexGS.asp

GS-5

$32,039 $33,639 $32,718 $34,582 $36,309 $33,269

GS-7

$39,687 $41,669 $40,527 $42,837 $44,976 $41,210

GS-9 GS-11

$48,545 $58,734 $50,969 $61,667 $49,573 $59,428 $52,398 $63,397 $55,015 $66,562 $50,408 $60,989

Then, 2-3 years later… possible career progression

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Busting Myth #2: Federal Service Benefits  Student loan repayment assistance • • • Some agencies may repay up to $10,000 of your student loans per year In 2007, 33 agencies provided 6,619 employees with $42 million in assistance The average loan repayment in 2007 was $6,345  Flexible work schedules and generous leave benefits  Training and professional development  Competitive health and retirement benefits

Myth #3: The Washington Myth Breaking down myth #3:  Most federal jobs are located in Washington, D.C. MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Busting Myth #3: Jobs Are Everywhere!

16% in the Washington, DC metro region Plus 50,000 jobs overseas

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Myth #4: The Bureaucracy Myth Breaking down myth #4:  Federal employees are only paper pushers who are caught up in bureaucracy. Your work as a federal employee doesn’t make a difference. MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Busting Myth #4: My Federal Career Path         Started Federal career after graduation from Howard University (B.A., 1976) as a GS-4 clerk-typist Administrative Intern, U.S. Civil Service Commission (1979) Personnel Management Specialist/instructor, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), 1980-86 Senior Training Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard (1986-90) Chief, Office of Employee Development, Bureau of Land Management BLM) (1990-93) Management Analyst, BLM (1994-2000) HR Workforce Effectiveness Advocate, OPM (2000-2004) Management Analyst/HR Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2004-present) MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Busting Myth#4: My “Piece of the Action”     Human Resources (HR) Specialist (Policy writer/analyst), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Headquarters) Helping Agency managers to effectively carry out their HR duties by providing advice, guidance, and policies for managing EPA employees to carry out EPA’s mission.

Representing the Agency to other federal agencies, professional associations, and educational institutions and private sector organizations as a leader/member on interagency teams, workgroups, and task forces on a variety of HR issues Serving as EPA’s Telework Coordinator MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Busting Myth #4: My Federal Career Legacy  Helping thousands of Federal employees to advance their careers; using my knowledge to help others to apply for Federal jobs.

 Adopting & supporting the 5,500 sailors on the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, the first aircraft carrier to depart for “Operation Enduring Freedom” after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

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Partnership Resources  www.makingthedifference.org

 Academic Quick Guides  www.bestplacestowork.org

 www.wherethejobsare.org MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Resources: Making the Difference

www.makingthedifference.org

5/1/2020 • Hot Jobs/ Cool

Internships

• Student Programs • 17 interest-specific

career guides

• Agency profiles • KSA writing and

federal resumes

• Security clearance • Student loan

repayment

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Resources: Academic Quick Guides

www.makingthedifference.org

5/1/2020 MAKINGTHEDIFFERENCE.ORG

Resources: Best Places to Work

www.bestplacestowork.org

5/1/2020 • Provides overall

rankings for agencies and subcomponents

• Also ranks agencies

based on Best in Class scores in areas including Teamwork, Effective Leadership, Support for Diversity and Pay and Benefits

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Resources: Where the Jobs Are

www.wherethejobsare.org

5/1/2020 • Identifies 273,000

mission-critical employment opportunities in government

• Search by

professional field and agency

• View profiles of

individual agencies

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Questions?

 Dr. Johari M. Rashad, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ([email protected])  www.makingthedifference.org

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www.makingthedifference.org