Transcript Document
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