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Exploring Federal Government Careers

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivers a speech on American Leadership on Climate, in Annapolis, Maryland on April 19, 2021.

Are you interested in addressing complex and pressing issues faced by communities across the US and the world?

  • If yes, a career in the US federal government may be for you.

The US government has agencies engaged in the fight against climate change; leading efforts in space exploration; overseeing disaster and emergency response efforts; and researching the latest in disease prevention, just to name a few.  There are over These are in every US state, territory, and Washington DC; and in over 140 countries. Many agencies are here in Denver, CO—you don’t have to leave Colorado or be a politician to work in the federal government, although those are certainly options.

There are

  • Competitive service includes most civil service positions. Applicants must apply for and compete with other applicants for positions.  These positions work in many hundreds of US government agencies, in different specialties.
  • Excepted Service appointments are civil service positions and often include security and intelligence agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA), and the US Department of State. Applications are managed by the respective agencies’ policies and procedures.
  • Senior Excepted Service includes senior leadership positions, often political appointees.

Learn º£½ÇÉçÇø Federal Civil Service Opportunities

With so many career opportunities across the hundreds of federal agencies, it is a good idea to first learn about the variety of career options:

GOGOVERNMENT

Use the Partnership for Public Service’s

  • Take the Partnership’s
  • Use the to learn about the opportunities within different areas of study.

USAJOBS

Explore the website. This is the application portal for most civil service opportunities, but it also provides extensive information about the overall process.

  • This helps you find federal occupations by college major.
  • The page lists events (online and in-person) offered by different federal agencies to help you learn about their opportunities.
  • Explore the offered by the federal government.

Utilize Pathways to Apply for Civil Service Internships and Jobs

After you get an idea of all the opportunities in the federal government, you can start to consider specific pathways that can help you start your federal career.

all have specific pathways designed for individuals early in their                          careers.

  • Click to read about additional pathways for I , and

Finding Federal Civil Service Opportunities

Where do you find these hundreds of civil service internships and jobs?  Most Pathways Program Internships and Recent Graduate jobs are found at USAJOBS.GOV, the website and application portal used to apply to all competitive civil service positions.

student scholarship

Current students can search for internships using the USAJOBS .

  • Pro-Tip: There are many internships across the US. Don’t let the location stop you from applying! Agencies may have remote work options that allow you to do some or all the required hours remotely.

The lists hundreds of internships for students.

  • Pro-tip: Use the filters to narrow the options. For example, filter for a specific field, agency, paid vs. unpaid, etc.
º£½ÇÉçÇø Online student studying remotely for an international business degree
Three Public Health Graduates wearing graduating robes walking together in front of a º£½ÇÉçÇø Jordan Student Success building

Recent graduates (those who completed a degree within the previous two years, or the previous six years for veterans) can search for positions on the

  • Pro-tip: Applications for positions must be submitted within two years of earning your diploma or certificate.

Additional Internships and Opportunities (agencies/departments using Excepted Service):

  • If you are looking for an internship or job at a specific agency, you can also go to that agency’s webpage and search for an internship. Sometimes, agencies do not list on USAJOBS or other portals.
º£½ÇÉçÇø student Monica Ball. Photo by Alyson McClaran.

Questions? Contact Us.

Content provided in partnership with the Classroom to Career Hub.

CLASSROOM TO CAREER HUB

Phone Number:
303 615-1133

Email:
[email protected]

MSU DENVER INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

Shaun LaBarre, Director,
Institute for Public Service

Phone
303-605-7131

Email:
[email protected]

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