6 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Apply for a Federal Job

Why the pandemic is an opportunity to join the government.

More than 16 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last three weeks, meaning that in that period, the U.S. has lost 10 percent of its workforce. Yet, the federal government is still hiring. In fact, whether you are still working or you lost your job because of COVID-19 furloughs, now is a great time to apply for a federal job.

Here’s why:

1) Federal Government Has Increased Workloads. Even as other employers send their workers packing without paychecks, many federal employees (including myself), are still working — often via telework arrangements. But — as the Philadelphia Inquirer notes — many federal agencies are taking on increasing workloads in response to COVID-19.

2) Multiple Federal Jobs Have Opened. To help take on these increased workloads, the federal government has released a swarm of openings on USAJOBS, the platform for applying for most federal jobs. As I write this article, the federal government is looking to fill 373 jobs to help respond to and fight COVID-19.

3) Special Hiring Authorities Are Available for Many Jobs. The federal government often hires people in special categories and earmark them for quick hires. People who are eligible for special hiring authorities — include people with disabilities, sometimes referred to as Schedule A appointments — get scooped up pretty quickly. Information about various special hiring authorities is on the U.S Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website.

4) Federal Government Has Fast-Tracked Hiring for Many Jobs. Normally, the hiring process can take between six months to a year. (It was actually 18 months between the time I applied for my first federal job, and the time I started working at that job). But because of COVID-19, OPM has begun fast-tracking hiring for certain positions under Schedule A hiring authority, as this article in Federal Computer Week notes.

5) Higher Salaries Are Being Offered. To boost the federal government’s recruitment and retention for certain high-demand positions, OPM issued a policy that allows agencies to pay employees up to 50 percent more than their base salary. Normally, agencies may pay an additional 25 percent of an employee’s salary, but now — with OPM’s permission — agencies can pay employees up to 50 percent more than their base salary.

6) Multiple Worksite Locations Are Available. More so than is typically seen, many of these COVID-19 response jobs are available at multiple locations. For example, this medical technologist position offers vacancies with duty stations in 11 cities that zig-zag across the United States.

COVID-19 jobs aside, USAJOBS has thousands of open jobs, including 914 positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). To be sure, completing an application for a federal job is still like wrestling a bear. (If you want to be more spiritual about it, navigating the federal application process takes the stamina needed to wrestle with God.)

In a similar vein, a federal commission called federal job listings on USAJOBS “unintelligible” to people who are not familiar with federal personnel hiring systems.

That said, now may be a good time for people — both working and unemployed — to start learning how to crack the nut of how to apply for a federal job. After all, even many of the people who are still gainfully employed have some more time on their hand, since a lot of them are working from home, instead of fighting traffic to get to their jobs.

To learn about my federal employment experience, click here.