Many vacancy announcements for WHS and the organizations it supports are posted on USAJOBS. Please send one application for each vacancy announcement to which you want to apply. Go to the USAJOBS website:
- For WHS jobs: Enter ‘WHS’ for “Keywords” and ‘DC’ for “Location”
- For OSD jobs: Enter ‘OSD’ for “Keywords” and ‘DC’ for “Location”
Many vacancies can be filled through the following programs and special hiring authorities. See the following sections to learn more.
Veterans
Veterans have access to a range of “direct hire” hiring authorities which more closely (but not completely) match the recruitment and selection processes seen in the private sector. Veterans and service members can visit the Information for Transitioning Service Members website and Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans website to find out more information on such authorities. If you believe that you are eligible for “direct hire” authorities described in these websites, contact the recruiting office to begin the conversation regarding available special hiring positions.
Selective Placement Programs
If you are interested in being considered under these special hiring authorities, you must contact either a state vocational or Department of Veterans Affairs rehabilitation counselor and request their assistance. They will review and prepare the necessary documents. You should ask them to provide you with a certification statement that describes your ability to perform the essential duties of the position which you are interested. Once you have obtained this certification statement, you should contact us or the Federal agency where you wish to work. Ask for the contact person that handles the Selective Placement Program. These agency representatives work closely with people with disabilities and the hiring officials. They help match applicant core skills – along with applicant/employee reasonable accommodation needs – to available jobs.
Any disabled veteran can contact the Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) for information on veterans benefits and related employment services. Certain veterans may also be considered under special hiring programs, such as the disabled veterans with 30% or more disability ratings.
DoD supervisors frequently make “a reasonable workplace accommodation,” if requested, in either the duties of the job, or where and how job tasks are performed. Examples of workplace “reasonable accommodation,” include:
- Providing interpreters, readers, or personal assistants.
- Modifying job duties.
- Restructuring work sites.
- Providing flexible work schedules or work sites.
For more information, please see the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program page.
Direct Hiring through USAJOBS
In addition to the hiring authorities discussed immediately above, additional methods exist such as:
- Direct hire by billet: Congress authorized many types of occupations to be filled via direct hire methods. Occupations include budgeting-, business-, operations research-, acquisition-, engineering-, medical-, police- and other fields. Read more detailed information HERE.
- BOREN scholarships, Peace Corps, etc.: A variety of programs – such as receiving a BOREN scholarship which requires Federal service or a tour in the Peace Corps – provide individuals with an ability to be directly hired into a wide variety of programs.
- Military spouses: The spouses of members in the military enjoy a direct hiring authority given the mobility inherent to life surrounding the military.
- Open Announcements: The WHS maintains ongoing announcements – contained at the links, below – for certain positions. The intent behind these announcements is to advertise for types of positions rather than specific positions. Upon applying, applicants are reviewed and held ready for when positions become open. This speeds the hiring process from the Federal Agency’s perspective. From the applicants’ perspective, it also opens up more employment opportunities and options that they may not have even known about.
- 0501 Financial Administration and Program
- 0510 Accounting
- 0560 Budget Analysis
- 0801 General Engineering
- 0905 General Attorney
- 0950 Paralegal Specialist
- 1102 Contracting
- 1301 General Physical Science
- 1515 Operations Research
Applying for a position in the public sector can be difficult as it can vary widely from private sector processes that career centers and other advising resources can provide. The following information and resources are provided to help with basic questions you may have. Be advised that the following information and resources are not required for use, nor are they a guarantee of success in seeking employment with the Department of Defense. They simply stem from conversations had with applicants and hiring managers over time.
What needs to be in a “Federal” résumé?
The first thing to note is there is no legally-defined “Federal” résumé format. The USAJOBS website maintains a tool by which applicants can enter information and create a standardized (per the formatting of the online resource) résumé. Any number of actual templates and approaches can be used similar to the private sector, though readability and having key information stand out applies to public- and private-sector résumés, alike.
There are two items more unique and often required to maintain within résumés submitted to Federal agencies, however. The first is the month and year for which each academic or work “experience” started and ended along with the average hours worked each week. This information is used to calculate the length of service at a certain level to be attributed to an experience (e.g. one month at 40 hrs/wk is the same as two month’s experience at 20 hrs/wk). Federal HR Specialists can’t assume a 40-hour work week. So failing to include the dates and hours information can lead to a résumé not even being read. The second more unique piece of information is the pay grade or salary associated with a prior “experience.” A candidate often has to be “certified” as having one year’s experience at pay grade “X” in order to qualify for a Federal position. So, as with the dates/hours information, if an HR Specialist does not have a paygrade, or at least salary, information, a candidate can’t be “certified” and a résumé may not need to be read.
How long is a “Federal” résumé?
The private-sector norm for résumé length is one page. The average length of résumés for Federal Agencies is closer to five to seven pages. One need not feel obligated to fill up many pages. Some organizations are inserting announcement language to note that only the first “X” pages of a résumé will be read. However, oftentimes limiting significant experience to one page leaves a lot of detail “on the table.” A one-page résumé has room to show two to three skills. A three-page résumé might have room to show closer to ten skills with repetitive skill application in multiple experiences.
What do recruiters look for in a résumé?
Typically two foundational things are considered: 1) does someone have a basic propensity to perform work associated with a position; and 2) will this person work hard for my organization? As the Department of Defense is known for getting things done, the WHS recruiting team looks for one additional factor: Can this person accomplish things? There is a difference between doing things and getting things DONE (accomplished) during past experiences.
What skills should I demonstrate in a résumé?
Searching for the terms “position classification guides” and “OPM” should bring you to or near the following site. Nearly any type of occupation in Federal government has a PDF document linked from this site (one big exception is 0130 Foreign Affairs, but 0132 can provide a rough approximation). These documents list a range of skills of varying levels often expected and/or performed by individuals in respective career fields. Leveraging material from this source – as well as a job announcement and/or target organization’s website – can provide content for a résumé.