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I'm wondering where the best places are for someone with an economics degree and some accounting/finance courses to find employment at the state level. Any comments About federal or local employment are also welcome.
Generally your home state. Usually most states are fine with having people relocate to the state capital for jobs, so if you are looking to move for a job within your own state, that is going to be your best possibility. After that, you might be able to move out to a local office in a more desirable city. I know in my old state, it would have been fairly challenging to get a job in your field outside the state capital to start, but you might be able to transfer in from an HQ position later.
Depending on the coursework you have and number of credits, you might be able to do some work with contracts/procurement and budget with the feds as well. However, many of those positions (in the 1102 series) have strict requirements about the coursework. The benefit is that a lot of them are expedited hiring and do not have the normal preference hiring, so it can be easier to get in if you do have the right coursework. For those, the best bet is just to read up on doing a federal resume and apply everywhere.
Fed jobs are mostly driven by preference points. With so many people coming off deployments and leaving the military, if you are not a veteran, you could die long before you get a job with the Federal government.
Not necessarily, though frustrated federal job seekers often use this as a convenient excuse for their lack of success.
Veteran's preference points place them at the tops of many eligible's lists, but the hiring official is not required to select them for a job they don't have the education or skills to do. The hiring official must CONSIDER them for the position; they are not automatically forced to hire someone who cannot do the work.
If the selecting official writes the job duties and qualifications carefully and justifies what they need, they can reach non-vets on their eligible's lists. The decision has to be supportable and they have to explain why each veteran wasn't selected. Been there done that. If a vet showed up on my list who could do the job, absolutely fine with me. They are welcome. If a vet showed up on my list who hasn't a clue how to carry out the work even with extensive training, I won't hamstring the project just because they have preference. That is quite an insult to everyone involved.
Last edited by Parnassia; 08-06-2018 at 06:27 PM..
The problem is that I currently live in Germany. This could affect where I move.
Are you a US citizen? That can certainly affect what you are even eligible to apply for at the federal level. To find out what federal vacancies currently exist, go here:
I'm a US citizen and a veteran. I'd be looking at an entry level position since I haven't used my degree and the work I have done in Germany I probably wouldn't do in the US.
On the federal side, I was thinking it might be easier to get into the system in a part of the country where most people don't want to live. Trying to live in the DC area on a GS-7 or even GS-9 salary is not realistic.
The problem is that I currently live in Germany. This could affect where I move.
OP, I am in your exact same situation. In my experience, applying for any kind of job in the US with an address overseas is extremely difficult. But I think you already figured this out and just want some insight and advice on where you'd have the best shot at getting governmnet employment.
I have been looking at Park and County Ranger positions in NC. The paperwork they need is ridiculous and would take a lot of time to obtain from abroad. Also, usually the internet portal will require one to give an address. This often will not work with an address which differs in format from a standard US address.
I think we will just have to bite the bullet, move somewhere based on other factors and find out when we get there. I highly doubt anybody on this forum has any good info on where to best get into that particular type of employment.
Are you leaving Germany soon? How long have you been here?
I've been here for 12 years- you know how long it takes to wrap things up here, including stopping those automatic-renewal contracts. I'd get on a plane tomorrow if I could, but, yes. I do plan on leaving this year.
Correct, it's pretty much a question of which states are most favorable. I do have some local addresses I can use, but I know those places aren't the most favorable locations. I'm pretty much open to anywhere where there is some relatively affordable housing.
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