Right now is an excellent time to consider applying for a federal job position. Why? The government is going on a serious hiring binge, planning to add over 270,000 workers in mission-critical roles over the next three years. Hiring in these fields will jump 40% in 2010 through 2012 compared to the three previous years. The majority of the hiring in these federal positions will be in professional categories including physicians and medical staff, security and protective services, compliance and legal services and program management. Of the 35 agencies involved a concentration of hiring will be found in Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department.

Leading the way in numbers of projected positions is the medical and public health occupations followed by security and protection and compliance and enforcement. These three categories alone account for half of the projected 270,000 positions up for grabs. Much of the demand is being caused by large numbers of retiring baby boomers along with Obama administration initiatives. If you are thinking of a career in federal service, remember that you will be well compensated and given the opportunity to grow in your field. Opportunities abound for careers in the Federal Government. The time to act is now.

For more information, go to http://data.wherethejobsare.org/wtja/home.

Sent to our office recently: “I am writing to touch base and provide feedback on my experience with Career pro and my experience with Fran Sheridan as my writer for my SES package. Fran was marvelous to work with and a consummate professional. She did an exceptional job transforming my 15 years of professional experience and source materials into well articulated and applicable narratives in response to the ECQ and TQ requirements. As you are aware the Federal application process is new to me; I do not feel I would have been able to submit a competitive package without CareerPro Global and Fran’s efforts.”
- Mark M.

One of our writers recently had the pleasure of working with a 30-year veteran and senior officer who had these comments about our process in a recent survey. One of the things about the Colonels’ comments is that you can see how he truly appreciates the level of understanding that’s necessary to help a veteran adjust into a civlian career, especially at a high level.

“I couldn’t think of a single thing to say to help improve the process.  Erika did a wonderful job, and knew exactly what to ask me.  She spent over two hours with me on the phone one evening, dragging out what I really wanted to do as my next career.  She found qualifications and experiences I had long forgotten I had.  I couldn’t work quickly enough to keep up with her.  Simply great. Thanks most of all for everyone making me feel they had a genuine interest in my future.”

“After serving in the military for nearly 30 years, I was confident that I knew everything about the military.  I was equally confident that I didn’t know anything about transitioning to the civilian world or the Senior Executive Service.  I was welcomed into the whole process by a group of dedicated professionals, who showed genuine interest in my transition.  They worked quickly and effectively, and I had the products I needed in no time.  They took the time to get to know me, and brought out experiences and qualifications I had long forgotten I had.  Now, if they could only help me pick out some clothes, I’d be all set.”

- D.P., Colonel, US Army

 Thank you Colonel, for your dedicated service to our country and good luck in your next career.

The Federal Government is hiring in a big way and the Obama administration offers the promise of some fresh ideas and opportunities for senior executives. Now is a great time to consider being part of the ong term solution to the problems that face our country. These positions are at the highest level of government employment and you need to demonstrate your abilities and background as a visionary leader and strategic architect among other traits.

To get into the highest levels of the federal career ladder requires some very detailed steps. The application process for Senior Executive Service positions is incredibly more complex that what you see in the regular job market. You will need to complete a number of additional forms, respond to some very personal questions and sustain a level of patience that may be somewhat odd to you. While the application process can be long, the SES jobs are open for posting for just a short period of time. You have to be ready to go when the time is right.
You can go it alone – there are a number of web and other resources that focus on federal and senior executive service jobs, or you can count on the help of a company that specializes in helping people prepare professional these very detailed senior executive service resumes, KSAs and other applications. Whatever you do, now is a great time to act, so get to it. For an idea of what’s out there in the federal job market, visit http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ then look for the experts in federal resumes and the senior executive service at http://www.seswriters.com/. Good luck!

For the most part, Senior Executive Service (SES) positions are filled using a merit-based open competitive process. In some cases, a position may be filled using a non-competitive process. The competitive process is generally open to all candidates, including those without prior Federal Job experience. When positions are filled using the merit-based open competition, the following will apply:

• The vacancy announcement will be open for a minimum of two weeks.
• The vacancy announcement will be made available to all candidates including those without prior experience working for the Federal Government.
• The vacancy announcement will be listed on a number of web sites, but for the most part, you can rely on usajobs.opm.gov and jobs.bpa.gov.
• Each candidate will be required to provide responses to the five Senior Executive Service Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) regarding leadership and achievement.
• Any Veteran’s Preference will not apply in the open competition.
• There are no time-in-grade requirements included for these positions.

When positions are filled using the non-competitive process, they are generally open to candidates who have already completed an OPM certified SES Candidate Development Program, who may be placed without competition, or existing SES members may be reassigned or transferred into the position.

There may be different hiring processes depending on the department posting the position. In general though, the position will be posted for at least two weeks, but this is a short period of time to get your entire package put together with maximum impact.

Applications will be reviewed to see if they meet minimum requirements and standards. The reviewing board(s) will identify and select a small list of “best qualified” candidates who are then referred to the hiring official. These are the candidates with supportive and definitive ECQ statements, clearly illustrating leadership and achievement. A panel of experts may review the short list of candidates for the final selection. The selection is made and final approval is obtained from OPM. The review, approval, and certification process may involve more than a dozen review steps. Your resume, ECQs and other documents must withstand the scrutiny of these multiple reviews.

Since there is an extensive recruiting, evaluation, and approval process before an appointment is made, the entire process can take several months – even though the application window may be short. Since the SES positions are filled by accomplished, visionary leaders, you will know that you are among the best of the best when you’re selected to fill one of these vital Federal positions.

I’m extremely interested to hear about anyone’s experience who has been through the SES Application process.  I am hoping through this forum we can share individual experiences regarding QRB (Quality Review Board), Panel Interviews, SES Application development, and SES Panel Interview. Please post a reply here.

The federal government is seeking visionary men and women with well-honed executive leadership skills and qualifications that can continue to transform our government. These positions are often filled by ex-military senior officers and other senior executives who wish to serve their country in a rewarding and challenging position. Senior Executive Service (SES) jobs can be found by visiting the USA Jobs web site and searching for SES (see URL below). This site also provides additional background on the SES or senior executive service concept.

Seven questions you should ask yourself if you are considering applying for a Federal SES position:

1. Do you share a share a broad perspective of government and a public service commitment which is grounded in the Constitution?
2. Are you interested in serving in the key positions within federal government just below the top Presidential appointees?
3. Would you like to serve as one of the major links between Presidential appointees and the rest of the Federal work force?
4. Are you qualified to lead and oversee nearly every government activity in one of approximately 75 Federal agencies?
5. Do you have the personal and professional passion to serve as one of the top executives in Federal Government?
6. Are you a visionary leader and able to motivate personnel, build partnerships, and communicate with customers?
7. Do you possess solid management skills in order to produce optimum results with limited resources?

If you answered YES to these questions, The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) wants to hear from you. Simply visit www.usajobs.opm.gov and type in the search term SES. You can also search for SES positions by city and state, but the majority of SES jobs are located in and around Washington, D.C. SES Applications can be quite daunting, but well worth the effort to become one of the top executives in the federal government.

Provided by Barbara Adams, President & CEO of CareerPro Global, the parent company of www.seswriters.com , www.careerproplus.com and www.militaryresumewriters.com, one of the fastest growing Federal, Military, and Civilian Resume Writing and Career Coaching companies in the world. Ms. Adams has been a member of the careers community for the past 18 years. She holds four prestigious industry certifications. Questions may be emailed to badams@careerprocenter.net

CareerPro Global has developed and launched  SESWriters.com, a Web site devoted to helping senior executives seeking critical positions within the federal government. Candidates for these positions are required to submit extensive, highly detailed applications with multiple components deeply exploring leadership experience and other qualifications. Many find the process to be daunting and overly challenging.

In addition to serving as an entry point for potential clients, the SESWriters.com web site provides many insights into the Senior Executive Service process and relevant career opportunities. The extensive resume and executive core qualifications sequence is explained and tips on the content and timing for job postings and the hiring process are provided.

Barbara Adams, President of CareerPro Global said, “In delivering this new web site, we want to not only bring in new business, but provide a resource for anyone even considering this lucrative career path working at the highest levels of our government.” She added, “With over 20 years of federal resume development expertise our elite team of senior executive service resume writers has the background to help clients successfully navigate and apply to the complicated but rewarding Senior Executive Service application process.”

CareerPro Global has already helped thousands of civilian executives, current senior level federal personnel, and senior military leaders find rewarding positions in government service. “Our writers and staff provide hand-held support through every step of the process,” Adams said. “They understand the intricacies of the federal government resume, application and hiring process and provide a full service experience to our clients. A comprehensive in-house guided ISO 9000 process has been established to advance and ensure all critical application components are addressed.

In business for over twenty-two years, CareerPro Global develops professional civilian, federal and military resumes and provides career counseling with a focus on military transition and federal executives. The company’s credentialed professional writing team is strategically deployed across the U.S., and includes expert professional resume writers in several states. With headquarters in Macon, Georgia, the company has produced over 33,000 resumes and provides educational material and guidance for its clients and the industry. For more information, call 800.471.9201 or visit them online at www.SESwriters.com.