A guide to finding government and non-profit job opportunities
Allie Diffendal
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: News/Features
Waggoner, however, suggested an alternative to this financially difficult situation. She said students should not discount their local and state governments. "If you're interested in actual politics," Waggoner said, "a lot of political figures value hiring on front desk staff from their home state. That's good representation."
Hiring time scales vary between non-profit and government jobs. Because federal jobs require security clearance, government organizations such as the CIA and the State Department will begin recruitment in the fall for summer positions. A qualified applicant is hired as soon as he or she is cleared. "That could be six months, eight months - it could be three months," said Waggoner. "It kind of depends on the different places you've lived and how bogged down they are at the same time." Waggoner also noted that, while the FBI requires security clearance, it has rolling admissions, and thus more application opportunities.
Although government jobs typically entail security clearances, some non-profit and government jobs maintain a recruitment policy called "just in time hiring." "When they have a need, that's when they post," Waggoner said. "And they need somebody soon." Think tanks and even some government departments implement this policy, according to Waggoner.
Since the economic downturn, Waggoner has noticed a definitive increase in student interest in government jobs. "In numbers and in conversations where we hear people say 'You know, I don't want to go into the financial industry or corporate America right now. The economy kind of scares me, so my next plan is to go through government.'" The post-grad employment rate for students in the government sector is also growing, Waggoner said, "because with the current administration, the way it's changed, the government's getting bigger so they're adding more positions." However, Waggoner noted that such a change will have a topdown effect.
"Entry level positions are not going to pop up right away, but it's more on the scene than it used to be. And with the financial industry being so in question, a lot of students are considering their sort-of plan B, and sometimes that means going into the government sector."
Hiring time scales vary between non-profit and government jobs. Because federal jobs require security clearance, government organizations such as the CIA and the State Department will begin recruitment in the fall for summer positions. A qualified applicant is hired as soon as he or she is cleared. "That could be six months, eight months - it could be three months," said Waggoner. "It kind of depends on the different places you've lived and how bogged down they are at the same time." Waggoner also noted that, while the FBI requires security clearance, it has rolling admissions, and thus more application opportunities.
Although government jobs typically entail security clearances, some non-profit and government jobs maintain a recruitment policy called "just in time hiring." "When they have a need, that's when they post," Waggoner said. "And they need somebody soon." Think tanks and even some government departments implement this policy, according to Waggoner.
Since the economic downturn, Waggoner has noticed a definitive increase in student interest in government jobs. "In numbers and in conversations where we hear people say 'You know, I don't want to go into the financial industry or corporate America right now. The economy kind of scares me, so my next plan is to go through government.'" The post-grad employment rate for students in the government sector is also growing, Waggoner said, "because with the current administration, the way it's changed, the government's getting bigger so they're adding more positions." However, Waggoner noted that such a change will have a topdown effect.
"Entry level positions are not going to pop up right away, but it's more on the scene than it used to be. And with the financial industry being so in question, a lot of students are considering their sort-of plan B, and sometimes that means going into the government sector."
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