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Hot Federal Jobs in 2008

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Featured Author:

Kathryn Troutman

Kathryn Troutman, Author and president of The Resume Place, Inc. and the Certified Federal Resume Writers Team. Kathryn is also the author of the best-selling, award-winning, Ten Steps to a Federal Job, 2nd Edition, which will help you put your very best foot forward in your federal job search (eBook available now and Print edition available 1/20/09).

The Resume Place can assist you with every step of your federal job search:
• Creating your own Outline Format USAJOBS Federal Resume
• Finding vacancy announcements
• Identifying keywords
• Showcasing your accomplishments
• Using proper formatting technique
• Writing effective KSAs
• Applying online
• Interviewing

More articles from this author:

• Leaving the Legal Grind: Land a Plum Job as an Administration Law Judge
• What Ever Happened To Your Federal Application
• BREAKING: USAJobs' Search Is New (and Easier to Use)

What are the hottest jobs in the federal government this year, and how do you get them? To find out, we conducted our annual interview with Monster Federal Career Coach and Gov’t/Public Service Careers message board expert Kathryn Troutman.

Troutman is the author of the Federal Resume Guidebook as well as other books on strategies for the federal job search.

Monster: Where can we expect to see government hiring in 2008?

Troutman: Combating terrorism and protecting the homeland will be the number one initiative for the federal employees and leaders. Opportunities within the Department of Defense agency or civilian job openings with military services will be greatest.

That means the Department of Army will have a high number of civilian positions. And the Reserves units will have civilian positions. The Department of Homeland Security agencies will be hiring many intelligence, security, special agent, analyst and other positions. Supporting our veterans as they return from the war will result in job positions with the Veterans’ Department and Veterans Hospitals.

Monster: How do you know if you qualify?

Troutman: The only way to know if you qualify is to read the vacancy announcement qualifications page. It will tell you if you need a hdegree, or one or more years of specialized experience in a certain field.

Monster: So, let’s say you do qualify. Why, in your opinion, would someone want to join the government ranks?

Troutman: Lots of reasons. Competitive pay with annual raises, great benefits, a family-friendly workplace, job stability, decent training and career advancement. Federal employment is considered to be relatively stable, because it is not affected by cyclical fluctuations in the economy. It’s also great to help the government provide better services and protection for our nation.

Monster: How about from a longer-term perspective, what trends do you see in hiring?

Troutman: Well, according to the report “Where the Jobs Are – the Continuing Growth of Federal Job Opportunities” (Partnership for Public Service and National Academy of Public Administration, February 2005), most of the new hires for the next couple of years in the federal government will come in five major areas. These are security – that’s both enforcement and compliance – medical and public health fields, engineering and the sciences, program management and administration, and accounting, budget and business, which includes revenue agents and tax examiners needed mainly by the Internal Revenue Service.