Career Services Blog


Your MPA Guide and Gateway to Federal Government Opportunities

Thanks you to George Washington University for the content of this post.

Three facts about finding full-time work with the federal government:

  • Fact 1: 85 percent of jobs are not in Washington, D.C.*
  • Fact 2: Students can use a little-known program to convert their federal internship to a full-time job.
  • Fact 3: The federal government needs thousands of talented professionals and will be hiring soon.

Tips from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) on getting hired full time by the Federal Government:

Finding Opportunities in the Federal Government Without Using USAJobs.gov
Working in the federal government can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. But finding the right opportunities can be a long and frustrating process, especially when using USAJOBS.gov, the central place to find and apply for federal openings.

Fortunately, here are several opportunities for current MPA students, undergraduates and recent grads that are not part of the competitive hiring process and are not listed on USAJobs.gov. The information in the slides below was compiled by Paul Binkley, director of career development services at George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.

  1. Introduction to the Student and Federal Career Internship Program
    Students interested in federal government employment must know two acronyms: STEP and SCEP. The STEP (Student Temporary Employment Program) and the SCEP (Student Career Experience Program) make up the federal government's SEEP. The purpose of both programs is to give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to participate in substantial, career-enhancing, paid, internship-like positions. Both the STEP and SCEP offer other benefits to the student depending on the hiring agency, like vacation, health insurance, and retirement, and they are not part of the competitive hiring process.  What about opportunities for alumni? Don't let the word "Internship" turn you off from Federal Career Internship Program (FCIP) opportunities as you don't have to be a current student for these particular FCIP opportunities. The federal government created the FCIP hiring authority to help agencies bring in the best and brightest graduates. FCIPs are professional training programs often given names like "Emerging Leaders Program" or "Administrative Fellows Program." Regardless of the names, the FCIP hiring authority is the closest thing federal recruiters have to "on-the-spot" hiring, and they don't have to be posted in USAJobs.gov.

  2. Listing of Specific Federal Agency Internship, Application Infoformation, and Contact Details
    This is an agency-by-agency list of basic SEEP and FCIP description, application details and contact info. It is by no means comprehensive or exhaustive. New positions are created every day, often at the suggestion of students and alumni.

Three helpful hints to remember for finding full-time federal employment:

  1. Focus on SCEP internships. Why? Most often are paid and you can possibly convert it to a full-time federal job once you graduate.
  2. If you do a SCEP internship in one agency you can convert that experience to a full-time job in a completely different agency.
  3. You can get half of the required hours needed for a federal job waived by superior performance in your internship. (Supervisor can waive if they agree)

Recent News Articles on Federal Hiring

This federal career information post is from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Keep up-to-date on information like this by joining the NASPAA groups on Facebook and Linked In.

*Citation for 85 percent of federal jobs being outside of Washington, D.C., is from Partnership for Public Service who tracks and works with federal agencies in helping provide better and clearer ways to recruit new people to federal service.

Published on May 26, 2009