Federal Flacks: Beyond The Beltway

When most people think of Federal Flacks, the image of bureaucrats in big office buildings in Washington, DC immediately comes to mind.  In reality, there are a good number of government communications jobs located outside the Washington, DC Beltway.

Let’s shine the spotlight on a few recent vacancies:

• GS 12 public affairs specialist with the Veterans Health Administration in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• GS 13 Regional Communications Director for the Small Business Administration in King of Prussia, PA.
• GS 12-13 public affairs specialist with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, VA (technically inside the Beltway).

Veterans Health Administration GS-12 Public Affairs Specialist

This position is located at the Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System – San Juan, PR.  The system serves 150,000 veterans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  According to the vacancy announcement, “the goal of the position is to increase internal and external awareness of VA programs, services, special events and projects, technologies, personnel, and research accomplishments.”

The public affairs specialist will:

• Establish and maintain proactive contacts with media outlets, legislative offices, veteran service organizations, and health care affiliates. 
• Advise senior level management on development of media campaigns and communication plans and strategies.
• Plan, develop, and produce a variety of materials and publications including news releases, radio and television scripts, briefing packages and slide presentations for Congressional staff and public organizations.
• Represent the facility at public, civic and social events.
• Plan and execute special events.

Not surprisingly, applicants must possess the ability to speak and write fluently and proficiently in both Spanish and English in order to receive consideration for this position.  The position closed on March 6, but you can still review the vacancy announcement.

GS 13 Regional Communications Director: Small Business Administration

This position is located at the Small Business Administration’s regional office in King of Prussia, PA. 

SBA regional offices work to advocate and accelerate economic development, growth and competitiveness withing their geographic area.  This support includes business training, counseling and other services for small business owners. 

The regional communications director:

• Trains regional public information officers.
• Works with Chambers of Commerce, civic organizations, professional and trade associations, major colleges and universities, and state and local government agencies.
• Gives oral presentations to industry and banking organizations.

This position closes March 13.  View the vacancy announcement.  

GS 12-13 Public Affairs Specialist: U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, VA

Located within sight of the Washington Beltway, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the highest-profile USAOs.

The Public Affairs Officer is responsible for planning, coordinating, and disseminating public information inside the district and beyond; maintaining internal communications; and undertaking studies of issues of concern to the U.S. Attorney's Office.  Once criminal cases investigated by Federal law enforcement agencies are accepted for prosecution by a U.S. Attorney, the USAO public affairs officer becomes the source of information about the cases.  The information is generally provided through press releases, which are based on publicly-released court records.

In addition to media relations duties, the public affairs officer is responsible for:

• Maintaining the office’s web site.
• Maintaining relations with counterparts in other Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
• Planning news conferences and preparing officials to participate in them.

The position closes March 15. View the vacancy announcement.

Current Federal Job Vacancies For Communications Professionals

Happy Friday!

Looking for a new job? Here are three job openings with the Federal government in the D.C. metro area.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service is looking for writer-editors in Washington, DC.  Application deadline is February 1 for the two vacancies, which pay between  $51,630-$97,330. View the vacancy announcement.

The Veteran’s Administration is seeking a Director of Digital Media Engagement in Washington, DC. Application deadline for the vacancy is February 1.  Salary range is $123,758 to $155,500.  View the vacancy announcement.

The U.S. Army Medical Command is seeking a marketing and strategic communications public affairs specialist in Falls Church, VA.  Salary range is $62,467 to $81,204.  The vacancy closes January 29. View the vacancy announcement.

Annual Review Time For Federal Flacks

The end of the fiscal year means annual review time for Federal employees.  Reviews can mean the difference between a bonus or a performance improvement plan.

Reviews can also affect your chances of getting a new job.  Most Federal agencies require candidates who are current Federal employees to include a copy of their most recent annual review in their application package.  I once made the mistake of submitting a midyear review in a job application since I hadn't received my annual review yet.  Bad move.  I wasn't considered for the job.

Federal employees are rated on a scale based on their performance.  Managers may choose to provide their staff with a written assessment, which becomes part of the official record.  In each Federal job I've held, I've been asked to provide a self-assessment, preferably one that wasn't too inflated.  I know Federal employees who ask that their self assessments be included as part of their performance review package.  That's not a bad idea.


Here are some tips for Federal job hunters:

1. Always get a scanned copy of your performance review. That makes it easy to submit it on USAJOBs.
2. If you are a non-Federal employee but received a rave review from a current or previous employer, submit it on job applications as a supplemental document.
3. Regular readers of "The Federal Flack" know that I am a huge believer in keeping a running list of assignments, activities and accomplishments.  It comes in handy when writing a self-assessment.

Finding a Entry-Level Government Public Affairs Job

Despite the doom and gloom of sequestration and calls to reduce the size of  the Federal workforce, there will always be Federal job openings.  Exactly how many is difficult to quantify.  As Federal Computer Week noted recently, it is difficult to get an accurate count of Federal jobs.  We are going with the FCW estimate of about two million civilian Federal employees.

According to Govloop, there are about 1,260 white collar Federal jobs open at a given time.  So, which one is right for you?

Some fields are easy fits, such as information technology, accounting or medicine.  What about journalists?    A recent column in the Washington Post by Derrick Dortch headlined "For Journalists, Federal Government Offers Plenty of Job Opportunities" described some career options for reporters seeking to make a change. 

Paths to Becoming a Federal Flack

There are several paths for reporters to take into the Federal government.

Reporters who cover politics are sometimes solicited by the officials they cover for positions in the Administration or on the Hill.  The upside of these political appointments is that a civil services application process does not apply.  The downside is, appointees lack civil service protections. The Office of Personnel Management will be publishing the quadrennial listing of political appointee jobs, the so-called "Plum Book," later this fall.

Beat reporters occasionally are hired by the agencies they cover.  I was a reporter covering transportation policy issues for a trade publication when I landed a job as spokesperson for the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Transportation.  Talking to the media was just part of my job, as is often the case for small agencies.

Preparing For Federal Job Interviews

Getting a job with the Federal government can be a long and often torturous process, and that’s just applying for the position.  This posting will talk about how to prepare for a Federal job interview.

Who Will Interview You?

 Federal interviews are typically conducted by a panel of three people, usually including the hiring official.  Like a military court martial jury, the interview panel must include people of at least the same grade as the position being filled.

In a perfect world, the panel will include a subject matter expert.  When I interviewed for a public affairs position at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration years ago, the panel including the deputy administrator (whom the position reported to), and the communications director at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  I’ve also experienced interviewers who were clearly “warm bodies,” who were the right grade and available to participate in the interviews, but had no knowledge of government communications.

Some agencies allow the hiring officials to conduct solo interviews.  This can be a lot like speed dating, especially if the interviewer is a political appointee or the job being filled bears little resemblance to the vacancy announcement.  I was once interviewed for a position as head of communications operations for a regulatory agency.  The agency had also announced a vacancy for a media relations specialist at a lower grade.  The first question lobbed at me by the communications director was: “tell me about some stories you’ve pitched to reporters?” 

 Baffled, I asked whether I was being interviewed for the GS 15 management position or the GS 14 media relations position. “ Oh, we are combining the two positions,” was the answer.

Since media relations is one of my passions, I gamely went on with the interview.  When it came my turn to ask questions, I asked what type of individual the director was looking for. “Someone I can trust,” came the response from the person who was trying to fill two vacancies with one person.  Needless to say, I didn’t get the job, nor did I want it.

What Questions Will You Be Asked?

Federal job interviews generally use the structured interview process in which each candidate is asked the same series of questions and then are rated based on their answers.

The responses are graded on a 1-5 scale using a ratings guide developed by the hiring office and human resources staff.  Higher ratings are assigned to answers that provide the most detail.

Questions can be job specific or situational.  Expect open-ended questions requiring you to provide detailed answers.  For example, "describe the types of documents you have written, reviewed or edited."  Your answers should provide examples relevant to the job for which you are intervewing.

Many of the questions are designed to determine your knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the job.  To get an idea of the types of questions you may be asked, take a look at the vacancy announcement.

Here are some questions I used to interview candidates for communications manager positions in a previous job:

• Describe your experience in working with Congressional staff;
• Describe your experience in responding to media inquiries;
• This position requires a significant amount of writing materials for use in communicating with the media, Congress, senior government officials and members of the public, including drafting press releases, Powerpoint presentations, brochures, letters and point papers.  Can you describe your experience in writing these materials, including the editing process and what type of feedback or results you obtained.

Candidates should also expect behavioral questions designed to evaluate whether you would be a good fit for the organization.   Here’s two questions that I have fielded during job interviews: 

• Describe a situation in which your boss disagrees with your recommended response to a media inquiry; 
• Give us an example of how you handle someone with a difficult personality??

Interview scores are supposed to be scored using a rating guide using level of complexity and skills used. Here's an example from the Merit Systems Protection Board. "Describe a situation in which you had to deal with people who were upset a problem."  The highest rating would go to a candidate who maintained his/her cool when discussing highly sensitive or controversial topics.


In a future post, I will discuss the types of questions to ask during an interview.

Preparing for a Federal Job Search

This is the first in a series of posts about obtaining a job with the Federal government. Please feel free to post your comments or questions.

  

Introduction

Job hunting can be an arduous task, especially if you are trying to make a career change. Applying for Federal jobs can be time-consuming.  In this and future posts, I'll try to break down the Federal search process into bite-size chunks.

Because my background is in journalism and public relations, these posts will use examples from those job sectors.  However, much of the information is relevant to non-writing/public affairs jobs in the government.

Steps in the Federal Job Search

So you want a job for a Federal agency.  Despite the talk of budget cuts and downsizing, there are Federal jobs to be had.  Some more good news: the Federal job application process is simpler than it was just a year ago.  However, applicants still have to provide detailed information about their experience and relevant skill.  Before you start your search, take the following steps:

1.      Data collection;

2.      Compiling a list of your skills; and,

3.      Developing a list of your accomplishments at each job you have held.

Data Collection

Applying for a Federal job requires supplying a lot of information on each job you have held. You may have to go searching through old files (both electronic and hard copy), to find old pay stubs, annual reviews, job descriptions, congratulatory notes, or “attaboys,” from a former boss or client, etc.  Once compiled, keep this information easily accessible, since you may need it for a background investigation for a security clearance once you obtain a Federal job.  This is also a good time to begin updating contact information for your former supervisors and potential references.

Here’s what you need for each job you’ve had, going back at least 10 years:

•  Job title
•  Duties;
•    Accomplishments; 
•  Employer’s name and phone number (preferably your supervisor, but someone who can verify employment will do);
• Start and ending dates (month and year); and 
•  Salary.

List multiple jobs for individual employers separately.  You will also need a copy your last annual performance review. Be sure to scan it.

If you have graduated from college in the past decade, you should obtain an electronic copy of your transcript.  Obtain documentation for each job-related class or training you have attended.

While you are rooting through your files, also locate any emails or letters from manager, clients, readers, praising your work.  This helps quantify your work. You will use this as you write up your accomplishments.

Duties and Skills

Starting with your current job, list the duties you perform on a regular basis, especially all the activities that are not in your job description.

 Next, write down the skills needed to perform each duty or task.

 Let’s take the example of a regional reporter covering a state congressional delegation for a newspaper.  In order to successfully cover the delegation, you had to learn the Federal budget process, learn how Congress works, and follow issues affecting your region or the committees your delegation serve on.  On a daily basis, you interact with Members and staff of Congress, conduct independent research and analysis and write news articles using Associated Press style. You may also use spreadsheets and databases and tweet on a regular basis.

How does this translate into a resume?   Increasingly, Federal job listings list the key duties the person hired for the position will perform.  Here’s an example from a recent announcement for writer/editor at the Department of Energy:

“If selected for this position, you will:

1.      Research, write, and edit a variety of highly complex scientific materials including articles, speeches, news releases, brochures, scripts, etc.

2.      Review written material for editorial consistency, quality, and compliance with federal civilian style and format requirements.”

Now, do this for each job you’ve held, indicating where you have received a promotion, taken on a new assignment or received new responsibilities.

 Now it’s time for a second go around.

What computer skills do you have?  List them out, including specific software release and level of expertise.  Don’t say Microsoft Office; say Microsoft Office 2007, including specific programs and your level of proficiency with each.

Do you blog? What platform do you use?  What topics do you blog on? How many readers do you have? 

Don’t forget your volunteer work either.

In my next post, I’ll discuss how to write accomplishments.