Managing Your Government Career: Success Strategies That Work

MANAGING YOUR GOVERNMENT CAREER This page intentionally left blank MANAGING YOUR GOVERNMENT CAREER Success Strategies That Work Stewart Liff American Management Association New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D.C. Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations, professional associations, and other organizations. For details, contact Special Sales Department, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Tel: 212-903-8316. Fax: 212-903-8083. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales To view all AMACOM titles go to: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Liff, Stewart. Managing your government career : success strategies that work / Stewart Liff. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-1099-8 ISBN-10: 0-8144-1099-5 1. Civil service positions—United States. 2. Career development—United States. I. Title. JK716.L68 2009 351.73023—dc22 2008044716 䉷 2008 Stewart Liff. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is dedicated to my brother, Michael Liff, whose smile lit up every room that he entered. This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii PART 1 Getting In (Arriving) 1 Chapter 1 Should I Work for the Government and if So, Where? 3 Is the Government Right for You? 4 Federal Versus State and Local 25 Conclusion 31 Chapter 2 How Do I Get In? 32 How to Get a Government Job 33 Scanning Job Announcements 35 Your Application 45 Submitting Your Application 48 The Interview 53 vii Contents viii PART 2 Getting Off to a Good Start (Surviving) 57 Chapter 3 In the Beginning 59 Makin