by Daniel J. Gansle

Created on: February 21, 2009

While no job these days is recession-proof, federal, state, and local government jobs are thought to be more stable than their counterparts in the private sector.

The tradeoff comes with a lower average pay rate than what is found in the private sector. But even so, many government positions provide a transit subsidy and/or cost of living allowance. Furthermore, the pay is typically regular and certain, and the benefits package is first-rate.

With baby boomers beginning to retire, younger workers will need to be hired in order to fill a range of government positions. But which websites are best when it comes to searching for government jobs? This article provides information on how to find federal and state government jobs.

Finding Federal Government Jobs

The best website to find government jobs is the Federal Government's official job web portal, USAJobs. It is the official Federal Government jobs database run by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

USAJobs allows candidates to search for government jobs in a variety of ways. At the top of the USAJobs home page, candidates can search by job title, keywords, city, state, or zip code. Applying for a job is simple once the user registers and submits his or her resume and work history.

Clicking the Search Jobs button in the upper left displays basic search functionality including keyword search, location search, job category search, salary range, and pay grades. Candidates can perform an advanced search including the ability to search by title, series number, occupational series, location, and agency.

My USAJobs is another handy feature on the USAJobs website. My USAJobs allows users to post, view, and edit a resume; create job search agents; view the status of submitted applications; upload documents; and view and edit the candidate's personal profile.

Finding State Government Jobs

One of the best websites for finding state government jobs is 50StateJobs.com. From their home page, the candidate can click the word "state" and find a listing of states offering state government jobs.

Clicking a state then takes the user to the official web page for the state where he or she can search for state government jobs. Typically listed are occupational groups such as information technology, medical and health, law enforcement and security, engineering, natural resources, and administrative.

Other states' websites may list jobs in specific branches of state government including branches of political office, universities, department of transportation, department of criminal justice, and the state capitol. Some may even list county and city jobs as well.

Finding state and local government jobs is easy; actually landing one takes careful research into how to develop statements of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and how to fulfill the requirements of each position opening. But if successful, the candidate will enjoy a steady job with an enviable benefits package.

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