Posted under Career Management, Job Search on February 4th, 2008
Athena D. Merritt’s recent article in the Philadelphia Business Journal alerted me to an interesting partnership between IBM Corp. and the U.S. Department of Treasury: The FedExperience Transitions to Government program.
Designed to serve as a model for other companies and federal departments and agencies, IBM will match its experienced workers who are leaving voluntarily with some of the 162,000 federal jobs that are expected to become open in 2008. This scenario looks like a variation on the familiar saying, “when a door closes, a window opens.” The retirement of fellow Boomers and new vacancies will create opportunities for those who are leaving private sector jobs, but not yet ready for the golf course…
The Federal government offers a broad range of opportunities for experienced workers, and the government is becoming a more flexible employer: check-out the opportunities at USA Jobs®. Baby Boomers, many of whom believe that age will be a barrier to the attainment of the second or continuing career they need or want, will want to consider that state and federal governments are likely to be among the most non-discriminatory of employers (Federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, religion, and age; local statutes may extend protection based on other factors not related to job performance)
Candidates whose experience has been in the private sector may find the federal and state application process to be daunting: candidates must express their value via Knowledge - Skills - Abilities (KSAs). A career professional can guide you through this process; it is similar to other assessments that are part of the “tool bag” of career strategists. Links to information about this process are available through the United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
Posted by Karen P. Katz
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