How to find a great federal internship
There are a few major student employment programs operated by the federal government. But only the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) gives agencies the option to directly bring you on full time after you graduate. Ask agencies if you can be hired through the SCEP program:
www.opm.gov/employ/students/index.htm
Review these websites to learn about the wide variety of opportunities for students:
Sites that can help you find and apply for a Federal Job
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USA Jobs www.usajobs.gov
This is the government's official job posting site.
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Student Jobs www.usajobs.gov/studentjobs/
Serves as a one stop shop for information on government agencies offering employment opportunities for students.
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Monster Public Service www.publicservice.monster.com/
Offers tips on applying for federal jobs and internships, as well as profiles of public servants.
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The Resume Place www.resume-place.com
Specializes in helping federal jobseekers write the best possible federal or electronic resumes and KSAs.
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AvueCentral www.avuecentral.com
Allows applicants to apply directly to its member agencies through one site and provides information on the number of openings in each state.
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Federal Job Search www.federaljobsearch.com
Offers state-by-state information on federal job openings by occupation and the cities where they are located.
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FedWorld www.fedworld.gov
Provides an inventory of information on job openings gathered from hundreds of federal human resources offices.
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Public Service Employees Network www.pse-net.com
Provides resources to help with government jobs that require entrance exams and offers sample questions from civil service tests.
Examples of fast-track opportunities that also expedite the hiring process include:
Federal Career Intern (FCI): This program brings talented people into the government at the entry level for a two-year appointment and usually through a streamlined process. Interested agencies design their own FCI program, but all FCI participants must receive a training component. After two years, successful federal career interns can become permanent civil service employees. For information about career intern openings, contact the agencies in which you are interested directly or visit their web sites to learn more:
www.opm.gov/careerintern/index.htm
Outstanding Scholar Program: Under this program, agencies can directly hire entry-level applicants who have maintained an undergraduate grade point average of 3.5 or better, or who graduated in the upper 10 percent of their graduating class or major university subdivision. Applicants can apply nine months before graduation. Finding the jobs available to “outstanding scholars” is not always easy because there is no single place to look. However, a good place to start is USA Jobs' entry-level professional listings, using “scholar” as a key word: www.opm.gov/employ/luevano.htm
Presidential Management Interns (PMI): Designed to prepare talented people for upper-level management positions in the federal government, the PMI program is a prestigious two-year program for those who are completing any type of graduate degree. Applicants must first receive a nomination from their school before participating in the PMI program's rigorous application process. PMI positions are structured by the individual agencies and differ widely. All include some training opportunities and a rotational assignment, either within the agency or to another agency of branch of the government: www.pmi.opm.gov
Many agencies offer specialized scholarship and fellowship programs to encourage students to work for the federal government. Some examples include:
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Fellowship Program: STAR awards 60 graduate education fellowships for masters and doctoral level students each year to encourage promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue careers in environmental fields: www.epa.gov/epahome/intern.htm
National Security Education Program (NSEP): NSEP awards scholarships to undergraduates for study abroad in areas critical to the country's national security. The program also provides fellowships to students in graduate programs to develop expertise in the languages and cultures of less commonly studied countries. NSEP awardees agree to work for a federal agency involved in national security affairs after graduation: www.ndu.edu/nsep
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