Government employment resources

Information on finding federal, state, and local government jobs, running for office and more state resources.

Federal government resources

The U.S. Federal Government is the largest employer in the country with approximately 2.7 million civilian employees who work both domestically and abroad. The Federal government hires under several authorities with the most common being the Competetive/Civil Service and the Excepted Service.

  • Competitive Service jobs and ALL Pathways internships are posted to USAJobs, which is managed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM serves as a human resources and regulatory resource that connects federal agencies. OPM is a great resource for understanding the characteristics of federal employment, processes, and tips for improved candidacy.
  • Excepted Service jobs and internships are often posted only to the agency’s own website or hired through a special hiring authority.  This includes agencies as different as the Postal Service and the CIA. Though sometimes posted to, they are seldom hired through USAJobs.

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Federal job boards and hiring programs

  • Learn About Federal Agencies and Offices
    • Best Places to Work (Just like it sounds, employees anonymously rate and rank their agencies)
    • FedScope (Want to do a deep data dive on federal hiring? This is the place!)
    • Govloop (The knowledge network for government)
    • LOC Link  Links to all Executive, Judicial, and Legislative Branch agency and subagency homepages
    • USA.gov (This site lists every single agency small or large – and much more)

General federal hiring resources

How Are Competitive/Civil Service Jobs Classified & Paid?

Special Sites

Federal resume and cover letter writing

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Resources for Vets and Candidates with Disabilities

Housing in DC

DC Intern Guidance

State and local government resources and job boards

Resources for All US States (including local governments and higher education)

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Job opportunities

Resume and cover letter writing

Professional associations

  • APPAM (Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management)
  • ASPA (American Society for Public Administration student page)
  • ICMA (International City/County Management Association)
  • NAPA (National Academy of Public Administration)
  • NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration)

Find your state homepage

State and Local Wisconsin Resources (including UW System)

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Job opportunities

Resume and cover letter writing

General job resources

Running for Office

  • National Run for Office Day (Tons of resources including a quiz that helps you decide which office at which level is right for you)
  • She Should Run (By identifying and tackling the barriers to elected leadership, She Should Run convinces women from all political leanings, ethnicities, sexual orientations and backgrounds to see themselves as future candidates)
  • Run to Win (From Emily’s List; recruiting and helping thousands of women run for office at the state and local level)
  • How to Run for Office (from NPR)