Federal Government
The U.S. Federal Government is the largest employer in the country with approximately 2.7 million civilian employees. Federal job seekers benefit from a plethora of prospective agencies ranging across all policy areas. It is best to view each agency as a separate employer with unique hiring processes, yet the majority of federal positions are posted through the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) site USAJOBS. The 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.
Top Job Boards:
- USAJobs Main Page (The federal government’s official job site)
- USAJobs Pathways Internships and Recent Grads Job Postings (opens direct links to opportunities for students)
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor sponsored career resources including a job board called AJB)
- CareersinGovernment (A leading site for public sector employment information and opportunities)
- GovernmentJobs (U.S. Federal, State, and Local government employment listings organized by category and location)
- PublicServiceCareers (Employment listings and resources catered to public affairs degree programs)
Federal Employment Information
- Federal Resume/Cover Letter Writing
- Sample Federal Internship Resume (Iris Intern)
- Sample Federal Excepted Service Resume (Frank Federal)
- Sample Federal Civil Service USAJobs Resume (Fiona Federal)
- KSA Writing Worksheet
- Foreign Service Officer (Information on process of becoming a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State)
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM - The human resources office of the federal government)
- Presidential Management Fellows Program
- White House Fellows
- Agency Internships (opens a link to all agencies + Congress and the White House that take interns)
Agencies & Offices
- USA.gov (not the same as USAJobs, this site lists every single agency and much, much more; an all around fantastic site)
- Administration for Community Living
- Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality
- American Indian Higher Education Consortium
- Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Census Bureau - Governments Division
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Coast Guard
- Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress
- Corporation for National and Community Service
- Customs and Border Protection
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Justice - Career Opportunities
- Department of Labor - Employment & Training Administration
- Department of State
- Department of Transportation
- Department of the Treasury
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Agencies and Commissions
- Federal Reserve Board
- Foreign Service
- General Services Administration
- Government Accountability Office
- Government Printing Office
- Internal Revenue Service
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- International Trade Commission
- Library of Congress - Current Job Opportunities
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
- National Credit Union Administration
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Office of Management and Budget
- Partnership for Public Service
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
- Rural Community Empowerment Program
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- Social Security Administration
- Stennis Center for Public Service
- Transportation Security Administration
- U.S. Secret Service
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development
Other Federal Employment Resources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Contacting the Congress - Contact Information for U.S. Congress
- Current U.S. Congressional Legislation Information
- Democratic Gain (A Professional Association for Progressives)
- FedStats (Statistics provided by the Federal Government)
- FirstGov (Provides easy access to U.S. government information and services)
- GOP Jobs and Internships: Republican Party Jobs
- NAPA (National Academy of Public Administration)
- Roll Call - The Newspaper of Capital Hill
- U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. Library of Congress - U.S. Executive Branch Websites
- Washington Network Group (Networking organization for professionals)
State and Local Government
Many La Follette graduates find employment opportunities within the Wisconsin or other state and local government system. Each state and locality has unique agencies, hiring processes, and benefits. State and local government employment offers graduates the chance to utilize their chosen policy expertise in a wide variety of policy areas with great local influence.
State and Local Employment Resources
- APPAM (Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management)
- ASPA (American Society for Public Administration)
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor sponsored career resources including a job board called AJB)
- CareersinGovernment (A leading site for public sector employment information and opportunities)
- GovernmentJobs (U.S. Federal, State, and Local government employment listings organized by category and location)
- International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Directory
- Local Government Institute (Employment listings in State and Local government)
- NAPA (National Academy of Public Administration)
- NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration)
- National Conference of State Legislatures (Career opportunities for young professionals looking to work in state legislatures)
- PublicServiceCareers (Employment listings and resources catered to public affairs degree programs)
- State and Local Governments (Lists of offices and agencies in State and Local governments)
Wisconsin Employment Resources
- Wisconsin - State Information
- Career Locker (Formerly WISCareers - career development resources provided by the UW Center on Education and Work)
- City of Madison Employment
- City of Middleton
- City of Milwaukee Career Opportunities
- City of Sun Prairie
- Dane County Employment Opportunities (Employment listings provided by Dane County)
- Dane County Job Center (Resources for Dane County residents to find employment)
- EmploymentSpot-Wisconsin (General employment listings specific to Wisconsin)
- Federal Job Search in Wisconsin (AmericaJobs employment listings specific to Wisconsin)
- JobsinMadison (General employment listings specific to Madison)
- List of Madison, WI Nonprofits
- Marquette University Jobs
- MilwaukeeJobs (General employment listings specific to Milwaukee)
- Nonprofit Organizations in Madison, Wisconsin
- Public Policy Forum - Milwaukee (Private, non-profit, independent research organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of public policy decision-making in southeast Wisconsin)
- UW Cooperative Extension (Connects people to the UW system)
- UW Extension Center for Community Economic Development
- UW-Madison Office of Human Resources
- UW-Milwaukee Jobs
- Wisconsin.gov
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
- Wiscjobs (The Wisconsin State government’s official employment site. Also has resources specifically for veterans)
- Wisconsin JobNet (General employment listings specific to Wisconsin)
- Wisconsin Legislature
- Wisconsin Nonprofits (A network of Wisconsin’s nonprofits)
- Wisconsin Office of State Employment Relations (Oversees the state civil service system, negotiates state labor contracts, manages labor relations, and leads the state's affirmative action and equal opportunity employment programs)
Employment Links by State
U.S. Territory Agency Links