Below you will find a list of organizations that provide valuable networking opportunities to students interested in federal employment. In many government practice areas much of the networking is done through trade organizations such as those below, as opposed to a bar association.
Federal Government Networking Opportunities (.pdf)Use these resources to target agencies of interest:
- www.USA.gov
- The U.S. government's official portal, this website is very useful to track down agencies you would not otherwise know about. Go to the "A-Z Index of US Government Departments and Agencies" which provides a direct link to the website of each agency
- www.USAJOBS.gov
- Administered by the Office of Personnel Management, the government's HR office, here you can search for Federal jobs
- www.Bestplacestowork.org
- Detail, analysis, and comparison of work experience at different agencies
- www.PathToPMF.com
- Useful resources for getting a government job and succeeding in the PMF application process.
- www.Makingthedifference.org
- Provides valuable information and resources about job and internship opportunities in the federal government
- www.Wherethejobsare.org
- Comprehensive projection of hiring needs in the federal government
- www.Careersingovernment.com
- A clearinghouse of information, resources and jobs available in public organizations
- www.Opm.gov
- Office of Personnel Management is the U.S. Government's HR office
- Individual agency websites
- Example: Department of Justice - www.justice.gov/careers/legal/legal-careers-brochure.pdf
- Excepted Service: www.makingthedifference.org/federaljobs/exceptedservice.shtml
- www.benderconsulting.com
- Certain agencies, such as the DOJ, use Bender Consulting to find qualified disabled candidates
- YellowBooks (in the CSO and the Law Library)
- Contact and biographical information that you can locate on leaders within a wide variety of firms, organizations, associations and government agencies
Search Term Examples on USAJOBS.gov
"Law clerk"; "Contract Specialist"; "Program"; "Management and Program"; "Examiner"; "Paralegal"; "Budget"; "Policy"; "Specialist";"Investigator"
It is often best to search by agency, as opposed to job title or key words
