Will Work for Obama

By Vicki Salemi

New president, new regime, and, you guessed it: new jobs. When a new administration comes into power, opportunities inevitably emerge, says Kathryn Troutman, author of "10 Steps to a Federal Job."
"The federal jobs for the Obama administration will be very exciting and plentiful. With all his new ideas for almost every agency, there will certainly be more federal positions to support those initiatives," she says.

Uncle Sam as Employer
According to a Partnership for Public Service 2007 report, "Where the Jobs Are: Mission Critical Opportunities for America," the greatest hiring needs for the federal government will encompass opportunities in security, protection, compliance and enforcement; accounting, budget, and business; medical and public health; engineering and sciences; program management/analysis and administration.
Before you apply for these opportunities on Change.gov or USAJOBS.gov, Troutman advises learning about each agency and brainstorming ways you can bring your skill set to the table. Whether you're an expert in the environmental sector or a clerical administrator, for instance, you can expect a hiring boom.
"[Obama] has a lot of ideas for more clean/green jobs and vocational training in these areas," she explains. "This will affect EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and DOE (Department of Energy) and other environmental agencies. The government will probably play a role in oversight, contracts and grants, and maybe programs. Some of the jobs will be state programs and some will be grants."
Revise That Resume
Considering Obama's transition team has already received more than 300,000 applications, Troutman indicates candidates will start the process by completing an online application to determine if they are the best qualified for the job. Then, she says, the human resources department reviews the resume to see if candidates have experience specific to their line of work.
To capture the recruiter's attention during the resume review, Troutman strongly advises transforming a private sector resume into a federal one. Here's how: "Take one bullet with nine words and expand it into a small paragraph that might become four lines long," she instructs. Federal resumes are often significantly longer and more verbose than the succinct, bulleted, one- or two-page resumes common in the private sector.
Although the volume of candidates may be daunting to job seekers, there are countless opportunities at various levels, ranging from recent college graduates to career changers, and not only at the federal level. Lindsey Pollak, Gen Y career and workplace expert and author of "Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World," explains, "In general, government needs young people over the next several years because so many Baby Boomers will be retiring. While everyone can't work in the Obama administration, I do hope that this process guides more people to consider jobs in state and local governments as well. There are positions for virtually every skill set and experience level, and any public service job offers an opportunity to make a difference."
Think Outside the Grid
Government-related opportunities aren't limited to our nation's capital, though. Martha Finney, author of "Rebound: A Proven Plan for Starting Over After Job Loss," says, "There are plenty of opportunities to get started wherever you are, especially if you're located near big cities. Any job that can be imagined in the private sector probably has a counterpart in the public sector." She adds, "There are so many different ways to work in the government that don't require you to punch a clock in the West Wing."
A way to indirectly get involved in government is pursue opportunities that are related to the new administration, says Finney. "They are one or two degrees removed from the Obama core: law firms, lobbying firms, quasi-corporations, universities under contract with a federal initiative, and associations."
Above all, a new administration can only mean good things for job seekers. Troutman notes, "It's ideal because with so many new initiatives -- green and clean, transportation -- it will trickle down to the workforce as well."