I am a 64-year old non-Veteran who has not previously worked in Federal service.
I have extensive program management and executive leadership experience, including Federal contracting experience, and very much want to apply my knowledge, skills and abilities in Federal public service. However, I have had no success in even getting an interview for the positions I have applied for through USAJobs in my field. The response I always receive is “Qualified, but not submitted for further consideration.” Here is my question: given my age, lack of Veteran status, and lack of previous Federal experience, am I wasting my time trying to obtain Federal employment, especially at the professional level (GS 13-15)?
The answer is no, you are not wasting your time applying to federal job, and here’s a few reasons why I say that.
First, the government is not interested in discriminating against you for any reason – age, race, religion, etc. They are extremely interested in hiring folks who have some maturity and experience under their belts. The primary concern of the HR folks and the hiring managers is that you have the knowledge, skill and ability to do the job at hand. If you are 22 or 122, it doesn’t matter – as long as you can perform the duties of the job. Second, according to the US Office of Personnel Management – the authority that monitors federal hiring – 67% of 2014 Federal hires were non-Veterans. That means that two out of every three employees hired were not Veterans. One of those two could be you. Third, the government does not care where you gained your experience. It could be work experience from the private or non-profit sector, from the military, from an educational or training experience, or from unpaid volunteer experience. As long as you have the skills to do the job, and you have 52 weeks of those skills under your belt, you should apply.
We hope this information has been useful and will help you crack the code to your Federal job search.
