by Karla Williams
In this day and age, with offshoring, outsourcing, layoffs, and a tight credit market - job security is that elusive element that we all crave. Whether we will admit it or not, most people I meet exhibit a kind of longing for the good old days we have all heard about from our parents and grandparents where companies and their employees were partnered for the long term. In those days, if you got a job with a company of any size - part of your compensation was that intangible benefit described as security. They would pay your health insurance, help you buy affordable health insurance for your family, give you a generous allowance of sick days and vacation days, and they wouldn't fire your or lay you off unless you committed a grievous act against their corporate fortress.
For reasons too numerous to discuss this type of partnership does not exist anymore - but there is a close alternative. It is call working for a governmental entity. And guess what? They are hiring in large numbers!
Right after I graduated from college, I was "lucky" enough to land a job with the government. My family was proud, my future was secured. And now in this economy, I laughingly joke with my friends and family that I should have kept my good government job as I would be able to retire with a pension in 10 years. But for me there was one problem - I hated it. I am a free spirit and I like to call my own shots as much as possible. This is not possible in any type of bureaucratic organization, but is particularly not possible as a civil servant.
But now I hear that things have changed and the government is a little leaner and meaner that it was when I worked there. The government has labored for the last decade at becoming more private sector like and apparently it is a challenging and rewarding organization to work for.
In this era of stimulus bills, the government is reportedly going to hire in excess of 200,000 new employees.
So where do you find out about these great jobs? There are a few places.
Monster has a great overview of the stimulus jobs.
Also check out a site called Making a Difference that talks about governmental opportunities that will help our world.
And if employment with Uncle Sam sounds like something you want to explore, visit the government's central job board, USA Jobs. But as a former Federal insider, beware. Applying for a government job bears little to no resemblance to applying for a job in the commercial sector. Look for me to host a webinar on this topic in the not too distant future to help those wanting to explore Federal jobs opportunities.
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