Federal Government

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to create a portable career as a military spouse is to enter the government civil service (often referred to as “GS” or “civilian” positions). Most military installations also employ civilians, and once you get into the system, you can transfer to other positions fairly easily. Government service is not a panacea—there are challenges in obtaining positions, transferring to other positions, and working within an often large and entrenched bureaucracy—but many military spouses find it to be the best option for maintaining forward progress in their career while transferring locations with their spouse.

“Breaking in” to government service isn’t always easy, though. Spouses have told us that the system is confusing, that they’re not considered for positions at the level they truly qualify for, and that their non-governmental service is often not considered by hiring officials. This section aims to give military spouses an overview of the process as well as some tips and tricks for making it through the hiring process and successfully navigating your government career.

Specific pages deal with the following issues: (Constantly being updated)

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Comment by Jenny Kirk Hartsock on April 9, 2025 at 3:50pm

I received a book last week titled, "Ten Steps to a Federal Job, Jobseeker's Guide" by Kathryn Troutman. I received it free from the Employment Readiness Program Manager at Fort Bragg. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a GS Job. I went through the process, secured a GS job in 2009 after three months of trying to navigate the system... which was very cumbersome.

Comment by Lauren Weiner on May 4, 2025 at 12:35pm

https://acpol2.army.mil/fasclass/inbox/default.asp

More to come on this page later... but this is a really helpful link to a library of Federal "position descriptions" that can help as you tailor your resume to certain jobs. All Federal jobs have a "job series" (a 4-digit numerical code) that identifies what job category it falls into, along with a "grade" (generally ranked from 1-15) that specifies the level of the position. For instance:

GS-1102-13 is a contracting specialist (1102 series) at the GS-13 (middle-management) level.

GS-0301-9 is a management analyst at the GS-9 (mid/entry level professional) level.

There will be specific pages dedicated to deciphering the GS system, writing a Federal resume, and other government-specific hiring and HR issues soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please post them on the site and one of us will answer them directly. Stay tuned!

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