Transitioning into government as a technologist: what you need to know about government hiring processes
USDR’s Governments Team Lead gives advice on how to transition your career from the private tech sector to government.
By: Rebecca Heywood
So you’ve decided you’d like to transition into government! Congrats on deciding to use your experience to improve how governments around the country serve people’s day-to-day needs, now and in the future.
You may have noticed that the hiring process feels slightly different than in the private sector. This may involve navigating a few extra hoops but don’t get discouraged. There are tips you should know and tricks you can follow that will make this process easier to navigate and get you closer to finding your next role!
Some history, just for context
In most jurisdictions, there are a lot of rules and regulations that surround hiring. Government agencies must be committed to fairness and not show favoritism to prevent nepotism in hiring (think Tammany Hall and the spoils system you may have learned about in high school civics). There are movements to modernize these rules and the systems that support them, but these rules are usually in place for a good reason, though they can add extra complexity to the process.
Historically, many people entered public service at a young age and expected to be there for most, if not all, of their careers. You see the impacts of this in a lot of the ways the system is designed to this day. When you are younger in your career, you are often more open to various roles rather than focusing on a specialized role in your field or seeking a specific team. You’ll see that many civil service roles are designed similarly, with a general job description and the opportunity to get a job at many different agencies or teams (especially in larger cities, states, and the federal government). This process can differ from how some private sector roles are hired, where you likely apply for a specific role on a specific team, especially as roles become more senior.
This approach is changing, though, with many specialized teams in governments advocating for changes that allow folks to enter mid-career more easily and provide more flexibility. It’s an old system (the Federal Civil Service Act was signed in 1883!) that is very embedded into legal and working practices in government, so it will take a long time to change.
Now that the history lesson is over, what do you need to know to find a job in government?
(Almost) all government jobs have to be posted
Networking to learn about different teams is still beneficial, but in almost all cases, government jobs need to be posted publicly. By posting job openings publicly, governments are trying to avoid nepotism. This practice also ensures that your application can get considered, even if you don’t know anyone in a particular team or jurisdiction. Because of this, you should make sure you submit as strong an application as possible through the official jobs portal.
Publicly posting job openings doesn’t always apply to appointed or executive office roles (i.e. roles in mayor’s or governor’s offices) that may be considered “exempt” from this process. However, many still post roles publicly. If working in an executive office interests you, search to see if they are posted in the same place as other government jobs or if they have a separate posting location. In New York City, for instance, the mayor’s office runs a separate job site from the general City of New York careers page.
Hiring timelines can be long. Be prepared.
The hiring process from start to finish will likely take longer than other jobs you may have applied for in the private sector. Timelines vary but very lean teams and strict procedures to follow often mean longer lead times. While some roles and teams hire within a more typical 3-month timeline, the time to hire can extend longer, often because of administrative and financial approvals that may need to be in place after a candidate is selected and offered a role, but before you can start. Additionally, if you are joining a specialized team (i.e. a digital service or innovation team), they may have special authority to move through the process more quickly than technology roles in agencies.
This is an entirely manual process for many agencies, and agencies are usually required to review every application they receive. These processes must also be matched with budget processes and personnel rules that other agencies may manage. This means there is lots of internal communication going on, and parallel processes need to align. Keep this in mind when waiting to hear back about an application or for an interview process to move forward.
Once you’ve interviewed and even been offered a position, there may be approval steps that have to take place, such as reference checks, background checks, and security clearances, in addition to final HR review and budget approvals. These can sometimes take several weeks to several months in extreme cases. The best thing to do is to check in with the hiring team to understand the timeline. They may not always be able to tell you, but it’s worth an ask. Don’t give notice at any current job until you have a firm start date in hand.
There may also be times when you apply for a role and not hear anything from the team for several months. This can happen when there are delays in approving funding or headcount for the position. If you haven’t heard any news, there is always be a possibility that the process is delayed in getting started.
Roles that are high priority often move quickly through these processes. Don’t let the timeline deter you from considering government. But if you are looking for a job quickly, it’s worth checking in to see whether they can meet your timeline.
Minimum requirements matter. Read closely.
Because of the rules and regulations surrounding hiring, you’ll need to be prescriptive in your application. There are typically strict rules about candidates meeting minimum qualifications and requirements. The job description will explicitly state any “minimum” or “required” qualifications with a separate section for “preferred” qualifications.
Read closely, and ensure you demonstrate in your resume any relevant skills or experience needed to meet the requirements. Mimic the language used in the job description, especially for technical roles, since the initial review may be handled by staff looking for keywords or unfamiliar with more technical nuance. If you are from private sector tech, know that government sometimes uses different language to talk about similar concepts. Common private sector terms like “business development” or “customer success” may need to be explained in more general language, tied to the needs of the role.
Federal government jobs often require a “federal resume,” but this isn’t typically the case at other levels of government. Ensure you explicitly state anything covered in a “required” section in a job description.
This may affect folks looking at technology jobs. For some, you’ll see a requirement for a bachelor’s degree in computer science, for instance. While many folks in tech come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds, long timelines to change minimum requirements mean that not all jurisdictions have kept up. Don’t be deterred — you have lots of advocates who know this on the inside. But read closely, and make sure you meet minimum qualifications before proceeding.
For example, someone was applying for a statistician job in New York City. He had a master’s in statistics but an undergraduate degree in something unrelated. The job required an undergraduate degree in math or statistics. He didn’t have one and thus was not considered “qualified.” Yes, this sucks. No, it doesn’t make sense (but it is slowly changing with good people pointing it out and helping change it). For now, it is the requirements that government jobs are sometimes subject to.
I read something about “civil service” during my job search — how does it affect tech hiring?
In some jurisdictions, you may see terms like “civil service” or “civil service title” in job descriptions. Civil service systems typically mean evaluating candidates through some type of exam to protect from nepotism.
These systems vary across the country and may affect your experience applying or joining government in some jurisdictions more than others. New York City and California have active and strong civil service systems, so you may sometimes see things in job descriptions about “take an exam/assessment,” “needing to be on a list of eligibles,” or “have a civil service title.” These qualifiers mean you will likely need to take some type of assessment as part of your application process; it can vary whether it is prior to application or during the process.
For some roles, especially if you see something about needing to be on a list or have an existing title, it likely means that hiring managers will hire from a list of people who already took an exam. Because governments have had challenges hiring technical experts, this doesn’t always affect tech hiring. Most civil service systems have exemptions for “hard to hire” positions. They may denote these as “exempt” or “non-civil service” positions, which means you can apply directly without needing to do any additional steps ahead of time.
The federal government also has a civil service system in place, but has been experimenting with different ways to measure and evaluate candidates, such as bringing subject matter experts into interviews. The different evaluation and certification processes (i.e., are you qualified for an interview?) have different success rates. This can also impact timelines; if they don’t have enough qualified candidates, they may choose to reopen a posting.
It can be a confusing topic, but if you have questions, your best bet is to contact HR or find a current employee to talk to about how it works and if it might affect you. Read the job description carefully for any mention of title requirements or a potential exam — if nothing shows up, forge ahead!
Hiring processes will vary greatly depending on where you are applying, what rules they are subject to, and where they may be on a hiring modernization journey. Regardless of where you are interested in working for your next role, my best advice for navigating the world of government hiring is to read closely and have patience. We look forward to welcoming you to the #PublicSector community!
Our next post will go into some great resources to think about as you transition into government. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can check out weekly posts of federal, state, and local government tech and innovation jobs by subscribing to the #PublicSectorJobBoard newsletter here.
Be sure to read the first part of this series, Transitioning into government as a technologist: what to know when you’re considering making the move.
Not quite ready to make the transition or want to try out the civic tech space before making the leap? Consider volunteering with us here at USDR to support governments across the country.
