I don’t know if this belongs here or in IMHO.
How hard is it to get a government job. I’ve been looking at jobs at Naval bases and with the DoT. Do they always respond to applications? How long does it take to hear something? Will having had a security clearance in the past (and a clean record since, of course) be an advantage in getting a job?
It’s easier to get a gummint job now than it used to be.
It depends a lot on the agency and its needs to determine their response time. When I applied to the VA, I heard back within a few days because they were so short-staffed. On the other hand, it’s possible to wait a few weeks or longer while they shuffle whatever paperwork they need to shuffle.
Security clearances and the like do help. So does veteran’s status.
Really, in a lot of respects, it’s not too much different from applying for a private-sector job.
Robin
Thanks, MsRobyn. I’ll keep sending out those applications!
I work for the Army (civilian). Up until about 5 years ago, it was rare to hire someone “off the street”, but things are much better nowadays.
And, in my experience, having had a security clearance is no advantage in being hired - we’ve had guys on the job for a year before theirs went through (they just couldn’t work on certain stuff). But if they were turned down, they’d be out the door (but I’ve never saw it happen). So, having had one would give you confidence that wouldn’t happen to you.
I don’t know what your rotor background has been, but I’ve seen job announcements for civilian helicopter pilots from time to time in the Ft. Rucker area.
Hey Johnny, check out this website:
www.usajobs.opm.gov
I work for the Department of the Navy. It’s fairly easy to get hired on. The only bad thing is that many of the government jobs offered are either temporary or term.
kellymccauley: I only have a private certificate. I need to get a commercial one (and about 1,000 hours :eek: ) to get a flying job. (Of course, I could get a CFI(H) and look for an instructing job – I need to lose weight anyway.) Too bad I don’t want to live in the South! But man, a flying job would be the bees knees!
I’m confident I could get a Secret clearance very easily (although I’m about 5 years past the reactivation period). I had a g/f for eight years once, and she joked “I still don’t know what he does!”
Barking Spider: Thanks for the link! Lots of Naval installations in Washington state, and I come from a Navy family. I’ve sent it to my office. (I have more time to look for jobs when I’m at work! 
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