A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish

Federal Job Advice: Determine Your Entry Level Fedjob Salary Goals

When it comes to applying to federal jobs, you need to seriously consider which level of job you will take (such as GS grade), job series that fit your skills best, and the promotional potential of the job you’re interested in. In this post I will focus on the job level and salary.

One of the most common ways the federal government differentiates between levels is through a chart of sorts called the General Schedule or GS. The GS is further divided into Grades. Each grade has 10 Steps and the pay is also different depending on the geographic location of your work site. In most cases you must have 52 weeks of experience at a Step before being promoted to the next Step. Different federal agencies may uses other scales for setting salary besides the GS, but  you can measure where they fall by comparing them to the GS.

Where you land on the GS is determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to your education, experience, GPA, certificates, etc.  If you have  less than a high school diploma, a high school diploma or are a college graduate, you may qualify for positions within the GS 1-GS 5 rage, depending on any other experience, certifications, etc. you have. 

For the DC metropolitan area (MD, VA, DC) GS1-GS5 salary can range from $22,115-$44,293. If you have a college degree with a high GPA or a graduate degree, you may want to consider positions within the GS 7-GS 9 range. Additionally, you’re very likely to start at the first Step of the Grade you actually qualify for.  Always prioritize your job applications towards positions that offer you a promotional career ladder, such as a position that hires at the GS 5 or GS7, with a “promotional potential” to a GS9 or higher.

The Federal Government is also known for “Matching” your current salary, especially if you can verify it through your latest paystub or tax return. Some agencies will not max your former salary if you’re currently unemployed (they figure – now that you’re unemployed, you should be happy to get what you’re offered – not what you ‘use’ to get).

Don’t waste your time applying to a federal job without a solid, updated, federal style resume. Read the vacancy announcements carefully and submit any required documentation. Be ready to upload your transcripts, one of the most commonly requested supplemental required documentation.

To see the General Schedule and what exactly in means for you in your specific geographic location, visit: http://www.opm.gov/oca/11tables/indexGS.asp

 

Federal Job Advice: "Do people actually get hired for job postings open less than 7 days?"

It’s common in this economy, that there are jobs posted in which the agency does not have money for. They post it in the hopes that the money will come through, but in this environment, it's unlikely to slim. Hiring managers can make selections but HR will not extend the job offer due to lack of funds. If this selectee already has a job - they may still accept the position when funds become available. If the person does not currently have a job, they shouldn't wait for the funds to become available. They should take another offer that will allow them to start work immediately. In short, as an applicant - you won't know if the job is “real” or not unless you have a contact within the agency who can give you a heads up. Applicants should simply apply to those jobs they feel they are qualified for with their best application possible. This means customizing your cover letters and addressing the KSAs on your resume and the CL. Don’t get too emotionally wrapped in the application process - there will be MANY jobs in which they apply to that they get no response from. USA jobs may show "reviewing applications" for months and months or the announcement may simply be canceled. The status may or may not even let you know of the cancelation. Seriously consider applying to jobs in which you are overqualified for in order to look like a golden needle in a haystack among all of the other applicants. Be sure you meet the specialized experience and specific qualifications so you don’t waste everyone’s time! In this economy old strategies won’t work. Maintain a positive attitude that won’t scream desperate if you do indeed secure an interview. Leave egos and arrogance at the door. Don’t’ expect your previous salary, especially if you’re not currently working. Without a current paystub, you could come in at the first step in the grade. Some income is better than no income.   External people do get hired into vacancies that are open for 7 days. It’s become more common now because there are so many applicants. In this economy, HR has no problem getting all the applicants they need in 7 days. In the past, HR use to need to keep the vacancy open for 14 or more days for the same qualified applicant pool. Only in the PAST was a 7 day vacancy likely to be for someone the agency already knows or wants.

Survival Jobs: Focus On Alignment With Your Goals

Have you been laid off or fired? In any case, you may have found the need to take on a less desirable job to make ends meet… A job otherwise known as a Survival Job.

A Survival Job isn’t something you should be ashamed about. As a matter of fact, it can be one of the most responsible things you can do.

Not any survival job will do, in my opinion. There are many jobs out there that you can secure “easily”, this means with minimal or no reference or background checks. Many will not require a resume. Most of these jobs tend to be in the service sector (retail, food, etc.).

Don’t simply apply for your Survival Job at the places most convenient to your home. Consider your interests, educational background, and hobbies. Focus your Survival Job search on those companies that relate to your “formal” career, long-term goals, background and interests. This makes it more likely that your Survival Job skills will provide you with transferable skills that can serve you in the future when the job market picks up again.

For example, if you were a construction worker, try to get a Survival Job at your local Home Depot. If you were an IT/Computer Professional, visit your local Best Buy and secure a gig in their computer department. If you were a Video Game Designer, apply to your local GameStop.

Business Building Tip: Cookie-cutter approaches won't cut it

I was invited to watch a info video about a new product that could help me in my own business. I was very interested. Guess what? The company created an unrealistic time frame for making said video available, in order to create a "strong incentive" to watch the video quickly.

Lesson: Know your audience and cater to them, otherwise you'll lose them and your credibility. Using "scarcity" strategies to entice people to take action quicker won't work if you have no idea how to effectively use them. In other words, don't cut off your nose to spite your face

You've seen scarcity strategies before: "If you call within an hour you'll get XYZ for free!" or "Only 5 left, don't get left out!"

This business, which I won't name, said in their marketing email, "I don't want you wasting any more time trying to use ineffective strategies to transform your business: I want to help you to get it right now with simple, easy to implement strategies and tools."

If they can't get their own marketing strategies right, how can they help anyone with theirs?

Many companies attempt to use cookie-cutter strategies, but don't do so effectively. They end up tripping over their own feet and missing tremendous opportunities for profit. Don't be like them. Your specific marketing strategy should correlate with your target audience. Is your target audience busy? Give them more time. Where do they go? Go market there. What do they want and need? Give it to them.

Cookie-cutter approaches just won't cut it in this economy.

Would you still want a "job" if you were married to royalty?

In honor of the recent royal wedding between William and Kate, I posted a question on my Facebook page, “Would you still want a "job" if you were married to royalty?”

If you were married to royalty, having enough money for your wants and needs would likely not be an issue. So, how would you spend those 8-12 hours a day you use to spend working? If money were no barrier, how would you like to spend your time? Would you travel, write books, start a business, or do volunteer work?

Are thoughts of actually spending your time the way you want to too far-fetched? If you don’t think you have any chance of doing the type of work you dream of and having the life you want, you’re not going to put much, if any energy into trying to make it happen. Your self-fulfilling prophecy will come true: you won’t have a chance and your dream won’t happen.

Unless your own royal wedding is around the corner, you will probably have to rely on yourself to create the life you want.

So, how do you go about creating the life you want? First, you decide what you want. Once you have a clear vision, put time and action-oriented energy into taking steps towards your vision. What you water, will grow.

Do you know what business you’re in?: *Biz Building*

 Do you know what business you’re in? If someone asks you, can you articulate it to them? This is why a Unique Positioning Statement otherwise known as a “UPS”, is vital to your biz success.  

I suggest making your UPS as concise as possible, at least for conversational purposes. On your website and other materials you can feel free to elaborate.

If someone were to ask you “so what do you do?” You’d want to be quick, clear, and exclude confidence. Your response to this question is what your UPS should be.

Most of your prospective customers don’t care HOW you do what you do. They care more about what BENEFITS you give them, so explain your benefits upfront. When creating your UPS, think about what makes your business unique.

For example, one option could be:

“I help businesses increase productivity and improve their bottom line by increasing employee morale through humor, chocolate, and Anime.”

This works for any kind of business you're in. If you bake cakes for friends and family on occassion, if you sell artwork or photography, if...whatever! This one sentence takes effort, but it's absolutely worth it; so put in the time to make it fit and feel just right.

Even if you're in the business of yourself, it works. For example, let's say you've been an IT specialist at a company ABC. The new Head-Honcho is making his or her rounds and has asked to be introduced to everyone in your department. When asked for their name, the person next to you says, "Oh, I'm Luke Lame and I do cyber security. Nice to meet you."

But ooooh no, YOU have a UPS. YOU aren't going to waste this opportunity to make a great first impression to Head Honcho. When it's you're turn, you look Head Honcho in the eyes with confidence and say, "I'm Alisa Awesome and I help this place save money and reduce expenses by making sure the integrity of our network security its upheld."

Wow, that's powerful. And memorable too. Once you write yours down, practice it until you can say it comfortably and confidently. It shouldn't sound fake or too "formal".

Good luck!

President Donald Trump: Leveraging His Transferable Skills

If you haven’t heard already, The Donald (Donald Trump) is “seriously” considering running for President in the next election. This is the most fascinating thing I've heard all week. I actually think he has the business expertise (budgeting, negotiation, management, leadership skills etc.,) and lack of BS (baloney stories) going on to actually be an effective President.

Think about it: almost all of politicians are trained in law and government; but in this economic time of scarcity and painful decision-making we may need the business perspective to get us where we should be. Someone who’s trained to make an organization successful and efficient, not to argue their personal opinions backed by “facts” (they pay organizations to create on their behalf) to the point that important decisions can’t be negotiated and don’t get made. When I finished college, I thought long and hard on the decision to go to Law school versus Business school. In retrospect I would have made the exact same decision: Business.

Donald Trump is much too conservative for me. We don’t agree on some basic, fundamental rights (a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body, equality in marriage, etc.). His opinion on Immigration is tolerable, but not ideal as far as I’m concerned. Unfortunately it’s hard to get 100% of what you want when it comes to a leader. Sometimes we have to choose the best of what we’ve got.

When it comes down to it, despite my difference of opinion, I can’t deny that…even without knowing the background of other potential candidates that they will be HARD PRESSED to have the overwhelming expert level of business savvy and management competence that Trump could bring to the table. He may not be what we want, but he just might be what we need. My mind isn’t made up of course; I’m interested to learn more about other Presidential candidate’s platforms. But I'm not going to rule out The Donald anytime soon.

He won’t have any problems developing a strong marketing campaign and raising money. He’s a master marketer (or has masters at his beck and call). He already has money to get his voice heard. Being President will actually mean a pay cut for him, I’m sure.

In any case the main points I’d like to emphasize are his transferable skills and personal brand that’s been decades in the making. Do you see how he could make a (an arguably) convincing case that he’s the best person to run the country during our current economic crisis? He'll likely emphasize his international business mastery and expert negotiation and critical thinking skills. He can upsell his unique style of management in discerning unproductive people/organizations and getting rid of those that simply don't work, literally and figuratively. Unlike the status-quo, he has no problem saying, "You're Fired!" when someone (or some program/initiave) doesn't meet expectations.  He may find it more difficult to get "his way" in a purely political environment, but I'm sure he's capable of finding a way out of no way.

His brand of being “no nonsense”, blunt, get-it-done type could be leveraged to connect with the qualities people look for in a leader.

What are your transferable skills? You may be surprised at where they take you.

And by the way: Do you think his transferable skills are too far-fetched or a great match? I want to hear from you!

Be Like Water My Friend

We haven't faced an economy like this in a very, very, long time. The same strategies and behaviors that we used in the "good" times, just won't work now. So stop it. Stop doing the same stuff that's getting your nowhere. New times call for new measures. New stategies, Adaptation. Alignment with reality.

Ask yourself, "what am I repeatedly doing that worked then and isn't working now? What could I do differently that would better fit the current situation and circustance?"

Stay encouraged and don't give up. Keep moving, but stop knocking your head against the same exact wall. Try another tactic to break it down and get through. Be flexible and adjust.

Just as water can flow peacefully or crash violently, there are at least two sides to every story. Everything is not all bad, there is good; just go find it. Be like water my friend.

Potential Government Shutdown and Your Career

If you didn’t know, the federal government may shut down because they haven’t decided on a formal budget for FY 2011 yet. Federal shutdowns have occurred in the past and it could happen again.

What does this have to do with you?

Here are some possibilities to be aware of:

• You won’t be able to get a passport
• If you’re a federal employee, you might get to stay home and get paid retroactively
• If you’re a federal contractor, you might get furloughed, fired, or not paid
• If you want to visit one of the National museums or parks, it might be closed
• If you’re a veteran, you might not get your benefit check
• You probably won’t be able to apply for Social Security
• Numerous needed federal services won’t be accessible to you and others

Keep this in mind: If you get laid off due to a federal shutdown, be wary about trying to sue your employer, it’s happened before. In one instance the former employee lost the case because, like many workers – they were “at-will”. So know you’re status if you don’t. Federal shut downs haven’t lasted forever (sometimes a few days, 3 weeks, it depends) and companies have rehired employees they had previously laid off once the shut down ended.

In the case of the employee who lost is lawsuit, he and everyone else who had been laid off was rehired by the company once the government resumed its operations. This employee ended up resigning shortly thereafter (you can probably guess a few reasons why).

In short, know your employment status, be optimistic, but prepare for the worst, and stay on good terms with your employer…the government shut down, if it happens – isn’t their “fault” directly. So if you get fired, stay on good terms and be the one they want to rehire when the time comes.

Want more info about the potential Federal shutdown?

http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/speakout/government-shutdown

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/20/AR2011022003176.html

Love Your Job. Love Yourself. LOVE on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is about love, of course. We usually focus on showing others our love but I think we need to loves ourselves first. We can be hesitant to do this because it may seem “selfish” or awkward to focus on yourself during Valentine’s Day.  But actively managing and caring about your career isn’t selfish. How you manage or not manage your career affects those you love and those who love you. If your career is deflated, those you care about (and support) may be just as stressed and frustrated as you are.

Not negotiating a salary you deserve and working somewhere you hate can directly impact your family and other loved ones. You would be surprised if I told you how many people contact me on behalf of their loved ones (their spouses, brothers, sisters, best friends, etc.).  The children in your  life may see you hating your job and think that’s what people are suppose to do; hate their jobs  - so they may grow up to be miserable and hate theirs too. You may have less money to provide for their needs. You may be short tempered or worse. Be a good example to those you care about. Love your job. Love yourself. LOVE on Valentine’s Day.