New Avenues to Federal Careers for Recent College Graduates
There is no other sector that allows its workforce to change the world quite like the federal government does.
That was my message to a room full of students at George Mason University when I joined Chairman Gerry Connolly on campus for a House Government Operations Subcommittee event there in early October. GMU’s students are hard at work earning their degrees, and I was there to give them ideas about how best to use them. Federal employees work in some of the most exciting fields available, whether we’re talking about cyber security, climate science, economics, health research, and much, much more. My message to all students isn’t just that they should consider a career with us — it’s that we want them on our team.
Early career professionals like those GMU students bring unique lived experiences and skillsets to the workplace. That’s why OPM is excited to offer new avenues into federal service for up-and-coming leaders. Earlier this year, we finalized a regulation that made it easier for agencies to offer paid internships through a new authority to bring post-secondary students into time limited federal jobs. Now, we’re building on that progress by providing another critical tool to agencies to facilitate hiring new College Graduates.
This new hiring authority will allow federal agencies to welcome recent college graduates into professional and administrative positions that pay as much as $72,000 a year. It creates dedicated pathways into federal employment for rising professionals who may not have an extensive resume to point to yet. Civil servants enjoy fulfilling careers that offer great benefits, the opportunity for a secure retirement, and the chance to tackle some of America’s most pressing challenges. This new hiring authority extends that opportunity to Americans of all walks of life, and welcomes a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints.
I like to say the federal workforce is in the business of achieving the unachievable every single day — from curing diseases, to fighting climate change, to landing rovers on the surface of Mars. And the American people deserve the best and brightest professionals working to meet their needs. This new hiring authority is just one example of how OPM is delivering that workforce as we build the federal government back better than before. It allows agencies to cultivate top talent and bring necessary skillsets into the federal workforce, all while encouraging rising leaders to make their mark in public service. Not only will they reinvigorate our workforce with fresh ideas and talents — they also ensure the federal government is prepared to deliver on its mission now, and well into the future.
-Kiran Ahuja, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management
