As a recent or soon-to-be graduate searching for a federal job, it’s sometimes challenging to figure out how your specific skill set might be applied in positions in the federal government. There are many different agencies where you can work to fulfill your service requirement. (You can visit the Federal Agency page to get an idea of where you should begin searching for a job.) But the question is: with your field of study and interest, and with your academic background, for what types of jobs should you look?

There are many resources on the internet that can help you find the best federal job that matches your skills and background. We’ve gathered a number of resources to help you choose what kind of jobs to apply for. One such resource is the "Career Interest Guide" available on USAJOBS at http://career.usajobs.gov/cig/.

The "Career Interest Guide" provides two resources. The Interest Guide Questionnaire provides a series of questions that gauges your interest level for particular tasks. Based on your response, you will be able to see what career areas fit your interests most and the occupations associated with those areas.

In the Career Interest Areas, you can specify what field you are interested in most and view the related occupations for that field. Either way, you can select an occupation based on your interest assessment or based on the career area that interests you. You can then view information such as job description and the minimum qualifications necessary for that job.

Another online resource that will help you match your background to a federal job is the Partnership for Public Policy’s list of federal careers by field of interest, available at http://www.makingthedifference.org/federalcareers/careersbyinterest.shtml. The same website also provides downloadable brochures for people interested in specialized career tracks, including public health, liberal arts, business, and engineering.

Finally, the Office of Personnel Management published a list of college majors and related federal jobs, which can be found at http://www.usajobs.gov/EI23.asp.

As you study the list, please keep these facts in mind:

1.      The jobs listed under each major are usually examples, not an all-inclusive list.

2.      Many jobs do not require a specialized college degree; job-related experience is just as good.

3.      You can qualify for a large number of administrative jobs with a degree in any academic major.

4.      Your academic background may sometimes substitute for "experience" requirements.

Many college students, particularly undergraduates, try to find jobs that are directly related to their college major. This unduly limits your job search and may not always prove productive, as many jobs that require a specific field of specialization also require a Master’s or other advance degree. Think of your academic experience, both undergraduate and graduate, as a foundation for growth and opportunity to explore jobs in different branches of the federal government that might be unusual at first glance.