Application procedures and requirements vary from one DOT job to another, so please
read each job announcement carefully.
You may apply for most DOT jobs with:
A resume, or
Any other written format you choose, as long as it contains the information required
by the vacancy announcement
For jobs that are filled through our automated application process, you must generally
submit a resume and other specialized forms. Jobs with unique qualifications may
require copies of transcripts, licenses or certifications.
If the job applicationidentifies specific job knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs),
please pay particular attention to them and respond to each, if required to do so.
Once you have completed your application, please remember to submit it by the due
date. Late applications will not be accepted.
The minimum age for most permanent DOT/FHWA jobs is 18 (age 16 with a high school
diploma). Also, students over the age of 16 may be considered for student opportunities.
There are certain situations where special consideration is given to veterans seeking
Federal employment. Preference applies in hiring from civil service examinations,
for most excepted service jobs and when agencies make temporary appointments or
use direct-hire and delegated examining authorities from the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management.
By law, veterans who are disabled or who served on active duty in the
Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns are
entitled to preference over non-veterans, both in hiring from competitive lists
of eligible and in retention during reductions in force.
“KSA” is an acronym that stands for “knowledge, skills and abilities.” KSAs are
qualities needed by job applicants to successfully perform their job, and are used
in the hiring process to distinguish the highly qualified candidates from among
all qualified candidates.
Job applications often ask questions to capture KSAs in a variety of areas including:
Paid and unpaid experience
Education: degrees, course and research projects
Awards and recognition
Quotes from letters written by people who can positively comment on your professional
skills
Your response to these questions are a major factor in determining if you can perform
assigned job duties. Job announcements will indicate if you are required to respond
to KSAs.
If you are just starting out, you can qualify for jobs at the GS-2 level with just
a high school diploma or as little as 3 months of general work experience. At GS-3
and GS-4 levels, you can qualify with more months of general experience. Starting
at GS-5, jobs generally require 1 year of specialized experience to qualify. When
you have a degree but no specialized experience in a career field, you are eligible
for appointment at the GS-5 pay scale. (If you maintained a B average, or met other
academic credentials in college, you can start out at the GS-7 pay scale.) To qualify
for jobs at the GS-7 and higher grades, your background must have included experience
closely related to the work to be performed in the job for which you are applying.
You can qualify for GS-9 positions on the basis of a master’s degree, and for GS-11
positions on the basis of a doctorate. To find the salaries for these grades visit
the following web site: http://www.opm.gov/oca/12tables/html/gs.asp
Special noncompetitive appointing authorities are established by law or executive
order. Veterans, persons with disabilities, many current and former Federal employees,
and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals eligible for non-competitive
appointment.
You use your Veterans Preference when applying for Federal job vacancies. In some
cases other employers, such as state or local governments, may offer preference
as well. For more information about types of “Preference” please consult the Vet
Guide.
The SF-50 is a form that a Federal employee receives each time a personnel action
occurs during his or her career, such as a promotion, transfer, resignation, retirement,
etc. If you are not, and have never been, a Federal employee you will not possess
a SF-50 form and you do not have to submit this form as part of the application
process. If you are a current Federal employee and you do not believe you have received
your most recent SF-50, you should check with your supervisor or you personnel office.
If you are a former Federal employee and it has been more than 30 days since you
left your Federal job, you may request your records from the FEDERAL RECORDS CENTER,
National Archives and Records Administration, 111 Winnebago Street, St. Louis, Missouri
63118, telephone number (314) 801-9250. You should make your request in writing
and include your full name under which formerly employed, social security number,
date of birth, and to the extent known, former Federal employing agencies, addresses
and dates of such employment. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5USC 552a) and the Office
of Personnel Management require a signed and dated written request for information
from Federal records. No requests for information from personnel or any other type
of records will be accepted by telephone or e-mail.
Forget what you have heard about the complexities in finding a Federal job. We have
made the process simple! Your job search for Federal career opportunities is now
a ‘3-Step Process’.
STEP 1: CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT Set up you’re my USAJOBS account to:
Create & post resumes
Attract employers
Have jobs emailed to you
STEP 2: SEARCH FOR JOBS Just enter your desired job information and search the database
of thousands of jobs. Use your resume to apply online instantly.
STEP 3: MANAGE YOUR CAREER Get all the information and advice you need on obtaining
a job in the Government.
When you see a job that you would like to apply to, you can click the Apply Online
link at the bottom of the posting. When you click Apply Online (all jobs do not
have this option), you will have to log into your account if you were not previously
logged in. Once you are logged in, if you have one or more Resumes, you will have
a choice of which Resume to send. Likewise, if you have any cover letters stored,
you will also have the option of submitting a cover letter along with your Resume.
If you have an account and are logged in but do not have any Resumes stored, when
you click the Apply Online link, you will get a message that says, ‘You are logged
in but do not have any Resumes stored.’ You will then have the option to Create
a New Resume. If you do not have an account opened and you click Apply Online, it
will take you to the Create Account/Log In page.
USAJOBS was created to assist you in your job search. It allows you to search for
jobs that best match your skills and talents and to apply for them directly. Civilian
federal job opportunities are announced through USAJOBS. The number will vary, but
there are frequently around 18,000 listed on any given day, with new jobs added
(and old ones closed) everyday. Many excepted agencies (such as the FBI, CIA, and
some courts) also use USAJOBS to announce their job opportunities. You can search
for these opportunities by using the search jobs function (https://www.usajobs.gov/)
and then selecting your job requirement. You can also use “My USAJOBS” and create
a “search agent” that will notify you when jobs meeting your requirements are added
to the system. After finding a job of interest, carefully read the announcement
and follow the “How To Apply” instructions included as a part of it. You may be
able to apply online for a job (through various different online questionnaires
and through the USAJOBS resume builder) or you may need to mail or fax your resume.
This information will be included in the announcement.
If you wish to contact an agency directly concerning a specific vacancy announcement,
please use the Public Contact Information listed in each vacancy announcement. The
address, phone number, and possibly an email address, will be provided. If you are
looking for a way to contact the agency headquarters, you may go to
http://www.USAJOBS.gov
and select Government Links, (towards the bottom of the screen), and explore other
agency web sites. Each site will have a “Contact Us” link that you may use for your
questions/inquiries.
Almost all Federal job openings are required to be posted on USAJOBS (some job opportunities
announced for the Federal judicial branch are not listed in USAJOBS). If the advertisement
you have found has been placed by a legitimate Federal Agency, please contact the
agency directly for details and instructions. If the ad has been placed by a company
that is promising to provide you with Federal job lists or civil service test help,
we suggest you beware. Federal vacancy information is available without cost from
the United States Government via USAJOBS. If the Federal Government needs you to
take any kind of test as part of the employment process, we will provide you with
sample questions ahead of time.
The agency name drop down list is continuously updated to only show agencies that
currently have jobs posted in the database. If the agency you are interested in
working for isn’t shown, it is likely because they don’t have any positions currently
open.
When you see a job that you would like to apply to, you can click the Apply Online
link at the bottom of the posting. When you click Apply Online (all jobs do not
have this option), you will have to log into your account if you were not previously
logged in. once you are logged in, if you have one or more Resumes, you will have
a choice of which Resume to send.
KSA’s are knowledge, skills, and abilities that are used to determine the extent
to which your qualifications (experience and education) match the requirements of
the job you may be interested in applying. When agencies evaluate candidates based
on KSA’s, you will usually be asked to supply a narrative description (one-half
page to no more than one page in length) of the experience and/or training you have
had that demonstrates your possession of a particular element. For more help in
crafting your job application, please see the USAJOBS Ten Tips for Letting Federal
Employers Know Your Worth.
