Showing Your Best Side
Know Yourself
Take the time to figure out who you are, what you like to do, what you are best at, and what strengths, skills or competencies you offer employers. This first, crucial step is key to your future success AND happiness. The time you spend taking stock and then deciding if you are doing work that is rewarding, challenging and enjoyable is time well spent.
Use the Federal Hiring Tools information on this site to access a variety of information designed to help you find a career that is right for you, and to then apply for those jobs that afford you the opportunity to show your best side.
Know Your Prospective Employer
In addition to knowing yourself, it is important to obtain information about any prospective employer. Who are they, what do they do, where are they located and what do they offer as an employer? Compare this information with your interests and competencies and if you find they match, go for it!
The Internet is a great place to obtain additional information, and there are other resources including library reference books, annual reports and strategic and operating plans. You don’t have to know an agency’s or organization’s web address. You can use one of the several available search engines, such as Google, Yahoo or BIng, to provide you with many links to information on practically every federal agency or organization.
Don’t overlook current employees within the organizations. They can provide some of the most reliable and current information you'll find. You may even find, after doing the research, that the employer you are interested in is not a good match for your interests and goals. If this is the case, you've saved some valuable time that you can now direct towards those exciting job openings that match your vision of the future.
Once you’ve done your research and you find you’re interested in working for an agency or even an individual organization within an agency, you can use this information to tailor your application and responses to interview questions. Show any prospective employer how ideally your interests and competencies match their opening.
The time you spend obtaining this information also allows you to come into the interview better prepared to ask intelligent questions about the job and the organization. This knowledge and the obvious effort required for you to attain this information will create a memorable impression with any employer.
