Best Government Jobs?

[Pure Beef]

One of my ideal jobs/careers would be to work for the government in a mid to high level position (preferably one that doesn't require me to be a politician). I am just unsure what specifically I should aim for, or how to approach doing so.

 

A little about me:

-Canadian, living in Canada

-almost 24 years old

-BA in Political Science (Honours) - received scholarships as well as a spot on the Dean's Honour List

-volunteered for various political affiliations at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels

 

I have encountered some trouble however in the past when applying for entry level jobs at the municipal and provincial levels. I exceed all the requirements (degree, GPA, computer skills etc...), however the big thing holding me down is my lack of office experience. Additionally, where I live in Canada, there are not as much federal jobs as there are in other areas of the country, and the only way for me to move away would be to get a job that had good enough pay to get me there and survive on my own.

 

My question is, where do I go from here?

 

Law school to work in government (law school in Canada isn't crowded or as expensive as it is in the US)?

A masters degree of some sort (Public Administration)? - Would a masters degree even get me a job?

Back to university to specialize in a certain area (i.e. accounting) and then go work for the government?

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Beluga23]

Hey,

 

Due to the hiring freezes and the massive planned cuts to the public service, a lot of the entry-level jobs have been canceled. I don't know which city you're living in, but ... for the most part, they're only hiring term and casual employees. Did you ever do FSWEP or any Coop terms with the federal government? If so, then bridging or appointment to an indeterminate position is the easiest way in right now. Your other option is to get your foot in the door in a lower salary clerical position and then apply for transfers to other positions once you're in the system.

 

you can PM me if you have any more questions. =)

[Ambiguous X]

Start a business and earn some money. I've never heard anyone aspire to be a mid-level clerk for a buearocracy but to each his own.

[dali]

To be honest I wouldn't be looking at a government position at this point in time.

 

Personally I would do another degree, I'm not sure how a BA in political science translates to the job market so im not much help.

[Anna.]

I'm in the U.S. I've got a B.S. in Political Science and have similar aspirations as you, but I check the website EVERY DAY and the American government is just not hiring entry level positions. I'm not much help, but at least I can sympathize...I NEED A JOB!!!

[HappyDaddyto2]

I work for the govt and I have a BA in poli sci, so perhaps I can be of assistance to you.

 

It is true that there are not many entry-level jobs being filled right now, but do not despair...check jobs.gc.ca daily because I started in an entry-level job during a hard economic time...so it is not impossible.

 

As for what to do to help your case, I would not necessarily go the route of law school, unless you are looking to work for the DOJ or in privacy or related fields.

 

A MA in Public Admin might not be a bad idea. I am not sure where you are, but there is a really good program at Concordia University in Montreal. It has an internship possibility and most of the placements are directly into the federal govt in Ottawa and at pretty decent levels....not entry-level by any means.

 

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

 

[lost1607307474]

What do you mean by working for the government? Do you mean, like a public service job? Or actually working in parliament? I am a teacher and in Australia the government is considered my employer so I work for the government...

[HappyDaddyto2]

I am in the public service and I believe that that is what Pure Beef was referring to. In Canada, while teachers do theoretically work for the provincial or territorial governments, when people refer to working for the government they are usually referring to the public service.

[lost1607307474]

I am in the public service and I believe that that is what Pure Beef was referring to. In Canada, while teachers do theoretically work for the provincial or territorial governments, when people refer to working for the government they are usually referring to the public service.

 

Fair enough! In Australia, teaching is considered part of the public service. So is nursing and other jobs in government institutions! Didn't realise the definition differed over there

[turnera]

Does Canada have any work/study programs?

[rocio]

Which province are you in? Some provinces currently have hiring restraints, as does the federal government. Doing a Masters would certainly be beneficial, and by the time you finish they should be hiring again.

 

If you're interested in politics, maybe apply with the Privy Council Office?

 

When you begin the last year of your Master's program, apply aggressively to the Federal Post Secondary Recruitment

 

link removed

 

Several departments participate in this and they will come to your university to interview you. They will also pay for your relocation expenses, which includes shipping furniture, paying for a hotel until you find an apartments, etc. This is the best way to get it if you have the education but no experience.

 

Also, regularily monitor the job openings with federal and provincial governments, find jobs you'd like to land, and review the requirements. See what kinds of Masters they're looking for.

 

Finally, make sure you know how the hiring process works with the government. It doesn't matter how good your resume looks, if you don't clearly show that you meet all requirements, they will immediately screen you out. Also, with some federal jobs, they get so many applications that they automatically screen some out without even reviewing the resume. So keep applying and don't take it personally if you don't get an interview on your first few tries.

[Snny]

I exceed all the requirements (degree, GPA, computer skills etc...), however the big thing holding me down is my lack of office experience. Additionally, where I live in Canada, there are not as much federal jobs as there are in other areas of the country, and the only way for me to move away would be to get a job that had good enough pay to get me there and survive on my own.

Totally understand where you are coming from. My mom works for a top government office in the US and there are a couple Canadian workers in her office because they struggled to find work within their country.

 

Have you tried applying for entry level positions? I applied for several and a few government offices have scheduled interviews with me recently. I have no real office experience and hold a teaching degree on top of it (I applied for instructor assistant positions which is somewhat relevant). They are out there, but you have to dig deeper and polish your resume to show you have office related/communication skills. If you have a special background in computers, you easily have a job... my mom doesn't have a college degree but had to take several computer classes to qualify for a position.

 

My sister has a degree in Public Administration... just graduated and is having trouble finding a career.

[mactownman]

I have a BA in political science and a masters of public administration. Couldn't get the kind of job I wanted with a bachelors so I went back to graduate school. Got a good job right out of school and am well into the second year of my career. I chose to focus on local government. I want to be a city manager. Where the rubber meets the road. Not sure how my situation (Georgia, U.S.) translates to Canada. For me, the masters was required. Almost everyone in my orgazation has a graduate degree and it is becoming required for almost all city manager positions.

[turnera]

That's true, a Masters will almost always get you further.

[Ariel85]

Not sure about in Canada, but in the US, public sector workers are viewed as less skilled than the private sector. Public workers in the US are so over-protected, that it tends to keep really inept people in their jobs, who would have been fired long ago in the private sector.

 

So, it's funny to hear someone aspire to it, since here it's considered a default job for people who couldn't cut it in the private sector.

[FrankRobinson]

Not sure about in Canada, but in the US, public sector workers are viewed as less skilled than the private sector. Public workers in the US are so over-protected, that it tends to keep really inept people in their jobs, who would have been fired long ago in the private sector.

 

So, it's funny to hear someone aspire to it, since here it's considered a default job for people who couldn't cut it in the private sector.

 

For certain professions or individuals that might be the case. I'm in the US and I'm trying to get into the foreign policy or intelligence field, so some of the jobs I've been applying to are government jobs. It's always something I've felt like doing, not really something I'm doing because I can't hack it elsewhere. I'll eventually end up going back to school and probably go into academia but employment with the federal government is probably what I'm looking at short term.

[henryfirst]

If you are a male you are less likely to get a government job. The percentage of females with such education is now sky high and it is now trendier to hire them in the public sector than to hire males. Now unless you are very well connected you will most probably lose the next 15 years of your life realizing that how clever you were at the university will not put food on your table.

You're still 24, I suggest you go and learn a profession which can feed you.

[rocio]

If you are a male you are less likely to get a government job. The percentage of females with such education is now sky high and it is now trendier to hire them in the public sector than to hire males. Now unless you are very well connected you will most probably lose the next 15 years of your life realizing that how clever you were at the university will not put food on your table.

You're still 24, I suggest you go and learn a profession which can feed you.

 

This is rediculous. I'm currently in the process of hiring two analysts with the government. We narrowed our selection down to 18 candidates for the first interview. 14 of them were male. It's looking unlikely that we'll hire a woman for either of the positions. In my group, I am the only woman with four other men so far.

 

If you're going into admin, then yes it's strongly female dominated. Likewise for nursing. The rest still tend to be predominantly male.