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For those of you that transitioned from military to GS. How soon did you start applying for employment before your ETS? Thank you !
Posted in these groups: 
Transition
GS Civilians
Transition GS Civilians
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 16
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One thing most people don't know is that the resume you use to apply for a federal job can be much, much longer than a regular resume. There's no real restriction for how long it can be. Mine is 7 pages. A Google search for "Federal Resume" will take you to numerous guides on how to assemble a federal resume.
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6 to 8 months out. Go to USAjobs.gov there are all kinds of areas with openings.
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Hi Mike. I applied 1 month prior to retirement, interviewed 3 weeks after retirement and started 3 weeks later. Hope that helps.
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I suggest start off by going to usajobs.com and start looking around at the resource center reading. Also start reading the federal job digest(should be at your BX bookstore). Does your MOS lend itself to any jobs ? Do you have a college degree? What certifications do you need? Can you get them inservice?
Please note after you know the basics and are looking for/at government jobs. Consider what contractor's work at those same area/ and jobs and find out the companies involved. It especially helps if you know people who are already there. Find out what qualifications you need and work towards them , much as you can while in.
GS may be the way to go, there are quite a few gravy jobs out there, but odds are a civilian job as a connected to defense contractor will pay more than most fed jobs. They can also often be connected to federal service and retirement  if you ever actually get a GS later.
Chris- E-4/ WG-11/GS-9 at different points in my life
Please note after you know the basics and are looking for/at government jobs. Consider what contractor's work at those same area/ and jobs and find out the companies involved. It especially helps if you know people who are already there. Find out what qualifications you need and work towards them , much as you can while in.
GS may be the way to go, there are quite a few gravy jobs out there, but odds are a civilian job as a connected to defense contractor will pay more than most fed jobs. They can also often be connected to federal service and retirement  if you ever actually get a GS later.
Chris- E-4/ WG-11/GS-9 at different points in my life
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SGT (Join to see)
Chris,
Thank you for your response. I currently hold a B.S in Marketing and a Masters in Business Administration/Healthcare Administration.
Contractor positions are good options. However , all services are moving away from contractors as we transition back into a garrison environment.
Thank you for your response. I currently hold a B.S in Marketing and a Masters in Business Administration/Healthcare Administration.
Contractor positions are good options. However , all services are moving away from contractors as we transition back into a garrison environment.
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SPC Christopher Perrien
Wow, didn't expect that for a Sgt. LOL. Yes get into USAJOBS and start researching, That is also the OPM hiring site. So you need to make an account there and put all your info in.
Research some first.
Once you get everything in there , your searches for jobs will pull up relevant jobs in your fields and various locations and such, plus you can alter the parameters of your search to find any job the gov has. There will be entry dates, hiring windows, wait windows, conditional restrictions, it will all pop up and make sense after you are familiar with it.
Then you simply zapp your government resume from your account to apply to whatever jobs you are interested in. You'll hear back pretty quick, if it is still an open position and they want you. Veterans float to the top of the list, short of career conditional rehires. They have to offer those jobs as open but they are not really open unless the person already there or someone in the same "office" doesn't want it. There are many jobs where nobody in their right mind would quit, like security at Dugway UTAH. ;)
For true opened job positions, it may take around two months to get into an open position.
Research some first.
Once you get everything in there , your searches for jobs will pull up relevant jobs in your fields and various locations and such, plus you can alter the parameters of your search to find any job the gov has. There will be entry dates, hiring windows, wait windows, conditional restrictions, it will all pop up and make sense after you are familiar with it.
Then you simply zapp your government resume from your account to apply to whatever jobs you are interested in. You'll hear back pretty quick, if it is still an open position and they want you. Veterans float to the top of the list, short of career conditional rehires. They have to offer those jobs as open but they are not really open unless the person already there or someone in the same "office" doesn't want it. There are many jobs where nobody in their right mind would quit, like security at Dugway UTAH. ;)
For true opened job positions, it may take around two months to get into an open position.
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I did it immediately, upon retirement. But, I would suggest looking into the private industry at the same time and comparing the differences. However, the government is a good choice for security.
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I would begin applying. Some agencies can take FOREVER getting applications reviewed. I know I've been in the queue for a position at the local VA for 2 months. My inside guy says they may not schedule interviews for another month.
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