7 HOT TIPS FOR GETTING PROMOTED IN THE GOVERNMENT

7 HOT TIPS FOR GETTING PROMOTED IN THE GOVERNMENT7 HOT TIPS FOR GETTING PROMOTED IN THE GOVERNMENT7 HOT TIPS FOR GETTING PROMOTED IN THE GOVERNMENTFACT The average federal grade level is GS-12. The Office of Personnel Managements (OPM) FY 2013 profile of full time, permanent federal civilian non-postal employees showed the average annual salary to be approximately $79,000.The RealityOpportunities for promotion in government are plentiful, but it takes a strategy to develop your skills and prepare your resume in buchung to get promoted to the next grade level.As your grade level increases, so does the required level of qualification and responsibility.Advancement from higher-level grades is more competitive.Opportunities are more difficult to obtain, parteicularly outside of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.If your resume does not represent skills for the next higher grade level, you will not get promoted.The Good News Federal employees (many in higher-grade positions) are incre asingly becoming retirement-eligible. That may help you advance to a higher grade more quickly these days than in the past.7 HOP TIPS Put these tips to work now and increase the likelihood of moving up in the Federal Government.DEVELOP A GAME PLAN. Rather than applying for every new Announcement at the next highest grade, step back and assess your own strengths, where the opportunities are to best utilize those skills, and where you will enjoy working. Focus on those Job Announcements first and integrate the next 6 TIPS in your analysis.MOVING UP within the saatkorn series is generally easier than moving between series. This is particularly the case as you approach the mid-level grades. Your series experience, especially if its in the same agency, should be directly relevant to the skills required in the next graded position. Those skills may also translate well to same series positions in other agencies, but the applicant pool will likely include more candidates with agency-specifi c knowledge and experience. This is also the case, to a somewhat lesser extent, with moving within the same occupational group (for example, the 0340 General Administrative group that includes occupational series for e.g., Program Managers, Administrative Officers, Management and Program Analysts, and Logistics Managers). It will be more challenging to meet the specialized experience criteria for different series unless you have expertise in the other skills sets.LOOK FOR multi-grade career ladder positions. In these positions, employees progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full wertmiger zuwachs level. You will not be competing against others for a promotion to the next grade, but rather against performance expectations. If you had originally been selected to a GS-12 position with promotion potential of a GS-14, you could have moved up to a GS-14 in as little as two years if you performed well. So, try to identify positions where you have noncompetitive opportunities to move up. As you might expect, these ladder opportunities are harder to find as you get into the mid and higher-level grades.SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE Always excel. Do your best and achieve in tangible ways. Produce qualitative work of significant impact that is praised by superiors exceed the quantitative expectations of your position. If your Agency awards superior work, do your best to be acknowledged with letters of commendation, incentive and special achievement awards (both individual and as a member of winning teams), and quality step increases. Be the first to volunteer for the challenging assignment and help your management team succeed.ACTIVELY PURSUE career-enhancing opportunities. Review the type of skills that are expected at the next grade level of your series and look for ways to gain those skills. Seek out assignments to be part of special teams or task forces apply for meaningful details look for opportunities to act at the next level. Offer to mentor new staff or interns. Be an effective change agent and embrace reinvention at your agency. Pursue in-house or other government agency training that may help you in your current and future positions you may be pleasantly surprised at the training opportunities that are there for the asking. And, remember that relevant volunteer work, although unpaid, helps build your competencies. You will be credited for all of your qualifying experience, including volunteer experience that you clearly include on your Federal Resume.TIMING Dont stay in a job for too long before trying to move up. Once you have a few years of experience under your belt, start looking for opportunities at the next grade level. Even if you dont succeed at first, establishing your interest in upward mobility sends an important message to your management team. If you find your current agencys environment stimulating and there are opportunities to grow, explore those first. If not, should familiarize yourself with the missio ns and goals of other agencies (perhaps those where his skills could best be utilized) and apply for opportunities in those agencies. A great source for learning about specific agencies is to review The Partnership for Public Services annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government. Another tool proving valuable insight into agency challenges is OPMs Annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.NETWORK, NETWORK, and NETWORK. Join professional organizations, alumni associations, and relevant LinkedIn groups. Make koranvers that you have a professional social networking presence. Attend luncheons, etc. where you are likely to learn and mingle. If appropriate, seek informational interviews with managers in prospective offices.If you need help with a federal resume for a promotion or first time government job, contact the Resume Place for a free quote by filling out the Request Quote for Federal Resume.