The University of Denver Career Center is touting an employer actively recruiting college students, offering 17,000 current job openings, higher than average starting pay and incredible job security. This employer has mandatory 3 percent to 4 percent cost of living raises and exceptional opportunity for advancement.
What employer is able to offer a starting salary of as much as $35,000 in this rebounding economy? The federal government. As the nation’s largest employer, the federal government is desperately searching for “young blood” to fill a variety of positions.
The exact number of federal employees is unknown to the general population due to the secretive nature of some agencies. Only 4 percent of the employees of the federal government are within the 20-24 year-old range, while 75 percent of the federal workforce is over the age of 40.
The DU Career Center realized this opportunity and held a workshop last Tuesday devoted entirely to providing information to students about federal employment.
This workshop, whose aim was to demonstrate the benefits and availability of federal employment in spite of the troubled job market, was focused on both the graduate and undergraduate DU students who often ignore the shining light of federal employment when searching for a job.
The Career Center’s John Haag said that the federal government is an “untapped resource” for those new graduates seeking employment.
The Career Center workshop, organized by Haag, steered the students toward the government’s federal jobs Web site, www.usajobs.opm.gov. The jobs available through this site encompass all government agencies, not only the CIA, FBI, military and postal service. For example, the Department of Homeland Security, eager to find people to fill its positions, has a plethora of job openings and its own featured link on the Web site.
Also available are student internships and programs that accompany a college education such as the Student Educational Employment Program. This program allows students to attend their own college or university while gaining experience in public service.
Information concerning this workshp on federal employment, as well as many others, is available through the Career Center’s Web site, www.du.edu/career, or by visiting the Career Center in Driscoll South, lower level.
