50-plus job seekers see opportunity in federal employment
Posted on 20 August 2008
By Mark Miller
Permanent URL of this article: http://retirementrevised.com/column/50-plus-job-seekers-see-opportunity-in-federal-employment
Uncle Sam wanted Ann Vande Vanter—and he might want you, too if you’re over age 50.
After a 30-year career as an accountant in the private sector, Vande Vanter was hungry for a change. She had worked for several big global audit firms and corporations; the hours were long but the pay was good and she enjoyed the intellectual challenges of dealing with complex tax laws in the U.S. and other countries.
But about seven years ago, she found herself craving better balance between her work and personal life. At the same time, the accounting scandals at Enron and WorldCom were roiling the business world, shaking her faith in the value of private sector work.
“What we were all reading in the papers clearly showed a lack of corporate governance. I got to a point where I wanted to use my skills and knowledge for the greater good of all taxpayers, rather than those fortunate enough to own substantial shares in really profitable companies.”
Vande Vanter decided to pursue a new career at the Internal Revenue Service, where she was hired 4 ½ years ago. “The IRS has no interest in anyone paying more than their legal tax obligation, but I thought that since I had worked in public accounting and the private sector, I could bring a better understanding of the inner workings at corporations to IRS.”
She currently works as the senior technical analyst for a division that focuses on taxes for large and mid-sized companies in natural resources and construction industries.
Vande Vanter’s midlife move to an encore career in federal government puts her on the leading edge of what could become an important trend—transitions of 50-plus mid-career professionals to second careers in federal government.
The government is legendary for its insular hiring practices, but now it’s facing a major labor shortage in key skilled positions due to an aging workforce. At the same time, a wave of baby boomer professionals retiring from private sector positions are looking for second careers—with many seeking positions that allow them to “give back.”
The non-profit Partnership for Public Service has forecast that he non-profit Partnership for Public Service has forecast that the federal government will need to fill 273,000 critical-need federal jobs through 2012. That figure is 41 percent higher than it was when the Partnership did its last federal jobs forecast in 2007; the areas of greatest demand include the medical and health field, security and law enforcement and administrative positions, but opportunities exist across a wide range of federal positions.
The Partnership is a non-profit that works on an array of initiatives aimed at recruiting Americans to public service. Earlier this year, it launched an initiative called FedExperience Transitions to Government, which specifically targets recruitment of older workers.
The Partnership is piloting the program with the U.S. Department of Treasury, and also envisions partnerships with private sector employers interested in helping its own retiring workers navigate toward encore careers. The FedExperience program’s first private sector partner is IBM Corp., which is rolling out a program this month.
“We’ve had a lot of experience helping people prepare financially for traditional retirement,” said Stanley Litow, vice president of Corporate Citizenship and President of the IBM International Foundation. “But we’re finding that people don’t want a traditional retirement. They’re interested in making a contribution and a second career.”
A recent Partnership survey of government-wide hiring needs forecast that by September, 2009, the government will need to hire about 83,000 security and law enforcement jobs, 23,000 nurses and other health care workers, 21,000 Treasury department employees and 15,000 air traffic controllers. The job openings will be located all over the U.S and abroad.
But matching up retiring private sector workers with federal openings is no easy task. Traditionally, the federal government has tended to hire young people just starting their careers, and promote from within. The Partnership survey found that just 50 percent of federal job openings are open to non-government employee applicants.
Although the hiring culture is starting to opening up to more mid-career transitions, few people know about the opportunities. The report found that just 11 percent of older Americans are knowledgeable about government job opportunities.
Red tape in the federal hiring process poses another big hurdle. Getting hired can take much longer than it does in the private sector—about two years in Vande Vanter’s case.
IBM plans to address those challenges by offering expert mentoring to interested employees to help navigate the maze. And Vande Vanter argues that the benefits of federal work far outweigh the challenges of getting in the door.
“There’s a tremendous difference in the work-life balance, and I’ve never worked with a nicer, more professional group of people. Most people here are very patriotic and feel that they’re doing the right thing.” Vande Vanter also found that, once in the door, moving around within the government was easy. She’s in her third position at IRS in just under five years, having been posted twice in her native Texas and once in Washington, D.C.
The biggest lure for boomers is finding meaning and impact in work, argues Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service. “Older Americans most value meaningful work in an encore career—they want to make a different where it matters.
“There’s just no better platform for doing that than in the federal government, whether it’s global warming or globalization. The federal government will present you with some of biggest, most complex problems at a scale that is bigger than you will find even at the largest companies.”
If you’re interested in learning more, visit the Partnership’s website or USAJobs.gov, the federal government site that lists most job openings.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
For information about Boomers and second careers on the local level, you must check out what Baltimore County, MD’s Department of Aging are doing on October 29th and 30th at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.
These two days mark the 21st Anniversary of Senior Expo, which is now called BabyBoomer/Senior Expo. During the event, experts will talk about the Silver Tsunami, of boomers expected to retire, how to capture their knowledge before they leave and the economic impact of boomers in (and leaving) the workforce.
Additionally, on the second day of Expo the Department will holding a “Rehirement Fair”.
To find out more about a national issue being confronted at the local level, go to http://www.babyboomerexpoonline.com