WA Federal Careers U.S. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries with support from Lyrasis and the Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/federalcareers1962unit The success of this Government, and thus the success of our Nation, depends in the last analysis upon the quality of our career services. The legislation enacted by the Congress, as well as the decisions made by me and the department and agency heads, must all be implemented by the career men and women in the Federal service. ... We are all dependent on their sense of loyalty and responsibility as well as their competence and energy. President John F. Kennedy Men and women in the Federal career service take pride in meeting the challenges of public service in today's complex, changing world. Whatever their job, they know they are working in behalf of all the people and contributing to the progress of a great Nation. They know that theirs is a high calling, and they draw satisfaction from the fact that their day- to-day efforts are helping to attain important national goals. Members of the Federal career service engage in some of the world's most exciting and important work. They are plumb- ing the depths of the oceans, exploring the reaches of space. They are finding cures for deadly diseases, developing new ways to grow better crops. They control air traffic to assure the safety of our airways, and they conduct our relations with new and old nations around the globe. Nearly half of Uncle Sam's work force is employed in direct support of our air, ground, and sea forces. Almost a quarter of them are responsible for delivering our mail. Another 7 percent serve veterans and their dependents and operate the world's largest network of modern hospitals. The remaining 25 percent staff scores of other Federal agencies that provide countless services to the citizens of the United States. WORK AFFECTS ALL CITIZENS In one way or another, the work of Federal employees touches every American every day. Federal workers print and mint our money, control narcotics, regulate immigration, collect taxes and duties. They protect national forests, conserve natural resources, bring electricity into rural homes, and operate the social security program. They forecast the weather, conduct research in virrually every field of science, and perform hCindreds of other services that affect our health, welfare, economy, and national security. Civil servants have added greatly to man's knowledge and contributed immeasurably to progress. ACHIEVEMENTS OF CAREERISTS Among the many landmark achievements of men and women in the Federal career service have been the development of radar and sonar, the first fully automated electronic digital computer, the proximity fuze, atomic-powered submarines, the aircraft instrument landing system, and electronic microminiaturization. Whole new industries have been founded on the discoveries and inventions of Federal workers, returning to American busi- ness and taxpayers many times the investment in salaries and equipment. A career civil servant "put radio in the American home" with the development of the a.c. radio, and another developed the deadly air-to-air Sidewinder missile. A team of Federal scientists developed the first radio direction finder and the first successful guided missile. And a corps of highly skilled Fed- eral scientists and engineers was the heart, mind, and muscle of the Mercury team that successfully put John Glenn and Scott Carpenter into orbit and brought them safely back. RESPONDS TO CHANGING NEEDS As our Nation has grown and our society has become more complex, so has our Government— its missions have multiplied, its personnel needs have become more varied and specialized to meet the changing needs of changing times. Uncle Sam is America's Number 1 employer, and one of its finest. To provide the many services required by the public and authorized by laws enacted by the Congress, your Government employs more than 2 million civilian workers. They staff more than 70 departments and agencies, and are stationed through- out the United States, in its territories, and in many foreign lands. Only about 10 percent of them work in the Nation's Capital— about as many as are employed in California. A great number are employed in every one of our 50 States. 3 MANPOWER NEEDS VARIED Their jobs are about as varied as those found in private em- ployment. You can get an idea of the Government's manpower needs when you consider that more than 30,000 employees are at work in professional-level positions in the physical sciences, 90,000 in engineering, 24,000 in the biological sciences, 17,000 in the social sciences, 14,000 in personnel administration and industrial relations, 43,000 in medicine and allied fields, 47,000 in accounting and fiscal work, and 6,000 in mathematics and statistics. Some 612,000 are in so-called blue-collar jobs in trades and crafts, over 500,000 are in postal work, and 166,000 are in stenographic and typing jobs. Just to replace employees who leave the service by retire- ment, resignation, illness, or death. Uncle Sam has to hire several hundred thousand new workers each year. When new programs are started— such as the effort to put a man on the moon in this tlecade — additional hiring is sometimes nccessan'. QUEST FOR QUALITY Because of the importance of its work. Government needs a continuing corps of able and highly motivated career men and women. To meet its future needs for seasoned professionals, technicians, and managers, it must attract a full share of the most promising young people who leave our schools and col- leges each year. Since Government can be only as good as the people who do the work, the Federal service has begun a concerted "quest for quality" in its continuing recruiting efforts. Your Government offers able people an opportunity to obtain employment solely on the basis of personal merit and fitness— their qualifications for a job— without regard to other consider- ations. It makes no difference who you are, who you know, or what school you attend. Your political affiliation, religion, national origin, or race have no bearing on any consideration given you for Federal employment. The Government is inter- ested only in what you can do. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY New employees are chosen in a fair and practical way- through a merit selection system that gives every citizen equal opportunity for employment and gives the public assurance that the best qualified available candidates are hired. Com- 4 petitive examinations, open to all, test the fitness of applicants for the jobs to be filled. Selections are made from among those who score highest in the examinations, assuring the em- ployment of the best qualified persons available. Examinations measure aptitudes or skills required on the job to be filled. For some jobs a written test is required. For others, each applicant is rated on his experience and training as shown in his application and corroborating papers. BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES To attract and keep a well qualified career corps, Uncle Sam has developed a modern and comprehensive personnel system. Merit and fairness to all employees are keystones of the system. Once hired, an employee's prospects for promotion depend primarily on how well he does his job. And the outlook for advancement is excellent for those who demonstrate th^y are ready to move to more important tasks. Government pays good salaries under a job-classification plan that bases pay on the difficulty of duties and provides regular raises based on satisfactory service. Like other progressive employers, the Government offers a well-rounded fringe benefits program that includes liberal vaca- tion and sick leave, a model retirement system, life insurance and health benefits for which Uncle Sam contributes part of the cost, an outstanding incentive awards program, and training and career development to help employees prepare themselves for more challenging and rewarding positions. FOR MORE INFORMATION Public notice of Federal employment opportunities is made through examination announcements issued by offices of the Civil Service Commission or boards of civil-service examiners located in Federal agencies. Information about current exam- inations can be obtained from personnel offices of nearby Fed- eral agencies or from the Civil Service Commission in Washington, D.C., or its regional offices (see p. 6). The Commission and Federal agencies also distribute litera- ture to school and college libraries, guidance counselors, and placement offices; and Federal recruiters visit schools and cam- puses to acquaint promising young people with the wide range of career opportunities available in the Federal career service. CIVIL SERVICE REGIONAL OFFICES Atlanta Region. -Federal Building, 27 5 Peachtree Street NE., Atlanta 3, Ga.: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virgin Islands. Boston Region. — Post Office and Courthouse Building, Boston 9, Mass.: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Chicago Region. -Main Post Office Building, Chicago 7, 111.: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wis- consin. Dallas Region. — 1114 Commerce Street, Dallas 2, Tex.: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Denver Region. -Building 41, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colo.: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. New York Region. -News Building, 220 E. 42d Street, New York 17, N.Y.: New Jersey and New York. Philadelphia Region.— Customhouse, Second and Chest- nut Streets, Philadelphia 6, Pa.: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsyl- vania, Virginia, and West Virginia. San Francisco Region.— 128 Appraisers Building, 630 Sansome Street, San Francisco 11, Calif.: California, Hawaii, and Nevada. Seattle Region. -302 Federal Office Building, First Avenue and Madison Street, Seattle 4, Wash.: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. St. Louis Region. — Federal Building, 1520 Market Street, St. Louis 3, Mo.: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 3 1262 08231 864 2 wsw^^ U.S. Civil Service Commission Pamphlet 63 • July 1962 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ; 1962 OF — 646322