Best Government Jobs - The Top Ten

On the page before we encouraged you to consider using a career interest test to help choose your career but also suggested you consider job security and career potential (what are the best jobs for the future?) and pay (what are the 10 best paying jobs?).

With these other factors in mind, don't forget to consider a career in the United States government. With 1.9 million civilian employees, the federal government is the largest employer in the U.S.

Here's why and a list of the best government jobs:

Why Work For The U.S. Government?

Working for the U.S. government has many distinct advantages. Whatever your interest, experience, or education, the federal government is likely to have a position that fits your qualifications. Your job may take you to locations around the country or around the globe. And with recent changes in the federal government, agencies are now promoting more dynamic work environments.

Contrary to popular belief, many US government jobs pay a competitive salary. Plus they offer job security and generous benefits. To attract skilled workers some agencies offer student loan repayment plans, signing bonuses and flexible work schedules. The federal government is always hiring, even in these challenging economic times.

Perhaps the major reason people flock to the government jobs is the chance to make a difference. As a public servant you will contribute to the health, security and well being of our country and our citizens.

To find the best government jobs, go to USAJOBS.gov, fedjobs.com, or StudentJobs.gov.

How Satisfaction in Federal Government Jobs is Measured

Surveys of over 212,000 federal employees in 279 offices measure employee satisfaction and commitment. Employees rate agencies based on the following categories:

• Employee skills/mission match measures the extent to which employees feel their skills are used effectively. It also measures employee satisfaction and understanding of the relevance of their jobs to the overall mission.
• Strategic management assesses the extent to which workers believe management ensures they have the skills and abilities they need to do their jobs, hires skilled employees and uses personnel strategies and performance management to achieve goals.
• Teamwork measures employee responses about the quality of communication and work atmosphere.
• Effective leadership looks at the fairness and quality of leaders and supervisors.
• Performance-based advancement and rewards measures to what extent employees feel they are rewarded and promoted fairly.
• Training & development looks at assessment of and offering of training to improve skills.
• Support of diversity rates how management promotes and respects diversity.
• Pay and benefits looks at how satisfied employees are with their payment and benefits package.
• Family-friendly culture and benefits measures the extent to which employees believe they are offered family-friendly flexibilities.
• Work/life balance measures how reasonable employees consider the workload and how much managers support a balance between work and personal life.

The Best Places to Work in Federal Government

The highest rated agencies have a high percentage of the best government jobs. Based on the lastest survey, the 10 best large U.S. government agencies to work for are:

1. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
2. General Accounting Office (GAO)
3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
4. Intelligence community
5. Department of State
6. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
7. Department of Justice (DOJ)
8. General Services Administration (GSA)
9. Social Security Administration (SSA)
10. Department of Commerce

State and Local Government Jobs

While state and local (county, city) governments are experiencing cutbacks, some are still hiring for certain jobs. For example, the high rate of unemployment creates a need for unemployment insurance claims processors and adjustors.

While state and local government jobs don't have the security of federal jobs, they still offer some of the best government jobs and the chance to make a difference.

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