Three Ways to Make a Federal Job Posting Resonate
Every day, millions of Americans are on the hunt for their next position. These job seekers are seeing dozens, sometimes hundreds, of job postings a day, glancing over them for the keywords and highlights that fit what they’re searching for. For HR and hiring teams in any organization, standing out to qualified applicants is a challenge.
This challenge is even more difficult for federal agencies, since USAJOBS, the federal government’s official job board, has minimum requirements for all job postings that must be met. While these requirements are necessary to ensure that anyone applying is getting the key details, they’ve led to “information overload” — something we see with many federal job postings. It’s important that this standardization of information does not prevent agencies from making their postings as interesting and enticing as possible.
The requirements that USAJOBS mandates establish the floor for what a federal job posting must include. But just because there’s a floor doesn’t mean there’s a ceiling.
There is no requirement that says a job posting can’t go above and beyond what’s mandated to create a truly unique posting that will capture job seekers’ attention. Agencies that just stick to the basic requirements are leaving a lot on the table and selling their agency short in the eyes of job seekers.
How can a federal agency make their job posting resonate while meeting all legal requirements?
The simplest answer is to treat job postings like what they are: an advertisement for your agency. And like any good advertisement, the job posting should include unique branding, feature the benefits of what you’re selling (why they should work for your agency), and of course, be put in the right place.
Here are three simple tips to keep in mind the next time your agency posts a job opening, whether on USAJOBS or another board used to further promote the opportunity.
1. Promote Your Agency’s Unique Mission and Branding
Whether it’s national security, public service, national defense, scientific discovery, the environment, or healthcare, people want to work for a mission bigger than themselves, and the federal government gives them the opportunity to do just that. Which is why including your agency’s mission up front and often in your job postings is an incredibly effective way to attract job seekers and show them that a public service career offers them something more.
Along with your mission, employment branding is incredibly important in job postings.
Even something as basic as including your agency’s seal or logo gives you a leg up on other postings that are just paragraphs of text.
To go a step further, pictures of employees in action and even video can be used to really drive home what your agency is all about.
For example, USAJOBS allows agencies to include a short video with each job posting. This is valuable space to showcase what your agency is all about and explain what a career in public service can mean. The best part is that you likely won’t need to create anything new, as your agency may already have this kind of collateral available.
But branding isn’t just graphics and videos. This is where you can connect your agency’s unique branding to how your posting is written. Does your agency use aspirational language meant to inspire employees? Or maybe it uses powerful and impactful phrases to convey strength and accomplishments. Whatever it is, your job postings should always be aligned with this branding and your agency’s mission to give you the best chance of reaching the candidates you want to attract to your various opportunities.
2. Promote the Benefits of a Federal Job
The federal government is a great place to build a meaningful career. It’s why retention rates are much higher for the federal workforce as opposed to the commercial sector. The reason is simple: federal jobs offer meaningful benefits that are hard to match in many private sector roles. Here are a few of the biggest reasons candidates are drawn to federal agency positions.
- A more predictable career path than many private sector opportunities.
- Strong benefits, including health insurance, retirement options, and generous annual and sick leave.
- A solid retirement package, including the Federal Retirement System and access to the Thrift Savings Plan.
- Room to grow, with opportunities for leadership development, training, and continued learning on the job.
- Work that matters, with the chance to serve the public and make a real impact.
You should be putting these benefits front and center in your federal job postings whenever possible.
3. Placement Into Niche Job Boards
Highly talented and qualified candidates are out there, and many of them want to bring their skills to federal service. Your challenge is finding them where they are looking. Yes, your job posting needs to go on USAJOBS. But that doesn’t always mean you’ll be found.
While LinkedIn and Indeed are great sources that tend to be top of mind, other niche boards that cater to particular fields of interest (i.e., engineering, law enforcement, and security, to name a few) should be on your radar if you’re trying to reach candidates for jobs with more stringent requirements. To hire for those positions, it’s helpful to also work with a job board catering to any relevant niche. An example would be the American Nuclear Society’s career site and job board that caters to specific jobs such as Nuclear Engineer or Nuclear Reactor Inspector.
For specific recruitment targets, such as veterans or students, it’s important to use job boards that are designed to reach those audiences. Corporate Gray and Military Hire, for example, can help agencies promote opportunities to veterans, while Handshake provides access to students through its relationships with more than 1,400 four-year institutions and over 300 two-year technical and trade schools.
According to Dr. Katie Stanko, Research Analyst with MarCom Group, “Niche job boards will typically have more stringent filters for applicants when they create their account. While this means that their overall pool of applicants may be smaller, those who do make it through are more likely to be aligned with the requirements of that niche. For example, an agency hiring for law enforcement positions will likely find more qualified candidates more quickly on a job board specific to that niche.”
The Bottom Line
The federal hiring process can be complex, competitive, and demanding for agencies and candidates alike. That is exactly why the job posting matters so much. It’s often your first chance to capture attention, communicate value, and convince the right candidates to take the next step. The next time your agency has an open position, make sure every part of the posting is working hard to reach, engage, and inspire the talent you need.
At MarCom Group, we help government agencies and private sector organizations turn recruitment goals into results. From strategy to messaging to outreach, we can help you reach the right candidates and make every opportunity stand out.
About the Author
An expert in federal recruitment, Joe Stix has more than four decades of experience shaping how the federal government hires talent. His career began at the U.S. Civil Service Commission in the 1970s, continued through senior leadership roles at the Office of Personnel Management, and now spans more than 20 years with MarCom Group, advising federal agencies as they navigate modern, competitive, and data-driven hiring. Amazingly, Joe stays connected, current, and impactful, providing advice and recommendations that are always on target!
About MarCom Group
MarCom Group is an SBA-certified, woman-owned creative agency headquartered in Arlington, VA. For more than 30 years, MarCom Group has partnered with government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits to deliver creative recruitment, marketing, events, and communications support. Recognized for creativity, reliability, and a client-first approach, MarCom Group combines decades of expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients achieve their goals.
For more information about MarCom Group’s expertise, capabilities, and client services, please contact us at 703-218-1600.