Is Federal Hiring Really That Mysterious?

Death and taxes joke? Check.

Observations about building security? Check

Wide-eyed wonder about the fact that lots of people might want to work for the federal government? Definitely check.

I tend to think it’s a good thing when big publications like the New York Times pay attention to job opportunities in the federal government and to federal operations. But stories like this one about the IRS lie somewhere between helpful and annoying. In the helpful column, it’s good journalism for the Times to look at what options are open and interesting to New Yorkers who have been laid off as a result of the financial meltdown or who are otherwise unemployed. It’s good for the government’s image problem to make it clear that folks who worked in other high-powered industries are also interested in federal jobsâ€"in other words, that it’s not just slackers who work at federal agencies.