Here’s How We Might Improve Early Career Recruitment for Federal Jobs

In our new normal, job candidates are reassessing how and where they want to work and live. All industries are experiencing fast shifts in the workplace, but the public sector confronts particular challenges in attracting and hiring top talent. In fact, a recent Qualtrics survey found that less than half of recent graduates consider the federal government for employment opportunities. Yet attrition from government agencies has increased significantly in recent years, causing longstanding skills gaps to get worse.

In order to fill mission critical jobs, meet new workforce expectations, and inspire the next generation of future leaders, the federal government must focus on recruitment as a high priority issue. Agency leaders must commit to taking the necessary steps to better encourage early career employees to pursue public service as a lucrative and meaningful career. Understanding the gap between early career employees’ expectations and current recruitment and hiring practices is the first critical step.

Simplify Job Announcement Language

Prospective employees read job announcements in order to decide whether to apply based on their qualifications and career goals. But government job announcements are often filled with off-putting administrative language that doesn’t clearly convey the specific skills the agency is hiring for, and instead uses traditional degree programs as a qualification requirement. As a result, current student and recent graduate survey respondents said they would not consider applying to a government job because they don’t feel qualified. When asked to rank the top reasons preventing them from applying, respondents listed years of experience, required skills, and required credentials as the top barriers. Listing formal academic criteria is counterproductive to attracting diverse individuals who have unique knowledge and skillsets through nontraditional schooling, such as certification and vocational training. 

Early career professionals are also looking for purpose-driven work. Organizational values have risen in importance as millennial and Generation Z workers consider their career paths. Targeted adjustments to the language used in job announcements can have a significant impact on who learns about open positions and who decides to apply. These modifications can be as basic as highlighting the mission-oriented nature of the work and showing career advancement opportunities.

Meet Prospective Talent Where They Are

The biggest appeal to both students and graduates entering the workforce is maintaining a good work-life balance, according to the Qualtrics research. Compared to other attributes such as job security, benefits, and office location, work-life balance and remote work had the largest impact on deciding whether to pursue a job in government. For many jobs, working remotely has become standard practice. Even new work arrangements that allow employees to live and work anywhere are offered by several private-sector companies.

Unfortunately, many government organizations continue to apply traditional models of onsite work to jobs that could be performed remotely, forcing employees to come to the office regardless of their expectations and needs. Instead of making rigid policies that ignore human experience, the government must try its best to meet employees where they are in life. Employees’ preferences shift over time and in response to changing life experiences. It won’t be successful to implement work policies in a one-size-fits-all manner. While not all federal roles can be done remotely, it's still crucial that agencies make an honest attempt to evaluate the assumptions, norms, and rules that underpin those practices.

Redress How Minority Graduates Perceive Government Careers

Another significant hurdle stems from potential candidates having previous negative interactions with agencies. When these experiences involve the applicant themselves, or perhaps someone they know, early-career individuals can be much less likely to think of the federal government as a desirable place to work. 

These customer experience gaps deter minority graduate candidates in particular, with 60% of minority graduates surveyed saying they would not apply for a federal job. Minorities' perceptions of the federal government are reflected in the fact that minority graduates were the least likely to apply for a federal job, according to the research. 

The federal government has historically been a place where systematically disadvantaged groups could find employment in a safe environment, with a liveable wage and benefits - which some private sector companies, even today, do not provide. Federal agencies need to understand and meet the needs of the many diverse communities they serve in order to attract a diverse workforce. They also must diversify the leadership ranks in order to demonstrate to early career employees that they can recognize themselves in the organization.

Small Changes Lead to Big Improvements

The federal government plays a pivotal role in the day-to-day life of millions of people. Building pipelines of diverse, top-talent candidates is critical for mission success. By designing recruitment experiences that resonate with that talent, and that clearly communicate job requirements and organizational culture, agency leaders can ensure a diverse workforce is ready to serve the American people. 

Sydney Heimbrock is chief industry advisor for Government at Qualtrics, where she uses her global experience transforming governments through investments in workforce development and policy reform to help federal, state and local government organizations design experiences that build public trust.