federal jobGifts come in many forms – a kind word, a selfless promise kept, a kind deed. During this season of giving and receiving, do you have a preferred style of gift giving? Have you considered a non-traditional gift from an expert in their field? I’m talking about a gift of service – the gift of hiring a professional to help a loved one with their federal job search.

There are many professionals who support a federal job search, but where can you find one that is 1) a good fit for your needs, and 2) highly ethical and reputable? Keep in mind that you are in control – you select the person who you feel you can work with. So, how do you go about identifying those individuals, determining their level of expertise, and ensuring their personality meshes with yours?

Use Your Social Networks

The following information assumes you are already participating in social networks. If not, it is easy to set up a profile. Be sure to avoid sending an invitation to everyone in your contact list, and if you succeed at that, chances are good that you will be happy with your online experience.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great place to start. Complete a group search using the term “federal” or “U.S.” There are a number of LinkedIn Groups whose sole purpose is to provide federal job search and/or résumé writing support. The owners of these groups have set them up as outreach and can be contacted to work with you. (Keep in mind that this is their livelihood and they will want to contract for payment prior to providing in-depth information.) You will also want to check out the individuals posting to these groups to determine if they offer federal job search help.

Be sure to read the person’s LinkedIn “headline” and his or her summary. If you are okay with the way they present themselves, you can send them an InMail message to get started.

Google+

Google+ doesn’t yet appear to have attracted an active group of federal career experts. However, it has a small Federal Job Search community whose members typically work in this field. Careers in Government posts links to their federal job search articles here. Some of their authors are experts in applying for federal jobs.

Twitter

Twitter only allows you to search by name or Twitter handle. An effective approach to finding out who to follow might be to review @USAJOBS followers, read their “headline” and see if any of them are federal job search experts. Careers in Government has a strong following on Twitter, where they also post links to their articles.

FaceBook

FaceBook is a good place to follow the USAJOBS postings, where select federal jobs are sometimes shared. In addition to posting about government jobs, federal job search information located on the USAJOBS Resource Center site is often shared. You’ll find Careers in Government posting there, too.

GovLoop.com

GovLoop is a social network for young people in government. GovLoop hosts personal profile pages, discussion groups and forums, blogs, photographs, videos, slide presentations, a wiki and two weekly podcasts. It offers a “Rock Your Resume” group with a résumé toolkit and an hour of résumé training. It also has a page with helpful information to enhance your federal career.

Online Blogs and Articles

Some of the people identified from the above sources also write their own blog. Read their blogs to determine if their approach matches your needs.

In Conclusion

Social networks are a great source for federal job search support. Why not check them out to see if any of them might be a useful resource for you? Keep in mind that when the person receiving your gift gets a federal job, yours will be the gift that kept on giving. It will have been the best and most lasting present of all.

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