This list does not include all of the employees earning over 180,000.  USA Today focuses on those agencies employing the most employees at that compensation.  There are others with other job titles that make just as much.

They also did not take into account federal jobs on Capitol Hill (the legislative branch), the White House, the federal judiciary, or agencies such as the CIA and National Security Agency

Interestingly, the bulk of the top paid feds goes to Doctors, Lawyers and Dentists so budget cuts could be tough since many would directly affect health and medical services, especially to Veterans.

Here’s a Top Ten Countdown of Federal Agencies that have the most high earning federal employees

Other Notables include:

#20- Federal Housing Finance Agency          Miscellaneous administration and program

#25- Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.           Information technology management

#28 – IRS         Program management

#31- National Institutes of Health        Psychology

#41 Food and Drug Administration     Chemistry

For the full list  and the story see : http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2011-05-02-high-paying-government-jobs_n.htm#

If there’s more than one KSA you would have trouble demonstrating, then you are not likely to rank “best qualified” and get referred.
Although most people don’t find KSA writing pleasurable, and would like them to go away altogether, they are your opportunity to demonstrate your impact and accomplishments without limiting yourself.  Think of them as a bonus.

DUTIES:  Now we’re getting to the real meat.  These are the actual duties that will be required on the job.

QUALIFICATIONS:  Read, and re-read very carefully to determine if you are qualified.  Sometimes, clients come to me wondering why they are not getting high rankings after applying for a number of government jobs. Upon review, I notice that they were not the best qualified for those positions.  The more qualified you are for the position, the more likely you are to be ranked best qualified and actually referred for an interview.

HOW TO APPLY:  The usual application requires a federal resume, maybe KSAs, performance evaluation, DD214 (if former military), transcripts.  If other documents are required they will be specified in the instructions.  Be sure to follow the instructions and complete
the entire application process.

Your Homework:
Start by finding announcements that appeal to you, that you think you may qualify.
Set up a job search agent on USAjobs.com to find similar jobs.  Evaluate the keywords, competencies.
The qualifications section is your  key along with reviewing the OPM site for the job classification details.

Be sure to consider the vacancy in great detail when composing your federal resume.  If you are applying and not
getting results, even  after further analysis… get help to identify the best federal jobs for your success.

We’ll get into evaluating how the position fits you but first let’s crack the code when reading job/vacancy announcements.

AGENCY:  You’ll see the agency name and office of the job at the top of the announcement.  That gives you some hints about the job when you know the mission of the agency and their customers.

JOB TITLE: Federal Job Titles don’t always mean the same thing as they do in private sector job titles.  For example a technical writer is typically known as someone that writes documents for technical systems, or software, and is related to technology or engineering.

In government, a technical writer will cover a number of topics, depending on the agency and mission.   In many cases, the title will be familiar but because government has its own descriptions and titles some job titles may be deceiving.

GRADE:  The grade info specifies the job series (what type of occupation class) and the level of the position as it relates to the government pay scales.

For example, GS-1701-09 is a GS position, classified in the 1700 series, According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) GS-1700 is the EDUCATION GROUP which includes positions that involve administering, managing, supervising, performing, or supporting education or training work when the paramount requirement of the position is knowledge of, or skill in, education, training, or instruction processes.

Series in this group are: GS-1701 – General Education and Training Series, GS-1702 – Education and Training Technician Series and so on.

SALARY RANGE:  In the same example, GS-1709-09, the last two digits tell the position level which determines the salary range.  For GS 9 level positions in that series (1700) the salary ranges from $$42,995-$55,846.

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: This is the tracking number the government uses to uniquely identify each position

CLOSING DATE:  There will often be a firm date but some jobs are also listed as “open continuously”. You may even find a closing date that is out a year or two.  That means they are building the candidate database. You must meet your deadline for closing date.

JOB LOCATION:  Some jobs are specific to one location, and often there are a number of locations where positions are available.  Make sure you are willing to work in the geographic location specified. Some jobs have multiple locations and you will see several cities listed.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:  The announcement will tell you if KSAs are required. It is best to express the KSAs in both your resume and separate KSA statement if  required. Due to federal hiring reform the ksa’s are now often part of your resume.  Make sure you are stating them IN your resume.

Next we are delving deeper into KSA’s, showing you how to apply and how to get started. Check it out here http://federalcareers.org/part-ii-how-to-find-the-federal-job-thats-right-for-you/.

6.  NETWORKING IS KEY- Networking is important in the private sector and in government job searches too. You are still dealing with people.  People that need people. People that know people and people that understand the ropes in their unique agency structures.
And ultimately it’s people who hire people.

7.  YOUR RESUME REALLY MATTERS- With federal hiring reform your resume matters more than ever.  You must write a relevant, results oriented resume.  The federal resume is a very distinct document.  Not only is it formatted differently but as, giving details are critical for best rankings. A longer resume is not necessarily expected.  But often it is longer, because detailed examples of relevant accomplishments are sought as they relate to the requirements of the job.  Your federal resume is not just a resume it is going to be used to screen you in or out.

8.  DON’T SKIP OVER KSAS. For all positions they are not gone.  In some cases, a separate KSA statement document is requested.  In other cases, more often now you will see that your KSAs are in essence being embedded into your resume.  By giving specific examples that demonstrate your (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) you are able wot provide solid proof that you can do the job.

9.  DON’T MISS THE POINT…to get hired into the Federal Government. Government initiatives that cause hiring to increase such as the Census Financial Reform, Security Measures, The Recovery Act (Obama’s Stimulus Plan) and others offer temporary opportunities. But even temporary, can mean a year or two, even up to four years.  This gives you a chance to get to work, get government experience and make your next move as you build your career and build up America.  The government workforce is mobile. Once you land that federal job, your experience will be valuable to a number of other agencies and even to government contractors

10.  PERSISTENCE PAYS.  You don’t typically land a federal job overnight; there is a process to follow and possibly clearance screenings. Then you have normal scheduling conflicts which can drag things on longer than expected. You speed up the process for yourself by applying early and often. Don’t get hung up on just one opening if there are similar vacancies that fit your background and experience. With the right job, a strong application and the persistence to stay the course, you can be very successful at landing that federal job.

Dr. Daphne Houston is a leading career and employment authority. Her firm helps professionals land great jobs with the Federal Government. To learn how to land a great job with the federal government, sign up for free courses, webinars and more at www.HowToGetaFederalJob.com

What’s the catch?  You have to make it through the painstaking application process.  The Federal Application is very different than the corporate process that many of us are used to participating in.  Here are 10 essential tips for any jobseeker pursuing a job with the Federal government.

1. BE QUALIFIED- Apply for federal jobs that fit your skills and experience. This is not the time to think about radical career changes.     There is room to transition your skills; however your chances of success increase when you can clearly demonstrate directly related expertise. Federal HR specialists are reviewing your resume and want to see that you can actually DO the job successfully.
2. READ AND RE-READ THE ANNOUNCEMENTS- The vacancy announcements may not be clear to non-government professionals at first. They take some getting used to but typically all the information that you need is there.  Focus on the Qualifications, The Duties and How to Apply.  They are very specific; if they say you must demonstrate one year of experience at a certain level then clearly show that in your resume.
3. KNOW THE AGENCY MISSION- The agency mission is critical to understanding what you will be doing, what the hiring officials will be most interested in and why.  Each agency operates autonomously. For example, The Department of Treasury has very different mission from the Bureau of Land Management.
4. SET UP A SEARCH AGENT ON USAJOBS.com- The bulk of federal positions are on this job board so it makes sense to set up a job search agent. These auto-reminders will send you weekly updates of jobs requiring the types of skills you selected as keywords.   Just make sure you are searching on enough keywords and the right keywords to get announcements related to what you do.
5. DON’T SOLELY RELY ON ANY JOB BOARD- A job board only strategy will only get you so far.  About 60% of federal job postings are listed on the site usajobs.com.  Some agencies are growing while others are stable and steady in their hiring. You will find additional opportunities on some agency websites.  But the reality is you should not solely focus on any job board or job postings; especially in a tight job market.

In the second part of this series, were gonna continue to explore five more vital tips you need to know for your federal job search in 2011.