If you won't limit yourself to Fed and State jobs, I can provide limited insight into Government Jobs, and the hiring process.
I hire people every year. My staff do Computer Tech Support and potentially start at various levels. You don't have to be "in the system" to start at any of the levels, including mine, but it can help if you've demonstrated your skill in advance to those making the decision. I climbed the ladder from within, but most of the people I've hired over the years were outsiders.
Resume is great, if you've done an equivalent job in the private sector, or for another government agency, good for you, you'll pass the screening process performed by clerks with no clue.
The reality is I hire people that have good personalities to go with their skill sets. In the real world, I want folk that can get along with other folk. Ultimately it's the face to face interview that decides who wins and who loses.
Job openings go in streaks, based on untangibles, like budget restrictions, and when people move on to better opportunities. Typically we get handed a hiring freeze for a year or two (as recently occured in a sinking economy), then when it's finally lifted, I hire 3 new techs all at once.
It's not about a vague desire to "work for the government". You need to pick and exact job opening, read and understand the job duties, requested experience, and desireable knowledge and expertise; then craft an application with resume that spits that stuff right back at us. That will get you an interview.
Then when I ask you the questions, go ahead and give the "right" answer, not the honest - that's - how - you'd really do it in real life answer. Show me you know the correct response, I'll work with your eccentricities later.
I don't know what your salary requirements are, and I expect private sector folk get that sinking feeling when they see our salary ranges. Just keep in mind we don't make you fund your own way-cool retirement. If you are dedicated to ER you can save an additional 18K per year tax free (actually Deferred via 457 plan), Medical benefits are beyond great (and paid for by your employer, not you), and once you get that year of probation under your belt, I'll have a very difficult time getting rid of you once I see your true colors. To give real life dollar perspective, where I come from (Central CA) the people that actually work for me (and other agencies within my County) receive the following gross salaries.
Tech Jobs pay:
31-39k
42-52k
50-62k
58-71k
The salary increases are fairly automatic over a 5 year period and amount to 5% per year. Very typically the job below prepares you to be competitive for getting hired to the job above. All numbers represent a 40-hour week
