Entry-Level Public Sector Jobs
Finding an entry-level job in the public sector is synonymous with working for the government. You can work for the government at the federal, state, or local level. Working for the government has many benefits over the private sector. Often, salaries are higher in the government for the same position, with more frequent and generous pay increases, and more valuable fringe benefits. Additionally, public sector employees have greater job security and enjoy more paid vacation days and holidays than their private-sector counterparts.
If these benefits attract you to the public sector but you don't have much experience in a particular field (or have just graduated from college or high school), you should start looking for an entry-level public sector job; that is, a job that does not require previous experience in the field. Fortunately, there are entry-level jobs offered in even unexpected fields. You can find federal government jobs such as archeology technician, park ranger, biological lab technician, and child and youth program assistant. You can also look at agencies such as the Agency for International Development, the different branches of the armed services, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and even the Smithsonian. You can search these jobs and find out how to apply at USAjobs.gov. If you have an associate degree, you will want to look at “G-4” level jobs; “G-5” level jobs are targeted to those with bachelor's degree.
To browse state or local government entry-level jobs, you will have to find the job listings run by each state or municipality, which are managed individually. For example, this is the website that lists California state jobs and this is the website that lists New York state jobs. Furthermore, each county runs their own jobs board, so if you are looking for jobs with the county government in Los Angeles, for example, you would use this website. Remember that within a single city, you can find federal, state, or city government entry-level jobs, but you will have to search for all three separately.
