How to apply to an opportunity or internship
Opportunity
Participating in an opportunity is a great way to gain experience, contribute your expertise and work with others across the federal government.
To apply, you need to create a profile and be a current federal employee or a current student. Your profile highlights your skills, education, experience and areas of interest, such as career areas, agencies you’re interested in and other topics. And, you also need to ask your supervisor to make sure it’s okay for you to participate.
Once you have a profile, you can apply to any open opportunity. If you’re a student you can apply to internship opportunities.
- Click Find opportunities on the home page or the search icon in the top navigation.
- Enter a keyword into the search box to search for opportunities that interest you.
- Use the search filters, on the right, to narrow your results. You can search by status, skill, career field, series, time commitment and more. Learn how to search for opportunities.
- Read the opportunity details to learn what skills are needed, how much time is involved and to see if it’s a good match for you.
- Click Apply if you’re interested in an opportunity.
How do I apply to a detail or lateral?
To apply to a detail or lateral opportunity, follow the same steps above. After you click Apply, you’ll need to enter a statement of interest and submit a resume. You can choose to select one of the resumes you’ve already created or uploaded on USAJOBS or to upload a new resume.
What happens after I apply?
The person who posted the opportunity will review your profile or application (if you applied to a detail or lateral) and reach out to you via email to see if you’re a good match for the work. They may even set up a time to talk.
How do I know if I’m selected?
You’ll get an email letting you know if you’re selected. The email will include all of the details you’ll need to get started. We’ll also mark the opportunity as ‘assigned’, so it will no longer appear as ‘open’ and accepting applicants.
You’ll also get an email if you’re not selected. Don’t give up—there are plenty of other opportunities available.
Feel free to post questions in the comments section at the bottom of the opportunity or you can reach out to us as OpenOpps@usajobs.gov.
Participating in an internship is a great way to gain experience, contribute your expertise and work with others across the federal government.
Internship
To apply, you need to create a profile and be a current student. Your profile highlights your skills, education, experience and areas of interest, such as career areas, agencies you’re interested in and other topics.
Once you have a profile, you can apply for up to three internship opportunities.
- Click Find opportunities on the home page or the search icon in the top navigation.
- Click Internships in the navigation.
- Scroll through the available internships or enter a keyword into the search box to search for internships that interest you.
- Use the search filters, on the right, to narrow your results. You can search by status, commitment, community, skill, language, agency and more. Learn how to search for internships.
- Read the internship details to learn what skills are needed, how much time is involved and to see if it’s a good match for you.
- Click Apply if you’re interested in the internship. You can only apply for up to three internships.
- Follow the steps outlined in the apply process.
What happens after I apply?
The person who posted the internship will review your profile and application. They will contact you if you’re a good fit.
How do I know if I’m selected?
You’ll get an email letting you know if you’re selected. The email will include the details you’ll need to get started.
You’ll also get an email if you’re not selected. Don’t give up—there are plenty of other internships available.
Feel free to reach out to us at OpenOpps@usajobs.gov.