How to search for an opportunity or internship
There are different ways to search for an opportunity or search for an internship.
Opportunities
Search by keyword
Use the keyword search box to enter an opportunity name, skill, other keywords. The keyword search box is located at the top of the page or you can click the search icon located in the upper right corner.
Search by filters
Skill
You can search for opportunities by the type of skills you have or are looking to gain. Examples are graphic design, writing, photography or data visualization. You can enter as many skills as you’d like and the search results will update based on what you enter.
Status
Every opportunity has a status, depending on where it is in the process. You can search for and filter opportunities by one of the following statuses.
Open
An opportunity that’s “open” is accepting applicants. The work has not yet started. You can apply to any “open” opportunity.
In progress
An opportunity that’s “in progress” has already started. Participants have been assigned and are working on the opportunity. You can’t apply to an opportunity that’s “in progress”.
Community
You can search for opportunities specific to a community. These opportunities typically share a common goal or interest, such as acquisitions or cyber.
Career field
You can search for opportunities by career field. Select a career field from the pre-populated drop-down list.
Series
Jobs in the federal government are categorized into “series” – a family of similar occupations. You can search for opportunities that fall within a specific occupational series. For example, if you want an opportunity that falls under information technology, you can search by 2200. See the list of all occupational series.
Time commitment
You can search for opportunities by how much time you have or are willing to commit to. Some opportunities may take as little as 1-2 hours, while others may take 20% time over several months.
One-time
This is an opportunity that requires a single commitment. There is a clearly defined deliverable and you can expect to complete it within a set number of hours.
Detail
A detail is a temporary assignment to a different position for a specified period. You will return to your regular job duties at the end of the assignment. You can search for full-time or part-time details, as well as by pay scale and grade and whether it is reimbursable to your agency.
Your agency will need to complete paperwork for you to work on a full-time detail opportunity.
Location
Virtual
A virtual opportunity means you can work from wherever you want. Most of your work and communication with other participants will be online. About 99% of all opportunities are virtual.
In person
An in-person opportunity requires you to be physically present to do the work. If you select this filter, you can also search by a specific city and state.
Internships
Search by keyword
Use the keyword search box to enter an internship name, skill, or other keywords. The keyword search box is located at the top of the page or you can click the search icon located in the upper right corner.
Search by filters
Not everyone will see the same filters. If you’re a student looking for an internship, you’ll only see filters pertaining to internships.
Status
Every internship has a status, depending on where it is in the process. You can search for and filter internships by the following status.
Open
An internship that’s “open” is accepting applicants. The work has not yet started. You can apply to any “open” internship.
Commitment
The default is unpaid internship. There are no paid internships available through Open Opportunities.
Community
You can search for internships specific to a community. These internships typically share a common goal or interest, such as acquisitions or cyber.
Skill
You can search for internships by the type of skills you have or are looking to gain. Examples are graphic design, writing, photography or data visualization. You can enter as many skills as you’d like and the search results will update based on what you enter.
Language
You can search for internships that are looking for someone who knows a specific language.
Agency
You can filter internships by agency.
Location
Virtual
A virtual internships means you can work from wherever you want. Most of your work and communication with other participants will be online.
In person
An in-person internship requires you to be physically present to do the work. If you select this filter, you can also search by a specific city