It is recommended that this test be taken in the spring or summer of the junior year. This handbook is available in the Pre-Law Office. Arrange for letters of recommendation from faculty who know and value your work. The federal government structure is so large and varied that it is impossible to catalog briefly the types of job opportunities available. Federal jobs also may include a position as a junior aide on the staff of a Congressional committee or in the office of a member of Congress.
Some federal agencies run systematic trainee programs for classes of new junior employees.
These programs rotate the trainees throughout the agency for six months or a year so as to offer a full perspective of the agency's operations and provide the trainee with an opportunity to make an informed job preference at the end of the training period. Most junior employees will go into a job where they will serve an apprenticeship term. They may advance in those original jobs as opportunities develop or they may look for other offices in the government if they do not like their first placement. College students who choose an undergraduate major with the thought of eventual employment with the U.S. government should realize that the federal government employs in every conceivable occupation and with every possible variety of educational background. For graduates in the social sciences or the humanities, selection is likely to pivot on such indicators as motivation and potential for future development as government employees.