Events - The Career Center offers many programs including workshops, panels and career fairs that are useful for students interested in careers in government. Search our Calendar for upcoming events.
CareerMail - Join the "Government" mailing list for up-to-date resource, event, job and career information.
Career Counseling - You may wish to make an appointment to see a career counselor to discuss career planning, internships, and/or the job search process.
@cal Career Network - Can be used to connect with Cal alumni who are in your career field of interest, whether you are exploring career options or seeking advice about your job search.
Vault Employer & Industry and Wefeet Insider Guides - Downloadable employer and industry guides for Cal students and alumni.
Information Lab - The Information Lab has a reference collection of print materials on careers with the government - look for relevant titles in our indexes or in the Government section. You may also be interested in the Career Exploration, Internship, Job Search and Graduate School sections of our library.
CalJobs Listings - Check CalJobs regularly for nonprofit or government listings. Read the Tips for Searching and search broadly. Use keywords for specific career fields that interest you. Remember, your job search should go beyond simply responding to job listings. See Strategies.
Other Government Job Listing Sites - Government-specific employment sites recommended by Career Center staff.
Grad School Information - The graduate school section of the Career Center website provides information and tips.

Student Organizations & Professional Association Information

Participating in associations can be a valuable avenue for learning about an occupation or field. Associations are an excellent resource for networking, and their websites often have information about careers.

Cal Student Organizations

Professional Organizations

American Association of Political Consultants
American Political Science Association
American Society for Public Administration
California Society of Municipal Finance Officers
Careers in Government - Metasite with links to many specific governmental professional associations.
Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC)
National Conference of State Legislators
National Forum for Black Public Administrators
National Foundation for Women Legislators

Career Paths/Occupational Information & Resources

Federal

Careers in Government - Provides information on conferences, professional associations and public sector employment trends.

Decision Makers - Directory of Bay Area regional agencies, California State agencies and legislators, US Government Agencies and members of Congress for the Bay Area.

Federal Government, Excluding the Postal Service - Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics describing the nature of the industry, related occupations, as well as working conditions and oulook information.

Federal Jobs by College Major - Federal jobs that are often filled by college graduates with appropriate academic majors.

FirstGov.gov contains links to the home pages of departments, agencies, boards and commissions and quasi-official agencies. Also provides an organizational directory of the federal government.

Institute of Government Studies, Internet Resources Gallery - Provides comprehensive listing of links to academic and research sites, executive, legislative, public policy and opinion sites, statistics and media resources.

Students.gov - Website with centralized information for student related services provided by the government. Career development resources include internship and fellowship information, armed forces information, volunteer opportunities, a resume builder and online application too, and much more.

US Department of State

White House, Independent Agencies pages - Alphabetical listing of links to federal agencies and commissions.

Resources for Applying to Federal Jobs

Federal Application Process - United States Department of Labor provides informational web pages to help with successfully applying for a federal job

Federal Salaries and Wages - United States Office of Personnel Management information including 2007 salary tables, including general schedule and the locality pay tables.

Federal Student Loan Repayment Program (PDF file)

JobsFed.com - General information about the benefits and conditions of federal jobs.

KSA-Writing for Federal Job Applicants

Making the Difference - Includes internships and employment within the government and resources outlining the nature of public service careers and the benefits they provide.

Red, White and Blue Jobs (PDF file) - Federal Careers for Liberal Arts Majors

Ten Tips for Letting Federal Government Employers Know Your Worth - Advice from the Office of Personnel Management.

USAJobs FAQs - Contains federal job application tips, employment initiatives and information of special interest to students.

"Working for Uncle Sam" - Tips on how to research and apply for federal jobs. From Career Center Article Archives.

State and Local (City/County)

Association of Bay Area Governments - Current events and news information, as well as a multitude of links to local agencies and public projects.

California State Government - Information on entry level jobs by education level/major.

California State Personnel Board, Jobs & Employment Information Page - CSPB provides information on state job classifications, pay/benefits, how to apply, forms, jobs and internships for students.

Decision Makers (PDF file) - Directory of Bay Area regional agencies, California State agencies and legislators, US Government Agencies and members of Congress for the Bay Area.

Rough and Tumble - An online daily newsletter of California Public Policy and Politics

State and Local Government on the Net - Information about local government agencies organized by state. The California site contains links to the California Government home page, Statewide Offices, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Executive Branch, Boards and Commissions, Regional, Counties, Cities, Libraries and more. Additionally has extensive links to national associations of state government employees and agencies.

State and Local Government, Excluding Education and Hospitals - Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics describing the nature of the industry, related occupations, as well as working conditions and outlook information.

State of California's website maintains links to the websites of all California Agencies, Departments and Commissions.

Politics, Political Parties, Legislative Branch (Federal and State)

The following sites provide links to homepages for current senators and representatives. These homepages often provide information on the legislation, campaigns and issues the elected official has worked on.

"How to Get a Job in Politics" - Advice from Cal alumni. From Career Center Article Archives.

Political Information.com - Offers a searchable database of links in the following areas: Campaigns, News, Government Info, Political Portals, Grassroots Issues, Parties & Orgs., and Research Tools.

Politics1 - Provides information and links to the executive and legislative branches of government, political parties and campaigns, current political headlines and newslinks.

Military/Armed Forces and Defense

DefenseLink - Opportunities for civilian careers within the Department of Defense.

Job Opportunities in the Armed Forces from the Occupational Outlook Handbook - Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics describing the nature of the occupation, training and other qualifications, as well as advancement, outlook and earnings information. Also includes links to related occupations.

Military Career Guide Online - provides "military occupational, training, and career information and is designed for use by students desiring to explore the military world of work." The Military Occupations section contains descriptions of over 150 enlisted and officer occupations and can be searched by keyword.

US Armed Forces - Careers and recruiting information for the US armed forces:

Wetfeet.com Industry Profile, Aerospace & Defense - An overview of careers in the aerospace and defense industry, including major trends and job descriptions, as well as a brief list of relevant links.

Security/Intelligence (Federal)

Federal security agencies career pages:

Florida State University, School of Criminology & Criminal Justice - Metasite with links related to criminal justice including forensics, federal criminal justice agencies and more.

This page contains links to websites not under the control of the University or the Career Center and we are not responsible for their contents. We'd like to hear your comments about these sites; feel free to contact us.

On the recommendation of our counseling staff, the Career Center lists job and career information sites that generally meet the following criteria: are of interest to Cal students, easily navigated, require no fee or registration prior to viewing, and (for job sites) list a significant number of entry-level positions in California. New sites may be submitted for consideration and are typically reviewed on a quarterly basis. Please indicate the page on our site where you think your link would be appropriate.

Back to Career Fields Home