Those in public service like chief executives and legislators are elected into service and they came from a wide range of backgrounds, but should be qualified based on age, citizenship and residency. Opportunities for advancement for elected public officials are usually limited to offices in the areas where they reside. For example, holders of local government jobs such as city councilor could run for mayor or other positions in local government, and state officials could run for congressman or State governor.
For most state government jobs a master's degree in public administration is highly recommended. Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, public administration or other related course is usually sufficient. Workers gain experience as assistants in government offices or as management analysts working under mayors or councilors.
For higher level professional state government jobs, such as regional or urban planning positions, state governments require a college degree plus 2 years of graduate studies in urban and regional planning or relevant work experience. If you want to become a state trial judge, being a lawyer is required. While some state judges are appointed, others are elected and many state judges serve fixed terms from 2 to 14 years.
There are also state government jobs for students and recent college graduates. The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in partnership with Student Financial Assistance (SFA) has a website specifically made for students and recent graduates who wish to apply for government employment such as cooperative positions, federal internships, summer jobs and temporary work.
There are more than 2 million workers employed in state government jobs from the 50 states making it one of the largest job sectors in America. A large number of these work in public education, making them a major part of the education industry. State workers are also employed in public hospitals, public transportation, law enforcement, the legal industry and other state services.
Most administrative support, office, financial and professional workers employed by state governments work the standard 40 hour week in an office environment. Workers in some of the more visible state government jobs have varying working conditions and schedules. For instance, firefighters are on duty for over 50 hours a week since some must be on duty at all times in case of emergencies. They usually have to eat and sleep in the fire station, however, after a long shift they also have several days off in a row or for an entire week. With police officers it is also similar. Bus drivers and subway operators have weekly work schedules and those who are off duty have to be prepared to work on short notice in case a co-driver or operator needs to be absent. There are other state government jobs that also require night or weekend work, such as in public utility services.
There are many ways to apply for state government jobs. The first step is to look at current openings when you can, then decide which jobs you are interested in applying for, if any, and follow the instructions on how to apply. Usually, job seekers will need to submit a resume and other required paper then fill up an application form. If you decide not to submit the application form, keep it and use it as a guide on what you need to include.
There are also ways to apply online for state government jobs. At some jobsites, you can create an online resume specifically designed for applying to Federal jobs. This online resume can be printed for faxing or mailing to an employer. You can then save this and update it from time to time for future use. You can then send this resume anytime through an electronic submission process directly to hiring agencies.
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