Which jobs am I eligible to apply for?
Understanding your eligibility will help you know which jobs you should apply to. There are several different eligibilities in the Federal Government; we call them ‘hiring paths'.
You can apply to any job, but you may not be eligible for the job if you don't fall into one of the required hiring paths. If you're not eligible, the hiring agency will reject your application.
For example, anyone is eligible for jobs that are ‘Open to the public', as long as you're a U.S. citizen. If you're a current federal employee, you're eligible for jobs that are ‘Open to the public' and ‘Federal employees', depending on which service you currently work for.
Look for the This job is open to section in the job announcement to see who's eligible to apply.
The job announcement may list the following:
- Open to the public
- Federal employees—Competitive service
- Federal employees—Excepted service
- Internal to an agency
- Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
- Family of overseas employees
- Individuals with a disability
- Military spouses
- National Guard and Reserves
- Native American and Alaskan Natives
- Peace Corps & AmeriCorps VISTA
- Senior Executives
- Special Authorities
- Students
- Recent graduates
- Veterans