Hiring Process

Applying for Federal employment is a bit different than your typical application, especially compared to applying for a job in private industry. But that should not keep you from taking the first step towards a career with the variety of opportunities that will meet your needs.

Applying for a DOE Opportunity

After you’ve located the job you would like to apply for, there are a couple steps you need to take to complete the application process. DOE uses two separate government systems to collect applications. The brief instructions below will assist you in navigating through both to complete the application in full.

Once you click apply on the job description, you’ll be asked to:

1. Log into, or create an account on USAJOBS,
2. Complete the Online Application with DOE, and
3. Submit your completed application

Helpful Hints: Remember to keep a copy of the USAJOBS Job Announcement for your records. You may need to refer to the Job Announcement number or reach out to the point of contact listed in the announcement.

Step 1 – Create an Account in USAJOBS

This is a resume builder that puts your resume and other pertinent information and documentation on file on the USAJOBS system so you can complete the next step. You can use the USAJOBS resume builder to customize resumes for the different positions at DOE that interest you.

Once you complete your resume on USAJOBS, you will be directed to the DOE application system to submit your application.

Step 2 – Complete the Online Application with DOE

DOE is required to collect some standard information about you pertinent to your employment status. If this is the first time you have applied to a position with DOE, you will be asked to complete some additional information for your DOE account (different than your USAJOBS account).

There are five steps to complete

1. Confirm your personal information
2. Military & Veterans Information
3. Core Questions
4. Demographic Information (optional)
5. Resume review

With the required information complete, you’ll be asked to click the “Apply to this Vacancy” button.

Step 3 – Submit your completed application

The next four steps will ask you to respond to questions that are specific to the job for which you are applying.

The final step offers you an opportunity to review all the information before submitting.

How long it takes and how to check the status of applications

Since the volume of people applying for government jobs is very high, we appreciate your patience as we take the up to 100 days to review all of our applications. As a general rule, you should allow a few weeks to pass after the closing date stated on the Job Announcement, before initiating contact to discuss your status.

Application Status

If you would like to receive email updates on the status of your application, you can sign up for Application Alerts through your USAJOBS account.

1. Log in to your USAJOBS account
2. Click “Edit Profile”
3. Click “Notification Settings”
4. Check the appropriate box(es)
5. Submit