HGEO Careers

Our agency and most government agencies salaries are determined by Congress and based on government-regulated pay scales called a General Schedule. The General Schedule has 15 grades—GS-1 (lowest) to GS-15 (highest), with 10 steps in each grade. However, some salaries are paid based on alternative schedules for example the Excepted Service (EN) Base Pay Scales or Senior Executive Service.

How is pay determined?

Your pay will be determined by qualifications, position type, level of difficulty, responsibility, duty location, length of employment, and other factors. For more information visit OPM's General Schedule Qualification page.  

Which grade should I apply to, or will I be hired in?

The grade you are placed into depends on what you apply to, the specific position, and what qualifications (education and experience) you possess.  Most employees start at step 1 of the GS grade they are hired in to.

For example:

• GS- 1 or GS-2:  High school graduates with no experience. 
• GS-3 or GS-4: Some college courses complete and/or current students and/or some experience. 
• GS-5 to GS-7: Bachelor’s degrees typically qualify for GS-5, above the GS-5 MAY require 1-year specialized experience at/or equivalent to the next lowest grade level.
• GS-8 to GS-12:
  • Master’s degree typically qualifies for GS-9 positions, MAY require 1-year of specialized experience at/or equivalent to the next lowest grade level. 
  • PH. D, equivalent, or J.D. degree, typically qualify for GS-11 positions MAY require 1-year of specialized experience at/or equivalent to the next lowest grade level.
• GS-13 to GS-15: Higher level technical and supervisory positions 

How does locality and base pay work?

Under a GS salary two parts will be used to determine your pay: what your starting pay (base pay) will be and where you live(locality) pay. 

• GS base pay is typically adjusted yearly based on the cost of wages and salaries of private industry. 
• Locality is a geographic-based percentage rate of additional pay you MAY receive depending on where you work. 
• For more information, please visit General Schedule.

How do pay increases or promotions work in the GS system?

Pay grades with the general schedule have 10 steps each with an assigned rate. Each step increases by about 3%. Increases in pay are known as Within-Grade Increases (WGIs) which raise a permanent GS employee’s pay from one step to the next. 

To earn a Within-Grade Increases an employee must: 

1. The employee's performance must be at an acceptable level of competence. To meet this requirement, an employee's most recent performance rating of record must be at least Level 3 ("Fully Successful" or equivalent).
2. The employee must have completed the required waiting period for advancement to the next higher step.
3. The employee must not have received an "equivalent increase" in pay during the waiting period. Advancement looks like: 
   • Steps 1 to 2, 2 to 3, and 3 to 4: 1 year or 52 weeks of creditable service.
   • Steps 4 to 5, 5 to 6, and 6 to 7: 2 years or 104 weeks of creditable service.
   • Steps 7 to 8, 8 to 9, and 9 to 10: 3 years or 156 weeks of creditable service.

What is the SES Pay System? 

The Senior Executive Service (SES) is for executive level leaders hired above GS-15 grade level pay. These executive positions include the top managerial, supervisory, and policy positions to lead America’s workforce. 

For more information on Senior Executive Service (SES) visit Senior Executive Service. 

1. Have an up-to-date email address ready

• Be sure to use or update to your most recent and accessible email address.
• Use an email you can check often for updates.
• Use an email that will follow you (ex: school or work emails may not be available after you graduate or leave).
• Ensure your email address is appropriate as hiring managers will see it.

2. Have copies of your records available

• Check the job announcement (job listing) for what documents are “required”, documents very by job so review this section carefully.
• Be sure your documents are legible when you upload them.
• If transcripts are required, they do not need to be official at the time of application, be sure to include your most recent even if your courses show “in progress”. 

3. Resume tips

• Federal resumes should be limited to around two pages and experience should include all relevant information including start and stop dates, detailed experience, and even volunteer information.
• Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. Read the announcement thoroughly and remember to add to ALL relevant experience and include strong accomplishments.
• Include job series, current grade or pay, title, employer hours per week and supervisor contact info.
• Make your resume searchable on USAJOBS so hiring managers and recruiters can easily find your information and send you information for jobs that may suit you. If you need help making your resume searchable please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How to make your resume and profile searchable.
• If you need help building a federal resume the USAJOBS site has a program to help you create a federal resume, visit USAJOBS Help Center - How to build a resume for more information.

1. How to find HGEO and DOE Jobs

• Navigate to USAJOBS under keywords type “Department of Energy” and click “Search” OR click Search, under “Top filters” navigate down to “Department & Agency”. Agencies are sorted by name under “E” you will find “Department of Energy”. Once you click on DOE you will then have all the DOE jobs sorted for you to find your new career.

2. Find a job that’s right for you.

• On the main page for USAJOBS click “Search”, under “Top filters” navigate down to “Series”. Jobs are first grouped by professional trade, crafts, or labor then by “series” or similar occupations. Click on the box next to a “Series” that sounds right for you and read through a few different job announcements to see if the job is right for you.
• For more information visit USAJOBS Help Center - How to filter results by series.

1. Be sure to apply on time

Applications close in three ways: 

• The date posted on the announcement, usually by 11:59 ET of that date, if you update your application in ANY way be sure to resubmit before the closing deadline to be considered. 
• Open continuous release announcement stay open until the agency decides not to fill positions anymore. Read the announcement carefully as the agency will review a select group of applicants on certain dates. You can apply anytime to these announcements. 
• Some opportunities have an applicant “cut off”, which means they will close whenever a certain application cap is received. If the “cut-off” number is reached during the day, the job announcement will usually close that night by 11:59 ET.

2. Are you eligible? 

• Eligibility refers to a group of people or “hiring path” an agency is looking to hire. There are eligibilities or “hiring path” for everyone including students, veterans, public, federal employees, etc. 
• You can apply to ALL jobs but if you are NOT eligible your application will be rejected.
• To understand your eligibility read the announcement carefully and visit USAJOBS Help Center - Unique Hiring Paths.

3. Are you qualified?

• Qualifications refers to your work experience, education, and your specific knowledge in a particular field.
• In the announcement the qualifications section explains the experience needed to be successful in the position but also this information reflected on your resume. 
• Federal resumes are long and should be descriptive to cover all your specialized experience and education.