Summary
This is an excepted service appointment under the DOJ Pathways Recent Graduates Program for the Natural Resources Section (NRS). NRS handles litigation arising under more than 80 natural resource, environmental, and cultural resource statutes, various treaties and international agreements, interstate compacts, and congressional referrals. The incumbent will provide administrative and legal support to paralegals and attorneys.
This job is open to
- Recent graduates
Individuals who have graduated from an accredited educational institute or certificate program within the last 2 years or 6 years for Veterans.
Clarification from the agency
If you graduated before July 2021, you are not eligible for this position. Exceptions may apply to Veterans.
Duties
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
As a Legal Assistant (Recent Graduate), you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for performing a wide range of administrative and legal support tasks:
- Use word processing software to create, edit, and format documents and correspondence.
- Review and assemble a large volume of documents for review in preparation for specific projects.
- Organize and maintain files.
- Perform data entry in databases.
- Arrange travel reservations and prepare the necessary paperwork.
- Conduct online research that includes collecting and sorting information into logical formats.
After successfully completing one year under the Program, recent graduates MAY be converted to a term or permanent appointment if the following program requirements are met:
- Successful completion of at least 1 year of continuous service;
- Completion of at least 40 hours of formal interactive training; and
- Demonstration of successful job performance.
A recent graduate converted to a term appointment may be subsequently converted non-competitively into a permanent competitive service position before the term expires.
Recent Graduates are on a trial period for the duration of the program. An Individual Development Plan (IDP) must be completed and approved by the supervisor within 45 days of appointment and a mentor must be assigned within 60 days of appointment.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
- You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.
- Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
- You will be required to serve a one year trial period.
- You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.
- Date degree conferred must be displayed on school transcripts.
- If you do not submit school transcripts, you will be rated ineligible.
- If this is your first appointment in the Federal service, pay will be set at GS-5, Step 1.
Qualifications
To be eligible for this Recent Graduate program, one of the following requirements must be met:
- Recent graduates must have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. You must have completed your degree or certificate on or before the end of the current semester. If you graduated prior to July 2021, you will not be eligible for this position.
- Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply.
Note: Current students may apply if they are in the final semester of degree/certificate program. You must include your expected date of graduation on your resume. You must receive your degree prior to appointment. If you are currently a student but cannot provide proof that you expect to graduate by the end of the current semester, you will not meet the program eligibility requirements for the Recent Graduate.
To qualify for the Legal Assistant (Recent Graduate) GS-5, applicants must have one of the following:
A. One year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-4 Federal grade level applying standardized rules, processes, and procedures concerning commonly utilized general reference sources and legal research tools to perform legal support work. This experience must include preparing correspondence and administrative forms using the proper format, grammar, punctuation, and spelling; or
B. Successful completion of 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education was obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university; or
C. A combination of specialized experience described in letter A above and qualifying post-high school education described in letter B above. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours beyond the second year) is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.
Typing Requirement: This position requires a qualified typist with a minimum typing speed of 40 words per minute. If you do not self certify on the occupational/assessment questionnaire that you have the required typing proficiency, you will be rated ineligible for this position.
This position requires office automation skills. Some examples of office automation skills include database management and various word processing software packages (MS Office Suite: Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) and database applications.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experiences, including volunteer experience.
To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12062335.
YOUR RESUME MUST:
- Support your responses to the online questionnaire. Failure to provide support may result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.
- Provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
Education
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
Additional information
Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/
To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214; official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions. If you are claiming 10-point preference, you must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 in addition to the supporting documentation required and identified on the reserve side of the SF-15, Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference. If you are claiming 10-point DERIVED PREFERENCE as a relative you must submit Member Copy 4 of the veteran’s DD-214 and an SF-15 in addition to the supporting documentation required and identified on the reverse side of the SF-15. If you fail to do so, you will receive consideration as a non-veteran.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov
Benefits: DOJ offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. Please review the link below for an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees.
- Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ’s Quality Rating and Selection Procedures. Your r?sum? and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire.
Note – If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.
Your application must demonstrate your ability to perform the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):
- Applies Technology to Tasks
- Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
- Oral Communication
- Writing
Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.
- Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
- Required Documents
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
- Resum? demonstrating relevant experience and dates the experience was obtained.
- Cover letter.
- An unofficial transcript showing degree completion and graduation dateis required.
- Veterans preference documentation, if applicable (DD-214 Member Copy 4; VA Letter)
- Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.
If you are using education to qualify for this position, or if education is required:
- You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
- If your transcripts do not display that a degree was conferred, you will be rated Ineligible unless you expect to graduate for the current semester.
- Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
- Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
- If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.
If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:
- Submit all DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, Member-4 Copy) forms.
- If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating you will need to submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
- If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter.
- For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.
Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume:
- Classified or government sensitive information
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Photos of yourself
- Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
- Encrypted and digitally signed documents
For additional information see:
- What to include in your resume
- Resume Writing
Applicants who fail to submit all the required documentation listed above will be considered ineligible for further consideration for this announcement.
- How to Apply
You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click the APPLY button. Follow the prompts to login or create an account, answer a few questions, and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Office of Human Resources using the contact information below.
Agency contact information
Carmen Browne
Phone
(202) 616-3127
Email
carmen.browne@usdoj.gov
Address
Natural Resources Section 150 M Street NE Washington, DC 20002 US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
- Fair and Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
- Reasonable accommodation policy
- Financial suitability
- Selective Service
- New employee probationary period
- Signature and false statements
- Privacy Act
- Social security number request
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
- Resum? demonstrating relevant experience and dates the experience was obtained.
- Cover letter.
- An unofficial transcript showing degree completion and graduation dateis required.
- Veterans preference documentation, if applicable (DD-214 Member Copy 4; VA Letter)
- Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.
If you are using education to qualify for this position, or if education is required:
- You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
- If your transcripts do not display that a degree was conferred, you will be rated Ineligible unless you expect to graduate for the current semester.
- Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
- Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
- If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.
If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:
- Submit all DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, Member-4 Copy) forms.
- If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating you will need to submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
- If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter.
- For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.
Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume:
- Classified or government sensitive information
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Photos of yourself
- Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
- Encrypted and digitally signed documents
For additional information see:
- What to include in your resume
- Resume Writing
Applicants who fail to submit all the required documentation listed above will be considered ineligible for further consideration for this announcement.
How to Apply
You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click the APPLY button. Follow the prompts to login or create an account, answer a few questions, and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Office of Human Resources using the contact information below.
Agency contact information
Carmen Browne
Phone
(202) 616-3127
carmen.browne@usdoj.gov
Address
Natural Resources Section 150 M Street NE Washington, DC 20002 US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
- Reasonable accommodation policy
- Financial suitability
- Selective Service
- New employee probationary period
- Signature and false statements
- Privacy Act
- Social security number request