If you intern with the federal government in grad school, are you more likely to get a job with the agency?

Question

you interned with after graduation?
or is interning really no use as far as getting a post-grad job.

personal experiences from those who work for the govt is appreciated!

Answer 1

There are different kinds of internships. In my experience as a DoD civilian, the government intern programs I've seen are 3-year programs in which you start at a GS-9 and move up every year until the 3rd year, where you end up as a GS-12. Not bad. When you graduate the intern program, you are almost certainly guaranteed a position in the agency. It's a great way to get a good position in the federal government because you move quickly through the grades.

Of course, I can't speak for all agencies, but I can only say what I have observed firsthand where I work at a military base. Our intern program targets recent college graduates and grooms them for specific fields such as engineering, logistics, finance, IT, and so on. It's definitely an excellent program.

Answer 2

If you impressed someone while you were an intern, it can certainly help you get a permanent job later on. This is true anywhere, not just in government agencies. That's part of the point of intern programs. I have one relative and one close friend who got jobs that way (one of them in government work).

Answer 3

I would guess that it would help you some, since you have that experience, but it would depend on how well you did in that internship.