Duties

Summary

This vacancy is for a Student Trainee (Information Technology) position in LAN Technology Support Office located at the U.S. Census Bureau in Suitland, MD and Bowie, MD.

**Multiple selections may be made from various directorates within the Census Bureau from this announcement for a position with the same title, series, grade(s), promotion potential, general job responsibilities and duty location **

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Provides support in imaging, troubleshooting, repairing, and resolving issues for a wide range of installed computer systems such as PCs, laptops, and peripherals (e.g. printers, scanners and plotters).
• Assists with customer support functions to install, configure, and test software on customer workstations and performs IT equipment installation, equipment moves and warehousing activities.
• Meets with customers to collect information about information technology business requirements and presents findings to senior specialists.
• Assists senior specialists in the installation of operating systems update packages and refers serious problems to more experienced specialists.
• Assists senior specialists in receiving and responding to customer requests for assistance.
• Applies IT security procedures in the performance of assigned duties in authentication, installation, and systems administration.
• Assists senior specialists in systems administration by scheduling, monitoring, and verifying the integrity of system backups and file restoration.
• Maintains logs and reports as required, in order to monitor and track projects and work items requiring follow-up. Maintains calendars for senior staff using electronic calendars.
• Uses office automation software, including word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software to prepare documents for senior employees. Reviews materials for grammar, punctuation, and other errors.
• Participates in organizational inventory and warehousing activities such as scanning, verifying, sanitizing and surplus of IT equipment.
• Uses established automated business systems to enter and track purchase requests, travel, training, budget items, etc., as assigned.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
04

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizen.
• Suitable for Federal Employment.
• Registered for Selective Service System, if applicable. (www.sss.gov)
• Maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher.
• You Must sign a Pathways Agreement.

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

This announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the date the first (100) applicants are received or on May 7, 2021, whichever comes first.

A trial period may be required.

If a degree has been obtained or nearing completion, please include a letter of acceptance (on official letter head) into another degree or certificate program to show proof of eligibility.

This position will be filled under the Pathways Internship Program (IEP). This Program allows students to gain paid work experience while pursuing a degree, diploma or certificate at a qualifying institution. Under the Pathways Program, students who successfully complete all work, study, qualifications, and other eligibility requirements may be offered a permanent position to work in our agency upon graduation or completion of a qualifying certificate.

At the Agency's discretion, students hired under the Pathways Program may be non-competitively converted to a term, career, or career-conditional appointment.

This position is in the excepted service.

This position is NON-BARGAINING unit unless the appointment extends beyond 90 days.

This position may be ELIGIBLE for telework; additional criteria will be required (e.g., supervisory approval).

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Qualifications

Minimum Eligibility Requirement:

You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited high school, technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate or professional school (go to www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ to verify accreditation status). Individuals who are enrolled must be taking at least a half-time academic, vocational, or technical course load leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate. You must provide evidence of your current (spring semester or equivalent) enrollment, either on your transcript or by uploading a separate class schedule. If you are completing your current program this semester you must provide a letter of acceptance or proof of enrollment into another qualifying program to be rated eligible.

Applicants must have at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA.

MINIMUM GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS :

GS-04: Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

Completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

The Department of Commerce provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Office. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. TTY users can contact the Human Resources Office via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the job opportunity announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions). Your resume and/or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans' preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed.

Preference eligibles with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold).

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate your academic coursework in the following; please do not provide a separate written response:

The following competencies are desirable at the full performance level of this position GS-04.

• Knowledge of, and skill in applying, basic IT principles and practices sufficient to perform highly structured,
  entry-level work designed to develop broader and more in-depth knowledge and skill needed to perform
  higher level assignments.
• Basic knowledge of data processing functions and general management principles to comprehend the
  relationships of stages in automating a work process.
• Knowledge of systems security methods and procedures to ensure the application of appropriate security
  measures to the assignment.
• Knowledge of, and skill in applying, software installation and configuration procedures sufficient to assist
  in the installation of operating systems update packages and recognize and refer serious problems to more
  experienced specialists.
• Knowledge of data management concepts and methods, IT security principles, and operating environments
  sufficient to assist with a variety of database utility functions.
• Knowledge of, or skill in applying, a wide range of office automation software to produce a wide variety of
  documents.
• Skill in oral communication to provide factual and procedural information and assistance to customers.
• Skill in written communication to prepare correspondence, procedural documents and reports.

For more information on category rating, please go to: http://www.hr.commerce.gov/s/groups/public/@doc/@cfpasa/@phrm/documents/content/prod01_009474.pdf

We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process.

Do NOT include the following types of information in your application:

• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Date of Birth (DOB)
• Photos of yourself (if included on your resume you will not be considered for this position)
• Personal information: such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

A complete application consists of the following:

• Resume showing relevant experience, cover letter optional. Your resume must include contact information also list your educational and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week. Your resume should indicate your citizenship and if you are registered with the Selective Service System if you are a male born after 12/31/59.
• Veterans' Preference Documentation: Please indicate on your resume the type of veterans' preference you are claiming and provide the appropriate supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.) to validate your claim. For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please go to: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref.index.aspx
• Education Documentation: If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, specific degree program, current and cumulative GPA/academic standing, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. This also includes Census Bureau employees. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information.
• Proof of enrollment or Class Registration for the Spring 2021 Semester: 1.If you are not presently enrolled for the Spring 2021 semester, you may upload an acceptance letter to qualifying program for the Fall 2021 semester OR 2. If you will graduate from your current academic program Spring 2021 semester, you may upload an acceptance letter to a qualifying program for the following semester along with your current proof of enrollment. Acceptance Letters must be dated within the last 12 months and must specify the term of acceptance and the program to which you have been accepted.

You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

All applicants to include Census employees MUST submit a copy of your transcripts. Make sure all vacancy requirements are demonstrated in the documents that are submitted. Applicants may need to submit more than one transcript.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - http://www.ed.gov/international/usnei/us/workrecog.doc . You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

NOTE: You will not be considered if you fail to provide all required documents.