Advice for a Job Hunter

Today I got to work and there was an email from an attorney looking for a job. My name was given to him by a DISA employee. He was asking me if I knew of any openings for "attorney's investigating or overseeing US government contracts in the Middle East."

Let me pause for a moment and say that while I appreciate this individual's interest, I am disinclined to assist an attorney who does not know how to use an apostrophe. Maybe it is just me, but it just shows a certain carelessness and sloppiness that I do not like.

I have not responded to the employee's email, but the traditional way people look for government jobs is http://www.usajobs.gov. I have found, however, that it is more effective first to look at yourself and your skills by reading "What Color is Your Parachute" by Richard Bolles. I also like "The New Rules of the Job Search Game" by Larson and Comstock.
In my opinion, the key to finding a good job is to first know yourself--that is, who you are and what you want to do. Second, identify employers who could use your skills. Third, when you do get an interview, research the HECK out of that employer (which is where many people fall short). Read their annual report. Read newspaper and magazine articles about them. What problems are they having? What challenges? What is coming up?

When I interviewed for my current position at DISA, I knew that they were having challenges with BRAC and NSPS, and of course waging war. I knew about major telecommunications contracts they were awarding or were planning to award. And this was all through reading publicly-available information.

If an individual is looking for work "investigating and overseeing US government contracts in the Middle East," I would start by reading some reports at http://www.gao.gov; Inspector General reports for relevant Defense and State Department agencies; relevant Congressional reports (including the Congressional Research Service); and of course reading sources like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and govexec.com.