Being an independent partner is essential for statisticians working within one of the thirteen principle government statistical agencies. This was one of the remarks that Wendy Martinez, (Director of the Mathematical Statistics Research Center, Office of Survey Methods Research with the Bureau of Labor Statistics) shared as she kicked off the third NISS Virtual Career Fair. Taking place over the lunch hour on Wednesday, January 8th, this fair focused on the employment opportunities available within the United States Government. Not only did Wendy highlight the types of job opportunities available within the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. government in general, but she also provided valuable insight and advice for candidates regarding monitoring announcements, the application process, resume writing and more.
In addition to Wendy, Jonah Wong (Mathematical Statistician, Methodology and Standards Council, Staff Recruitment and Retention, US Census Bureau) reviewed the types of statistical work that the US Census is involved in, the employment opportunities associated with these activities and how many and where US Census Bureau employees do this work. It became very apparent that the US Census Bureau is involved in much more than the decennial census that we are all familiar with.
Jeff Bailey (Branch Chief of the Summary, Estimation, and Disclosure Methodology Branch at the National Agricultural Statistics Service) provided similar remarks as the other speakers from the point of view of statistical responsibilities to provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to agriculture in the United States. He also highlighted some of the challenges that he and his colleagues face including falling response rates, improving repeatability, efficiency, transparency, and measures of error as well as the development of questionnaires for new topics.
The moderator of this session, Nathan Cruze, (Mathematical Statistician at USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service), provided his own experienced advice in addition to doing a superb job of fielding questions from participants.
In addition to the remarks and comments from each of the presenters, the information and links contained within the slides that the panelist shared are a valuable asset for anyone considering a position as a statistician within the US government.
Like earlier career fairs, this first government career fair was available only to students and faculty (at all levels) from NISS affiliates institutions. Consequent links to the recording and slides used by the presenters will not be made available to the public until early February. If your institution is interested in becoming a NISS Affiliate, please fill out this form to request more information.
Keep your eyes open for the next NISS Virtual Career Fair as NISS has a number already in the planning stages!
Event Recording
Slides Used by Speakers
These include lots of links to resources for career opportunities for statisticians in government.
Wendy Martinez: "Career Opportunities in the US Federal Government"
Jonah Wong: "Career Opportunities at The U.S. Census Bureau"
Jeff Bailey: "National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)"