LATINO TALENT INITIATIVE

Purpose

Latino Victory Foundation and National Hispanic Leadership Agenda recently developed the Latino Talent Initiative (LTI), aimed at influencing presidential appointments and increasing Latino representation in the administration. We have broadened this purpose in consideration of the immediate need to support campaign staff and current appointees rolling off the Obama administration. To continue advancing Latino policy priorities, we are working with new Congress and Senate members in addition to advocacy organizations and corporations, to help connect anyone looking for a job to available positions. Your skill sets will be extremely useful as we continue building political power and influencing policy to advance the issues that impact Latino communities most.

Employers, if you are interested in posting available positions, please send an email to latinotalentinitiative@latinovictory.us, and we will send you a template for that purpose.

Eligibility

*Advisements below refer exclusively to presidential appointments. If you are not applying for a presidential appointment, please proceed to the LTI Placement page.

Resumes are welcomed from Latino U.S. citizens seeking an appointment in the Executive Branch of the U.S. government. We encourage applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and interests. Position experience requirements range from junior to mid-level to senior level. Women, LGBT, persons with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Application

What should I prepare for the application?

Your resume is the most important thing you need to begin your application. If you are ready to submit your resume and are unsure about letters of recommendation or which agency is a good fit, we encourage you to go ahead and submit your resume. As positions become available that you may be a good fit for, we can reach out to you.

Letter of recommendation

Letters are helpful and soliciting input for recommenders can aid in the application process. LTI will advise when the time is right to engage your stakeholders. Letters submitted in advance are also welcomed.

Is it helpful to know which agency or agencies I would like to work for?

Experience with a particular agency or relevant issue area is generally the best indicator of fit. Certain functional roles require less specific experience than others. This includes but is not limited to operations, communication, press, scheduler, and assistant roles.

Support materials

There is a place in the online application to upload support materials such as writing samples or published documents. Be judicious in the items you choose to submit, consider those that will be the most helpful in supporting the position you are seeking.

What kind of positions are available?

The president appoints more than six thousand executive branch employees across federal agencies, boards and commissions.

For full time positions, the levels of employment range from entry-level to very senior roles. For a complete list of appointed positions, in the Executive Branch, you may reference the Plum Book. This is published every four years. The vast majority of appointments are the Schedule C level, followed by the Senior Executive Service (SES) then Presidential Appointment (PA) and finally those requiring Senate confirmation, PAS.

Volunteer boards and commissions are generally appointed by the current President, some reside within a specific agency and are appointed by Cabinet Secretaries. Some are full time, most are part time. These positions almost always require Senate confirmation and are termed.

Process

Who will be reviewing applications?

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the assistance of our advisory partners, the LTI staff collects, organizes and categorizes all resumes it receives and meets with staff from the administration to review and recommend applicants qualified for available positions.

When are applicants notified if they are being recommended?

The Initiative will make its best effort to contact applicants as soon as possible, however due to the high volume of applications being reviewed this may not always be possible. Remember you are your best advocate, it is your responsibility to monitor the progress of your application.

Any applicant under consideration for employment will be contacted directly by the administration or at times, LTI. Please make an effort to inform LTI if an administration has been in contact with you — depending on the situation, we may be able to provide additional counsel and advocacy.

Does a recommendation help a person’s chance of being selected?

Letters of recommendation can be submitted directly to the Latino Talent Initiative. If you do not have letters of recommendation, you may still email us your resume and send your letters of recommendation at a later time. Letters are helpful to get your application noticed, but ultimately it is your skill set and experience that will help secure a potential appointment.

Do I also need to apply to the administration/agency?

In addition to applying to LTI, applicants are encouraged to apply directly to the administration.

What is the vetting process?

Applicants under serious consideration for an appointment will go through a background check in which their employment, professional, personal, travel, medical, financial, legal, military and educational histories may be reviewed and assessed. The financial holdings and sources of income for applicants under serious consideration must be disclosed for review to in order to find any possible conflicts of interest. After an appointment is made, there may be public scrutiny, especially for senior-level appointments. For a helpful roadmap, see the National Academy of Public Administration.

Ready to submit your resume?