Guest contributor

Last week I attended my first job fair at a nearby university. I expected to meet a variety of employers at the job fair – the Army, financial service companies, rehabilitative services, a few retail stores, and a smattering of healthcare providers – but I wasn’t extremely hopeful. Since my career (so far) has been devoted to schools and non-profit organizations, I wasn’t really expecting to land my next job at the fair, but as readers of my column know, I am a big proponent of “networking,” and a job fair is the ultimate networking experience.

Once I conquered the “dog-eat-dog” parking situation and trekking across campus in my new 2-inch interview heels, I entered the gym and signed in. Someone handed me a free raffle ticket – I’m still not sure what they were raffling, but it was a nice gesture – and a schedule, and I was off to the races.

I cruised by a couple booths of organizations I knew weren’t looking for me, and noticed a booth marked “Social Security Administration.” Hmmm. I had never considered working for the government before, but when the Social Security recruiter manning the booth informed me they had three job openings, and applications were closing in two days, it caught my attention.

The recruiter, an extremely friendly woman about my age, handed me a couple job descriptions, and I started skimming various headings on the paper.

There it was: the salary range began at a much higher rate than what I had earned at my previous job. Suddenly, working for the government didn’t seem like such a stretch of the imagination. I began to have fantasies of answering phones and pushing papers in an office with Venetian blinds and fluorescent lighting. Moving to the next heading on the paper, I read about a retirement program, medical benefits, an inordinate number of paid vacation days and holidays, and a generous allotment of sick days (not that I would ever abuse such a privilege). My mouth was watering, and it wasn’t from the novacaine my dentist had given me earlier that morning.

Now, before I give the impression of being a superficial opportunist, the “deal clincher” came when the Social Security recruiter described what my responsibilities would be in this new position. I would help people who were applying for disability to navigate the process of claiming benefits – not such a departure from my non-profit work after all! Helping the disabled and making a good living too? Government career, here I come!

Of course, they have to hire me first. Note: the state of Maine may be experiencing a hiring freeze, but the federal government is hiring.Keep your eye on www.socialsecurity.gov/careers for job postings, or visit USA Jobs at jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov. Give my regards to Uncle Sam!

Gup-Mathews invites readers to send thoughts regarding unemployment to her at “The Write Impression” at www.writeimpressionmaine.com.