Student Trainee (Clerical Office Automation) Job in New Orleans, LA

Vacancy No. 26-LAE-12933451-PP Department Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys
Salary $17.44 to $17.44 Grade 4 to 4
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Part-time
Open Date 4/14/2026 Close Date 4/24/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
New Orleans, LA


Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

This job is open to

Students

Current students enrolled in an accredited high school, college or graduate institution.

Clarification from the agency

All Enrolled Students who are United States Citizens/Nationals

Duties

If selected, you will provide office clerical and automation support to one or more professional, program, or technical staff members in the United States Attorney's Office. Automated support may include use of one or more of the following software applications: word processing, electronic spreadsheets, database management, desk-top publishing, graphics, project management, calendar and electronic mail. You will receive formal and/or on-the-job training as needed. Duties include:

  • Producing a variety of documents using varied and advanced word processing software functions;
  • Storing, retrieving, editing, and printing a variety of documents with complex formats such as graphics or tables within the text;
  • Sorting, calculating, and retrieving data from electronic databases or spreadsheets to produce reports, charts, and graphs.
  • Answering telephones and referring callers to staff members or taking messages as appropriate;
  • Providing general office clerical support;
  • Sorting, filing, and retrieving materials in alphabetical, numerical, or chronological order; and
  • Making recurring and special messenger trips as necessary.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen or National.
  • Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation
  • You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
  • You must meet half-time student enrollment requirements.
  • You must submit a transcript or proof of enrollment with your application.
  • You must be at least 16 years of age or older.
  • You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
  • If selected, you may be required to serve a trial period.

Qualifications

To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met:

  • Student Status: Definition of a student - applicant 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/professional school, or certificate program equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study (go to http://www.ed.gov/accreditation to verify accreditation status) pursuant to 5 CFR 362. You must be considered in good academic standings by the school. Individuals must be taking at least a half-time academic, vocational, or technical course load leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate. "Half-time" is defined by the school in which the student is enrolled.
  • Grade Point Average: You must have at least a 2.5 GPA.
  • Citizenship: Student Interns must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.)Background Investigation: You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Pathways Participant Agreement: All interns are required to sign the Participant Agreement.
  • Qualification requirements as outlined below.

GS-4: To be eligible at the GS-4 level, you must have: at least
  • one (1) year of general experience; or
  • two (2) years of education above the high school level; or
  • a combination of both general experience and education as explained below.
One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.

General experience is defined as progressively responsible clerical, office, automation, or other work that indicates the ability to perform the duties of a student trainee (clerk - office automation). Examples of general experience include: producing, storing, retrieving, and printing documents using word processing hardware and software; sorting, calculating, and retrieving information from electronic databases or spreadsheets to produce reports, charts, and graphs; answering office telephones and referring calls to appropriate staff; sorting, filing and retrieving materials in alphabetical, numerical or chronological order; providing general office clerical support.

Combining Education and Experience: Successfully completed education above the high school level and general experience may be combined to meet the qualification requirements at the GS-04 grade level. To determine if you qualify based on a combination of education and experience, first determine your education as a percentage (e.g., 30 semester hours divided by 60 equals 50%); then determine your experience as a percentage (e.g., 6 months general experience divided by 12 equals 50%); finally, add the two percentages and if the total equals 100% or more, you qualify (e.g., 50% + 50% = 100%).

To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.)

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an institution that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov.

Foreign Education Note: You may use foreign education to meet qualification requirements if you send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency in with your transcript. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorize.

If selected, you will be eligible for annual and sick leave, and after one year of continuous service, you will be eligible to enroll in the health benefits program at full cost.

Selectees for this position are ineligible for life insurance, retirement (including the Thrift Savings Plan), long term care insurance, and within grade increases.

Veterans' Preference: If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the documentation as specified in the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy announcement.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements you may be referred to the selecting official or if Veterans' Preference must to be adjudicated, your application will be placed in one of three grouping categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within each of these groupings, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. All CP/CPS preference eligibles that meet minimum qualification and eligibility requirements will be included in the "Best Qualified" grouping.

You will be rated on the following Competencies:
Attention to Detail, Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Problem Solving, Self-Management, and Technology Application

Go to OPM Website for the definition of each competency.

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

- Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).

- Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:

  • Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
  • Employer name and contact information,
  • Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
  • Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
  • A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

- Required: Current Unofficial transcript or proof of current enrollment, e.g., recent letter from the registrar's office. (Note: If you are selected for this position, an official transcript will be required prior to your first day.)

- Required, if applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. (See also required Veterans' Preference Documentation below.) Please note, if you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the required documentation as specified below.

Required Veterans' Preference Documentation:
- In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," dated October 2013 and the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim. - Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/24/2026 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, http://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, please click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12933451

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online, contact Carlie Kempf at 504-680-3128 or carlie.kempf@usdoj.gov as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.

Agency contact information

Carlie Kempf
Phone
504-680-3128
Email
carlie.kempf@usdoj.gov
Address
Eastern District of Louisiana
650 Poydras Street, Suite 1600
New Orleans, LA 70130
US

Next steps

We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit check, and a drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys

The Department of Justice has a talented workforce of over 100,000 people. Justice leads the Nation in ensuring the protection of all Americans while preserving their constitutional freedoms. If selected, you will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens.

This is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Intern Program. This appointment may be extended until the selectee's educational program requirements have been completed. After successful completion of the program requirements, the individual may at agency discretion be converted to a TERM or permanent appointment. For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

Agency contact information

Carlie Kempf
Phone
504-680-3128
Email
carlie.kempf@usdoj.gov
Address
Eastern District of Louisiana
650 Poydras Street, Suite 1600
New Orleans, LA 70130
US

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http://www.justice.gov/usao