Student Volunteer (Unpaid Position)

Summary

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Inspector General (OIG) serves as an independent and objective unit within DOL. OIG is responsible for auditing, investigating DOL programs and operations to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the administration of the programs; and to prevent and detect fraud and abuse in the programs and operations.

Duties

Make an impact while you learn, as a student volunteer. The Spring 2027 program offers students an opportunity to volunteer to support a program-based project that supports real federal missions, gains hands-on experience and valuable career-ready skills. This position is unpaid. The Student Volunteer program, authorized by 5 CFR Part 308, enables Federal agencies to engage students in uncompensated work assignments that provide educational experience, career exploration and skill development. Provide the student with practical exposure to federal human resources operations, employee benefits administration, worklife programs, customer service, and government workplace policies while developing research, communication, analytical, and administrative skills. Supervision: The student will perform assigned duties under the guidance and supervision of HR professionals. Assignments will be tailored to the student's developmental goals and provide opportunities for learning and skill-building. 1. Program Support and Administration: Assist with the administration and coordination of employee worklife and benefits programs and services. 2. Employee Communications and Customer Service: Assist in preparing employee communications, informational materials, presentations, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and reference guides. Respond to routine employee inquiries by providing general program information and referring complex questions to HR specialists. 3. Data Management and Program Evaluation: Assist with maintaining program records, updating spreadsheets and tracking systems, compiling data, and preparing reports to support program monitoring, analysis, and continuous improvement. 4. Special Projects and Process Improvement: Support special projects and initiatives within the Worklife and Benefits Branch, including developing standard operating procedures, updating SharePoint resources, preparing materials for employee benefits fairs and outreach events, and identifying opportunities to improve administrative processes.

Qualifications and evaluation

Applicants are encouraged to address their education, experience, and motivation for applying for this opportunity with the Department of Labor on their resume. Experience is defined as paid, unpaid, volunteer, and lived experience as it demonstrates the knowledge, skills or abilities related to project needs in this announcement. You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13110501 The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the knowledge, skills or abilities related to the project needs in this announcement. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.) Agency personnel will make the final determination concerning your referral status. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. Failure to do so may result in your removal from consideration.

Education

To qualify, you must be enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. You also must be in good academic standing as defined by your institution. Attach a copy of your transcripts to your application package for verification. If you do not submit sufficient academic documentation necessary to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility described in this announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete, and you will be ineligible for further consideration for this vacancy. An academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university and vocational or technical institution. See the Required Documents section of this announcement. If you do not submit a transcript (unofficial or official) indicating your possession of the required education, you will not be considered for this position. Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information. If the student is not currently enrolled or is between academic programs, the student may have a brief interim period of not more than five months during which the student must demonstrate a bona fide intention of continuing to pursue a course of study immediately after the interim period has ended. This documentation may be provided through an official letter from the academic institution confirming the student's status as a continuing student, or similar documentation.

Benefits

This is a Student Volunteer (Unpaid position). A Student Volunteer is not an employee of the Federal Government for any purposes other than injury compensation and laws relating to the Federal Tort Claims Acts. Therefore, service time is not creditable for leave accrual or any other federal employee benefits. Students are not eligible for noncompetitive conversion to positions in the Federal service. Student Volunteers are eligible to receive transit benefits.

How to apply

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Important - Save your information before the 30-minute system timeout! For help, go to the USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete. NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the resume uploaded under the "Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration. STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS).Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct.In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then Update Application. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor How to Apply website.

Required documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: The following documents are required from ALL applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): Resumes: Your resume (two or fewer pages) showing your work experience if any to include start and end dates (Month/Year). Any knowledge, skills or abilities you've gained through education that relate to the vacancy. Proof of Eligibility: Academic transcript, evidence of enrollment (e.g., acceptance letter or equivalent), or other official documentation from a qualifying educational institution, career technical education program or service program showing that you meet the eligibility requirements as described in the Education section of this announcement. Proof of Qualifications: Academic transcripts are sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, as described in this announcement, where you are seeking to qualify, at least in part, on the basis of your education. Unofficial Transcripts must state the student's name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework with credits for each course, enrollment status, degree program, and proof of enrollment for the current semester. See Qualifications and Evaluations. If you are a graduate-level student, you should also submit your undergrad transcripts with your application. Proof of Enrollment: Academic transcript or other official documentation from the educational institution proving your status as a student who is currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution. See Qualifications and Evaluations. The following documents are required if applicable: Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB. NOTE: OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Additional information

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION. As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements. This announcement is to recruit Student Volunteers for Spring 2027. **Student Volunteers are not employees of the Federal Government. Therefore, their service time is not creditable for leave accrual or any other federal employee benefits.** "This position is physically located in an OIG office at a work location listed on this job announcement. Unpaid interns are not eligible to telework and must report to the physical office a prescribed number of days each pay period." "Note: Veteran's Preference does not apply. "This is a volunteer position and does not qualify for benefits."