New ‘LinkedIn for government’ helps Americans get into public service
After bouncing around employers for much of her career, Joya Patel says she finally felt settled when she joined the Department of Health and Human Services in 2023. That was especially true after being promoted to its director of communications the following year. “I never had a plan in life,” she says, “but after working at HHS for the amount of time that I did I finally did have a plan. And it…
After a career of bouncing between employers, Joya Patel finally felt secure when she joined the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2023. She was later promoted to the director of communications, but her tenure was cut short as she became one of thousands of federal workers laid off on Valentine's Day 2025. Patel, initially feeling anger, later recognized the opportunity in this career transition.
Inspired by a networking event hosted by Work for America, a nonprofit founded in 2024, she created a profile on their job search platform, Civic Match. Work for America's founder, Caitlin Lewis, aimed to serve all Americans seeking jobs in state and local government, not just former government employees. The nonprofit expanded its platform to cater to those looking for their first job, those in the tech sector, and those priced out of their cities.
Public sector jobs offer benefits like lower salaries but more generous compensation, with pensions and better benefits. Despite the slow hiring speed in the public sector, demand remains high, as many positions cannot be filled by AI. Work for America aims to alleviate this challenge by providing a unified platform for all job seekers to explore opportunities in the public sector, addressing the lack of a centralized job board for these roles.
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