Census Bureau Jobs

Several countries in the world conduct census once in every ten years and United States is one of them. Taking a nationwide census is quite a big task, for which the US Census bureau has to hire thousands of people for permanent and temporary positions. The hiring for temporary positions usually takes place prior to the scheduled census. Out of the various permanent census jobs, the most important ones are the job of statistician or analyst, mathematical statistician, geographer, cartographer and information technology specialist. Among the temporary jobs, the biggest hiring efforts are carried out for enumerators. It is a field job, where enumerators have to visit every house of the area assigned to them and get the census forms or the questionnaire filled up. Other temporary jobs created during the census period include, crew leaders, office assistants and supervisors. The career opportunities in this field are immense and the description given below will exactly acquaint you with the same.

Working for Census Bureau

The jobs that are most critical for the functioning of the census bureau are, the jobs of statistician, geographer, cartographer, mathematical statistician, information technology specialist, supervisors, crew leaders, office staff and enumerators.

Statistician
A statistician of the census bureau usually has to work on data of two main categories, known as demographics and economics or social science. To become a statistician, a degree is required in any of the following fields - economics, statistics, marketing, finance, business management, sociology or demography.

Mathematical Statistician
The job of a mathematical statistician is to develop new statistical methodologies, time-series model, demographic forecasting and to design surveys in order to measure income, poverty, unemployment and various other aspects of the economy. An applicant for this job is required to have a strong background in mathematics and statistics.

Geographer
A geographer working in the census bureau has to develop expertise in mapping or map design, which can guide the enumerators in collecting census information. A geographer is also responsible for analyzing data and planning and monitoring field operation. A strong background in geography and other related fields like cartography is required to get qualified for this job.

Cartographer
The job of a cartographer is to develop expertise in mapping and map design, prepare specialized maps, cartographic files and develop automated map production systems. A degree in cartography, along with a strong background in related science are the qualifications required to apply for this job.

Technology Specialist
Another census bureau job is information technology specialist, whose main responsibility is the maintenance of hardware and software systems, as well as planning and coordination of the installation, operation, testing and troubleshooting of the same. Qualifications required for this job is a degree in computer science, information science or information systems management with experience in the information technology sector. As far as selection for temporary jobs such as, enumerators, supervisors or crew leader are concerned, this is done by conducting tests.

How to Get a Job in Census Bureau?

You need to fulfill the various criteria. The qualifications that are required to get the permanent jobs have been already explained. The largest number of job opportunities are believed to be enumerators. The enumerators are responsible for getting the census questionnaire filled up by the public and for verifying the address list of the census. To apply for a census job, first of all you have to fill up an application form, which can be downloaded from the website of the census bureau. Otherwise, you can go to your regional census bureau office to get information about employment opportunities.

Applications are usually required to be submitted in person on the day of the employment test. The first step to get such a job is to clear the test that the bureau conducts for selection. The test is not so hard, but a bit tricky. Questions are multiple choice and are designed to test numerical skills, as well as skills on clerical, decision-making, map reading and comprehension. To prepare for the test, you can take up the census practice test, in order to get familiar with the question pattern.

Once you get the census bureau job of enumerators, be prepared to visit the homes of the locality or the area assigned to you. You have to interview the households in your locality and fill up the questionnaire. The chances of getting a census job depends on several factors such as, test score, language skills, availability of work in your area and also the number of hours you are available to work each week. Usually the pay rates are US$ 14 to US$ 20 for every hour.