Jobs at Census Video - Script

Narrator
Today, information is power. And in this fast-paced, globally connected time, it’s more important than ever that we have good information about our communities, our cities, and our country.

The U.S. Census Bureau still conducts a count of the people every 10 years as required by the U.S. Constitution. And Census 2000, the largest peacetime effort in our nation’s history, counted over 281 million residents. This Census gave America its first portrait of the new millennium, and showed Americans the diversity of the nation. But as extraordinary and demanding as conducting this Census was, the work of the Bureau involves much more.

Elizabeth
The Census does much more than the decennial count. And I get that joke a lot – “you count people every 10 years.” And I say, “We do it every 10 years, because we lose count and we have to start over.” (Laughs) But, in fact, the Census Bureau acts almost as a contractor for other federal agencies and other federal departments.

Ed
The Census Bureau collects data for a lot of different government agencies, like the Dept. of Education, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Dept. of Transportation. So all those government agencies rely upon us to give them accurate and relevant data.

Narrator
The Census Bureau is the world’s premiere statistical agency and provides the nation’s official economic, population and demographic statistics.

Elizabeth
In order for us to make informed policy decisions for the country at a national, state, and local level, we need basic information. We need to know where people are. We need to know what their needs are.

Clara
People use it for planning all sorts of things -- including transportation, housing, childcare -- all of the issues that are at the forefront of the American people’s lives.

Leah
That’s the reason why I find what we do extremely important. Though it just seems like a stack of numbers, it affects everything from the ground up. You know, from your local to your federal government.

Narrator
Census data not only shows us an accurate picture of our nation today -- but also is used by decision makers at the local, state, and federal levels to plan for their communities for years to come.

Leah
Those numbers have a direct impact on public policy. We think that, oh, there’s just all these numbers, the counts of the people in the country. But in fact, every type of agency uses these numbers in order to find out -- well, what kind of communities exist in your area? What kind of schools do they have and what kind of funding do they need in terms of, say, their income range or their racial makeup?

Narrator
Census data helps communities know where to locate new schools, or plan for services for the elderly. It helps them build new roads, or plan for transportation in their community. Businesses use data to project where new offices, stores and restaurants should be built.

Jennifer
The data is important to Americans in general because it gives us a snapshot of what the economy is doing. And the data that we produce on a monthly, annual and quarterly basis is really what drives the economy and gives us the statistics that we use.

Elizabeth
The information gathered and analyzed and produced at the Census Bureau reaches so many levels. It reaches the national level. It reaches the state level. It reaches down to a local and community level and helps governments make their programs better ... programs that exist to make communities better. And without that kind of data, you can’t make informed decisions.

Narrator
The Congress, the White House and the media regularly cite Census products.

Ed
It definitely feels good to see the Census Bureau getting credit out in the media, whether that be paper or television. And every time I am out with friends or if I am at home with my wife and I see something flash on the screen, I say, “Hey, look, that is our work right there. That is from the Census Bureau.” It feels good to be a part of that.

Lisa
It gives you a sense of pride for your work. It’s rewarding. I can explain to people what I do. A lot of times they think, “Oh, you’re a statistician, what do you do, crunch numbers all day?” And when something is reported on the news or it is published, I can say, “That is what I do. That comes from the work I do.” So it gives people a way to relate to your job.

Narrator

Today’s Bureau is high-tech, and is renowned worldwide for using the latest technology and scientific methods to collect, analyze and disseminate data.

Ed
To be able to collect data and work with it effectively, you have got to use pretty much some sort of technology. And I figured that the Census Bureau would be using some of the most state-of-the-art technology in its day-to-day operations.

Matt
We want to stay up-to-date or as close to up-to-date as possible. So we are looking at all the new technologies to see what is available for us to use that will be to our benefit.

Tim
It’s very interesting to see the interaction between the computer programmers, math statisticians, economists, and very fascinating to me.

Lorena
This is the leading institution worldwide in statistical research. And, I thought, if I’m interested in research -- this is the place to be.

Narrator
The U.S. Census Bureau is made up of 8 Directorates. Each of these is vital to the Bureau’s mission of producing the nation’s statistics.

Every year, the Demographic Programs Directorate plans, conducts, and evaluates over 100 surveys in communities throughout the country. These surveys look at all aspects of Americans’ lives -- their jobs, schools, health care, ethnicity, crime, aging, income and poverty, and dozens of other topics.

Lorena
We are the agency that creates the official statistics that the government uses to make policy decisions. We do that by conducting survey work for the Dept. of Justice statistics, labor statistics, education statistics.

Ed
There are a lot of programs and a lot of surveys that we conduct on a monthly basis that other government agencies use -- such as crime statistics, which is used by the FBI. We also have the current Population Survey, which is one of our most important surveys. And the data collected from that survey is used to calculate the unemployment rate.

Laura
I work on the Consumer Expenditure Survey and the biggest statistic that we get from it is the Consumer Price Index, known as the CPI. And, again, it is published all the time. A lot of budgets are based on it -- sort of thing. And that is our most valuable data. We also get a lot of information about household spending, health insurance, cars, and entertainment -- all sorts of things.

Narrator
The U.S. Census Bureau is also a vital source of data for economic indicators. The Economic Programs Directorate conducts over 100 surveys that gather critical information on the nation’s economy. Every month, they provide the nation’s official statistics on the foreign trade balance, housing starts, retail sales, construction, services and manufacturing.

Every 5 years, the directorate also surveys over 15 million businesses in almost every conceivable industry, detailing their financial status, their location, their products, and the markets they serve. Over 98% of America’s Gross Domestic Product is represented by the Economic Census.

Marc
The data-users really needed that data to gauge how their industry is doing. Also, policy-makers, such as the Federal Reserve Board, needed that to see how the overall economy is performing and particularly the manufacturing sector.

Narrator
Analysts get to see businesses firsthand.

Marc
With the Manufacturing and Construction Division, we don’t just get the numbers, analyze them, and put out reports. That is the farthest thing from the truth. We are on the phone with them. We also do plant visits so that we can understand exactly what they are doing because if we understand what they are doing, then that makes the data analysis that much easier -- so that we are not just doing guess work and we are not just crunching numbers all day.

Narrator
There are many opportunities and benefits working for the U.S. Census Bureau. Probably what staff mentions first is that the work itself is interesting and rewarding.

Mark
The first that that I would tell a college student is that the work is very rewarding.

Tim
The most rewarding part is how my job affects the American population in general.

Hub
I like it just because I like feeling like I’m doing something important, and I’m helping to make a difference in this country.

Jennifer
You always feel you’re contributing to a larger picture. And to me, I like that. I like being able to feel like I am part of something that is larger than me. And something that has a utility outside of what I am doing with it everyday.

Narrator
Many staff also value the work schedule -- generally, 40 hours a week with the possibility of creating a flexible schedule. This gives people the time to enjoy their work and their leisure time.

Jennifer
What I enjoy the most is the fact that I actually work a 40-hour workweek.

Ed
A lot of my friends in the IT sector work 60, 70 hours a week. They do make more money, but they are putting a lot more hours into their job.

Matt
To me, money’s no good if you can’t enjoy your life with it.

Jennifer
I was basically given my choice of when I wanted to come in and leave as long as I am fulfilling a certain core number of hours.

Fane
I come in at 7:00 and I leave at 3:30, and I still have -- no matter what time of year -- I have daylight to go home to and I really enjoy that.

Clara
The Alternative Work Schedule is truly wonderful. I have the opportunity to have a day off every other week, which adds to my weekends and takes away from using up leave -- so I have plenty of leave when I want to take a real vacation.

Laura
Basically, you work nine-hour days and one eight hour day, and then on the tenth day, you get the day off.

Joe
My boss is real nice so I can kind of move that around to work with my vacation schedule or work with doctor’s appointments or things like that.

Jennifer
I am actually able to enjoy my life and have a career that I enjoy as well.

Narrator
The Census Bureau is located in a campus-like setting. It’s easy to get your work done, and take care of other personal business.

Robert
I tell everyone when they ask me what the Census is like or how the setting is . . . I always tell them the same thing -- it is just like a small community college setting.

Lisa
It is actually like a little mini-town in the Census Bureau. There is a bank here.

Marc
We have a credit union here.

Lisa
There is a little – I call it a convenience store – where you can get a snack. You can buy cards or little gifts if you need to for someone.

Marc
We have volleyball courts.

Robert
We have tennis courts. Softball fields. During your lunch break, you can always go out and find someone playing something and you are more than welcome to join them.

Marc
We have basketball courts outside. We have a metro.

Joe
I really like the gym, being able to go down. You don’t have to leave the building. It is right there. It is available. It is open before, during and after work. And they have a lot of activities down there to take part in.

Lisa
I did the Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving. I went down to the gym and they were like “Lisa, go run.” They have lots of things going on at the gym. They had Salsa lessons. They have a lot of things to get people involved and kind of break up your day and just a way to meet a lot of people.

Robert
There is a softball league. There is a volleyball league. There is a basketball league. There is anything you can think of. We even have a camera club.

Mark
So everything I need is right here and it is really convenient and really serves me well.

Narrator
Staffs praise their supervisors and find that they are often mentors. They like the informal atmosphere in most offices and their positive working relationships.

Lorena
Coming to work for the Census Bureau as an entry-level individual, you will have the opportunity to work on teams. Most of our work is done in teams. So you’re not alone. There’s a lot of support. The supervisors are very approachable and it’s a great learning experience.

Laura
We have a lot of different ages. There are several that have been recruited in the last five years, so we can relate about a lot of things. And then we have our supervisors, who are more experienced and really willing to help. There is not this competition . . . egos involved. It is more like ”let’s help each other out -- let me tell you how the Census Bureau works -- let me tell you about the different divisions.” And it is a great working environment.

David
The work environment is . . . is business casual -- you know is the slang term that you could use. It’s all personal preference. If you’re not a shirt and tie guy, you don’t have to be -- but then, at the same time, you know, you’ve got to dress decent.

Narrator
For a lot of people, one of the biggest draws for a career at the Bureau is its location right outside Washington, D.C.

Clara
I love Washington, D.C. I lived here before I went to college, so I was very happy to come back to this area. There is a lot going on. There are a lot of young people. There are a lot of opportunities to do things outside of work, as well as a lot of job opportunities in this area.

Lisa
There is so much to do in the D.C. area. There are sporting events, music, concerts, the theatre, and plays. The social life is really great for a young professional.

Tim
The reason I came to Washington, D.C. is because I like the political atmosphere. It’s very exciting to see the government at work. And I also like the sports -- hockey, basketball, football with the Redskins. And also I like going to the museums-- seeing the exhibitions.

Elizabeth
It is a very diverse, international city. I, myself, enjoy the Latin scene -- lots of salsa dancing to do, meringue dancing to do. If you are open to different cultural activities, it is certainly there and certainly available.

Robert
The commute is great here. We are right outside the city. They just built the Metro station that is less than a block away from us now.

Lorena
It’s very inspiring to drive by the national monuments. I see the Washington Monument, or the Capitol in the back of my mirror, and it reminds me of the civic pride and responsibility that comes with being a public servant.

Narrator
Now, the Bureau is able to offer salaries that are more competitive with private industry. And once in the Bureau, staff learn about the promotion system and how they can advance up the career and salary ladder.

Roberto
They definitely have a scale-- pay scale -- here, depending on your experience and your academic background. But it’s really up to you while you’re here. If you want to move up within the government, it’s very straightforward. Just, you know, come to work, do your job, and I think everybody is aware of you. They try to help you move up the system. It’s a very fair system to me.

Matt
For the IT profession they also gave everyone a larger raise to try to compete and stay competitive within the field. Also, the sign-on bonus was great. It was better than any other company’s sign-on bonus that I had received offers for.

Jennifer
Some of my friends might have had a higher salary getting right out of college; I am now above them because of the way we have been able to grow and the career ladder that I’m on. I have gotten promotions basically on an annual basis. So whereas I might have started off with less, I am now way more.

Narrator
Another benefit is the opportunities for training and further education. Staff are encouraged to take training and graduate level course work to improve their skills in many areas. Most people find their supervisors are very willing to sign off on requests for training.

Elizabeth
Coming to the Census Bureau as a recent graduate, you really can take advantage of many educational and training opportunities.

Marc
I have taken two classes to further enhance my data-using. The Census Bureau paid for those and they supported me. My manager supported me 100% in that effort.

Ed
I took a weeklong course in Unix. I’ve also taken some Novell Network training as well as Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 training.

Clara
In terms of formal training I’ve received since working here, it has mostly been with software. I’ve received training on SAS, the statistical software, as well as Oracle, which is a database software. I have taken several classes with the Arc View Geographic software, which we use a lot in my office.

Brodrick
I had some statistics experience coming into the job and since then I have been able to take SAS courses. I have been able to take some of the Unix level classes at both the intro and advanced levels so far.

Matt
I’ve had all sorts of training courses from school to weeklong courses from specific companies.

Brodrick
The Census Bureau really provides a great opportunity to come in and get the training you need to be successful in your area.

Fane
Another reason that I did take this job was because I knew I would have the opportunity to get a master’s degree while I was working. And I have already started taking classes. I applied to the University of Maryland, which has a joint program with the Census Bureau.

Lorena
I’ve been really lucky that I’ve been able to start taking classes toward a Ph.D. Some of those classes I can take here at the Census Bureau. They’re sponsored by the Census Bureau so I don’t have to go anywhere. For others, I do have to go to a university.

Of course, the Census Bureau also offers generous vacation, health, and retirement benefits. The Bureau’s retirement plan offers a 401-K equivalent that includes generous matching government funds.

David
One of the great things is the health benefits. But unlike some, some places where you have to wait like six months before you’re eligible for health benefits -- like when you first start at Census, as soon as you get your paperwork in -- you’re covered.

Roberto
Definitely retirement -- I would say is probably the biggest benefit.

Narrator
The U.S. Census Bureau offers many opportunities and benefits to staff. It’s a place where people do meaningful and engaging work. And they have the opportunity to grow in their careers and lives.

For more information, check out:
www.census.gov or email at recruiter@census.gov