You love to crunch numbers and you get excited about spreadsheets. A career as a financial analyst may be a great fit for you. How can you put your finance skills to use working for the federal government? Fortunately, there are a lot of opportunities. Every government agency has a budget, and they need great financial analysts to do the hard work of stewarding taxpayer dollars.

If you want to land a financial analyst position, first, make sure your resume and skill sets fit the part. The world of cleared financial positions include auditing, acquisition specialist, and program managers. Financial analysts may be qualified to perform some of those functions, or they may work in a distinct niche. Don’t assume all financial analyst positions are created equally, and carefully consider the job description before you apply.  Also spend some time considering what aspects of the work, and what software applications you have expertise in – and find the specific position that matches. A government financial analyst will likely need a degree in finance, business administration or accounting. Some veterans may be able to substitute military training or time in a relevant military occupation. GI Bill benefits may also be used to obtain a degree in finance or a master’s in business administration.

You’ll need great attention to detail, and generally good people skills for a government finance career. In serving the government, you need to not just be able to set and keep the budget, but explain your numbers to stakeholders. In addition, a cleared financial analyst will need a strong knowledge of Defense Acquisition Regulations and Federal Acquisition Regulations.

If you like numbers, like rules, and have great attention to detail – consider a career as a government financial analyst. Uncle Sam is looking for a few good math whizzes – and their next hire could be you!

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Lindy Kyzer is the director of content at ClearanceJobs.com. Have a conference, tip, or story idea to share? Email lindy.kyzer@clearancejobs.com. Interested in writing for ClearanceJobs.com? Learn more here.. @LindyKyzer