Trump’s federal hiring freeze impacts UMW students

by WILLIAM ROBINSON

Staff Writer

Noah Fellinger, a senior accounting major at the University of Mary Washington who is expected to graduate this spring, began seeking out job opportunities and submitting applications well over one year ago. During his search, he applied for a position with the federal government. 

Over Winter Break, in December 2024, Fellinger began the interview process and was eager to see where this opportunity with the government may lead. That was until President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that placed a hiring freeze on all federal civilian positions, effectively halting Fellinger’s prospect of employment in the public sector. 

“I first applied to an organization about a year ago, and I just started the interviewing process this December,” he said. “Right before I had an interview about three weeks ago, I learned that the hiring freeze was put in place, and until further notice my application has been paused.” 

The hiring freeze went into effect on Jan. 20 and is expected to last 90 days, ending in late April just three weeks before commencement. The pause not only affects soon-to-be graduates looking for full-time opportunities, but also those applying for internships with executive agencies.

According to the UMW Class of 2020 Outcomes, 6% of Mary Washington students entered government jobs after graduation, which is about 250 students. While UMW does not release data specific to how many of those students went on to work for the federal government, recent career acknowledgments highlight the federal opportunities pursued by UMW graduates. 

Assistant Professor of Political Science Jared McDonald advises students concerned about the impact of the hiring freeze to cast a wide net when looking for jobs. 

“Have multiple. If you’re someone certainly coming out of political science, there are a lot of different sorts of jobs, and certainly the public sector is one that we encourage,” he said. 

McDonald encourages students to take an interest in the public sector, but recognizes the potential difficulties associated with finding positions after graduation. 

“We want strong public servants, people who are devoted to doing a good job on behalf of the people as a whole,” he said. “They’ll be circling the wagons to protect those who are already vested in the system, and that means fewer opportunities for people who are coming out of college.”

Junior marketing major Nick Wederman, who hopes to work as a federal contractor upon graduating, believes the hiring freeze will impact students’ desire to join the federal workforce, even after the hiring freeze is lifted. 

“My biggest piece of advice would be to look away from the federal government right now and try to find the small businesses of America,” he said. 

For the time being, any student who has considered working for the federal government or who may have already applied to a government job will be put in a state of limbo until the freeze is lifted later this spring.