Washington, D.C. - Residents of the Rochester, New York media market today began seeing the Federal Government's innovative new "What did you do at your job today?" television ad series.

The ads, sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management - the Federal agency in charge of the Government's civilian recruiting policy and the operation of the Federal jobs website www.USAJOBS.gov - aim to attract new talent to a Federal workforce which is facing an impending retirement wave and currently has an average of more than 25,000 vacancies a month.

Since the ad campaign was launched last year, the ads - which feature actual Federal employees from a wide variety of professions and agencies - have aired in 17 local television markets across the country, in addition to being featured online at www.opm.gov.

According to U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Linda Springer, Rochester was chosen for the ads because - among other reasons - it is an area where there is an attractive talent pool from educational institutions such as the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

"What many of the markets where we are airing our ads have in common is they, like Rochester, have excellent educational institutions that are producing graduates with the kinds of skills the Federal government needs right now," noted Springer. Other factors taken into account by OPM, she stated, include unemployment rates in selected areas as well as market advertising costs.

Springer said www.USAJOBS.gov typically sees a spike of tens of thousands of additional visits from residents living in the targeted media market when ads are running. "This is an effort which really does spur interest in the full range of important and rewarding careers available in the Federal government," she said. The campaign will air in the Rochester media market through July 1.