Module 2 FEDERAL HIRING PROCESS

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Module 2FEDERAL HIRING PROCESS
Presented by Human Resources Division Please
Note The following content is subject to change
due to OPMs Hiring Reform Initiative. For more
information on the reform please visit
http//www.opm.gov. or contact a representative
from HR (content last updated 6/2010).
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Table of Contents

• Purpose...........................................
  ..................................................
  .............3
• Types of Vacancy Announcements....................
  ..........................................4
• Merit Promotion Vacancy...........................
  .................................................5
  
• MP Announcement Open Period.......................
  .......................................6
• Ratings...........................................
  ..................................................
  .........7
• Selection Process.................................
  ..................................................
  ...8
• DEU Vacancy.......................................
  ..................................................
  ....10
• DEU Announcement Open Period......................
  ....................................11
• Ratings...........................................
  ..................................................
  .......12
• Veterans Preference Rules.........................
  .................................................1
  3
• Objections........................................
  ..................................................
  .....18
• Rule of 3.........................................
  ..................................................
  ..........19
• Selection Process.................................
  ..................................................
  .20
• Job Analysis......................................
  ..................................................
  .......21
• When to Conduct a JA..............................
  ..............................................23
• Results of a JA...................................
  ..................................................
  ...24
• Crediting Plan....................................
  ..................................................
  .......25

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Purpose

• Ensure Candidates are selected based on fair and
  open competition.

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Types of Vacancy Announcements

• MP open to current Federal employees.
• DEU open to all sources inside and outside the
  Federal Government.

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Merit Promotion Vacancy

• Areas of Consideration
• Agency-Wide
• Current agency employees in competitive
  positions.
• Government-Wide, Status Candidates
• Typically current Federal employees,
• Previous Federal employment.
• Must already be in the system to be promoted.
• Have some other type of non-competitive
  appointing authority.

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MP Vacancy Announcement Open Period

• Must be open a minimum of 8 calendar days (or
  whatever is in agencys Merit Promotion Plan).
• If opened as agency-wide, position will be posted
  on agencys website as official notification to
  employees (please follow agencys Merit Promotion
  Plan).
• If opened to Status Candidates, it must be posted
  on USAJOBS.

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Ratings

• HR Specialist reviews applications to determine
  minimum qualifications.
• More than 6 minimally qualified, a rating panel
  is convened and assigns points on how well a
  candidate meets the Knowledge, Skills and
  Abilities (KSA) using a crediting plan (Please
  follow agencys Merit Promotion Plan for
  determining Best Qualified).
• 6 or fewer minimally qualified, the HR Specialist
  refers all that meet minimum qualifications
  (Please follow agencys Merit Promotion Plan for
  determining Best Qualified).

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Selection Process

• The Selecting Official receives the Selection
  Certificate
• Can interview all, some, or none of the
  candidates
• Any candidate on selection certificate may be
  selected
• Candidates listed in alphabetical order
• Selecting Official returns the Selection
  Certificate to HR
• Returned through internal channels, rather than
  directly to HR to ensure necessary Office level
  approvals
• HR Specialist makes the job offer
• Telephonically first
• Then in Writing (Offer letter)

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Selection Process (cont.)

• Noncompetitive appointment of certain Military
  spouses to Competitive service positions
• Those who are relocating with their
  service-member spouse as a result of permanent
  change of station (PCS) orders,
• Spouses of service members who incurred a 100
  disability because of the service member's active
  duty service, and
• Spouses of service members killed while on active
  duty.
• This appointing authority merely provides for
  non-competitive entry into the competitive
  service. It does not constitute, establish, or
  convey a hiring preference.

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DEU VACANCY

• Area of Consideration
• All Sources or Non-Status Candidates
• Advertised to everyone inside and outside of the
  Federal government.
• Also called Delegated Examining Unit DEU.

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DEU Announcement Open Period

• Must be open a minimum of 5 work days.
• Vacancy Announcement will be posted on USAJOBS.

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Ratings

• HR Specialist reviews applications to determine
  minimum qualifications.
• Further rating by Subject Matter Expert (SME) is
  usually required
• SME uses the crediting plan to assign ratings.
• HR Specialist adds any additional veterans
  preference points and then prepares the selection
  certificate.
• Candidates are referred based on their scores and
  according to Veterans Preference and the Rule of
  3.

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Veterans Preference Rules

• Must be followed when Selecting Official is
  considering candidates.
• Cannot pass over a veteran to select a
  non-veteran.
• 10-Point 30 Percent Compensable Disability
  Preference (CPS)
• Ten points are added to the passing examination
  score or rating of a veteran who served at any
  time and who has a compensable service-connected
  disability rating of 30 percent or more.
• 10-Point Disability Preference (XP)
• Ten points are added to the passing examination
  score or rating of
• A veteran who served at any time and has a
  present service-connected disability or is
  receiving compensation, disability retirement
  benefits, or pension from the military or the
  Department of Veterans Affairs but does not
  qualify as a CP or CPS or
• A veteran who received a Purple Heart.

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Veterans Preference Rules (cont.)

• 10-Point Derived Preference (XP)
• ?? Ten points are added to the passing
  examination score or rating of
• spouses, widows, widowers, or mothers of
  veterans as described below.
• This type of preference is usually referred
  to as "derived preference"
• because it is based on service of a veteran
  who is not able to use the
• preference.
• ?? Both a mother and a spouse (including widow
  or widower) may be
• entitled to preference on the basis of the
  same veteran's service if they
• both meet the requirements. However,
  neither may receive preference if
• the veteran is living and is qualified for
  Federal employment.

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Veterans Preference Rules (cont.)

• 5-Point Preference (TP)
•  Five points are added to the passing examination
  score or rating of a veteran who served
• During a war or
• During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1,
  1955 or
• For more than 180 consecutive days, other than
  for training, any part of which occurred after
  January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976 or
• During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990, through
  January 2, 1992 or
• For more than 180 consecutive days, other than
  for training, any part of which occurred during
  the period beginning September 11, 2001, and
  ending on the date prescribed by Presidential
  proclamation or by law as the last day of
  Operation Iraqi Freedom or

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Veterans Preference Rules (cont.)

• In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign
  medal has been authorized. Any Armed Forces
  Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including
  El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest
  Asia, Somalia, and Haiti,  qualifies for
  preference.
• A campaign medal holder or Gulf War veteran who
  originally enlisted after September 7, 1980, (or
  began active duty on or after October 14, 1982,
  and has not previously completed 24 months of
  continuous active duty) must have served
  continuously for 24 months or the full period
  called or ordered to active duty. The 24-month
  service requirement does not apply to 10-point
  preference eligibles separated for disability
  incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, or to
  veterans separated for hardship or other reasons
  under 10 U.S.C. 1171 or 1173.

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Veterans Preference Rules (cont.)

• For professional series (a positive education
  requirement exists) at GS-9 or higher, scores are
  augmented by veterans preference, if any.
• For all other positions, the following applies
• The names of CP and CPS veterans are listed at
  the top (automatically float to the top of the
  selection certificate),
• Scores are augmented by veterans preference
  points, if any, for XP and TP (do not
  automatically float to the top of the selection
  certificate).

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Objections to Veterans

• Can be based on medical or suitability issues,
• Sustained objections are infrequent.
• An example might be if an applicant intentionally
  provides false information on their application.

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The Rule of 3

• Selection must be made from the highest 3
  eligibles on the selection certificate
• An agency may not pass over a veteran to select a
  non-veteran.
• Documentation of Declination by Candidate
• Preferably in writing from the candidate (e-mail
  will suffice).
• Additional names can be certified.

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Selection Process

• HR issues the selection certificate (cert) to the
  selecting official
• Can interview all, some, or none of the
  candidates
• Selecting Official makes selection (adhering to
  VP Rules and Rule of 3)
• designates A for selection and NS for
  non-selection of other candidates.
• HR Specialist makes the job offer
• Verbal offer
• Offer Letter

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Job Analysis

• OPM Mandated,
• Identifies competencies/KSAs directly related to
  performance on the job.
• A Job Analysis should identify
• Basic duties/responsibilities of job, and
• KSAs required to perform the duties and
  responsibilities.

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Job Analysis

• Should be based on all relevant documents such
  as
• Position Descriptions,
• Qualification standards, and
• Classification standards.
• Must be documented thoroughly, dated, and
  maintained in case file
• Documentation of essential duties necessary to
  bring to the job AND how they will be rated.
• Must be completed before a Vacancy Announcement
  is created.

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When to Conduct a Job Analysis

• May not need to conduct a new job analysis every
  time you seek to fill a job,
• If there are recurring jobs in the same
  occupation with similar duties and
  responsibilities, job analyses can be
  standardized, or
• If the job is different/unlike another position,
  a job analysis must be conducted.

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Results of Job Analysis

• Should provide a list of tasks and duties
  associated with that job, which are then used to
  create the Vacancy Announcement, and
• Should identify the importance of tasks and
  duties and should include an indication of the
  frequency with which these duties are performed.

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Crediting Plan

• Crediting Plan/Rating Schedule is the criteria
  used to evaluate an applicants job-related
  competencies/KSAs
• Ratings are performed by a Subject Matter Expert
  (SME).
• Each KSA has a Benchmark or Level of Achievement
  (Examples of Accomplishments) with an assigned
  point value.
• Levels of Achievement
• Outstanding
• Highly Satisfactory
• Satisfactory

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Crediting Plan (cont.)

• Examples of accomplishments can be gathered from
  the job information e.g., position descriptions
  and/or SMEs.
• Be specific in the crediting plan/rating schedule
  and try to steer clear of words like extensive
  and limited.

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Crediting Plan (cont.)

• Example Instead of extensive experience writing
  analytical reports we might include applicant
  provided examples of analytical energy reports
  they theyve written/co-written.
• Example Instead of limited experience working
  with Microsoft products we might say provided
  administrative assistance in order to run reports
  from Microsoft products such as Excel and/or
  Access.

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Crediting Plan (cont.)

• HR will take the lead to ensure that crediting
  plans are created and fine-tuned to be a valuable
  assessment tool.
• We need the active participation of the office
• SMEs know the job/type of applicant required to
  best fill the position.
• AOs can assist HR in the completion of the
  Crediting Plan (in advance of advertisement).

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Questions