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Quarex posted:(If it helps, academia has been hearing the same crap about "all the Baby Boomer professors retiring very soon" for more than a decade, too, and if anything things are just getting worse as the years go on there) True, but in academia the death of tenure is a big part of it--when baby boomer professors retire, they are replaced by adjuncts rather than tenured professors. It's a somewhat different problem. Not that the federal service doesn't have its own concerns.
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Mar 27, 2014 04:55
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Declan MacManus posted:No one is retiring, ever. They will die at their desks. Actually, this reminded me of a question I've had. How do agencies and companies have mandatory retirement ages without being hit with age discrimination lawsuits? Is there a specific exception carved out?
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Mar 27, 2014 05:12
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Law enforcement agencies had a court case a while back that confirmed that they can pretty much force people out as they were able to prove that being able to run/jump/shoot is an essential part of the job. No idea about the rest of the govt. though.
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Mar 27, 2014 08:07
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I'm graduating in May, and was wondering what my chances were to get hired into a GS5 for the Bureau of Prisons. The local prison has an accountant position open, and I am graduating with an accounting degree. My Dad works for the IRS in TE/GE and has promised to try and help, but I am wondering if there is any general advice for BoP or any knowledge of bureau specific hiring practices.
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Mar 27, 2014 16:41
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more friedman units posted:Actually, this reminded me of a question I've had. How do agencies and companies have mandatory retirement ages without being hit with age discrimination lawsuits? Is there a specific exception carved out? Outside of Law Enforcement, Air Traffic Controllers, and the Foreign service, there is no mandatory retirement age for Federal Employees. Some people in the private sector, and State Governments (like Judges in PA) are initiating lawsuits claiming mandatory retirement is age discrimination. numerrik posted:I'm graduating in May, and was wondering what my chances were to get hired into a GS5 for the Bureau of Prisons. The local prison has an accountant position open, and I am graduating with an accounting degree. My Dad works for the IRS in TE/GE and has promised to try and help, but I am wondering if there is any general advice for BoP or any knowledge of bureau specific hiring practices. If you are continuing your education your best bet is to look for a Pathways position which is developed with students in mind. http://www.bop.gov/jobs/students.jsp DoD has a similar program which I'm familiar with, where you're picked up on a Student appointment which can lead to a nice career ladder. Federal Jobs at the GS5 level [entry level] are usually open to the general public for application, and Vets / Disabled Vets get a preference over other citizens. Your best bet, unfortunately, as a regular citizen is to look for positions on usajobs on a regular basis, and keep applying. Sometimes obtaining a Federal Position is up there with winning a lottery since so many people apply. There is an assessment at the beginning of most job applications that will tell you what you need to be in order to be qualified (such as equivalent work at the prior level or a related degree), so don't self-disqualify yourself. An important note: the qualifying questions (do you have a degree, etc) are talking about your qualifications *at the time of application.* If you don't meet the qualifications on the day you apply, you are not eligible. There really aren't any "strings" to pull when it comes to applying on USAJOBS if you don't have any noncompetitive hiring authority, you just have to get "lucky." There are significant rules and regulations prohibiting hiring managers from deviating from the process and pre-selecting interviewees or pre-considering selections for a competitive federal position announced on USAJOBS. Keep in mind that you're not likely going to pick up a Federal job straight out of graduation. Some alternate paths include working as a federal private contractor and seeing how you can get picked up by the parent agency. However sitting in an equivalent contractor position [or even as an actual Federal employee in a temporary position] does not necessarily qualify you for a Federal competitive position. Otherwise, are you a vet? Are you disabled? Are you a disabled vet? A yes to any of those can help you get what we call an Excepted appointment, which is non competitive. Such as a VRA appointment or a Schedule A appointment. However, it depends on the recruiter / agency, as even these non competitive hiring authorities don't guarantee you employment. Also, some Federal Agencies like the Dept of Justice and Dept of Homeland Security subcontract out HR to another Federal agency for processing, like the USDA for example. Source: I work Federal HR. This is unofficial advice, etc etc. Verdugo fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Mar 28, 2014 |
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Mar 28, 2014 01:05
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I am not a vet but I am currently covered under the ADA if that helps, my dad is helping me with my resume too, so not a total loss.
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Mar 28, 2014 03:01
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numerrik posted:I am not a vet but I am currently covered under the ADA if that helps, my dad is helping me with my resume too, so not a total loss. Both of those things are good. Best of luck.
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Mar 28, 2014 03:03
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numerrik posted:I am not a vet but I am currently covered under the ADA if that helps, my dad is helping me with my resume too, so not a total loss. That's a good thing. Look into Schedule A appointments. With a Schedule A, you can be noncompetitively appointed, then converted to competitive service after a two year trial period. There are some ins and outs on Schedule A so check out http://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/20120103ScheduleA.pdf -- if you're ADA you can be covered with certification by your doctor. Keep in mind, it's not a GUARANTEE of employment, it's just another way in, one where you don't have to necessarily compete for the position.
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Mar 28, 2014 03:37
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themrguy posted:Law enforcement agencies had a court case a while back that confirmed that they can pretty much force people out as they were able to prove that being able to run/jump/shoot is an essential part of the job. No idea about the rest of the govt. though. Verdugo posted:Outside of Law Enforcement, Air Traffic Controllers, and the Foreign service, there is no mandatory retirement age for Federal Employees. Some people in the private sector, and State Governments (like Judges in PA) are initiating lawsuits claiming mandatory retirement is age discrimination. Makes sense they could argue for mandatory retirement in positions where good physical condition is required. I'm just curious how organizations will function when important positions are held by people well into their 70s or 80s.
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Mar 28, 2014 03:38
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more friedman units posted:Makes sense they could argue for mandatory retirement in positions where good physical condition is required. I'm just curious how organizations will function when important positions are held by people well into their 70s or 80s. I think they're literally just waiting on them to die.
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Mar 28, 2014 03:40
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Declan MacManus posted:I think they're literally just waiting on them to die. Or get fed up and retire. With the furloughs last year this happened. Also, commands can encourage an employee to retire by offering them a voluntary separation incentive, where they resign or retire and get a cash incentive to do so. This bars them from re entering federal service for a period of time.
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Mar 28, 2014 05:20
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more friedman units posted:Actually, this reminded me of a question I've had. How do agencies and companies have mandatory retirement ages without being hit with age discrimination lawsuits? Is there a specific exception carved out? When certain criteria are met, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 permits maximum ages for government-employed police officers and firefighters as well as some executives and high policymakers who are guaranteed pensions in excess of $44,000 per year.
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Mar 28, 2014 05:30
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So, as part of the sequestration/budget compromise in 2012, Paul Ryan had had the FERS contributions for new employees (like me) bumped up to 4.4%. Now he's proposing that it be increased even further, with additional cuts in the (non-military) civil service, including a 10% cut to staff, and limiting hiring to 1 for every 3 employees cut or "reduced". So, even though hopefully his proposed budget is a non-starter, I guess my question would be, is it a violation of the Hatch Act to hope that something unpleasant happens to him? Like maybe a painful rash or an unsightly boil? Or should I just refrain from hoping that while in the federal building?
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Apr 2, 2014 02:53
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If you have any questions about the Hatch Act, please refer to the ambiguous, outdated, and largely theoretical FAQ on our website. Inquiries about real or specific hypothetical situations can be sent via registered letter to: Office of Federal Employee Prosecution FBI Building 935 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20535 Please remember to include your name, address telephone number, a detailed descriptions of any past, current, or planned activities that may violate the Hatch Act, a fingerprint card, and a passport photo. You will be sent a generic request for further clarification within the legally mandated two week period.
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Apr 2, 2014 11:32
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Is it hard for someone with an AA (but incomplete BSc) and experience to get a software dev job with the government? My lovely GPA and whole not finishing thing comes down to "Because Good Reasons" but if I never get to the point I can even tell the interviewer those reasons I'd rather not waste my time.
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Apr 3, 2014 17:40
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2banks1swap.avi posted:Is it hard for someone with an AA (but incomplete BSc) and experience to get a software dev job with the government? My lovely GPA and whole not finishing thing comes down to "Because Good Reasons" but if I never get to the point I can even tell the interviewer those reasons I'd rather not waste my time. If you have experience you can almost always sub it for education. It won't be easy or anything but as long as you can check the boxes off in the application process and don't answer anything with "I haven't done that and I haven't been educated in it" then you've got as good of a shot as someone with a 4 year degree.
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Apr 3, 2014 17:50
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The authorized travel worksheet form I am filling out right now uses Comic Sans as the default font. Is ... is this awesome, or a terrifying harbinger?
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Apr 4, 2014 01:46
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Declan MacManus posted:If you have experience you can almost always sub it for education. It won't be easy or anything but as long as you can check the boxes off in the application process and don't answer anything with "I haven't done that and I haven't been educated in it" then you've got as good of a shot as someone with a 4 year degree. Alright but what about the lovely GPA part? I have a drat good reason, but I'd have to get to the interview to explain it.
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Apr 4, 2014 02:00
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2banks1swap.avi posted:Alright but what about the lovely GPA part? I have a drat good reason, but I'd have to get to the interview to explain it. Same as with any other interview process: don't list it as part of your resume and don't mention it in the interview unless they ask (and don't lie, obviously). I think the only instances where they specifically ask for your GPA are the recent graduate programs and the internships. If you've got examples of your work, they'll be much more interested in that than how you did in COMP 201. Just some other tips: -Don't leave anything out of your resume. Whatever you have, throw it in there. Bigger is better for fed work and they're used to reading bloated resumes. Don't use it for anything else, of course, but they have a computer run your resume before a person ever looks at it, so a bigger resume is better. -When writing your cover letter and tailoring your resume for specific positions, look at the job description. Pick out phrases and use them verbatim and incorporate them into your description of your duties of previous jobs. It makes a huuuuuge difference. -This is going to take a while. There are tons of perks to government work (stability, benefits, regular promotions, the ability to relocate and/or respecialize) so there are usually tons of applicants, and as such there tends to be a long gap between submitting your resume and getting contacted for an interview. The computerized portions are quick but even if you get through the screening process you still might not hear from an actual person for a few months. So keep looking for work even if you've applied for government work. Once they've decided to hire you, you can work with the government to schedule a start date so you're not filing your two weeks and relocating to a new city and every other thing that comes with a new job instead of cramming it all together. They don't always stick with the time you give them (look a few posts up) but they're pretty okay about it. Basically, getting to the interview is the hard part, but it's the hard part for everybody. The experience you have is better than a good GPA because it gives you poo poo to write about and point to and fill with keywords. You'll probably find this is true with most employers.
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Apr 4, 2014 03:55
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Quarex posted:The authorized travel worksheet form I am filling out right now uses Comic Sans as the default font. Maybe. http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrodgers/2014/03/28/sixth-grader-tells-government-how-to-save-400m-on-ink/
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Apr 4, 2014 05:25
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Untagged posted:Maybe. http://www.thomasphinney.com/2014/03/saving-400m-font/ tl;dr Why major news networks shouldn't get their cost estimates from 14-year-olds.
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Apr 4, 2014 05:33
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Quarex posted:The authorized travel worksheet form I am filling out right now uses Comic Sans as the default font. Are you dealing with HR? If it's not a crazy font, preferably cursive, in at least three different colors, with a quote about hope or love in the signature -- then it's not federal HR in DC.
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Apr 4, 2014 11:03
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The only emails I get are "This vacancy was canceled. Please reapply to vacancy #973827910." I got all excited too...
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Apr 5, 2014 08:17
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maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Jun 1, 2017 |
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Apr 7, 2014 18:30
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I recently became a job seeker again, and I'd really like to get a job in government. I've applied to most applicable usajobs openings, and I'm just wondering if anyone in the Washington state/pnw region in general might be able to help me get an actual interview. I am not at all sure if that's appropriate to ask in the thread but I'm rapidly getting closer to destitution here, and something has to give.
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Apr 17, 2014 20:36
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Wizard of Smart posted:I recently became a job seeker again, and I'd really like to get a job in government. I've applied to most applicable usajobs openings, and I'm just wondering if anyone in the Washington state/pnw region in general might be able to help me get an actual interview. I am not at all sure if that's appropriate to ask in the thread but I'm rapidly getting closer to destitution here, and something has to give. You should keep applying for government work, because it's awesome and stable. However, if you're truly approaching destitution, you need to be putting far more effort elsewhere. It took me almost 6 months from the time I applied for my job until I was able to start, and I understand that that's kind of on the fast side for a job requiring security clearance. The process for a job without clearance usually takes 2-4 months on average I understand. It's not something you can count on! So what you should do is try to find something to hold you over and then put in your two weeks once you get your gov job lined up.
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Apr 17, 2014 21:47
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Justus posted:You should keep applying for government work, because it's awesome and stable. However, if you're truly approaching destitution, you need to be putting far more effort elsewhere. It took me almost 6 months from the time I applied for my job until I was able to start, and I understand that that's kind of on the fast side for a job requiring security clearance. The process for a job without clearance usually takes 2-4 months on average I understand. It's not something you can count on! So what you should do is try to find something to hold you over and then put in your two weeks once you get your gov job lined up. Oh trust me, I'm eyeing the local pizza hut's "now hiring managers" sign, but I know that's not a career move for me. Unemployment pay is holding me out for the most part, but it's not a comfortable living and I want to get back to some kind of work ASAP. Still, though, I need to make a start on an actual career soon, and government is where I'd like to be.
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Apr 17, 2014 21:55
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Wizard of Smart posted:Oh trust me, I'm eyeing the local pizza hut's "now hiring managers" sign, but I know that's not a career move for me. Unemployment pay is holding me out for the most part, but it's not a comfortable living and I want to get back to some kind of work ASAP. Find some kind of work ASAP. Don't hold out for the government job, find something else while you keep applying.
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Apr 18, 2014 02:28
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Wizard of Smart posted:Still, though, I need to make a start on an actual career soon, and government is where I'd like to be. What kind of work are you looking for? Saying "I want a government job" is almost like saying "I want a job," in terms of the variety of jobs the statement covers. Also, do you have veteran's preference, a recognized disability, etc.? Sir John Falstaff fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Apr 18, 2014 |
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Apr 18, 2014 03:16
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Sir John Falstaff posted:What kind of work are you looking for? Saying "I want a government job" is almost like saying "I want a job," in terms of the variety of jobs the statement covers. Mostly anything HR related, and/or water treatment which I did in the army. I should have veteran preference, yeah. And I'm definitely looking for other work during the interim. I say "recently" as a kind of self defense /denial mechanism, I've been looking since January 7th.
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Apr 19, 2014 05:49
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Hay guys I am finally starting next week, it only took three months from the day I accepted the offer S'O.K., no complaints though for real, it has been hilarious getting here. And I am looking forward to "learn how to compose in coherent English" day during training; apparently those of us with graduate degrees* will want to kill ourselves seeing our co-workers being confused about concepts like "pronouns." * I like to think people with high school diplomas should have those down though
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Apr 19, 2014 05:57
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Is it just a myth that you pretty much always get some kind of notice if a position you've interviewed for is filled/dissolved? I did two interviews 4 and 6 months ago and gave up on them by now but still haven't gotten a rejection email.
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Apr 19, 2014 06:32
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Wizard of Smart posted:I recently became a job seeker again, and I'd really like to get a job in government. I've applied to most applicable usajobs openings, and I'm just wondering if anyone in the Washington state/pnw region in general might be able to help me get an actual interview. I am not at all sure if that's appropriate to ask in the thread but I'm rapidly getting closer to destitution here, and something has to give. Giving applicants an unfair advantage [pulling strings for interviews] is a prohibited personnel practice. Look in some of my earlier posts in this thread about non competitive appointments. If you don't qualify for those, you have to go the usajobs route. It can take months. I applied on an excepted appointment in November and it took until March to get everything finalized.
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Apr 19, 2014 14:42
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Verdugo posted:Giving applicants an unfair advantage [pulling strings for interviews] is a prohibited personnel practice. Look in some of my earlier posts in this thread about non competitive appointments. If you don't qualify for those, you have to go the usajobs route. It can take months. I applied on an excepted appointment in November and it took until March to get everything finalized. Oh OK. Maybe the part about having someone who can get you an interview should be edited out of the OP, then. I'll keep plugging away at USAjobs.
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Apr 20, 2014 18:37
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My girlfriend is applying for a job that will require her to get a secret clearance, but she has bad credit from two things. Her mother was wealthy and was paying for her mortgage and school loans. After her mother died, she couldn't pay herself and was foreclosed on. The mortgage company is not seeking any money from her. Her school loan was forged in her name by her mom (who had done lots of shady things to keep up appearance of being wealthy). The school loan company brought it to court once, and she has a lawyer for it, but the loan company withdrew the case. They might bring the case back to court again if they get any evidence together, but she didn't sign for the loan herself. She has lived within her means since her mother passed. Can she get a clearance since her troubles came from relying on her mother?
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Apr 26, 2014 22:47
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The SF-86 gives individuals the option to add comments explaining circumstances like this. It would be wise for her to explain what you've stated when she fills it out. I'd say she has better than even odds of getting it assuming there are no other major issues beyond this. It depends, to some extent, on the particular person who reviews the form as well. Depending on how the job posting is worded, an initial denial isn't necessarily the end. You can check out http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/ to get an idea on how appealed decisions tend to turn out if you are interested. There are much worse issues than your girlfriend's that ultimately have the clearance granted on there.
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Apr 26, 2014 23:53
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Certainly her best chance of getting clearance, which is pretty much the advice given in nearly every situation it seems, is "be 100% honest and explain every possible nuance of the situation you can think of and you will have a good chance." =-=-= Meanwhile, back on my first week on the job: "You may be sent to Texas for training as soon as two weeks after your start date" means "you will be sent to Texas one week after your start date." That is fine though, I am happy that they are sending me before I get an apartment and then leave it empty for almost two months. For everyone keeping track of my work schedule. I promise I will not post any more random things about my job in this thread unless someone demands to know. Oh this might be interesting though: On Friday in orientation when we were going over what practical purpose our officer badges serve (read: none since the breaking apart of INS, seemingly), one of the guys in class said "I heard if you are bumped from a flight you are taking for work you can show it and say 'this is government business, and I need to be on this flight.'" Then the instructor said "right, that's exactly the sort of thing that you should never do and might get in trouble for." Sweet!
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Apr 27, 2014 18:25
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It's interesting to hear about and relevant to the thread so please, post about your experience if you like  Zerstorung posted:Is it just a myth that you pretty much always get some kind of notice if a position you've interviewed for is filled/dissolved? I did two interviews 4 and 6 months ago and gave up on them by now but still haven't gotten a rejection email. Once you get past the initial screening process it's up in the air. The hiring process can take up to 10 months so who knows man
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Apr 27, 2014 18:37
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Quarex posted:Certainly her best chance of getting clearance, which is pretty much the advice given in nearly every situation it seems, is "be 100% honest and explain every possible nuance of the situation you can think of and you will have a good chance." Have fun at "lovely Middle Aged Spring Break" down at BASIC. Have they warned you about your behavior down there yet? People get pretty stupid. The Glass Cactus is terrible. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. It's dumb and expensive. The laser tag/bowling/pool hall place nearby has cheap passes for unlimited games of all their stuff. And they serve beer. It was the best bang for your buck as far as "fighting the crushing boredom." Also: are you actually GETTING a badge? Nobody I know hired in the few years has gotten one.
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Apr 27, 2014 18:57
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Declan MacManus posted:It's interesting to hear about and relevant to the thread so please, post about your experience if you like Manifest Dynasty posted:Have fun at "lovely Middle Aged Spring Break" down at BASIC. Have they warned you about your behavior down there yet? People get pretty stupid. The Glass Cactus is terrible. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. It's dumb and expensive. The laser tag/bowling/pool hall place nearby has cheap passes for unlimited games of all their stuff. And they serve beer. It was the best bang for your buck as far as "fighting the crushing boredom." They did tell us that the group two classes ago managed to get the bar policies permanently changed as so many people were drunk so frequently that they now actually cut you off at 9 P.M. rather than serving until everyone leaves. (I will clearly be in my room playing BioShock Infinite instead [actually the cowgirl in our incoming group has already informed me I am her rodeo/barbecue/boot shopping buddy]) Manifest Dynasty posted:Also: are you actually GETTING a badge? Nobody I know hired in the few years has gotten one.
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Apr 27, 2014 21:56
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