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Hi. Total newbie here, and so I think some introduction is useful before I ask a blizzard of questions. I'm a 30 y/o male, in New Jersey. I have a BS in Political Science from some small Jesuit university nobody's ever heard of (with a really crappy GPA, like 2.3 - but getting the degree is something, right? Right?), earned back in 2007. Then, a crappy market research job that crippled my confidence and didn't even last 9 months later, I got stuck unemployed (you'll see why next paragraph) for about 2 years. Then I went to my local community college from 2010 til this semester, and I've just finished an AAS in Paralegal studies. My paralegal GPA is amazing: 3.74 or something. I'm sure about the 3.7 at least, my eyes practically bugged out looking at my unofficial transcript, I was shocked I had done so well. So I promised more in this paragraph? Well, here goes: I'm disabled as hell. I have cerebral palsy (but I can walk, barely); I'm blind in my right eye (but not in my left, even though the field of vision and visual acuity are horrible...so while the state of NJ calls me blind, I'm not blind to the feds (ie, to social security)...I have no idea either!); I'm deaf in my right ear; I have fine and gross motor issues. And to top it off, I have depression as a result of the physical crap, and I've had that diagnosed since I was 15, but probably actually had it since I was much younger. (In case you're wondering, I'm on SSI (plus get part of my dad's social security somehow, because I was disabled before age 22), and live with my parents still.) The 2.3 was because college was my first time away from home...And I had what, looking back, I know now to be severe anxiety issues because, frankly, my mental state was not good when I went to college. I learned my lesson though, and kicked rear end (as noted) with my paralegal stuff in part by *not* trying to juggle "away from home alone" with "going back to school", since I did it at my local community college. Things I wonder though (here comes my blizzard of questions): 1. Who decides if I qualify under Schedule A? Me? Someone else? 1B. Does it look at the totality of the circumstances, or do I have to clear the bar on one issue by itself? Because with me...The issues one by one wouldn't be that disabling, I suppose. But they're not present on their own, they're present with the others, and the result is that I'm very much disabled. 2. Which GPA matters for federal job-hunting purposes? On the one hand, I have the BS which gets me to GS-5. On the other hand, my paralegal GPA is more relevant to the position, much *higher*, and more recent. 3. Is there *any* disadvantage to me, at all, if I decide to qualify for Schedule A via my psych issues? For example, will it make getting a security clearance or suitability determination harder later on if that's where my career leads me? 4. Why does every job seem to require a Driver's License? (I can't drive, for reasons which should be obvious.) Jobs which rationally seem like office jobs...want a DL.  It kinda automatically screens out the disabled, tbh.And a brief technical question: 5. For USAJobs...Trying to upload my unofficial undergrad transcript, and naturally the PDF that results from combining the scanned pages (which scanned in as JPGs) into one file is well beyond 3MB. How the heck do I reduce the file size to below 3MB so I can submit it? I do not have Acrobat or similar (just reader), and don't (see the SSI thing) really have money to burn. Hoping nothing I'm saying is too unnecessary or clueless...
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May 20, 2014 20:42
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If you were an immigrant I could better answer your questions as to how you would be qualified, ha. Normally I would bet the federal government not thinking you were disabled would be the end of it, but I am pretty sure any doctor can get you the documentation you would need to qualify; I would be utterly shocked if your situation was not seen as a straightforward physical disability issue. You are probably going to have to list your GPA for every college program you were in, at least if you use the USAJobs résumé builder; the good news is that your recent GPA is higher and that is always a good sign. I have no clue about the psychological issue qualifying, but I cannot imagine anxiety/depression are in the "potential traitor due to lack of impulse control" psychological issues. I mean, I barely know what I am talking about, but it really seems like money-related or trust-related issues are the ones of specific concern. I am confused that every job requires a driver's license. That may suggest that whatever jobs you are applying for are like "this job plus courier/errand runner" positions. Otherwise yes I cannot imagine that would not be discriminatory. Finally, online PDF compression tools are awesome and are the only reason I could ever get my transcripts uploaded (degrees from three institutions and additional courses from another one = good luck uploading a single merged high-quality scan without running it through a compressor, given the size limitations).
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May 21, 2014 06:42
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My husband (Silent Nature here) is deaf and was hired into the government through Schedule A. He had his state Vocational Rehabilitation counselor write a letter which stated he had a disability qualifying under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u) for Schedule A hiring. If you don't have vocational rehabilitation, I believe that a medical professional can also write the letter. When you have a letter, just attach it to your USAJobs profile so that it can be provides when applying to Status and Public postings. You can also try to contact the Special Placement Program Coordinator (SPPC) for agencies you are interested in, but we never saw much from them. http://apps.opm.gov/sppc_directory/searchlist.cfm I can't answer much about the jobs requiring drivers licenses; all of my positions so far haven't had that since I sit at a desk all day.
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May 21, 2014 11:33
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I'll handle NintyFresh's reply afterwards:Quarex posted:If you were an immigrant I could better answer your questions as to how you would be qualified, ha. Normally I would bet the federal government not thinking you were disabled would be the end of it, but I am pretty sure any doctor can get you the documentation you would need to qualify; I would be utterly shocked if your situation was not seen as a straightforward physical disability issue. My thought too, but the forms make me confused. quote:You are probably going to have to list your GPA for every college program you were in, at least if you use the USAJobs résumé builder; the good news is that your recent GPA is higher and that is always a good sign. Oh, good. quote:I have no clue about the psychological issue qualifying, but I cannot imagine anxiety/depression are in the "potential traitor due to lack of impulse control" psychological issues. I mean, I barely know what I am talking about, but it really seems like money-related or trust-related issues are the ones of specific concern. Whew! quote:I am confused that every job requires a driver's license. That may suggest that whatever jobs you are applying for are like "this job plus courier/errand runner" positions. Otherwise yes I cannot imagine that would not be discriminatory. Not every, but seemingly every. Keep in mind where I'm writing from, Central NJ. Especially for entry-level jobs, everybody wanted a car until I got to NYC. quote:Finally, online PDF compression tools are awesome and are the only reason I could ever get my transcripts uploaded (degrees from three institutions and additional courses from another one = good luck uploading a single merged high-quality scan without running it through a compressor, given the size limitations). Recommendations on said tools?
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May 21, 2014 13:21
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NintyFresh posted:My husband (Silent Nature here) is deaf and was hired into the government through Schedule A. He had his state Vocational Rehabilitation counselor write a letter which stated he had a disability qualifying under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u) for Schedule A hiring. Ah. So what do the SPPCs do? And yeah, I'm never sure if I do have voc rehab or not. The NJ Commission for the Blind is really hard to get a hold of.
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May 21, 2014 13:24
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Spacewolf posted:Ah. So what do the SPPCs do? One of our friends is a SPPC under USDAs sub-agencies, and she gets resumes of job seekers looking to utilize Schedule A. If there is an opening that fits, she can provide that candidates information to whoever is managing the job posting or the hiring manager. I'm not too sure. She also works with reasonable accommodations for the agency. It doesn't guarantee much. The only SPPC that responded to my husband just sent him information on the agency. Granted that was in 2009/2010 and right around the time the persons with disabilities Executive Order went into effect, so things were a bit different.
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May 21, 2014 17:58
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Spacewolf posted:Recommendations on said tools? I would not necessarily blame you if you were leery of an online program to do this, but I just forge ahead assuming everything will be OK. Though it helps that the personally identifying information on my transcripts is not quite sufficient to do anything useful, now that Social Security numbers are never listed anymore.
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May 21, 2014 22:07
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It worked, YAY! Weeks-long annoyance solved, yay!
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May 22, 2014 02:39
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Spacewolf posted:
My place focuses on the most recent. It is odd, though, this was the only interview I had that ever bothered to look at my transcript and not just glance at my GPA. They pulled out a semester where I did worse than other semesters and asked me about it despite my overall excellent GPA. So though you may qualify based on the newer GPA, they may ask about the lower one. Just explain like you did here and I am sure they will not hold it against you. Spacewolf posted:3. Is there *any* disadvantage to me, at all, if I decide to qualify for Schedule A via my psych issues? For example, will it make getting a security clearance or suitability determination harder later on if that's where my career leads me? Probably not, but like all things with security clearances it depends. It will also depend on what investigation is being done, and if it is an intelligence position, and exactly what problems and meds were involved and... Well, lots of things. They ask quite a bit on an SSBI, for instance, to obtain Top Secret that they do not below that. But whether you were Schedule A or not you would have to disclose it, so in that sense it does not matter. Spacewolf posted:4. Why does every job seem to require a Driver's License? (I can't drive, for reasons which should be obvious.) Jobs which rationally seem like office jobs...want a DL. Travel. I have a mostly office job these days and even when I was not traveling a great deal there might occasionally be times I had to go to an offsite or contractor or some other place. If travel is not listed as a significant portion of the job, however, they won't hold it against you if you have valid health reasons not to get a license.
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May 22, 2014 17:11
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e_wraith: Re GPA: Yay, thanks for that info. Takes a huge weight off my shoulders. I can *explain* it fine, usually, though we'll see if I flub it face to face in an interview. (My concern, honestly, is the points of the process *before* an interview. I'm scared people will see my undergrad GPA and send the application to the trash without giving me a chance to explain how it happened.) Re clearances: I know. At the moment, the only jobs I'm looking for are Legal Assistant and Paralegal positions, so I'm hoping the requirements re clearances and the like are minimal. So far as DLs: Eh, I get what you're saying. It makes sense, just...Gah. The problem is just as bad in the private sector (where I am, anyway), since paralegals often act as couriers for attorneys, getting documents delivered and such. Makes being too blind for a DL a major problem. On that note...Anybody here in job fields 0950 (paralegal specialist) or 0986 (legal assistant) or know people who are? Looking for insight as to what said jobs actually entail in the federal government, beyond the dry job descriptions.
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May 24, 2014 15:33
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Spacewolf posted:
As far as I can tell the system only looks at the latest GPA for the draw part, not an official statement by any means but in my experience it sure seems that way. An actual person may look at it down the line or may just assume it's all good because your resume was pulled in the first place. But being qualified for the pull is the biggest thing. Just a bit about where I am coming from on this, I actually worked on a few hiring panels when I was earlier in my fed career for entry level developmental positions. I'm in just over 8 years now, drat, having given up a job in the private sector that I got out of school to go on an aircraft carrier, er, I mean start over in one of those developmental positions. Oh, the other thing Schedule A may do for you is grant you an initial, immediate exception to the driver's license thing, so that may be another reason to pursue it.
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May 24, 2014 17:33
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Whoa. OK...So the system only cares about your last go-round in the educational system? Raises a question. How about the Superior Academic Achievement qual for GS7?
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May 24, 2014 19:09
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Paralegal specialists with SSA ODAR write decisions and top out at a 12. It's the same as attorney advisor but attorneys can be promoted outside of management and paralegals can't.
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May 24, 2014 20:57
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Anyone want to be a probation officer in DC? How about a social worker? Probably closer to the second than the first. We're hiring a new class of 20. Application closes 6/10/2014. I would say it's not that competitive, but they're hiring at GL-9 this year instead of 7 so it might be a little tougher than in years past. Still, I think anytime an agency is hiring a bunch of people you have way better odds than if they're just hiring one or two. Most people last time around just had 4 year degrees but there were a good amount of graduate degrees too. A few people got hired right out of college with no experience, but again, that was when they were hiring at GL-7. https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/370850200 https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/370956400 (bilingual announcement - Spanish) Job: You're essentially a probation/parole officer, but about 80% of your job will feel closer to social work. If you look at the job announcement, it kind of looks like they're trying to push that to 90%. Not a bad job. Help people who need help, punish people who need punishment. No weapons, you don't make arrests. You will end up in the projects by yourself, so make sure you're comfortable with that. You should be good at communicating and getting people to like you, have patience, be a good writer (there are plenty of terrible writers, but please don't add to this issue). It's not a bad place to work, but keep in mind this is a highly dysfunctional agency and you will get weekly reminders of that. Your supervisor kind of makes the job. With a good one it can be fun, with a bad one...gently caress. Your office will either be in downtown DC or in a field office in the hood. Upside of the hood is there's usually free parking, but you might not be able to metro. Law enforcement pay/retirement. Cannot be older than 37 years old. Going by the last announcement, expect the timeline to be something like this: Written test late June/early July, interview July/August, acceptance letter August/September, start in late October.
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May 27, 2014 22:32
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I had a big post written up on this, but I am just going to condense it to this and if someone wants me to elaborate that is fine: Is there really as much job mobility/promotion potential in federal employment (for non-contractors, anyway) as the original post, and now my own on-the-job conversations, make it sound? I am not sure I understand why, for example, a guy who worked at the Social Security Administration a few years ago and is now with Citizenship and Immigration Services is now about to move to the Center for Disease Control. Or maybe this is just because I actually wanted to work in immigration so I am confused why people are just arbitrarily hopping everywhere.
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Jun 1, 2014 04:03
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Quarex posted:I had a big post written up on this, but I am just going to condense it to this and if someone wants me to elaborate that is fine: As diverse as the missions of various agencies are, there are many jobs which exist in practically every agency. Every agency has the various HR-type jobs, accountants, IT specialists, budget analysts, security specialists, etc. Even for those jobs which are unique, the skills required to perform the jobs are often portable. A claims examiner for the SSA has skills in detecting fraud, which can be put to use with USCIS. In USCIS he gets put into a position analyzing data, which he can then put to use at CDC.
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Jun 1, 2014 15:23
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People chase GS levels too. Some agencies have 12's as journeymen with a few supervisory 13's. Others will have 13's as journeymen with 14 supervisors. You can also chase AUO, paid moves out of area, easier commute, student loan repayment. Some quasi-govt agencies like FDIC & FHFA pay over GS levels & contribute more towards health insurance (75 vs 83%).
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Jun 1, 2014 16:02
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Uh, what's AUO?
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Jun 2, 2014 03:25
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Administratively uncontrolled overtime. It adds 5-25% to your base pay.
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Jun 2, 2014 04:12
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Spacewolf: The main difference between schedule a [and vra] excepted appointment is that you start in the excepted service, not the career service. You don't get the benefits of a career employee until your two year trial period is over and your agency converts you over to the career service. Realistically though it doesn't matter. You're a regular federal employee for all intents and purposes when it comes to benefits and the like. Your "probationary period" is longer [two years instead of one.] The most important thing is it helps you get your foot in the door. And you can use your schedule a over and over up to a certain grade level [nine I think]. The only disadvantage is when you use your schedule a your trial period resets back to two years. On the subject of clearances and the like: my wife and I are both disabled [mine is psychological] and we both have secret clearances. I wouldn't worry about it. Specifics on schedule a: all you need is a letter from a medical professional like your family doctor on their letterhead saying you qualify for a schedule a appointment. The dept of labor has really good guidance on it. The most important thing is that your letter does not need to specify what your disability is [in fact it's not supposed to]. Your agency will ask you to fill out a Standard Form 256 when you are hired which is a self-identification of disability form. That's the first and last place it comes up unless you need your agency to provide some sort of reasonable accommodation for you. The federal government is very very good for the disabled. Every agency I have worked at has had a very diverse group of employees spanning all disabilities. My agency loves hiring non competitive candidates because it helps fill jobs faster. If we can just bring someone on and not have to deal with usajobs bullshit it's great. A lot of words about schedule a but it's my specialty -- I work for Federal HR and excepted appointments are my thing.
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Jun 2, 2014 05:36
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Oh Mr. Federal Human Resources, I have two questions for you! One, our local office brought people in at the "wrong" (higher) step, and then asked if they would please sign a document acknowledging this mistake. Naturally these people immediately talked to the union and are going to refuse and fight it. It seems to virtually everyone like there is no chance that human resources is going to win--is there something we are missing here? Is it ever OK to have someone sign a contract at a salary and then be like "just kidding?" Two, we also got word that the district(? I have no idea how this works I am new here) human resources people said they will put a black mark on our record if we try to leave our post before a year is up. This also is universally agreed-upon to be untrue and probably illegal--is this just some hosed-up rumor or is there another thing we do not understand about human resources being able to flag someone's file as "probably unreliable" or something?
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Jun 2, 2014 06:37
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Verdugo posted:Spacewolf: Good to hear! I knew goons would be able to come through with info! 
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Jun 2, 2014 13:08
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Quarex posted:Two, we also got word that the district(? I have no idea how this works I am new here) human resources people said they will put a black mark on our record if we try to leave our post before a year is up. This also is universally agreed-upon to be untrue and probably illegal--is this just some hosed-up rumor or is there another thing we do not understand about human resources being able to flag someone's file as "probably unreliable" or something? From what I've found in my service there are always entry level jobs that if you screw them up will blackball you from government service. I have a friend that got blackballed after he left a tax call centre after 2 months. Yay, it's a crappy job but it's universally know as a quick way into the government to bypass hiring during tax season as if you do a good job they will keep you on and you can start jumping to different agencies after that. If it's an easy hire department, then yes they will blackmark you.
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Jun 2, 2014 14:57
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sbaldrick posted:From what I've found in my service there are always entry level jobs that if you screw them up will blackball you from government service. I have a friend that got blackballed after he left a tax call centre after 2 months. Yay, it's a crappy job but it's universally know as a quick way into the government to bypass hiring during tax season as if you do a good job they will keep you on and you can start jumping to different agencies after that. How is that job crappy? I mean crappy in what way? Every time I've called the IRS, they've been exceedingly helpful, and haven't seemed like they were rushing for a quota or anything. Is putting up that facade despite relentless metrics obsession the way that it sucks?
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Jun 2, 2014 17:44
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VideoTapir posted:How is that job crappy? I mean crappy in what way? Every time I've called the IRS, they've been exceedingly helpful, and haven't seemed like they were rushing for a quota or anything. imagine a call centre job, but even worse in terms of stupid clients. Honestly, to this day I think he's an idiot for screwing it up.
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Jun 2, 2014 18:54
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There are a significant number of IRS Criminal Investigator positions open right now ranging from GS-5 to GS-9. I'm currently a 0512-11 and applied since the 1811 series journey level is GS-12 plus you get 25% LEAP and better retirement. There haven't been any promotions available here for a long time due to budget unfortunately and even being mobile my opportunities seem limited to find a 12/13.
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Jun 3, 2014 01:49
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VideoTapir posted:How is that job crappy? I mean crappy in what way? Every time I've called the IRS, they've been exceedingly helpful, and haven't seemed like they were rushing for a quota or anything. I work in one of the call centers, and I quite like it. Just started, but there are people who have worked there for 10+ years. It isn't as unpleasant as all that, but you do have to do a lot of things correctly, and they will fire you if make too many mistakes. The "crappy" parts of it are hat it is largely seasonal, so that about half the call center is furloughed every year, and thanks to budget cuts, training cuts, and hiring freezes, it is difficult to switch into something more permanent.
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Jun 3, 2014 02:21
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Is anybody familiar with the GAO's pay band scheme? I saw there were hiring analysts, but I can't find much on how the pay and promotions work.
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Jun 8, 2014 01:25
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sbaldrick posted:From what I've found in my service there are always entry level jobs that if you screw them up will blackball you from government service. I have a friend that got blackballed after he left a tax call centre after 2 months. Yay, it's a crappy job but it's universally know as a quick way into the government to bypass hiring during tax season as if you do a good job they will keep you on and you can start jumping to different agencies after that. Of course we had a whole two-hour seminar basically on "how to end up as a GS-15 or in the Senior Executive Service" and though the advice on "tailoring your résumé to the Executive Core Qualifications" was pretty good, at some point I just asked on behalf of everyone "so are you basically saying 'move to Washington D.C. to move up?'" and he said "well, pretty much." (Hey, why not, if it means busting hard into the higher pay grades, I will pretty much go anywhere) (I thought actually having a job would make me less likely to want to post here but IT JUST GOT WORSE)
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Jun 8, 2014 04:23
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Hahahaha, look at this skrub who thinks moving to a DC based HQ is worth the GS bump. As a DC based guy in the upper GS levels, there is something to be said for working where you want to live rather than chase GS levels in DC.
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Jun 8, 2014 05:22
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Evil SpongeBob posted:Hahahaha, look at this skrub who thinks moving to a DC based HQ is worth the GS bump. Fortunately(?) for me I am also concerned about being where my wife can find a good job, so unless she found something awesome in the Philadelphia-to-Richmond corridor I would be happier staying less-impressive anyway. I feel like we talked earlier in the thread and I should know this, but what agency are you in? Oh, looking through your post history here, I have a feeling you do not talk about this. But on the plus side I now remember you are the always-helpful-and-usually-cantankerous person I have come to love here. How are your current feelings on staying on versus shooting for earliest-possible-retirement?
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Jun 8, 2014 06:06
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Quarex posted:I feel like we talked earlier in the thread and I should know this, but what agency are you in? Oh, looking through your post history here, I have a feeling you do not talk about this. But on the plus side I now remember you are the always-helpful-and-usually-cantankerous person I have come to love here. How are your current feelings on staying on versus shooting for earliest-possible-retirement? Yeah, I am a bit  about my agency. I want to live in a high cost of living area in post-Federal retirement (coastal CA). I am going to leave as soon as I am eligible to retire as I need a "second career" job. So, I made some choices to max out my high 3. If you are planning on living in an area where your cost of living is covered by your Federal retirement, then work until you feel like quitting. Want to be a boss? Chances are (with most agencies) this requires a DC tour. The thing with DC is it sucks the life out of you. The high cost of living, weather, traffic and politics grind you down. Your buddies who aren't DC based complain if it takes them 30 minutes to get home or that they have too much yard to mow on their 3,000 square foot/5 acre home that cost them $350k. No matter what you decide, max out that TSP now!
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Jun 9, 2014 00:27
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Federal pay is pretty god damned terrible in the DC area, even with COL adjustments.
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Jun 10, 2014 11:47
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I wonder how much that contributes to the public-private revolving door, and if raising government salaries might lead to LOWER cost of living in DC.
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Jun 10, 2014 12:52
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Is there a federal contractor megathread?
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Jun 10, 2014 13:46
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psydude posted:Federal pay is pretty god damned terrible in the DC area, even with COL adjustments. On the other hand, if you like DC, it's a plus
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Jun 10, 2014 15:02
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Seamonster posted:Is there a federal contractor megathread? There's one in GiP, but it's more focused on overseas stuff. Most contractors just use this thread because we probably make up half of the federal workforce as is.
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Jun 10, 2014 17:11
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Is there a better way to search for jobs looking to hire people with Non-Competitive Eligiblity status than just clicking the option at the bottom of the Advanced Search on usajobs.gov? That check box includes all other kinds of federal hiring statuses including Veterans Benefits and agency specific qualifications so most of them have nothing to do with NCE.
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Jun 10, 2014 20:03
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I moved from Houston to DC. The real cost of living is far lower in Houston but the locality tables allow for a much nicer cost of living allowance for Houston (thanks NASA!). So in short my transfer to DC resulted in a lower base salary, higher cost of living, and lovely food. I moved for the job so I don't mind it in the grand scheme of things but If you're happy elsewhere, no sense in moving to DC.
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Jun 10, 2014 20:46
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Tortilla Maker posted:I moved from Houston to DC. You're going to the wrong restaurants if you think DC has lovely food.
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Jun 10, 2014 20:53
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