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Can anyone who has experience with applying for jobs under Schedule A clarify something for me? I've been following this page - https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/abc_applicants_with_disabilities.cfm - to make sure I'm doing it right, but I'm still confused about the actual process for Schedule A hiring. I know there are two ways - competitive and non-competitive hiring. Competitive is just applying under the agency website/USA Jobs and you are in the same applicant pool as everyone else. Non-competitive is bypassing a lot of the competitive process, usually going through a DPM or SPPC. I think I'm just a little confused on what the process is like for competitive Schedule A hiring. Other government sites had made it sound like if you were applying competitively using USA Jobs, you were only providing your Schedule A documentation for demographic or statistical purposes (as in "Is the agency meeting its Schedule A hiring quotas?"). However, the ABC link above says that you'll still be considered for Schedule A. Which is it, or does it vary agency-to-agency? My second question is for applying for jobs through USA Jobs, should I be uploading my disability documentation from my psychologist? Should I also upload the SF256 "Self Identification of Disability" form? Some sources made it sound like I should only provide those when asked for them, and others are unclear. Sorry for all the questions. I've been running myself in circles googling this, and I feel like I'm going crazy (hah!) for all of the circular information or conflicting things from the different sites.
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May 16, 2016 17:44
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Aceofblue posted:Sorry for all the questions. I've been running myself in circles googling this, and I feel like I'm going crazy (hah!) for all of the circular information or conflicting things from the different sites. For what its worth Ive had much the same experience/reached the same point researching this issue as you seem to have. My understanding was the self-identification of disability form actually only necessary after you have been employed or conditionally hired. The proof of disability letter citing the Schedule A code is the key one for applications. From speaking to one person at the CDC to confirm I was following the correct process, she summed up the whole thing as "Apply normally through USAJobs and attach your proof of disability letter, stating your eligibility to be hired through Schedule A- you will be considered under the competitive process and there is a discretion to pick up your application through the alternate process from there. Also, submit your proof and get on our SPPC consideration database for non-competitive hiring". As far as I have got technically it just basically boils down to attaching the proof letter in your application and citing on your resume or cover letter you are eligible to be hired under Schedule A.
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May 17, 2016 00:53
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Anyone know anything about working for the SBA (as an agency)? I know it's not highly ranked/liked as an agency, but I'm kinda curious how lovely/good the regional offices are. I have an interview this week in the SF office.
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May 17, 2016 07:12
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TwoSheds posted:So I put in a few more apps this weekend, this time for Technical Writer-Editor positions, with the rationale that since it's for a higher grade level, MAYBE there might be less vets and competition in general, but I feel like with roles that don't require specific hard science skills or advanced degrees, I'm going to get shut out every time without vet preference, even though I have seven years of work experience as an editor and writer. I don't know if there's a question to add to that, but it's just frustrating. Do you guys think I'm wasting my time filling these out? The private sector isn't much easier to find work in, but at least with the Fed I don't have to weed through to pick out the scams and lovely door-to-door sales jobs disguised as legitimate positions. I only ever got in because I was overeducated/"overqualified" for my GS-9 position. I have certainly also never gotten any hits on my own writer/editor applications, though you have a few years' experience on me for sure. Also I am glad to learn that your avatar is, technically, edible. Beerdeer posted:Which SC are you at?
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May 17, 2016 13:30
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liz posted:So I was called for an interview today! Unfortunately I couldn't get it coordinated with my usual day off so I'm going to have to use a sick day... Seems they are only doing them Mon/Tues next week, and he said to set aside two hours as well. This is my first gov interview, what can I expect for these two hours? Any tips? It's been a couple weeks since my interview, heard nothing so I emailed my HR contact to touch base and he said they were still conducting interviews.... I know the process takes awhile, but does anyone have a general timeline? I had a different interview last week that seemed to go well, and I may be hearing from them this week so I'm not sure what to do if they make an offer as I would rather wait to see the results of my first interview? Also, concerning background checks, does this include college transcripts? At the time of my application, I did not have my transcript and the job was going to close so I had to guess my GPA and have now found out that it was a few points lower, is this a deal breaker?
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May 18, 2016 19:04
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liz posted:It's been a couple weeks since my interview, heard nothing so I emailed my HR contact to touch base and he said they were still conducting interviews.... I know the process takes awhile, but does anyone have a general timeline? I had a different interview last week that seemed to go well, and I may be hearing from them this week so I'm not sure what to do if they make an offer as I would rather wait to see the results of my first interview? Also, concerning background checks, does this include college transcripts? At the time of my application, I did not have my transcript and the job was going to close so I had to guess my GPA and have now found out that it was a few points lower, is this a deal breaker? If the second job makes a TO, accept it. Then, if the first one comes back with an offer, you can take that instead. It's better to have an offer in hand than to hold out for something that may never come through.
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May 18, 2016 19:41
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TwoSheds posted:If the second job makes a TO, accept it. Then, if the first one comes back with an offer, you can take that instead. It's better to have an offer in hand than to hold out for something that may never come through. Is that an acceptable thing to do? As in start a new job, then quit when a better offer comes through? I try not to burn bridges if I can because you never know who you'll be working with down the line... Man, I've read too many job resources boards!
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May 18, 2016 19:53
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liz posted:Is that an acceptable thing to do? As in start a new job, then quit when a better offer comes through? I try not to burn bridges if I can because you never know who you'll be working with down the line... Man, I've read too many job resources boards! As you may know, I'm not a fed (yet, fingers crossed), however I would say that yes, it's definitely acceptable. Tentative offers are tentative for a reason. That's why they come with a disclaimer saying not to make any major financial decisions based on them. If the position you accept a TO from suddenly disappears to budget cuts, you'll be screwed, so I think the feds would understand that you have to look out for number one. Edit: Actually, I misunderstood you. You're under the impression that you'll start at the second job before the first one gets back to you? I don't think it works that quickly. You may have a few months to go. TwoSheds fucked around with this message at 16:01 on May 21, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 19:57
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I hired on with a guy who got a Compliance Officer job in Las Vegas. There's a 90-day wait before you can apply for other positions internally. During those 90 days, the same job opened in Boise, ID, where he was from and wanted to live. So he applied externally and got the job. The area manager was kinda pissed about the whole thing, but couldn't really do anything about it.
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May 18, 2016 20:12
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liz posted:Is that an acceptable thing to do? As in start a new job, then quit when a better offer comes through? I try not to burn bridges if I can because you never know who you'll be working with down the line... Man, I've read too many job resources boards! I actually did this when I got my first government job. I had a firm offer for a seasonal IRS job and had my start date, then received a TO for a permanent position at another agency with a higher promotion potential. I figured it might take a while for that offer to pan out, so I accepted it and moved ahead with starting the firm job. The fourth day on the job, I was called with the firm offer from the new agency and they wanted me to start the next pay period (so, in about 10 days). I told my manager, who was understanding about it. It was a pain since I had a ton of paperwork going on at both agencies, but I wasn't the first one to do so. Just make sure if you do end up in that situation that you check leave and service computation dates. I had a hard time trying to get the correct date into all my eOPF paperwork and it took HR about two years to fix. Midge the Jet fucked around with this message at 20:17 on May 18, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 20:15
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So I went in an got offered a position with the SBA yesterday. I have non-competitive eligibility because I was a Peace Corps volunteer and I didn't really understand how powerful that was until I sat in on the interview and the director explained to me that without NCE filling the position would have taken over 9 months with a good chance that they'd have to restart the process because no suitable candidates would be sent over via the USAJOBs process. With NCE the whole process was about 3-4 weeks.
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May 18, 2016 21:37
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That is awesome. Is that a different kind of non-competitive eligibility than if you have already spent a year at the highest promotional grade available for a position? Probably, I feel like Peace Corps is its own thing.
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May 18, 2016 22:27
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NOR #2 just came in! I'm a little confused by the wording of the notice, though. It says that I'm qualified and have been referred to (Installation). This does mean human eyes are seeing my resume, right? Also, at what point in the process (if any) will I be on equal footing with veterans?
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May 20, 2016 16:13
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Never, it feels like.
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May 20, 2016 21:04
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For those of you who switched agencies/departments, how long did it take for your leave to transfer?
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May 21, 2016 18:49
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I think it took a month or so. But mine didn't just fail to transfer. Someone hosed up and when i went to put in for future leave at the new agency they said i was actually negative the amount of hours i had saved up. Don't know how quickly they transferred the wrong number...
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May 21, 2016 20:48
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Hey thread! Long time reader, first time poster. I have a couple questions. My wife is applying to multiple overseas jobs while we are traveling abroad long term. I have seen a few jobs that take issue with people applying from outside of CONUS but a great many say nothing. Has anyone run into issues with this? Secondly, she is using my 10 point veterans preferance (im 100% total and permanent) does it really make much difference? And thirdly, some of these jobs require a physical for members and family. Im a cripple. Is this going to disqualify us from overseas duty stations? Most of what she is applying for are on military bases, but some aren't. Thanks for your help, guesses and wild speculations!
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May 23, 2016 10:04
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bird cooch posted:Hey thread! Long time reader, first time poster. There has been a lot of talk lately about people that apply OCONUS being denied overseas benefits such as Living Quarters Allowance, Post Allowance, and Post Differential. Our new technical director ran into this when he applied for his current position while TDY here in Korea. He turned down the position and it was reannounced once he was back stateside. A little shady, but thems the rules. As far those rules go, they were recently reinterpreted and a great many federal employees overseas lost all of their overseas benefits. Your wife would definitely want to check with whatever agency she is applying to ensure she is going to be good to go. As for the 10 point veterans preference, it will certainly make a difference. You wife is eligible to apply for all federal positions as she qualifies for both VRA and the VEOA applicable positions. In terms of physicals, I have only ever seen one required of the employee and never the family. Your disability should not have any impact on her hiring, nor do I think it can be held against her.
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May 23, 2016 11:55
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Is there any reason to tell them? Our permanent address and all of our stuff is still in the states. Thanks for the info.
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May 23, 2016 12:49
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bird cooch posted:Is there any reason to tell them? Our permanent address and all of our stuff is still in the states. Sounds like it won't be an issue as long as she doesn't volunteer any information to the contrary when dealing with the Civilian Personnel office or the selection panel. When I was hired, there was an LQA eligibility form that I had to fill out that basically asked where I lived for the last few years. They also asked for copies of the back pages of my passport, but others have said that the local Civilian Personnel office didn't ask for anything. Our most recent hire had to send in three months worth of utility bills to verify his permanent stateside residence. I'm really not sure how in depth they are about that stuff now as the big eligibility debacle occurred over 4 years ago and the level of scrutiny differs between CPACs/CPAC personnel. With that said, it doesn't take much in the way of thought to bypass some of the silly checks that they perform. The whole thing is a sham and numerous people have skirted by or had their benefits returned by their higher command. It is what it is I suppose.
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May 23, 2016 13:08
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Yeah I mean, you obviously have not been reading the thread closely enough if you have not noticed that veterans, and particularly 10-point veterans, are discussed as the only people who can actually get hired in the first place, haha. It is not true, mind you, as there are plenty of non-veterans in the thread, but that will definitely be a huge help.
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May 23, 2016 13:22
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I see plenty of complaints about losing out to vets, but that doesn't really make it so. I know lots of vets that complain about usajobs too, but they just spam out applications. Also, theres years of this thread, im sure i missed/forgot lots of things in that time. But yeah, dumb question. Re: permanent residence. I wouldent want to do anything shady, we really do live in the us. We have just been on an extended vacation for a few months with a few months to go. Im sure its something that can be talked out or shown years of w2s or something.
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May 23, 2016 14:02
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bird cooch posted:I wouldent want to do anything shady, we really do live in the us. We have just been on an extended vacation for a few months with a few months to go. Im sure its something that can be talked out or shown years of w2s or something. Oh and yeah this thread is a billion pages long, I even tried specifically to read every post when catching up and I am sure I missed plenty. And obviously it is not like every veteran immediately gets every job to which they apply, which is something that people do not think about. Plus the fact that merit promotions ignore veterans' preference always makes me think that veterans have to be somewhat more likely to end up staying longer at the job they initially get, but maybe that is not true at all?
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May 23, 2016 14:36
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I am guessing a job posting that only lasts one day, for example for a legal assistant job, is as clear a signal of "We already have someone and posting this is just to fulfill formal legal obligations" as it is in the private sector?
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May 26, 2016 02:25
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Jacobin posted:I am guessing a job posting that only lasts one day, for example for a legal assistant job, is as clear a signal of "We already have someone and posting this is just to fulfill formal legal obligations" as it is in the private sector? Not necessarily, they may just not want to dig through 1,000 applications for a relatively low-level position.
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May 26, 2016 02:28
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TwoSheds posted:Not necessarily, they may just not want to dig through 1,000 applications for a relatively low-level position. Well away I go then.
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May 26, 2016 02:29
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 The perfect job just opened up today. It's in the Army Corps, in the city I already live in and enjoy, for a GS 11/12 aquatic scientist job that sounds absolutely perfect for me. I'm more than qualified and have already spent the last 3 years here doing research on the same river system so I'm already an "expert."How hosed am I for getting my hopes up, and how likely is it that I'll get a "Sorry, your name was not referred to the agency because there were enough veteran's preference candidates that must be referred ahead of non-preference candidates" letter? The answer is really loving dumb for getting my hopes up and really likely that I won't be referred 
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May 26, 2016 03:54
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Aceofblue posted:
I'm the last guy here that's qualified to be giving motivational advice, but this much is true: the only way you are guaranteed not to get the job is if you don't apply. Also, are there really that many veterans who decided to get into aquatic sciences?
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May 26, 2016 03:59
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TwoSheds posted:I'm the last guy here that's qualified to be giving motivational advice, but this much is true: the only way you are guaranteed not to get the job is if you don't apply. I've gotten the "we found you highly qualified but not a veteran" email for the last 3 military/army corps ecologist/aquatic scientist jobs I've applied for, so maybe I am just unlucky?  But at least for this one I've collaborated with some Army Corps people in the city and can maybe make a few phone calls. So there's that at least!
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May 26, 2016 04:03
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TwoSheds posted:I'm the last guy here that's qualified to be giving motivational advice, but this much is true: the only way you are guaranteed not to get the job is if you don't apply. Probably tons of ex Navy guys that worked on river/shallow water stuff for various reasons.
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May 26, 2016 04:08
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For some reason, I thought veteran's preference didn't apply to GS-9 and up professional or scientific jobs as defined in some appendix somewhere. Is that not true?
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May 26, 2016 04:19
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Max Peck posted:For some reason, I thought veteran's preference didn't apply to GS-9 and up professional or scientific jobs as defined in some appendix somewhere. Is that not true? Well, I did just find this quote:1. For Competitive Service So their points still apply, but they don't get put at the front of the list for all applicants, just ahead of everyone else in their same ranking. So if it were a veteran and me that were ranked highly qualified, then the vet would still be ahead. If a vet were "qualified" but a non-vet was "highly qualified," that makes it sound like the non-vet would get it in that case and the veteran's points wouldn't apply.
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May 26, 2016 04:57
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Oh that is interesting. Dang. All the more reason to be frustrated that I took the first GS-9 job I was offered rather than holding out for a good GS-11 since there would have been less fierce competition I guess? Oh well, if I can ever get promoted out of a 9 any lingering bitterness I have will dissipate like... [checks topical comments] the sediment in a river basin!
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May 26, 2016 14:09
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I figure the answer is "it depends" but is there any definite meaning to "term NTE 2 years"? Like is that a renewable term where you can get reappointed, depends on budget/need, a firm "you will have to get another job after two years," or what?
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May 26, 2016 15:59
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I figure the answer is "it depends" but is there any definite meaning to "term NTE 2 years"? "It Depends" Some postings are NTE a year or so but you can convert to perm from them. One I just applied for is NTE 1 year, possibility of 4 year extension and guarantee of a return to the pre-NTE job if you don't convert to perm. Check the announcement carefully.
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May 26, 2016 18:02
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Did they completely reformat the USAJobs Résumés in the last few weeks or is my browser just messing with me? I formerly had a super-tweaked-and-chopped document that still took up a full 5 pages, and last night I noticed it is now down to a mere 3 pages, and certainly looks much better-formatted.
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Jun 1, 2016 14:58
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I found the job "Special Events & Conference Coordinator" and I don't think I quite have the experience for it; I have plenty of volunteer experience, but not the one full year required for GS-09. How would I figure out which GS-07 positions I should look at? Searching by keywords doesn't give me very much.
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Jun 2, 2016 03:12
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So tomorrow it will be a month since my interview at the district court, should I be worried that I haven't heard anything back? I emailed a couple weeks ago and he said they were still doing interviews.
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Jun 2, 2016 19:51
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For everyone interested in being considered under Schedule A, do yourself a favor: Contact Bender Consulting to submit an employment application to get on OPM's Shared List. OPM maintains a list of job candidates who are qualified under Schedule A, and they've contracted with Bender Consulting to administer the list. Any time I have a vacancy I go there first because it gives me the opportunity to look at a broad range of candidates. I have hired one individual using this method and she is probably the best employee I've ever had. If she had applied through a USAJOBS posting she never would have been considered because the cert would have been filled with eligible veterans. I actually hired her without a vacancy ever being advertised. This flyer has more info: http://www.benderconsult.com/sites/default/files/u56/OPM%20Candidate%20Flyer.pdf If you are Schedule A eligible and are a college student or recent graduate, you should also register with the Workforce Recruitment Program (https://www.wrp.gov). It is a program jointly administered by the Departments of Defense and Labor. They too develop a database of eligible candidates, though the process is a bit different. With WRP, you will actually be given a job interview as part of the process. As a hiring official, I have access to the notes from the interview so I can get a very good feel for a candidate before I ever call them.
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Jun 3, 2016 03:28
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I got a Notice of Results from a job I'd applied for but I haven't the slightest idea what, if anything, it means. It has a numerical score so I guess that's the score they gave my package and soon they'll decide what the cutoff score is for the next stage of things?
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Jun 3, 2016 09:20
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