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There are underlying pay issues at all levels of government that need to be resolved before they try to chase the dragon of current tech labor practices. Tech compensation isn't exactly in a healthy place either.
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Nov 13, 2020 17:40
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Dr. Quarex posted:My favorite side story about federal tech hiring is how they can never decide whether they want good candidates or want to preclude employment based on past drug use (though I seem to recall some anecdote about the intelligence agencies backing off past marijuana use as a dealbreaker?) It wasn't IT work, but I had to get a clearance to work a DOD contract a couple of years back. The fact that I'd smoked weed a bunch in school wasn't an issue as far as I could tell. I sailed through the process to get my provisional clearance, and they certainly asked me about it at the interview for my real deal clearance, but it wasn't any kind of big deal. This was maybe three years before the interview and they seemed content with me not having smoked since then. They were far, far more interested in the fact that I'd lived outside the US a decade before and received a foreign scholarship to study outside the US. They really, really wanted to know about any foreign bank accounts I still had and these "payments from foreign governments." Even that was just me explaining that it was a one-off award and that I had no further contact or financial support.
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Nov 13, 2020 17:41
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TheMadMilkman posted:I feel that. I was a CS major when I started college, then switched for terrible reasons. Got my AS in CS 15 years later, which got me this job. I'm definitely getting tired of working for the government already. Barely a year in. I also want to make more money, like real money. Seeing some of the boomers in my office I never want to be like them. I can't stand their rice bowl mentality. Also the org is too top heavy. Multiple directors and deputies etc... but nobody seems to make any decisions. So we just wallow in ambiguity and survive from Friday to Friday.
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Nov 13, 2020 17:54
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Dr. Quarex posted:My favorite side story about federal tech hiring is how they can never decide whether they want good candidates or want to preclude employment based on past drug use (though I seem to recall some anecdote about the intelligence agencies backing off past marijuana use as a dealbreaker?) A lot of agencies are moving away from excluding peeps who had past drug use, even "hard" drugs, as long as you are not currently and have not recently even for LE jobs they are looking over it.
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Nov 13, 2020 18:10
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I’m pretty sure past drug use won’t even DQ you for DEA these days. They were more surprised I didn’t drink or smoke much at all, I think. In applying, a family member just got the dreaded “you don’t have the specialized work experience” stock reply. Does that mean they got rejected on the MC questions before anyone ever saw their resume? They remain (understandably) leery about the stern warnings for being caught not being 110% verifiably truthful, but I told them to hammer E and make them tell you no. This was an excellent fit for them and it’s lovely to get that sort of rejection.
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Nov 13, 2020 18:17
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Maybe a longshot Q here, but does anyone know if payscale parity crosses across different federal salary plans? I'm currently a JSP-[N] and I'm applying for a job on the GS scale where it's GS-[N-2] to GS-[N] range posted. Will I have to negotiate or can I just ask to be ported over to the equivalent level should I get an offer?
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Nov 13, 2020 19:01
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They should set you at the step that is closest to your current without going under, unless you are hired at a grade that steps out less than what you make now. Have to try to get them to salary match but depending on the position and stuff they may or may not be able to do that. Be sure to find out before you accept the position. As I had a coworker get super hosed by that, and since she accepted it OPM was like  when she tried to go back and get it changed. As we both came from the same GL positions, but I got them to match salary when going to GS and she didn't, so I'm making like another 10k over her. Rakeris fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Nov 13, 2020 |
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Nov 13, 2020 19:23
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Gov hiring drives me crazy. I'm eternally amused at my orgs inability to understand that if they pay gov employees 100k and the contractors 200k+ (market rate) why can't they grow an organic government work force? And in my old r&d org of a couple thousand, there was a handful of technical 14's and one 15 but hundreds of management 14's and a ton of 15's.
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Nov 14, 2020 15:18
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Rakeris posted:A lot of agencies are moving away from excluding peeps who had past drug use, even "hard" drugs, as long as you are not currently and have not recently even for LE jobs they are looking over it. The biggest things that disqualify people are problems with your credit history/ debt, time lived overseas where they can't verify your contacts, and lots of contact with foreign nationals here in the US.
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Nov 15, 2020 00:08
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Lady Bureaucrazy posted:The biggest things that disqualify people are problems with your credit history/ debt, time lived overseas where they can't verify your contacts, and lots of contact with foreign nationals here in the US. Without a doubt, the biggest issues that we run into is definitely credit/debt, and if you lived oversees and it wasn't for official gov business you hosed. For credit if it's simple stuff like you forgot about some 30$ med bill 2 years ago not a big deal but becomes a lot more of an issue very quickly for a lot of peeps.
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Nov 15, 2020 00:22
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gently caress I got rejected from a job app because for the reinstatement entry I needed to have a career permanent or career conditional job, but I only had a excepted appointment at GS? I thought excepted appointments counted too? I was there for more than a year too. :/ So much for the probationary period being just a year.
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Nov 15, 2020 00:38
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Artificer posted:gently caress I got rejected from a job app because for the reinstatement entry I needed to have a career permanent or career conditional job, but I only had a excepted appointment at GS? Push the issue. Contact the HR rep. You don't have anything to lose.
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Nov 15, 2020 00:44
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Artificer posted:gently caress I got rejected from a job app because for the reinstatement entry I needed to have a career permanent or career conditional job, but I only had a excepted appointment at GS? I really wish they'd slap the poo poo out of every department, agency, and bureau that does this poo poo and standardize probationary periods fedgovwide. We have some sub units with their own probation that their new employees have to finish before the general department probationary period begins so these poor suckers are literally on Double Secret Probation for like six years before they're all done with it.
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Nov 15, 2020 00:45
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Midjack posted:I really wish they'd slap the poo poo out of every department, agency, and bureau that does this poo poo and standardize probationary periods fedgovwide. We have some sub units with their own probation that their new employees have to finish before the general department probationary period begins so these poor suckers are literally on Double Secret Probation for like six years before they're all done with it. I've heard folks say that every grade increase on a ladder reset their probation. gently caress that noise.
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Nov 15, 2020 01:02
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Toshimo posted:I've heard folks say that every grade increase on a ladder reset their probation. gently caress that noise. Lmao gently caress
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Nov 15, 2020 01:36
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So what's the general consensus on the social security withholding? Somehow, it'll be forgiven (at least for federal employees) or "lol enjoy you're x2 withdraw' through April? I'm throwing an approximate amount per pay period in a savings account but I'm genuinely curious to see how this plays out come January.
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Nov 15, 2020 07:48
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Unfortunately, I doubt it will be forgiven. The optics of federal employees getting a tax holiday wouldn’t really play well with the public. I wish more agencies had given an opt out option.
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Nov 15, 2020 16:09
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Toshimo posted:Push the issue. Contact the HR rep. You don't have anything to lose. I've contacted them but the openings are closed already. Still, I'll send an email and see what's up with that.
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Nov 16, 2020 00:14
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EconOutlines posted:So what's the general consensus on the social security withholding? Somehow, it'll be forgiven (at least for federal employees) or "lol enjoy you're x2 withdraw' through April? Bend over and take it like every other American. I would anticipate Biden will make the IRS spread out the repayments over a wider period, but the media will fail to cover how bad of a poison pill Trump left for him and blame Biden for whatever he does.
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Nov 16, 2020 06:28
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It really was the dumbest idea, and of course agencies went along with it. I have been setting aside what I hope is the right amount, but man, it bugs me every single time.
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Nov 16, 2020 06:52
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GD_American posted:Bend over and take it like every other American.
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Nov 16, 2020 15:27
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IRS Performance Awards are coming at the end of the month. My info is already up on HR Connect. My reward is substantially higher than it was last year, which makes me very happy.
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Nov 17, 2020 18:37
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Biden would love to kill social security. There’s a very real chance that we’ll see another “Clinton doing to welfare what republicans couldn’t” moment.
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Nov 17, 2020 18:45
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Loucks posted:Biden would love to kill social security. There’s a very real chance that we’ll see another “Clinton doing to welfare what republicans couldn’t” moment. I'd like to think the Overton window has shifted and he recognizes it. I've no doubt how much he detests the program, but I think he realizes he can't move against it. If there's significant movement in Congress to remove some of the more odious parts of the program (2 year wait for Medicare, 5 month disability waiting period, earnings cap for early retirees) I don't even think he'd veto it. I would expect him to crank down on things within the realm of executive action, such as keeping up the war on disability recipients with 1 year reviews and ramping up SSI reviews. I doubt he even gets rid of Saul.
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Nov 17, 2020 20:59
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GD_American posted:I doubt he even gets rid of Saul. This is the worst part. Saul is a menace.
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Nov 17, 2020 21:13
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Toshimo posted:This is the worst part. Saul is a menace. It's a good thing he's so lazy. I don't believe absolutely everything I hear out of Baltimore but I believe that Grace Kim is more the commissioner some days than he is. I do laugh that his two signature moves (reopening field office Wednesday afternoons, destroying telework) became completely undone by COVID-19.
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Nov 17, 2020 22:59
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In the last month I have gotten "you are not qualified" responses from four postings I qualified for educationally. All from fairly similar jobs with FEMA. In each case, I responded saying that I did qualify. Because I did. In two cases, I received no response. That, at least, is expected. In one case, I received an apology, and a referral, after the person apparently finally noticed my education. Those are fine by me! I mean I am still not going to get the job but it is still fun In the one from today, we are back to the classic "your education must be related to the position," despite the posting not saying anything about what type of education would be related to the position. I know nobody knows, but how in the hell is education adjudicated on USAJobs applications anyway? Ugh.
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Nov 18, 2020 23:45
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Dr. Quarex posted:I know nobody knows, but how in the hell is education adjudicated on USAJobs applications anyway? Ugh. Individually, by the person doing the PMUC. As you've found out, their standards are not always consistent from opening to opening, as you'd probably expect due to the wide variety of openings and processors.
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Nov 18, 2020 23:49
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saintonan posted:Individually, by the person doing the PMUC. As you've found out, their standards are not always consistent from opening to opening, as you'd probably expect due to the wide variety of openings and processors. It was definitely a bigger deal to me before I had my first federal job and definitely had nothing but my education to rely on, but it still certainly feels like it turns education from a qualifier to a hindrance for the most part. Just gotta hope that the new administration somehow results in USCIS hiring again, since I know they want me back! And then watch them take remote work away again immediately the moment I arrive
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Nov 19, 2020 02:00
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First we need a budget, or at least another CR.
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Nov 19, 2020 02:46
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GD_American posted:I'd like to think the Overton window has shifted and he recognizes it. I've no doubt how much he detests the program, but I think he realizes he can't move against it. Has Biden said or done something to suggest that he detests social security? This is the first time I've heard this mentioned.
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Nov 19, 2020 04:06
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Thesaurus posted:Has Biden said or done something to suggest that he detests social security? This is the first time I've heard this mentioned. He had a hard-on for cutting it way back in the 90s (the crime bill got the most attention during the election season, but Biden had other odious views on the welfare state as well). Trump's people wised up to it being one of his weak points, but they cut the attack ads way too late. Part of it has to do with him being a hardcore deficit hawk long before the cat food kings made it uncool. https://theintercept.com/2020/01/13/biden-cuts-social-security/
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Nov 19, 2020 07:05
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saintonan posted:First we need a budget, or at least another CR. With 2020 being 2020 I fully expect government shutdown # (2?)(3?) to happen as the current administration's final middle finger to everybody.
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Nov 20, 2020 16:50
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Ya, he won’t sign a CR.
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Nov 20, 2020 17:20
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I believe that if a bill is passed by Congress and then the President just does nothing, it becomes law after 10 days (unless Congress is adjourned). Maybe that will get tested in December.
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Nov 20, 2020 17:23
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Which means he’ll sit on it for 9 days, veto it, then force congress to convene to override the veto. And since CRs are always passed at the last possible minute, expect to be furloughed for a while. Basically, with this admin, always plan for the worst possible outcome, because it is the most likely.
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Nov 20, 2020 17:25
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A few USPS goons have chimed in here before - and I was curious about some things. I applied to 2 part time associate rural carrier positions and got 2 job offers within 12 hours of each other 2 weeks later. Looking into it a bit further, it seems like the expectation for delivering mail is to either have a right hand drive car, or to convert a left hand drive car to right, or to straddle your center console and only use your left hand and foot to drive while reaching out the right front passenger’s window... Is the USPS so reviled by Congress they can’t buy a full fleet of right hand drive cars? I feel like I should start writing letters to my senator about it or something I tried this straddling thing out of curiosity in an empty parking lot and it was remarkably bad in a 2017 CR-V, so I don’t think I’ll be taking either offer— if I call these 2 post masters on Monday and they say they don’t have a mail truck I could use. But, if I were to take some other USPS job at some point, would that open me up to jobs for current federal employees? Or is the USPS too “different”? wolfs fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Nov 21, 2020 |
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Nov 21, 2020 16:26
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wolfs posted:Is the USPS so reviled by Congress they can’t buy a full fleet of right hand drive cars? Yes.
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Nov 21, 2020 17:00
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The USPS receives no tax money for its operations. It is entirely self-funded. My area office has two rural carriers. One uses an LLV and the other uses a minivan. The van is left-hand driven and I think it's her own vehicle. All four of our highway contract carriers use a personal vehicle that just has some US Mail signage on them. You'll have to figure out what each postmaster can provide or what they'll require of you in order to do the job. I'm a PSE (postal support employee) at an area office and just sort mail for the carriers. It's still a job with the federal government, but the Postal Service seems like it's just an entirely different animal. We don't use the GS pay scale and anything I've seen mentioned in this thread about any other jobs seems to apply. We actually work for a living  . If you can get a job with the Postal Service, then you should be able to get a job in any federal job you can conceivably qualify for.I really need to bang out my federal resume though.
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Nov 21, 2020 17:03
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I have seen carriers across the US and all rural routes in the past years here seem to use personal vehicles. I figured they were all contractors, honestly. Some have signage, some don’t.
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Nov 21, 2020 18:03
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