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Justus posted:Thanks for this. I think I'd like to stay in the government. I like the stability, benefits, and work life balance. It would be nice to actually enjoy 4 weeks of vacation for awhile, and I need at least 5 years of service to defer a pension too. You'll probably have to look at things under the services before you see much design work. I'm an army civilian, and there's a good amount of design and pure research at the different RDECs and ARL. A lot of times you'll see people at an RDEC matrixed out to a PM shop for specific programs. Definitely look into CERDEC and CECOM - they have a huge campus at APG and I've worked with a few people there who do real engineering
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Oct 10, 2015 16:58
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rockamiclikeavandal posted:This is the 5/15 I was looking at. I'm not sure where you're getting that it's a five year ladder from 5 to 15. It reads to me like a bucket for EHA positions that can be anywhere from 5 to 15. The announcement doesn't necessarily reflect the paperwork you might sign on a job offer. Still, never hurts to apply.
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Nov 10, 2015 15:01
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sparkmaster posted:So I just got my first perm position for the Forest Service in Cali (2/2 in interviews woooo). Anyone know anything about the culture of region 5 FS and what I should do as a first time perm federal employee? Don't pass on FEGLI (the life insurance policy) - there's an open season next year, but those are few and far between, and it's a very good deal if you have extenuating circumstances that make other life policies unattractive. Kolodny fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Apr 27, 2017 |
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Nov 12, 2015 01:51
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Dr. Quarex posted:Also ask around as to how people have gotten fired in the past. Well, O.K., only do that if you make some friends. But it sounds like the main ways to fail to complete the probationary period include "not being able to learn the job" and "continuing to do something when asked to stop." Your mileage may vary, but I bet those things are fairly universal. Isn't there a research scientist opm designation? and you could look for positions at ARL and similar places
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Jan 27, 2016 14:57
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Concur. I applied to hundreds of posts and eventually heard back from one months after it closed that I had completely forgotten about and had received a rejection notice for.
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Apr 20, 2016 17:05
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In our internal "how to apply for federal employment" training the HR people said directly to say yes/mark 5 for everything whether you have experience or not. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
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May 13, 2016 22:53
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air traffic controller
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Aug 8, 2016 21:44
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snowparty posted:Hi, does anyone have any experience with the recent graduate program? I recently graduated with a bachelors and have applied to several positions that focus on hiring recent grads. Is it a quick hiring process compared to a normal position? I saw that it took someone up to 15 months to get a job. I don't have that kind of time to wait for a position. It depends on the agency, and then there are a host of intervening factors that could extend things in specific circumstances. About all you can guarantee is that if it's something that requires a clearance it could take 3+ months. Around now you're looking at the end of the fiscal year plus a presidential election, so it could be a while. Kolodny fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Aug 23, 2016 |
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Aug 15, 2016 22:21
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I could see that happening in a case where you're going out of your lane. Other than that it's a bit odd.
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Oct 29, 2016 00:29
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Keep in mind the federal reserve, despite the name, isn't a federal agency and doesn't do personnel through opm.
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Jan 2, 2017 18:17
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I was initially denied for my job! It seems to be very very dependent on local HR, and usajobs is at best a rough barometer
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Mar 11, 2017 20:32
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Discendo Vox posted:Where can I find information on the details of optimizing your application to get past the computerized first step filtering at USAJobs? The resume and application training info on usajobs is a good first step. https://www.usajobs.gov/Notification/Events/#Free-Virtual-Training-Sessions-For-Job-Seekers
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Apr 27, 2017 22:59
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Josh Lyman posted:Serious question: I'm looking at a couple postings that are only open to federal employees, but I would be able to apply under Schedule A. However, my understanding is that Schedule A is excepted service, so I wouldn't be able to apply to future listings that are only open to federal employees since they carry the caveat of "current or former competitive service employees." There are conditions to convert to competitive service, generally after 2 years. More info here https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/abc_applicants_with_disabilities.cfm
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Aug 16, 2017 23:35
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El Mero Mero posted:If I'm locked into a grade (say 11) am I prevented from applying for a 13 at a different agency? I wouldn’t say prevented, but it’s highly likely that it’ll get kicked back by HR. The way to get through is to personally know the hiring manager or someone in the organization, and be able to fudge your resume/question responses so that you get past the HR experience filter.
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Dec 19, 2017 16:44
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Goodpancakes posted:Xposting from negotiating Short answer is it depends. Tech to professional, probably not because that’s probably based on the organization’s authorizations. Step, maybe if you can justify a connection to previous private sector compensation.
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Mar 1, 2018 20:36
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Dr. Quarex posted:Well your manager will almost certainly be asked for a reference even if you do not list them as one. This may be agency dependent - the application shouldn’t get your current manager’s contact info unless you include it there. That said, leaving out your current manager may cause more questions. I’d wait out the probationary period unless a better position is there for you right away.
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Apr 18, 2018 11:04
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The hr folks have a hard enough time seeing what’s in their own system, they certainly aren’t going out of their way to get into other orgs.
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May 18, 2018 18:50
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Josh Lyman posted:I was talking to the assistant director of my division yesterday about career plans and said I don’t really see myself staying at this agency long term. He mentioned something about a change in status after 1 yr and 3 yr as a federal employee. From what I can tell, after 3 years, if you leave government and want to come back later, you can apply to postings for “current or former federal employees” instead of only “open to the public”. Is that correct? Is that the only benefit? And what happens after 1 year? Yes, depending on your position. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/
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Jun 14, 2018 20:31
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Not sure I understand part of the letter. Is he cutting locality or does he just not understand what he’s talking about? Might have been more accurate to say “Locality pay increases to an average of 25.70%” Which given the disparity in locality pay is kind of meaningless but whatever.
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Aug 31, 2018 14:44
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Josh Lyman posted:Does anyone have experience getting discounts through Verizon? A coworker mentioned they got equipment and service discounts but checking with AT&T, my current carrier, wasn’t promising. I’ve looked into it, and for civilians it depends on your organization. AT&T lets you plug in your work email and then you can select from organizations that they partner with. If your org isn’t listed but others are, then I guess you could select one from the list - they don’t ask for any proof of work when they apply the discount. No idea of that could come back to bite you if they do an audit. https://www.att.com/offers/discount-program/government-employees.html
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Sep 24, 2018 17:40
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Does anyone have experience going from a permanent to a term position? I’m in a permanent competitive service position now, may be interviewing next week for a 5-6 year term limited position. Not sure if there’s anything I should know for how this may affect my status.
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Oct 3, 2019 16:57
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I think that’s too early, NDAA says it’s effective after 10-1-2020
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Dec 12, 2019 18:28
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Olothreutes posted:So would this paternal leave require you to spend accrued leave to actually get paid? No, it explicitly doesn’t come from accrued leave. Agencies will have to fund directly, there will probably be another leave code set up. You probably already know but for the peanut gallery - OPM already has relatively detailed guidance for these cases (but check with your agency before planning, they may not be well trained on the policy). In general, you can use up to 12 weeks sick leave each year to care for a family member with a serious health condition, including recovering from childbirth (I took three weeks sick leave after my daughter was born). In your wife’s case, it looks like she should have been eligible for up to 240 hours advanced sick leave. The new guidance looks like it makes FMLA paid but only for either parent after childbirth, adoption, or foster care (so not for a serious medical condition in general). So yes, if both parents are federal employees then they should be able to take alternate 12 week periods paid, within a year from the qualifying event. e: News articles say differently, but if I’m reading the NDAA text correctly it looks like it applies to all cases for FMLA, including a serious medical condition. YMMV, consult your friendly legal/HR professional Kolodny fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Dec 12, 2019 |
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Dec 12, 2019 20:49
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It’s weird how agencies all do it differently. We’re centrally funded, so we don’t get OT unless someone else pays for it, which is rare. CT is handed out like candy with approval delegated all the way down to direct supervisors (on the condition that nobody screws up and lets it turn into money). Our new SES has been talking about getting us credit hours, since there’s no budget risk to the agency. Apparently lots of policy hoops to jump through with our higher headquarters. Aside - if your time system otherwise permits OT/CT/credit hours, and you are being somehow pressured to work uncompensated, document it. In most cases the federal government cannot let you work for free. If you take your agency to court for this you will very likely win and receive backpay. This, though, is probably much more of a hassle than just putting in the paperwork for compensated time.
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Feb 28, 2020 12:51
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Howard Phillips posted:Anyone know how your DAWIA career field is determined? I thought it was by the announcement and what is in the FO but my supervisor gave me a sheet with DAU courses for another career field. I'm going to ask my supervisor again but just wanted to ping you guys. Depends. Army puts it on your ACRB, which you get to on CAPPMIS. Air Force does AcqNow Navy.....? Army at least needs an account that takes a few weeks to set up, I’d assume other branches are the same.
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Mar 7, 2020 17:31
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The online courses are a pain to chug through, but I’ve generally enjoyed my in person DAU classes. They tend to be taught by retired O6s who literally do not GAF. Also interesting to hear from folks in other branches in similar career fields.
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Mar 7, 2020 18:21
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Howard Phillips posted:Nice certs! Provided you’re already level III in something else. In general, you need unique years of experience for each cert. The provision here just means that, instead of needing four new years of experience for level III, you can count two that you already have for something else as long as they meet the criteria. RDT&E organizations will often matrix personnel to PM shops. This is for people who already have level 3 Eng/S&T/T&E from their home organization who need to quickly get PM level 3 to be certified in their current position. Kolodny fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Mar 7, 2020 |
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Mar 7, 2020 20:15
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Does anyone know where the FERS deduction goes? I can’t readily find anything from googling. To current annuitants? ...uninvested marks on a ledger? ...hole in the ground? ...G fund?
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May 13, 2020 16:52
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The U.S. Federal Government Jobs Megathread: Always Answer (E)
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Jun 10, 2020 16:07
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Depending on what job/agency you apply to, your application will very likely first go to a random HR analyst who both knows nothing about the position you’re applying to and has a giant pile of applications to filter down. It’s to your benefit to very explicitly say how you’re qualified for a position, even to the point that you say that having a PhD in history trumps the MA in the requirements. Directly quoting the requirements from the job posting is pretty much required. This is the same reason why the questions mean nothing and you Always Answer E.
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Jul 21, 2020 00:49
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DACK FAYDEN posted:Digging this up from a while back because I meant to ask: It’s literally what the folks in the civilian personnel office told us when they gave a USAJOBS presentation, and what my tech director tells us to do for internal postings every year. If you don’t you probably won’t get through to a hiring manager.
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Aug 19, 2020 18:03
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Howard Phillips posted:Anyone in a DAWIA career path? How do people do 20+ years in this field? Not sure what you mean. Are you asking how people can stand spending 20+ years in defense acquisition? There’s a lot of variety in DAWIA career fields. I’m not sure I could have found another job where I’d be paid to fire big guns without putting on a uniform. Some people feel like they’re having an impact on what’s delivered to the warfighter. Others find a comfy spot to retire from. Like all fed jobs it’s a mixed bag.
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Aug 20, 2020 16:28
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Help me out here I’ve lost the narrative Are feds the parasites of the deep state or valuable working class folk who deserve another government handout
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Aug 31, 2020 23:19
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Who actually does the home inspections? The managers? I have a really hard time thinking of anyone at my agency who has enough time to be tasked to go house to house checking in on people. But then my management is very hands off.
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Sep 27, 2020 01:26
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The way our hiring process works (and I assume most of fed gov?), the servicing civilian personnel office does an initial cut of the resumes, then the hiring office ranks and interviews the top however many. They have to ask everyone the same questions, they can only record answers to those questions, and then the hiring panel ranks interviewees based solely on their answers. Everything else in the application packet is just something to check a box or get through a jargon filter.
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Oct 23, 2020 17:45
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Thesaurus posted:What's the best possible maximized way to take a huge LOA for a new baby? I’ve been doing similar planning. The new leave is paid FMLA, so once you exhaust the 12 weeks then you can’t take unpaid FMLA. You also can’t (depending on management flexibility) stack sick leave onto the end, unless it’s for a legitimate medical purpose. OPM has a guide book here (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-ove...foster-care.pdf), it doesn’t address the new 12 week provision but other than that it should be accurate. I found it really helpful last year for #1. The way to do it seems to be: Take 6-8 weeks SL after the baby is born, in support of recovery after birth/care of the mother during recovery Take the 12 weeks paid FMLA family leave, IF you haven’t otherwise used FMLA in the last year Take those 240h of AL.
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Dec 9, 2020 12:54
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Howard Phillips posted:The 1% was terrible. With DAWIA and being a new employee I didn't get anything other than the 1%. If I was a GS I would've gotten a step increase. My boss had the audacity to say "ACQDEMO is great, don't worry you are young, you will be in the top brackets before you know it." Your boss isn’t wrong - depending on your job you’ll probably get +3 to +6 your first few years, which will show up as a sizable bump. Agreed it’s annoying to not see anything until the end of your rating cycle though. For benefits in general, 12 weeks paid parental is a pretty specific population but it isn’t nothing. I was surprised there didn’t seem to be much of a stink about it.
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Jan 19, 2021 01:44
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The template looks fine. USAJobs will build it for you. Key is to not be too afraid of being verbose, and make sure your resume answers the key qualifications requested in the application. Fudging things to get the terminology right is fine, e.g. very few places in private industry “brief” things, but it’s all that ever happens for presentations in government. It’s important to note that many organizations are taking advantage of new hiring authorizations and going outside of USAJobs. Looking on LinkedIn is good, also if there’s a particular agency you’re interested in see if they have a presence on social media, they may post openings through Yello.co or some other job board service.
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May 26, 2021 00:31
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Delorence Fickle posted:"As a supervisor, what situations related to the job have thrown you off your game?" These are good. Something to think about is this is an opportunity to ask questions that are non-attributional and which (notionally, in most cases) don’t affect your interview rating or your future performance status. At my organization at least, interview panels can only ask and rate interviewees on a specified set of questions, nothing else. In practice these are like jury instructions that are hard to manage, but bottom line is to ask questions that make them remember you (within reason).
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Jul 6, 2021 12:16
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No word yet on when we may go back to normal in office operations. The base we’re a tenant of is still “HPCON BRAVO”. Notionally we’re supposed to be below a certain percentage of occupancy but in practice if we need to go in we can, we just let our supervisor know for accountability. When we do go back, we’ll be allowed to telework on Mondays and Fridays, so we have a core three days when people can be counted on to be in the office. This is even for those on alternate 5/4/9 work schedules with every other Friday off (most people).
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Nov 11, 2021 16:23
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