The U.S. Federal Government Jobs Megathread: Next time... be more careful!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > The U.S. Federal Government Jobs Megathread: Next time... be more careful!

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Doctor Bovine posted:

About three weeks ago I received a phone call saying I was being put forward as the candidate for a government job. I'll have to pass a background check before receiving a formal offer from HQ and the manager indicated that there would be a six week delay on all checks because of the recent cyber attacks.

I'm getting antsy after three weeks of silence -- should I phone to see whether the manager has updates? (Delays are out of her control, but perhaps she has information.) Has anyone else had issues with background check delays or heard anything? I need a few weeks notice because I'll be moving back to the States if this works out.

OPM brought e-QIP back online last week; probably your manager doesn't know much more than is in this blog post. It was four weeks of downtime when they were planning on four to six, but I imagine it'll still be backlogged for a bit.

# ¿ Jul 29, 2015 21:28

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 03:48

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Tortilla Maker posted:

I think this should be triple quoted. I forget what the statistic is but open season for FEGLI is really rare.

The last two were 2004 and 1999. The next one is 2016.

# ¿ Sep 14, 2015 23:52

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

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?

# ¿ May 26, 2016 04:19

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Discendo Vox posted:

What are the actual procedural steps for firing a federal employee? Assume for this purpose that the employee is human scum, universally unliked, doing absolutely zero or negative work, but is not committing any illegal acts.

vvvv Right, so, why? What is the actual procedure? I hear a lot about the impossible hassle of firing ineffective/openly destructive federal employees, but never get details.

.pdf source; there's a second possible method that the .pdf talks about but this seems to be the main one?

Details may vary by agency; I've been told (by non-HR people) that my agency will try to find the employee a more fitting position after the PIP fails (and thus they'd have to go through the first two lines again before even possibly being fired), but I've never even seen them try.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2016 04:05

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Rip Testes posted:

Trump has a plan for government workers. They�re not going to like it.

Might have to jump ship to contractor land as this all comes to pass. Had issue today with contractors trying to pass of really poor work as if they were operating under the assumption we weren't bright enough to realize it.

Prediction: if you simultaneously tell agencies "okay, it's easier to fire people now" and "you can't hire replacements for people you fire", the rate at which federal employees are fired will not significantly increase.

Prediction: Trump will use the resulting statistic to further slash worker rights and benefits.

Prediction: the sun will rise in the east tomorrow.

# ¿ Nov 22, 2016 00:33

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

No commute, less noise, co-workers can't just wander over to my desk and ask inane questions, no commute, kitchen's right there so I can cook something for lunch instead of packing something or going out, no dress code, no commute.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2017 20:44

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Dr. Quarex posted:

...would the first job be listed as 5/7/9/11 if you had to start as a 5, or just as a 5? Is this why I am not seeing jobs like this more often? Or am I misunderstanding the concept of the developmental track? Or it is a function of only currently searching bordering states in New England for jobs?

If you have to start as a 5, it should only be listed as a 5 at the top and in searches. There'd be a separate "promotion potential" item later on in the description that would just list 11 in this example; unfortunately, I can't work out how to search by that.

# ¿ Sep 12, 2017 04:01

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Artificer posted:

Gotta say it is a pain in the rear end when you're apparently expected to feel confident enough to mark yourself down as "Expert and have had people come to me for advice" on things like "yes I am good at faxing things."

I'm not used to it and I can't bring myself to do it still.

Hey Artificer, I need advice on faxing things. Should I be faxing things in TYOOL 2017?

There, now you've had people come to you for advice on that. What's the next qualification?

# ¿ Nov 9, 2017 15:22

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

O-H.

PneumonicBook posted:

It sounds like most everyone here is a gs, I'm a demo employee (good luck finding info on ppl about it) which has it's own ups and downs but if the conceit is everyone hates the automatic step increases and raises, well demo fixes that without gutting pensions...

AcqDemo? I might have a few questions for you later if so.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2017 02:36

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

PneumonicBook posted:

I'm not familiar with acq but I might just be ignorant. It's always just referred to as Demo. To clarify I'm under a payband, and compete with other demo employees directly for a yearly raise. Not sure if that helps. Designators are NT for engineering technicians, ND for scientists or engineers, and there's another for admin types but I can never remember it.

That sounds like a different but similar system--AcqDemo paths are NH (professional), NJ (technician), and NK (admin support), but it's similarly paybanded.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2017 04:10

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

AtomicSX posted:

My SF50 has a bargaining unit status block, which for me is block 37, but mine has a number that I have no clue what it stands for. I know for a fact that I'm in a BUE position though. If you went though a USAJOBS posting, it should have stated whether or not the position was a bargaining unit position.

That code (or possibly just the last four digits of that code, since DoD doesn't seem to believe in data standards) identifies what union and local the position is associated with. 7777 is eligible but not in a bargaining unit, 8888 is not eligible, anything else you should be able to plug into FLIS as a BUS code to see your local.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2020 21:49

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Communist Walrus posted:

I'm going to go off on a tangent here because this reminded me of something that really irks me. This is not directed at anyone or in response to anything that was said.

I've run into a lot of people who just don't put in for overtime or comp time. They balk at how much of a pain in the rear end the paperwork is (it's not) or have this incredibly weird idea that asking for compensation for the time you worked means you're acting entitled. They stay until 7-7:30 each night and get nothing for it. It's mind boggling, and the only thing I can think to attribute it to is late capitalism brain worms.

There is no virtue in working for free. Compensation considerations aside, you're actually doing your office a disservice by not putting in for OT/comp time because your boss can't plop a stack of OT slips on his/her boss's desk as proof your office needs more people.

Gentle reminder: in most cases, it is actually illegal for your agency to allow you to work unpaid OT. It is an Antideficiency Act violation (because in theory you could make a claim afterwards that you should have been paid, at a point at which your agency no longer has the budget to pay you, and thus you could try to force Congress to make a deficiency appropriation to cover it, which they don't like). It's 31 U.S.C. � 1342, but like 99% of it is in case law rather than the actual statute; if you're having trouble sleeping, check out the Red Book volume 2, chapter 6, section C.3, "Voluntary Services Prohibition". (Also, C.6, "Funding Gaps", for how this interacts with shutdowns. The short answer is "poorly".)

# ¿ Feb 28, 2020 05:06

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Midjack posted:

lmao if you think any manager anywhere in government gives a gently caress about that. Go ahead and watch what happens if you try to do a Fred Flintstone when you have a deadline.

This is probably going to depend on where exactly you're working. My management is a bunch of accountants who don't want to show up in ADA training materials anymore; I absolutely have seen people beat feet after 8 hours despite a deadline when we don't have approved OT.

That said, yes; the ADA is even more toothless than a Federal supervisor (the main penalty for the ADA is basically "you have to write a letter to Congress and the president explaining what happened and what you're doing about it, so they can be properly mad at you when setting next year's budget"). Please consider the reality of your situation before saying "sorry, boss, forums user Max Peck says I gotta go."

# ¿ Feb 28, 2020 05:41

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Dental and optical appointments also work for sick leave, for what that's worth; the various OPM fact sheets are actually really useful here.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2020 22:51

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Howard Phillips posted:

Do you keep your CAC when switching agencies or do I have to get a new one?

If you're staying within DoD, you keep your CAC, per this memo. There are instructions in the attachments to keep certificates working/update the GAL once you've moved.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2021 18:50

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Dr. Quarex posted:

Yeah my disaster-related subagency was just telling me during training that almost everyone with a permanent position is on use-or-lose leave through the end of the year. Cannot help but wonder if some of them are going to lose some after all

In theory, if you have the leave properly scheduled, and then after that the agency tells you to work anyway, you can get the leave restored because (especially in situations like this) the agency will call it "exigency of the public business"; see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/restoration-of-annual-leave/ for general information.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2021 21:43

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Those Clean Energy Corps jobs are starting to hit USAJOBS, which at least makes it a little more clear that it's pure cattle call. Here's the 0510 accountant posting as an example: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/631234200

Posting is open for a year, could be term or permanent, could be anywhere, could be supervisory or not, and my favorite part:

... still probably going to apply :negative:

# ¿ Jan 14, 2022 14:21

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Star Man posted:

ho boy

I got a tentative offer from the IRS for a contact representative position. As much as I want my weekends back a schedule that doesn't start before sunrise, I have to pass on it. It's already a buck an hour less than what I make as a PSE at my post office, and I'm about to convert to full-time in May after our senior-most clerk retires, which would be an even bigger loss of money and benefits.

The folks in the Reddit USPS Discord server have assured me that it's possible to get into another federal job laterally as a transfer outside of the postal service. I look forward to finding out that's absolute bullshit, but it's also difficult for me to ask questions in this thread about anything related to USPS because this thread seems like it's chock full of people in tech and engineering, aka people with real jobs, while I basically work at the federal version of a Walmart. I feel more at home in the retail thread.

In addition to what everyone else has (correctly) been saying about your job being one of the few real ones in the thread (accountant here, 100% of my job is bullshit), in the future, you don't have to decline these outright. For GS jobs, grab a copy of the pay tables for the locality from https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2022/general-schedule/ . Look at the row for the grade they've offered, and find the first step that's equal to or higher than what you're currently making. Add two steps (or whatever would be necessary for you to accept, but I think two is what they're likely to actually offer? someone who knows better should jump in here), and make that your counter-offer. Doesn't take much, just email "I appreciate the offer; however due to what I am making at my current position, I can't accept anything lower than GS-<whatever grade they offered>, step <2 higher than you're currently making>." or something.

You certainly deserve better, and the worst they can say is no. And the IRS is desperate enough they probably would have said yes :v:

# ¿ Mar 10, 2022 18:46

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

I've gotten 60 61 emails saying my mobile phone number was added, changed, or removed since going through the new account process

Would it kill them to use login.gov?

# ¿ Jun 2, 2022 21:16

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Thesaurus posted:

What's the deal with the new mutual fund options? Is this something worth pursuing over the lifecycle funds? All i saw is that the new options carry higher fees

It feels like it would be... difficult just to overcome that $150 annual fee, when you definitionally have access to the regular TSP options.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2022 04:04

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

Am I understanding correctly that, if I have FEHB coverage, and it ends for some reason other than me cancelling the plan or the plan no longer existing, my coverage will continue for 31 days afterwards? Even if it ends from, for example, me quitting?

I'm staring at https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insu...of-coverage/#31 trying to figure this out, and I'm not sure I trust my own reading of it.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2023 02:37

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 03:48

Max Peck: Oct 12, 2013; You know you're having a bad day when a Cylon ambush would improve it.

I dunno, I'm trans and got my refund in a week flat, maybe they should go try their local Planned Parenthood. (granted I'm also a former federal accountant with an extremely simple return, but they don't need to know that part)

More seriously, good luck out there, I know I couldn't deal with that

# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 13:18

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > The U.S. Federal Government Jobs Megathread: Next time... be more careful!