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I have a phone interview next week for a claims representative position in the Social Security Administration. I've never had a fed job interview before, so I'm not sure if there are rote questions or anything. Anyone have one weird old trick I should know about? I will be speaking with a District Manager, if that matters. I was in the Peace Corps so I applied directly to a Peace Corps job listing with my non-competitive eligibility (the position was only accepting NCE applicants). I emailed my resume and they set up the interview a few days later. This was way faster than I expected. I assume that it's a good sign? Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Jun 27, 2014 |
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Jun 27, 2014 22:06
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Thanks for the tips. I think the interview went well. Question: how "mobile" are fed jobs once you're in the system? For example, if I take a job in a small town, would it be feasible to eventually transfer to a city or another location? Is it something that people do in the government/agencies? I ask because this job is in a small town and I'd probably want to move back to the city (or another state) eventually. Is there a timeline for being able to do within agencies? I know the SSA is huge and everywhere, so I assume that would help things.
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Jul 1, 2014 23:52
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I said come in! posted:Okay that is good to know before I go out and waste money. What would you recommend? I'm not fully aware of my options. Just FYI learning a language from scratch up to the point where it could get you an intelligence job is going to take a lot of work/time. This is even more so the case for less commonly taught/learned languages (most of those that would be very valuable to the intelligence community). Not trying to be discouraging. I only say this because you mention that you're finishing your undergrad soon, so you don't have as much time as you might want. You can still acquire proficiency, but it will probably require you dropping some real cash and time to do the courses, immersion, etc. Learning a little conversational Urdu isn't going to get you any jobs. If you want to take on a language, I'd select one where the culture/language/region interests you personally. Otherwise, it'll be hard to keep yourself motivated to learn Uzbek if you're just doing it for an unspecified future job. If I were starting over and had the money/time, I'd enroll in an immersion course in Tajikistan to learn Persian...
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Jul 10, 2014 17:30
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So I was offered the job I interviewed for and.... I had to turn it down. Due to a new health situations with family members, I need to stay in my current city rather than relocating to a small, rural town 4 hours away. I *do* have another phone interview next week for the SAME position/agency in my CURRENT city. My question: should I bother bringing up the fact that I was just offered this job and had to turn it down for family reasons (not being able to relocate)? As a potential BENEFIT, I figure that this could expedite things for me, as they are in the same agency and state. I'd like to think they could just use the fingerprints/background check they ran for me a few weeks ago. Also, maybe the fact that I was just offered this position means that they can feel better about making me an offer, seeing that I previously received their agency's seal of approval. As a potential DOWNSIDE, I worry that having just turned down a job with their agency will be some sort of black mark against me. Maybe it will lead them to think that I'll flake on them, too, if they make me an offer (perhaps the rural office will think that I was just holding out for a position in the city and wasting their time?). I'm probably over-thinking this. Any insight would be appreciated.
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Jul 15, 2014 22:11
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JohnnyHildo posted:I recall some earlier discussion and questions about Schedule A hiring. If you are eligible for a Schedule A appointment I recommend you register to be included on OPM's Shared List of People with Disabilities. The contractor who collects the resumes claims they are accepting resumes for certain job categories, but that doesn't stop a hiring manager from calling an attractive candidate for a different job series. If you are in school or are in your first year out of school, make sure you register for the Workforce Recruitment Program. This is a program for Schedule A candidates jointly administered by the Departments of Labor and Defense. Is Schedule A synonymous with non-competitive eligibility? If so, hire some returned (former) Peace Corps volunteers, too! We get it for one year. Trying to cash in on that right now. Interview on Monday...
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Jul 18, 2014 15:23
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I think I got the fasted turnaround ever on a federal job. Submitted my application on June 30, asked if I can report to work on July 28th... 
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Jul 24, 2014 22:29
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Quarex posted:Agreed, you have broken the land speed record. The funny part is that I can't start as soon as they want. I had figured that it would be a long time coming, so I need for a few more weeks to wrap things up at my current job. Is it possible to negotiate on salary/grade any?
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Jul 25, 2014 16:48
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Sorry to repeat myself, but is it possible to negotiate your salary any with federal jobs? I received my "informal" offer last week and was told to expect a formal offer from HR today or tomorrow. Does a master's degree pretty much give you the GS-7, or does it have to be "relevant" education experience?
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Jul 28, 2014 15:45
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laxbro posted:I think you mean gs-9. I have an MA in English. Should that give me a GS-9, then, or is it irrelevant given that it doesn't have much to do with the position?
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Jul 28, 2014 23:26
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HR gave me the final offer and informed me that my MA us not "relevant" for pay grade purposes  But I'm in the door now! Half of the people I've told about my new job are all  drat YOU ENTITLED BUREAUCRATS
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Aug 4, 2014 20:50
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It's a gs5,7,9,11 progression. I'll start at the bottom, but supposedly you move up a grade per year provided adequate performance. So I figure that in a few years it won't matter where I started...
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Aug 5, 2014 00:00
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Investing question for you fellow feds: I'm onboarding and setting up my TSP account. I understand that it's the government's version of a 401k. However, I was unaware of the different funds that they use, for example the proprietary G Fund. Do you have any advice or sources of info on where I should be investing (the relative advantages/disadvantages), since this is a bit different than the usual retirement options? I understand the the G fund is guaranteed not to lose value, which is pretty cool. However, it's rate of return looks pretty modest. C Fund is basically an index fund? S and I funds are variants of that?
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Aug 7, 2014 18:30
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Man_of_Teflon posted:
Sup SSA goon. I recently started as a Claims Representative (finishing training shortly). What has your experience of the agency been?
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Dec 17, 2014 21:19
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Doctor Bovine posted:I'm applying/interviewing for federal jobs and have another interview next week. If the past is a good predictor of the future, I will not be extended an offer. However, in the event that I am, how much negotiation is possible when it comes to salary and vacation? The internet tells me that there are only 13 days of vacation annually for the first three years of federal service, which is then bumped to 20 days . I've done both Peace Corps and AmeriCorps -- is it at all possible to leverage that? No negotiation on vacation as far as I know. 4/6/8 hours of annual leave accrual per two week pay period for 0, 3, and 15 years of service benchmarks. You will get credited the time you spent in the Peace Corps (and I think Americorps, too) towards your tenure in federal service. It's called your comp date or something. Note that they dont' include the time you spent in training, just after you swore in. I had to COS early because my wife and I found out we were having a baby, but it was still cool to get over a year of time credited to my career. I'm one year closer to those sweet, sweet 6 hours of leave. Maybe with Americorps and PC you could hit 3 yrs from the start... quote:I still have about 3.5 months left in Peace Corps, but have started applying to federal positions since I know the process can take so long. Regarding NCE, seriously take advantage of that and check out the Peace Corps job board daily. I saw the listings in my agency on there and all they wanted was a resume and proof of my NCE. No USAJobs BS to deal with. I emailed them my stuff directly and had a job offer within a few weeks. Totally not normal for federal jobs, but the kind of thing you can swing with NCE by skipping the normal process. I work with about 7 other RPCVs as well, and we all got in the same way.
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Dec 19, 2014 16:40
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laxbro posted:Well I've begun my federal job search in earnest. I finish my peace corps service in two months and am trying to flex my noncompetitive status to get myself a job in DC. USAJOBS seems to be a shot in the dark. Keep on getting qualified, but not referred. Hopefully the peace corps career portal will have better luck for me. I mentioned this earlier, but I and others have had luck with the Peace Corps jobs board on the website. Lots of new positions listed, almost all just want people with NCE, and sometimes you get hired fast. I got hired within two weeks after applying. Unheard of in the world of the feds. I also was able to just email my stuff directly to the manager and not use the dreaded USAJOBS blackhole. LOL, we still use paper time sheets and leave slips... probably been the same form for 50 years. However, wer're making the transition now to "computerized time sheets." I hope we get some far fetched password requirements.
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Jan 27, 2015 22:04
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marchantia posted:Sup SSA goons. I currently work for SSA DDB which makes me a state employee doin' them sweet medical decisions, but all our funding comes from the feds (and our email addressses, and trainings ugh, etc). I'd love to somehow move over into the federal side of things for the transfer opportunities, but since my background is all medical bullshit I'm not sure where I could sneak in on the SSA side of things. ODAR is technically run by federal employees, but I figure I'd probably have to at least move to Chicago to have a chance with anything else (I'm in WI at this point). I bet you could get in. It's a huge agency and people are moving around all the time. Your disability background would make you ideal for some claims representative positions. They train you up on everything, anyways. I'd keep your eye out for any Claims Rep openings.
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Feb 3, 2015 18:08
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Does having permanent reinstatement eligibility (I assume you had three years as a fed) not help that much when reapplying to federal jobs?
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Feb 13, 2015 15:19
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Yeah, not to get your hopes up too much, but at that point they're probably just making sure there aren't any reasons NOT to hire you. Peace Corps special hiring authority for the win!
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Feb 16, 2015 17:36
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Artificer posted:Also, I have another question. I would look carefully into whether they consider all graduate degrees equally. I have a master's degree and I was started at a GS-5, even though the descriptions you read would have you think it'd definitely put me in at GS-7. It turns out that HR only gives you credit for a fairly narrow range of degrees. Generally speaking, I'd say it's foolish to get a PhD if your goal is just to work in foreign service. First, because it takes a long time, it's very intense, and it can be expensive (although you shouldn't pay for a PhD---get funding). Second, you don't know if you're committed to a life of service in a career that you haven't even worked in yet. Third, you might not get accepted into the foreign service (at least not right away). If you really want to join the foreign service, just do that and don't worry amout maximizing your hypothetical future pay.
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Feb 20, 2015 17:52
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Artificer posted:Oh poo poo, really. Is there a way to find a list of degrees that get you credit? I think it varies by agency, so you'll just want to do your homework and talk to people who were in this position. I'd ask in the FSO thread in Ask/Tell.
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Feb 20, 2015 18:31
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You're definitely qualified. The question is just getting in the door, as is the case with many federal jobs. Claims rep is definitely a step up from "contact rep," which is a call center situation. I'm currently a claims' rep. It has a promotion ladder of GS 5/7/9/11, which I think contact reps might cap out at 7. The job itself is actually fairly complicated, but they train you on everything and don't expect you to know anything about Social Security... hence the trick being to just get the job in the first place (I was fortunate to have non-competitive eligibility). Another position sort of in between those is Service Representative, which is the person who is at the windows in the local offices, dealing with people as they come in. Service reps cap out at GS 9. Apply to any job openings for any of these three positions if you want to get into the agency. Theoretically you should be competitive for GS5, but how HR works is a mystery to me. I and a bunch of other people with master's degrees and years of experience were hired at GS 5s...
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Mar 31, 2015 14:44
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asdf
Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Dec 1, 2020 |
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Apr 2, 2015 18:21
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Does "Promotion Potential: 12" for a GS-7 imply that there is a ladder of 7/9/11/12?
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Apr 20, 2015 21:53
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Snipee posted:I have spammed a number of the USAJOBS job applications, but I feel like I must be doing something wrong. It's a very opaque process. You may not be doing anything wrong--it just takes forever to hear anything (if you hear anything at all).
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Apr 21, 2015 14:50
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I'm happy to have just become one of the 60% agency to agency hires  . Federal career has gone from zero to two agencies in less than a year...
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Apr 22, 2015 15:43
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It's pretty crazy. At my current agency, about 40 of us were hired at the same time. Eight were Peace Corps (who have one year of non-competitive hiring eligibility after finishing), 30 were vets, one was a wife of a disabled vet, and one was part of some sort of Pathways College hiring program. So yeah, it's nuts. Join the Peace Corps or Americorps Vista I guess? And how long has federal hiring been like this? Most of the older employees here are NOT veterans and were hired "off the street" as they say. In like 10 years is every federal employee going to be a veteran, with a smattering of other special hiring authorities?
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Apr 23, 2015 14:28
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De Nomolos posted:Anyone know a thing about this obscure agency? Social Security and the RRB have a lot in common, as far as I understand. At SSA you have to determine if RRB has jurisdiction and then let them handle claims if they do. Prior to that, I didn't know it existed. I've always imagined their offices as being situated in old brick buildings in busy railyards with an army of clerks with inkwells bent over wood desks, like in the year 1900 or something. Edit: what's everyone's favorite obscure federal agency? Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 17:11 on Apr 28, 2015 |
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Apr 28, 2015 17:07
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If you transfer agencies during your first year probationary period, do you just finish out the year at the new agency, or do you have to start the year over again?
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Apr 30, 2015 21:21
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Beerdeer posted:Someone give me TSP advice, please? All my money is in the G fund L funds, my friend. They are target date fund that is more aggressive while your young and then scales back as you approach retirement. Question: is it worth it to join the AFGE union? I haven't been too impressed by anything I've seen so far. As far as I can tell, the main benefit is legal representation in case things hit the fan with my agency.
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Jun 9, 2015 14:59
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HisMajestyBOB posted:Another question: Generally, people with bachelor/master/PhD degrees start at GS-7/9/11, respectively. Does everyone also start at step 1, or would people with particular relevant skills or experience start at a higher step, but same grade? You start at step 1 unless you negotiate for a higher step or are offered it as a way of making the bid more competitive. I haven't met anyone who got offered a higher step, but I know it happens when you are competitive, especially if you are taking pay cut for the fed job. Also, the education-grade equivalency seems to vary a lot by agency. It is supposedly as you say. However, I have a master's degree and my first agency started me at GS-5. When I switched to another agency, I started at GS-7. The only reason I started at those grades is because they were the lowest rung for those career ladders (5/7/9/11 and 7/9/11/12 respectively).
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Jun 24, 2015 04:51
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HisMajestyBOB posted:You started at $35000, with a masters? Were you in DC? If so, how did you afford housing, loan payments, and food? Not in DC, but still in an expensive metro area (Denver). Wasn't easy to live on a gs 5, especially since I'm supporting a family of three. Zero discretionary spending, biking to work, etc. My coworkers always laughed at my daily lunch of either a can of tuna or a pb&j sandwich  Things are a bit better with a gs 7, but. I'm looking forward to gs 9 next year. Only three years to the promised land of gs 12...
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Jun 24, 2015 16:07
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Artificer posted:As someone going into a Master's program, this is goddamn terrifying. My results might not be typical. Some degrees are considered relevant for certain positions, but unfortunately English doesn't appear to be high on many lists.
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Jun 25, 2015 05:28
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Slaan posted:I didn't see anything on the front page and Peace corps NCE in da house. I've been hired by two agencies with my NCE. Applied twice, and in each case had an offer in under a month. Probably not typical, but I didn't have to deal with any USA jobs bs. I just applied directly with the hiring official. Both positions were listed on the job board on the PC website and specifically requested NCE. Not sure how well things work if you go straight to USA Jobs. Since it sounds like you have a contact at the agency, don't be afraid to ask for an update.
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Aug 5, 2015 18:55
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for looking at 90+ pages in the thread.
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Slaan posted:And hey, I got referred to the guys in Vermont for hire. 420 Peace Corps NCE everyday Congrats! Now you can leave the blighted coast for the land of sunshine and plenty.
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Sep 25, 2015 01:24
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Double post...
Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Sep 25, 2015 |
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Sep 25, 2015 01:24
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Which authority did you use? I was Peace Corps and we fall under that category.
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Nov 30, 2015 21:26
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You need to work for an agency that doesn't handle info anyone would care about stealing. We also use endless paper files for most stuff, so I guess that is super secure or something.
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Dec 6, 2015 16:38
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sparatuvs posted:Anyone ever been denied clearance based on internet activity? Pretty sure posting on SA will result in not only denied clearance, but possibly also being whisked off to a CIA black site for a lot of water boarding.
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Dec 11, 2015 21:22
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For the record, I know absolutely nothing about clearances or background checks 
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Dec 12, 2015 00:53
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I love how tight lipped everyone in this thread is about their agency and job.
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Jan 6, 2016 05:48
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