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Return to Article: Government job listings may not reach wide enough

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  I walked in the door as a GS-11 this year and I was not sum cum laude or 4.0, I don't have a PhD. I will say the pay disparity has surprised me and I am considering returning to the private sector.

  Chris Posted August 2, 2007 9:17 AM
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  This is how I make my money... helping people understand the complex system that is in place. It is sad to see the large number of people who are qualified for federal jobs but won't go through the gymnastic event of the application process.

  It needs to get simplified and unified. Excepted Service - I can see the need for different hiring processes but for general government - simple is best.

  If the Federal government is experiencing a severe shortage of qualified candidates and we know it is partly becasue of the process - then change the process or put a team of qualified trainers in every major city with the expectation of recruiting and training potential candidates to apply for these jobs.

  Federal Jobs Trainer and Coach Posted July 30, 2007 8:48 AM
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  So you create a profile and post your resume only to be diverted to another agency's website to fill out yet another application. This is rediculous since the point of creating this portal was to service other federal agencies and streamline the process of applying for a federal job. You should be able to self-nominate for any federal agency job from this since as long as your resume matches the Knowledge Skills and Abilities(KSA) for the particular job. OPM should take a lesson from the Army, Navy, and Air Force since they made it simple. Bottom line OPM needs to stop wasting peoples time and effort and deliberately prohibit other federal agencies from developing similar systems for position covered under FERS and CRS.

  Glanville A. Creque Posted July 29, 2007 1:37 PM
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  The Feds recruit? What ever they're doing and whoever is doing it, isn't doing a very good job. I know this I'm a Federal Employee. Basically, they'll take anyone who can pass a background check.

  What'sUpWithThat? Posted July 26, 2007 5:11 PM
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  I know of several young people who applied for positions via USA Jobs and both stated they would never do it again. The web site is not good and they never received any kind of acknowledgment. With this kind of negative feedback, there will be fewer even attempting to use it

  Linda Rechtin Posted July 26, 2007 12:31 PM
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  I have found that not all agencies even use USAJOBS.com to post vacancies. The SSA in small towns such as Rutland, VT does not use this site to post vacancies, so finding out about vacancies in these small towns is almost impossible. I am not sure how they fill vacancies, it must be a well kept secret.

  Pamela Blaylock Posted July 26, 2007 10:37 AM
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  All the advertisement in the world will not achieve the desired goals with the rampant nepotism and good ol'boy system that is flourishing about in the government hiring systems! NSPS is only adding to the demise of the already decayed employment system!

  Fernando Martinez Posted July 25, 2007 3:09 PM
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  You're missing the point. Federal government recruiters are not trying to reach a wider target audience. External candidates for entry level positions often cannot make the final cut because veterans receive preference points (as it should be). Recruitment for intern positions is sometimes "by invitation" (not announced) because "diverse" candidates are being sought. For example, some agencies, in order to increase Hispanic representation, will send recruiters to Puerto Rico. This limits the pool of candidates to Hispanic, which guarantees Hispanics will be hired. If recruitment is widely competed, the best candidates may not be Hispanic. In a wide open process, the government would get the best candidates instead of who they target.

  Government Employee Posted July 25, 2007 1:15 PM
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  USAJobs.gov could lose out on young job-seekers ??? Does this mean that older employees displaced by reorganizations and BRAC are the "bottom of the barrel" among job candidates? I have been applying for more than a year . . . hundreds of jobs across the country . . . and no one ever calls or emails. I guess what the federal government is saying to me is that more experienced workers need not apply.

  Over 50 job seeker Posted July 25, 2007 11:12 AM
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  The challenge for many of our clients in the public sector is supporting the HRIS infrastructure so that the technologies that are changing the way 21st century companies are organizing, communicating with, and energizing their workforces can be translated into an effectve Return on Investment.

  Serving Federal agencies and over half of the Fortune 500 for over 40 years, we strive to help recruiters understand how even a job posting becomes an extention of the respective employer brand.

  As we look to emerging media which may one day make the job boards obsolute a few things to remember is no one site is an island but that the internet is a living breathing thing with viral properties which make it effective in building program awareness. By expanding USAJobs reach to niche sites, utilizing Search Engine Marketing and running banner ads or postings with targeted communities, would only serve to draw attention to your online vacancy announceents from a wider more diverse audience.

  We strive to find the most inexpensive ways to present a rich online tour of our clients organizations on the web. I only hope that agencies wishing to reach a multi-generational and diverse workforce will consider how best to "pop the electronic bubble" for new entrants to the federal workforce by using an array of sites as well as using other tools successfully such as:
  +Video/rich media
  +Social networking
  +Blogs
  +Podcasting
  +Virtual worlds
  +Wikis
  +Prediction markets(online surveys and beyond)

  To quote one icon of public service "If not us who, if not now when..." and whatever happended to the mindset "all sources sought" which should not be relegated to running full page ads in newspapers that waste my tax dollars.

  John Bersentes Posted July 25, 2007 10:22 AM
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  Regarding Gen Y, advertising at colleges should do the trick. Also, the average turnover for notice of a successful or unsuccessful application is 4 to 6 month, unlike the government's competitors. It might not be a bad idea to list success stories on the website so that young people know their applications are not falling into a chasm.

  Newbie Posted July 25, 2007 9:22 AM
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  I agree with OPM's Associate Director that CareerBuilder is a competitor. Government jobs should be posted on one central web site in addition to any a specific agency's web site. I do, however agree that the site does not need some tweaking to improve it's effectiveness.

  sandra s Posted July 25, 2007 8:56 AM
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  Well only that but the agencies are not hiring anyone and there not one person to contact to ask question. For instance, what can someone do to improve the chances for selection, why wasn't I selected, and most of all how to challenge a selection.

  I believe these agencies already have their employee(s)pre-selected and that the agency is going through the motions.

  I and a few federal employees, Department of Transportation employees, and Iraq veterans are all trying to gain either promotional opportunities and employment.

  So this idea, will not work.

  Linda Posted July 25, 2007 8:42 AM
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  USA Jobs is a good site, but it is not as widely known as the government thinks it is. Our agency uses USAJobs.gov for everything and it takes an average of 3 seperate announcements to fill a simple entry level position. I wish OPM would get a clue

  MikeScott Posted July 25, 2007 8:38 AM
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  There has been much written over the last ten years about the prospect of losing experienced Government employees through retirement.

  1. Why then do almost all job announcements require the prospective employee to pay for moving/relocation expenses?

  2. USA jobs should increase it's listings by including Air Force positions.

  Larry Zaletel Posted July 25, 2007 8:32 AM
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  The problem with the Federal Governments recruitment system is not a lack of sharing but the fact that there are too many different systems for hiring personnel. I have at least five different resumes on five differnt systems all supporting federal positions. There are few similarities between the systems and therefore problematic for job seekers. Likewise, some agencies require extensive KSA's while others don't require them at all. Given the fact that most individuals will take the path of least resistance, those that provide easier application processes, such as USAJobs, the more likely they are to get better responses. Additionally, many jobs are announced at a flat grade which may limit the prospective applicants. If agencies would adopt a "career ladder" approach to all positions it could enhance the overall number of applicants, aid in the development of succession planning and enable high quality applicants that may not meet TIG requirements the opportunity to apply for positions that are currently closed.

  Ken Posted July 25, 2007 8:20 AM
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  No kiddin'! Also, the Federal Government needs to significantly speed up the hiring process. FedGov needs to behave as if it needs to hire people not just talk as if needs to hire people.

  Rick Posted July 25, 2007 8:18 AM
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  As a constructive suggestion, perhaps there should be a place at USAJobs where a perspective applicant can compare their education and personal skills against those required/expected for each job series. In my personal experience, I know I knew nothing about Federal hiring and jobs series before I started with the Government. Who goes to college to be a Government Contract Specialist or Program Analyst? It was only when someone helped me put my education up against the requirements that I was able to understand the opportunities and ultimately secure Federal employment.

  The Iron Horse Posted July 25, 2007 7:56 AM
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  I also agree that USAJOBS is the only system the Federal government needs to use. Sites like Career.Builder, Monster, etc., are fee based and in these times of tighter Federal budgets, it does not make sense to require agencies to post on other sites. It's time to wake up America - the Federal government is not a cesspool of extra money and we are not here to help private industry get rich on the backs of the taxpayers. In my experience, most outsiders know to look at USAJOBS for government jobs -- the big problem is lack of response from most Federal agencies to the applications they are receiving. Rather than focus on the issue of posting, we need to focus on making the actual application process simpler. In other words, we have to go back to the beginning and build the application process over again to get it right.

  A Federal HR Professional Posted July 25, 2007 7:30 AM
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  Actually, the portal to the youngest job seekers (studentjobs.gov) has some major problems. It certainly doesn't function as it should. I've been unable to obtain a satisfactory answer from OPM as to why this is the case. The vague answer I received about agencies not following conventions on submissions was not an adequate reason for why students can't find jobs when they search. As a librarian, I know a bad site when I see one even if it looks pretty on the surface.

  Nancy Faget Posted July 25, 2007 6:54 AM
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  This is a great article but it misses the boat. The easy part is to link with other web-sites. I have been applying for numerous positions on the government site and what I have found is one glaring conculsion. Almost 90% of all listings seem to be in the GS 11/12 level with experience. There is avenue for entry into the feseral government. Oh I forgot, if you are a 4.0 or sum cum laude grad (with experience). You can place the jobs any where you want but finding a better way of getting the people through the maze that want to work for the agencies would be better. Please don't take my word for it....research it. Most positions are for someone already working for the federal goverment (Status candidates). The rest at a level that only the people who qualify or the ones who don't want the job. Nuff said.

  erwin Norris Posted July 25, 2007 12:43 AM
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  Speaking as someone seeking to change positions, anything that will facilitate recruitment is good. Monster, careerbuilder and hotjobs are all good websites. More exposure is better in this case.

  You know me Posted July 25, 2007 12:10 AM