OPM says its hiring success can be a model for the government

Officials at the Office of Personnel Management said Wednesday that they have developed and proven a method that could solve hiring problems across the federal government.

According to OPM, the agency has hired 278 employees over nine months, taking an average of 36 days to hire each one. OPM has been pushing a formula that calls for employees to be hired within 45 days after the vacancy announcement is closed.

"Our results prove it can be done," said OPM Director Kay Coles James. "We have hired 278 people into a variety of important occupations … we are in a competition with the private sector for talent, and OPM is doing what it can to help agencies hire the very best job candidates."

An OPM official said Thursday that despite differences between OPM and other federal agencies, the hiring formula could be broadly applied.

Agencies would have to "adjust it to their particular culture and needs, but this is definitely a model that works," said OPM spokesman Mike Orenstein.

According to OPM, "James is challenging other agencies to at least meet the 45-day model in order to better serve Americans seeking to join the civil service."

At a hearing in July, however, officials from the Defense, Health and Human Services and Energy departments said they are hiring capable personnel at a rapid pace. The agencies told lawmakers that they fill positions in less than 40 days, as compared to a private-sector average of 45 days.

At the hearing, agency officials also said they prefer to focus on ensuring the highest quality employee rather than the speed of the hiring.

The OPM hiring formula requires human resources personnel to screen and rank applicants in the first 15 days after a vacancy announcement is closed. In the 27 following days, a "selecting official" would review the applications, interview applicants, check references and make a selection. An offer would be extended between days 42 and 45, according to the model. OPM distributed the formula to agencies in early May.

"OPM's human capital management staff has worked continuously with your staff to assure that all tools at your agency's disposal are being used," James said in a memorandum that was sent with the hiring formula. "I continue to see statistical and anecdotal evidence that our hiring process is slow, cumbersome and nonresponsive."

This week's OPM press release also suggests that strong agency leadership can be helpful in reforming hiring practices.

"The efforts of James, who is President George W. Bush's primary consultant on federal human resources issues, were the driving force behind results that reduced the agency's average hiring time," the release said.