GovernmentExecutive.com

Just two months after implementing a streamlined hiring program for mid- and senior-level civilian acquisition positions, Air Force officials say they have seen a dramatic decrease in the time it takes to recruit qualified professionals.

The conventional government hiring process takes 80 to 120 days on average, from identifying an acquisition-related vacancy to getting a qualified individual sitting behind a desk, said William Caffaro, chief of the contracting career field management team at the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Under the streamlined procedures, that takes about 17 days, he said.

With the conventional process, applicants search for openings on USAJOBS.gov, the federal government's centralized database of vacancies, and submit applications and supporting documentation. Human resources personnel vet the information and compile certified referral lists of candidates. Those lists are forwarded to hiring managers, who have another 45 days to conduct interviews and make selections. The Air Force Personnel Center then reviews managers' choices.

"It's a very long process to make sure candidates are competitive and decisions are based on merit," Caffaro said.

The streamlined program allows candidates to submit résumés and supporting documentation directly to hiring managers, who vet the candidates. General announcements still are made on USAJOBS.gov, but potential applicants are referred directly to the bases that are hiring.

"The key here is they have to be highly qualified to come into our journeymen [and higher-level] positions," Caffaro said. Once hiring managers validate applicants' qualifications, conduct interviews and make hiring choices, the information is forwarded to the Air Force Personnel Center, which reviews it to ensure the individuals are qualified for the positions. If everything checks out, the candidates are made offers and brought on as soon as possible, he said.

The benefit for hiring managers is they can fill vacancies very quickly. The downside is the process creates more work for them, according to Caffaro.

As a result, his team spends a lot of time helping hiring managers across the Air Force navigate the streamlined process, which is optional. "So far, the pros outweigh the cons," he said. "Hiring managers are very excited to be able to get qualified applicants in a timely manner."

The Air Force has about 16,000 civilian acquisition-related positions in various career fields, including auditing, financial management, contracting, logistics, engineering, and science and technology management, said Kenneth Pruitt, a spokesman at the personnel center. Of those positions, about 1,500 are vacant, he said.

Caffaro said the service fills about 450 contracting positions annually. That number could skyrocket in fiscal 2010 if Congress accepts elements of the administration's budget proposal, which would convert thousands of acquisition jobs now filled by contractors to federal civil service positions.