Lf gov't job opening (UPDATE: it's been filled!)

[Wayne]

No offense but... ha ha ha ha ha... (big breath)... ha ha ha ha ha!!

Maybe if the young applicant is one or more of the hiring officials' close friend or lover.

I'm not quite sure which part you are laughing at...a younger person is less likely to have the necessary experience, but age discrimination (against young or old) is no laughing matter. Or are you laughing because you are certain the appointee is pre-determined? A lot can go wrong to throw a wrench into those scenarios.

[Old-N-Feeble]

Luckily, your truth is not the universal truth...

Nope, not 'universal truth'... just a quarter century of direct observations.

[Corran]

Look, I know you think you have the "inside scoop" but I think you are being extremely negative and also you are most likely wrong about someone already being picked for this position, considering the position. That's all I'm saying. It's not a foregone conclusion.

BTW I was in on a hiring committee that had an inside candidate applying for the job and one person in the committee actually flat out said they needed to be given the position, regardless of experience or anything. After reviewing and discussing all applicants ultimately an outside candidate was chosen due to the skills they possessed and even the member who was all-in for the inside candidate agreed.

Edit: Sorry Oren. I'm done.

[Oren Grad]

Nope, not 'universal truth'... just a quarter century of direct observations.

You've made your point. Please do not belabor it further.

[David Lindquist]

So let me relate some more thoughts based on 25 years (and going) of federal service.

1. The job is not "wired" for one person. If it was, they would probably only have advertised it for 5-7 days, instead of for 2 full weeks.
2. Unless the selected person has prior federal service, the top salary to start as a GS-12, step 1 is $76,378 per year. If you don't qualify as a GS-12, then starting salary as a GS-11, step 1 will be $63,722.
3. As noted before, your resume had better state the same level of experience that you claim on the assessment questionnaire. They state this in the assessment questionnaire "THE RESUME OR APPLICATION MATERIALS YOU SUBMIT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SUPPORT THE ANSWER YOU CLAIM UNDER THIS AND OTHER QUESTIONS. IF NOT, YOU WILL BE FOUND NOT QUALIFIED OR YOUR SCORE WILL BE LOWERED."
4. In order to make the "Best Qualified" list, all of your answers on the questionnaire will have to be at least a 'D' or better yet, 'E' ("I am regarded as expert in performing this task...").
5. This statement in the vacancy announcement will really separate out those who may be considered: "Within these categories, applicants referred to the selecting official that are eligible for Veteran's Preference will receive selection priority over Non-Veterans." Veteran's preference for competitive government hiring is in law. For more information see: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-over...ces/vet-guide/
6. If there are a lot of applicants who meet the standard of either "Well Qualified" or "Best Qualified," they can choose to only forward the "Best Qualified" applicants to the hiring official for consideration.

At this point in my life (i'm 72) I'm not applying but thank you so much for your positive attitude and helpful information based on 25 years of experience in federal service.
David

[Kirk Gittings]

This work requires competent silver gelatin printing too, as per elsewhere but verified:

"I work as an architectural historian in this office. We need a skilled architectural photographer who shoots 4×5 or 5×7 black and white large format. They need to do archivally stable wet processing in our photo lab. The starting salary is no where near $100,000 – that is just the end range of the GS salary schedule (i.e. maybe after 20 years…). See http://www.nps.gov/hdp/index.htm"

I still say go for it, I mentor and encourage young photographers and want to see them have opportunities in these tough times for photographers.

As for the older guys, well..how about you just continue to enjoy your hobby and let a young person get a break?

[Wayne]

As for the older guys, well..how about you just continue to enjoy your hobby and let a young person get a break?

I understand wanting to help out younger people. I try to help out young people too, in photography and in my line of work, both of which are under appreciated, withering/dying fields. But I sincerely hope the hiring manager doesn't feel the same way because it IS age discrimination. Maybe the sentiment should be changed to "I hope you older guys who don't really need the money let a young person get a break", because there are plenty of 50+ people who still need to work and will need to work for a long time and shouldn't feel have to guilty about it. People like me. But I'm not applying. Fortunately I don't quite have the KSAs and I think living in DC would be a worse fate than death.

[tonyowen]

I’ve lived and worked in both Canada and the UK and am in my seventies so I can relate to many of the points made in the 87 postings of this thread.

Over the past couple of decades, the problems of selection, hiring, and firing have become monumental; especially with legal wolves waiting for the slightest cause to demand ‘justice and compensation’ irrespective of the merits of the decision to - select for interview, to hire, or to fire.

Regarding what should or should not be included in any CV presented for the post. I wonder if many of the posties (??) have come across the latest fad of redaction of all CVs. This means the selection person/committee/board have only a vanilla CV to consider and do not have any insight as to the ‘hidden merits’ of those applying for the job.

For the applicant, the UK is identical with the States, in that rarely does the application get to deal directly with the potential employer. So most applications are pre-judged by those whose knowledge is incompatible with what is needed for the position, and biased towards their own prejudices.

Unfortunately, age does have the certain benefits over youth, especially if the ‘job’ does not require a natural familiarity with new and evolving technologies for which the opposite is true.

I do not have US citizenship so I cannot apply for the position. However, I thought it might be of interest to know that the frustrations with (first world) governments are not unique to the USA.

Regards
Tony

[Vaughn]

I have had many friends and former students sending me this job annoucement. I have no interest at all. I have twenty good years left (hopefully) to make art. I am not going to use that time to make documents for the gov't.

[Tin Can]

I have had many friends and former students sending me this job annoucement. I have no interest at all. I have twenty good years left (hopefully) to make art. I am not going to use that time to make documents for the gov't.

+1!