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

[djdister]

Yes... the hiring officials are sent a list of "qualified applicants". If their preferred person isn't on the list, they have the option of closing the position opening and trying again with modified requirements. If the person is on the list, they can simply choose the one they want even if they're near the bottom of the list.

Conspiracy theory? Nope... just the way the system works.

And here's the flip side of it. As a government manager, I recently interviewed a candidate for a position because his resume listed all the right stuff, had the right buzz words and everything. When asked to explain what was described on his resume, he was at a complete loss - and it became obvious that he cut and pasted his "experiences" from some online resume generator. So I follow all of the arcane OPM rules and guidelines and in the end applicants can lie their heads off - and we have to sift through all of that. That is one reason we go for "known quantities" -- but its true, you have to get through the somewhat anonymous, automated resume scrubbing processes before it gets to the actual hiring managers.

[Old-N-Feeble]

And here's the flip side of it. As a government manager, I recently interviewed a candidate for a position because his resume listed all the right stuff, had the right buzz words and everything. When asked to explain what was described on his resume, he was at a complete loss - and it became obvious that he cut and pasted his "experiences" from some online resume generator. So I follow all of the arcane OPM rules and guidelines and in the end applicants can lie their heads off - and we have to sift through all of that. That is one reason we go for "known quantities" -- but its true, you have to get through the somewhat anonymous, automated resume scrubbing processes before it gets to the actual hiring managers.

That's precisely correct. But the flip-side to the flip-side is the new employee goes through an evaluation process. If he/she can't do the job as advertised and outlined in the Job Description then management can easily and quickly fire him/her. Of course, that takes a little time and effort on the part of management. The faults of the new employee must be provable and actionable. If the applicant truly did lie and can't perform the assigned duties the firing process is fairly quick and simple. So, yes there's a flip-side but that last flip-side is relatively speedily and easily managed.

[djdister]

...If he/she can't do the job as advertised and outlined in the Job Description then management can easily and quickly fire him/her. Of course, that takes a little time and effort on the part of management...

We can get rid of someone relatively quickly within a 12 month Probationary status window, after that, there is nothing quick or easy about firing a government employee, speaking from direct experience. Best not to hire bad folks in the first place, since it likely took 6-10 months to get to the candidate interview process.

[Old-N-Feeble]

Don't forget about the initial 30 day evaluation period. No offense intended but if management can't evaluate the abilities of an employee within 30 days, let alone 12 months, then management is incompetent and should also be re-evaluated. If the employee proved himself capable and willing to perform his assigned duties, within the confines of his Position Description, but then becomes a slacker after the 12 month trial then that's a different issue. And yes, it becomes more difficult to terminate him. But... that's still a very big part of management's job. If management can't or won't perform their duties with integrity and efficiency then they're not doing their jobs either. IMO, it's a big friggin' mess. BTW, the likelihood of an employee deciding to intentionally fail after 12 months on the job is relatively rare. It takes years of being treated like crap to finally become so jaded.

[djdister]

Don't forget about the initial 30 day evaluation period. No offense intended but if management can't evaluate the abilities of an employee within 30 days, let alone 12 months, then management is incompetent and should also be re-evaluated. If the employee proved himself capable and willing to perform his assigned duties, within the confines of his Position Description, but then becomes a slacker after the 12 month trial then that's a different issue. And yes, it becomes more difficult to terminate him. But... that's still a very big part of management's job. If management can't or won't perform their duties with integrity and efficiency then they're not doing their jobs either. IMO, it's a big friggin' mess. BTW, the likelihood of an employee deciding to intentionally fail after 12 months on the job is relatively rare. It takes years of being treated like crap to finally become so jaded.

I get your points. As for me, I can't afford to take a huge pay cut for this position, but someone younger on this forum might want it. I have no insight or ties into the DOI/NPS, so can't help anyone with pointers, other than to follow the application process in USAJOBs to the letter.

[Old-N-Feeble]

^^^ That's all anyone can do... try his/her best and keep hoping.

[scheinfluger_77]

Looks like an awesome retirement gig to me.

[redrockcoulee]

On the Canadian government now it is so hard to get to the point that you can list a position to get candidates and that if you close it without hiring if there are suitable candidates the most likely result is that you lose the position permamently meaning that no one will ever fill it or at least not for a decade or two.

No, that's the way the system used to work. Today, as I explained, the hiring manager has no say. He is handed a few resumes out of the hundreds of applicants (for my kind of jobs) from HR or the Hiring Management company, usually an outside vendor. All he can say to those he receives is Yes/No. He doesn't get to ask to review all those that agency rejected. I try to had deliver my highly qualified candidates every day, for dozens of large companies. 99% of the time you are blocked by the HR system I described. Allowing the hiring manager find an excellent candidate himself is going the way of ticker tapes. It's all bureaucracy now, the kind that gives us all these problems like missing terrorists, by the way. PC, even if it hurts business and the country.

[Old-N-Feeble]

On the Canadian government now it is so hard to get to the point that you can list a position to get candidates and that if you close it without hiring if there are suitable candidates the most likely result is that you lose the position permamently meaning that no one will ever fill it or at least not for a decade or two.

That's probably a logical way to preclude at least some of the cronyism abuses of the system. I tip my hat to Canada.

[DrTang]

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/422484300