Senior Executive openingsto be posted electronically

The Office of Personnel Management this week will begin posting Senior Executive Service job vacancies electronically abandoning its practice of issuing biweekly printed lists of the government's most prestigious jobs.

Agencies are required by law to advertise an SES position for 14 days. Sending printed announcements was a cumbersome method for meeting those requirements said an OPM executive resource staffer who asked not to be mentioned by name. "The lead time for the necessary materials to go through the Government Printing Office and internal procedures was quite excessive " the staffer said. "Agencies had to send in materials 10 to 11 days early."

The printed lists also were considered ineffective according to Carol Bonasaro president of the Senior Executives Association. "This beats having to walk down to the personnel office and thereby advertise that you are hunting for another job or waiting for this to arrive in the mail."

In revising its distribution methods OPM worked extensively with government agencies and federal employee advisory groups.

"We're very pleased " said Terry Steele a personnel management specialist for the Interior Department. "The old methods were adding about two weeks or longer to our recruitment process. Now agencies will have more flexibility on opening and closing announcements." Steele is DOI's representative to the Executive Resources Management Group a panel of Cabinet-level representatives that advises OPM on personnel matters.

The new system will allow agency personnel to post the announcements themselves retaining a printed copy to provide to OPM when presenting a candidate for hire. "OPM will still monitor the fact that we posted the position when we are ready to present a tentative selection " Steele said.

Along with a condensed description of available positions electronic postings will include full-text vacancy announcements which under the old system had to be requested separately the OPM staffer said. "Now the person has to call an agency and ask them to send out the vacancy announcement. This is just one more way that the new system is going to help the turn-around time.

SES vacancies will be posted on the Federal Employment Information System a combination telephone-electronic system that previously was limited to non-SES job postings. The Federal Job Opportunities Board can be reached at (912) 757-3100. In addition to numerous sites on Internet SES vacancies will be retrievable through Federal Job Information Touch Screen Kiosks located at OPM and in some federal agencies.*** JOB SITES

To access Senior Executive Service vacancies on the Internet:

~ telnet: FJOB.MAIL.OPM.GOV

~ ftp: FTP.FJOB.MAIL.OPM.GOV

~ Mail: INFO@FJOB.MAIL.OPM.GOV

~ World Wide Web: www.fedworld.gov/pub/jobs/seslist.txt