Reforming Federal Hiring

The Office of Personnel Management on Friday held a public meeting on its efforts to overhaul the federal hiring process, and my colleague Emily Long has all the details of the meeting at GovernmentExecutive.com.

Agency chief human capital officers said at the meeting that the continued use of excepted service authorities, such as the Student Career Experience and Presidential Management Fellows programs, as well as a faster federal hiring process that focuses on job competencies rather than experience are the best ways to attract and recruit college graduates. A streamlined application process and plain language job descriptions also could help, CHCOs said.

But federal union leaders contended that some agencies' use of excepted service programs has led to abuse of merit system principles, and cautioned that any use of such programs should include accountability measures to ensure they do not undermine merit principles or weaken veterans preference.

The Obama administration in May unveiled plans to reform the federal hiring process, in part by eliminating essay-style questions from federal applications and allowing individuals to apply for jobs by submitting resumes and cover letters.

Many experts have said that the current government hiring process is not ideal for college graduates, but at the same time, this group is not the only one that agencies will need to recruit and retain as exiting baby boomers retire. Is the current hiring process ideal for young people, and what reforms should the government undertake to make the federal hiring process more accommodating for all generations in the workplace?