If you didn't get that federal job, read this ...

Folks who have not landed federal jobs they’ve been after will not be surprised to hear that a report released yesterday by the Partnership for Public Service reveals that the “weakest link” in the federal hiring chain is the assessment of job applicants.

What, you may ask, are the other links? They are, in order, "workforce planning," "marketing and recruiting," then that weak link "candidate assessment," followed by "selection," and finally, “onboarding.”

The reason for the weakest link? There is more than one, including: limited resources and training, lack of collaboration among HR folks, and flawed IT. Amid all these complications, the report said, a lot of good candidates can fall through the cracks.

What’s more, the people in charge find it hard even to assess the assessment process, because the data they need to do so is not out there.

If you care to see the recommendations assembled by PPS and PDRI, an organizational psychology research and consulting firm that also contributed to the report, you can find them on the PPS Web site.

While none of this will make you frustrated jobseekers out there feel any better, at least now you know …