Monthly Archives: May, 2011

About one year ago, President Obama ordered improvements to federal recruitment and hiring processes. So how much progress have agencies made? First, some good news: • Many agencies have eliminated those odious KSA (knowledge, skills and abilities) essay questions from job applications. • Agencies now hire 42 percent of new employees within the 80-day time limit imposed by Obama. • Many agencies are posting shorter and clearer job applications. • A program for increasing the hiring of veterans was created. Now, some bad news: Much room for improvement remains, say many current job-seekers. Obama’s May 11, 2010, memo directed hiring…

Even though federal pay scales will remain frozen at least through the end of next year, you may still climb the federal career ladder or gain the qualifications to do so. Some strategies for moving up: • Despite the pay-scale freeze, you are still eligible for step increases that are typically awarded to successful feds every one, two or three years, depending on their current step. • If you are in good standing, ask your boss for a merit-based quality step increase. If he denies your request, ask him what you would have to do to earn such a promotion.…