Module 2 | Hiring Flexibilities Overview Module

Competitive Hiring – is the traditional process for hiring people into the competitive service. It consists of issuing a public notice on USAJOBS, rating/ranking applicants (scoring answers to questions), applying Veterans’ Preference, and considering Mandatory Placement Programs. This is the 80-day hiring model.

Direct Hire Authority - is a quick way to hire people into the competitive service when there is a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need. It expedites hiring by eliminating competitive rating/ranking and Veterans' Preference.

There are two types of direct-hire authority:

Government-wide authority. OPM determines that a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need exists on a government-wide basis.

• Currently, DOT utilizes the government-wide Direct Hire Authority for Information Security (GS-2210) positions.

Agency-specific authority. OPM decides, based on an agency request and agency statistical trends, position(s) for which a severe shortage or a critical hiring need exists. Agencies who have met public notice advertising requirements and have been granted direct-hire authority by OPM may offer immediate employment to qualified candidates. Direct hire authority may be used to cover occupational series, grades (or equivalent), geographical locations, or a combination of these.

• Currently, DOT does not have an agency-specific authority.

Persons With Disabilities Under Schedule A - Under Schedule A, you can quickly appoint individuals with disabilities that limit one or more life activities to excepted services positions. This means that if the individual meets the eligibility status of the appointment and the minimum qualifications for the position, he/she may be hired for the position without competing with the general public. It expedites hiring by eliminating issuance of a public notice on USAJOBS, competitive rating/ranking, and Mandatory Placement Program consideration; however, Veterans’ Preference applies. Schedule A can be used to hire people in all professions from clerical staff to attorneys. After 2 years of service, the employee may be converted without competition to a permanent appointment.

NOTE: DOT’s Disability Resource Center (DRC) provides job accommodations and related services to DOT employees and job applicants. The Workforce Quality Division, within the Departmental Office of Human Resource Management, operates the DRC with guidance from the Departmental Office of Civil Rights. Services are provided to all DOT OAs nationwide.

Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) Authority – allows temporary hiring of eligible veterans without competition to normally competitive positions at any grade level through GS-11 or equivalent. The target grade of the position can be greater than GS-11. For example, you can hire someone at the GS-11 level into a position targeted to the GS-13 level. No vacancy announcement is required; however, you have the option to advertise only for VRA candidates. It eliminates competitive rating/ranking; however, Veterans’ Preference applies and Mandatory Placement Programs must be considered.

A VRA appointment is into the excepted service. This means that instead of a 1-year probationary period, there is a 2-year trial period that serves a similar purpose—assessment of the candidate before you can non-competitively convert the individual to a permanent appointment in the competitive service.

30% Disabled Veterans Appointing Authority - allows non-competitive hiring of a veteran with a 30% or more service-connected disability rating to a temporary (at least 60 days, but up to one year) or term appointment (more than one year, but not more than four years). There are no grade restrictions, and competitive rating/ranking and Veterans’ Preference do not apply, Mandatory Placement Programs do not have to be considered, and a vacancy announcement is not required. The veteran can be converted to a career or career-conditional appointment at management’s discretion anytime during the temporary or term appointment. A converted veteran acquires a competitive status automatically on successful completion of a probationary period.

Pathways Programs - is an excepted service hiring authority that can be used to hire students and recent graduates. All Pathways Programs vacancies are announced on USAJOBS and Veterans’ Preference applies; however competitive rating/ranking does not apply and Mandatory Placement Programs do not have to be considered.

• Internship Program - provide students in high schools, community colleges, four-year colleges, trade schools, career and technical education programs, and other qualifying educational institutions and programs with paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore federal careers while still in school. Initial appointments can be at any grade level depending on the candidate’s qualifications. Interns who successfully complete the program are eligible to be noncompetitively converted to the competitive service.
• Recent Graduates Program - provides individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs with developmental experiences in the federal government. Participants must have obtained a qualifying degree or have completed a qualifying career or technical education program within the preceding two years; however, veterans who were precluded during that period due to their military service are eligible for six years. Appointments typically lasts for one year but may be extended up to two years. . Participants who successfully complete the program are eligible to be noncompetitively converted to the competitive service.
• Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF) - attracts outstanding masters and doctoral-level students to the federal service, as well as those who have, through extensive work experience, demonstrated exceptional leadership or analytical ability and a commitment to excellence in public service. Students who complete a graduate degree from an accredited college or university are eligible to be nominated by their schools as fellows. They are placed in jobs at GS-9 through GS-12 or their equivalents. During the 2-year fellowship, agencies arrange for on-the-job training and other developmental opportunities such as seminars, briefings, conferences, and rotational assignments. Fellows who successfully complete the program are eligible to be converted to the competitive service.

Refer to http://www.dot.gov/careers/pathways-program for a list of DOT Pathways Program contacts.

Refer to Departmental Personnel Manual, Chapter 362, Pathways Programs, for guidance on implementing the Pathways Programs within DOT.

Peace Corps & Americorps/VISTA Volunteers - when an individual leaves the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps/VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) they are awarded a one-year period of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) to normally competitive Federal positions. NCE dramatically reduces the time needed to find and hire qualified candidates … as long as the individual meets minimum qualifications for the position, a job opening and an approved position are all you need to make a hire. It eliminates competitive rating/ranking and Veterans’ Preference; however, Mandatory Placement Programs must be considered.

• Appointments based on Peace Corps Service - Peace Corps volunteers return to the United States from two-year stints as teachers, technology workers, engineers and more, from locations around the world looking for careers in the Federal Government. They have a passion for public service and have attained skills working in difficult environments with limited resources and low compensation.
• Appointments based on AmeriCorps/VISTA Service – AmeriCorps/VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty within our borders. Though AmeriCorps/VISTA service is not considered employment, the experience these individuals gain through service shows their ability to handle tough tasks and to see things through, and their dedication to working on challenging issues. Many AmeriCorps/VISTA assignments include civic engagement, nonprofit and project development, and fundraising.

Reinstatement Eligibles – individuals, who previously held a career or career-conditional appointment with the Federal government, may be eligible for reinstatement, which allows reentry to the Federal competitive service workforce without competing with the public. No vacancy announcement is needed, competitive rating/ranking and Veterans’ Preference do not apply; however, Mandatory Placement Programs must be considered. Reinstatement eligibles can also apply for Federal jobs open only to status or merit promotion candidates.

There is no time limit on eligibility for those who:

• Are Veterans' preference eligible and served one day as a career conditional employee, or
• Acquired career tenure by completing three years of substantially continuous creditable career-conditional service.

Non-veterans' preference eligibles who separated from civil service as a career-conditional employee may be reinstated within three years after the date of separation.