OPM launches online toolkit to speed federal hiring

As part of a long-running effort to reform the federal hiring process and to make government jobs more competitive with the private sector, the Office of Personnel Management Wednesday unveiled a Federal Hiring Toolkit on its Web site.

A common complaint about federal hiring is that it takes too long - applicants can wait months to hear back from agencies. To that end, a major feature of the hiring toolkit is an analysis tool that walks agencies through the 19 steps of hiring a new employee. The tool compares how long each step takes for the agency to how long OPM thinks it should take.

The process starts with requesting approval to fill a vacancy, but there are five interim steps before agencies are ready to draft and approve a vacancy announcement. Those are: review workforce analysis and understand skills gaps; review position description for alignment with organizational mission and job requirements; conduct job analysis; create candidate assessment tool; and choose ranking method.

Each step, according to OPM, should take between one and three days.

Next agencies have to "post the announcement, perform applicant intake, close vacancy announcement, screen applicants for minimum qualifications/selection factors, rate qualified applicants, apply veterans' preference/rate qualified applicants, review applications, schedule and conduct interviews, check references, make selection, extend job offer and conduct background check."

Conducting interviews can take up to 15 days and checking references can take five. OPM Deputy Director Dan Blair, who demonstrated the toolkit at a workshop for federal human resources professionals sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service, said agencies can find "the low-hanging fruit" to easily trim hiring time.

"It's a flexible, Web-based resource," Blair said, "a good addition to your arsenal to help you better identify hiring processes for your agency."

OPM's toolkit also includes a primer on writing a jargon-free job announcement. Tips include: "Be concise -- less is more," and "Bulleted lists and short paragraphs are clearer and less daunting than long, bulky paragraphs."

The online instrument offers a conversation template for human resources professionals to talk to hiring managers about the job they are seeking to fill.