Agencies’ recruitment efforts show promise

Despite continued challenges in federal hiring, there are bright spots in agencies' efforts to recruit veterans, Peace Corps volunteers, and young and diverse workers, according to a new report.

The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service on Thursday released "America Has Talent: Breaking the Mold for Federal Recruiting," a report highlighting the successful ways federal agencies find and hire job applicants in several groups. Recruitment efforts often are passive, time to hire is too long and candidate quality is problematic, but these concerns don't apply across the board, the report concluded.

"Pretty much everything that needs to happen in government is happening somewhere, but not everywhere and not in many places," Partnership President Max Stier said. "We need to have more agencies following suit, and we're hoping more agencies will speak up."

For example, Customs and Border Protection has developed an integrated recruitment team responsible for centralizing and coordinating campaigns to reach out to veterans, people with disabilities and other groups. The approach saves time and money by allowing the team to handle recruitment requests agencywide and helps engage staff in information technology, public relations, and diversity and civil rights offices, the report found.

Many human resources specialists aren't using the noncompetitive appointment authority that allows agencies to bypass the lengthy competitive process and hire returned Peace Corps volunteers, according to the Partnership. But the General Services Administration, Housing and Urban Development Department, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention participate in hiring events specifically targeting volunteers; use Peace Corps list servs and newsletters to reach candidates; and focus on relating volunteers' service to open positions and agency missions, the report found.

Agencies also have not aggressively pursued recent college graduates and diverse candidates and expect applicants to find job vacancies themselves, according to the report. The Social Security Administration, however, builds diversity by recruiting for foreign language capabilities and maintaining employee advisory groups representing its workforce, while the Energy Department uses ambassador programs that send former interns back to college campuses to recruit their peers.

Energy also has found creative ways to use technology to attract job candidates, according to the Partnership. For example, potential applicants can meet recruiters and managers in the virtual world of Second Life. The platform also allows job seekers to simulate mission functions, such as using a particle accelerator.

When resources are restricted, it is even more critical for agencies to improve recruiting practices and make smarter choices, Stier said.

"We can't afford not to be upping our game and recruiting and hiring in a much better way than we are doing today," he said. "There is a talent life cycle … if you fail at any given point, you risk failing the whole system."

The report is based on interviews with human resources specialists and recruitment officials at 14 federal agencies.