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OPM Says Agencies Can Hire New Employees in Under 45 Days

By Ralph Smith

Friday, August 20, 2004

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Who says the federal hiring process is complex and frustrating?

As the government's personnel expert, OPM says it has figured out a way to use federal hiring requirements and to complete the hiring of a new employee in less than 45 days.

"Our results prove it can be done," said OPM director Kay Coles James.

To demonstrate the feasability of using this new hiring process, the agency has overhauled its own internal procedures to hire 278 employees over nine months with an average of 36 days for each new employee joining the ranks of OPM employees.

OPM is encouraging agencies to do the same thing by adopting a 45-day model for hiring new feds. Human resources policy experts and program officials developed the new system which OPM says is now being used by managers and HR practitioners within the agency. The result is that the hiring process takes 16 days less to bring in new OPM'ers.

OPM defines "hiring time" as beginning one day after a vacancy announcement closes and ending the day a job offer is made to an applicant.

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Readers' Comments

  • How to hire within 45 days...Actually you can hire someone well within 45 days if you have experienced (best and brightest) personnelists working for you. If not....you will have to get...and stand in line....Varied and in-depth experience using Title VII (civil service) rules and regulations is cr...
    Posted: October 1, 2004 10:42 AM
  • I worked at DECA in Point Mugu and Port Hueneme. I have over 6 years but all the jobs were temporary. Was told that I would be made permanent soon. I work very hard to keep the store in excellent condition. I come in to work and have been told that the temporary position could not be permanent ...
    Posted: September 24, 2004 9:22 AM
  • The OPM press release on this is located at http://www.opm.gov/viewDocument.aspx?q=526. It references a memo dated May 6 that was sent to agency heads outlining the program. Your personnel office should have a copy of that memo or it should be available through OPM....
    Posted: September 8, 2004 9:07 AM

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