Re: Proper KSA Format

Supv, I'm guessing by your comments that you are white (so am I). Has anyone ever NOT been hired, in or out of VA, because they are black? Speaking of "racial barriers" and "denial". Further, as a supervisor yourself, you apparently were hired by somebody, at some point; curious - was the person who selected you of the same racial background? Were you hired "in-house" or from the outside? Could you have been the beneficiary of "pre-selection"? And as a supervisor yourself, do you reserve the right to select applicants from outside if you think they may be the best choice? Or do you feel obligated to go with the in-house candidate in all situations? And does being retired military prevent one from being hired or give a leg up for them; you don't make clear how that "barrier" works. You're right; even being qualified doesn't guarantee anything. That may just mean that there are other well-qualified candidates who bring something else that management values for that vacancy.

Re: Proper KSA Format

@Supervisor VA,
There are far too many generalizations in your post. Sounds as if you have the mind-set that minorities are given the advantage in all situations. Perhaps they are selected, not simply because they are minorities, but because they are qualified. Being qualified is the advantage, but if have the mindset that minorities are inferior, you'd never believe that. I know plenty of retired military who haven't encountered any barriers to securing a federal position. I guess it really depends on the corporate culture in the agency where you're employed. I've seen many soldiers retire or Friday and return on Monday to a federal position, in many in-stances the same position they held while active duty.
KSAs are a barrier to those who are reluctant to address them, but they can give a candidate an advantage over other applicants if they are well written. I don't condone preselection, but who's to say that person isn't the best-qualified?