Responses to a recent survey on FedSmith.com overwhelmingly indicate that our users believe that that the federal hiring process is ineffective.
88% of respondents said they believe the federal hiring process is ineffective while 6% said it was not and another 6% were not sure.
Along the same lines, 70% of respondents said that the government is not able to hire talented technology specialists, and 91% of respondents said that government rules, regulations and culture prevent federal employees from taking risks or trying new approaches to solve problems.
As to what new approaches might be most effective for improving the hiring process, 9% of respondents said creating a new federal agency was a good approach, 72% said to use direct hiring authority, and 59% said creating higher pay for technology specialists.
Respondents also offered some of their own suggestions. A random sampling of some of the suggestions submitted follows:
- Contract the work out to a non-government entity that is able to operate more efficiently
- Contract staffing
- Streamline processes
- Get rid of IT staff with outdated skills
- Use tuition pay off for employees in critical jobs
- Change leadership/ managment culture
- Modify existing contracting laws that inhibit IT procurement
- Do not let the Government try to build any computer programs. They failed when trying to implement a program to assist the VA, and they failed BIG time with the Obamacare program!
- Use private sector only
- Create a higher pay scale for all employees in order to maintain competitive compensation with the private sector
- Allow innovative technologies to be used instead of blocking thier usage in the federal sector
- Limiting government to its constitutional role
- Work directly with colleges and universities to hire tech specialists
Our thanks to those of you who took the time to share your feedback in this survey!
