Overview

Recruit and hire the right people with the right skills for your jobs. Gain the background and knowledge necessary to operate in the complex Federal staffing environment. Become knowledgeable about staffing rules, regulations, and principles, appointment authorities, recruitment methods and hiring procedures, qualifications, merit promotion, and in-service placement actions.

Learning Objectives

• Apply OPM policies and instructions
• Identify competitive and non-competitive appointing authorities
• Assess minimum qualifications using the operating manual Qualification Standards for GS Positions
• Apply category rating procedures
• Apply time-in-grade and time-after-competitive appointment restrictions
• Apply merit promotion and other in-service procedures
• Learn the role of the HR practitioner in assisting agency managers to recruit and retain top talent
• Devise alternative solutions to recruiting challenges
• Research and use all available resource and reference material, including legal and regulatory issuances

Syllabus

Day 1 of 5

1. Introduction
2. Course Overview
3. Pre-Course Survey
4. Historical Perspective
5. The Spoils System
6. Origins of the Merit System
7. Researching Legal and Regulatory Requirements
8. How Actions Become Regulations
9. Components of the Federal Regulatory System
10. The Federal Register System
11. OPM's Notice and Posting
12. Employment Policies and Practices
13. Overview
14. Merit System Principles
15. Prohibited Personnel Practices
16. Public Notice Requirements
17. Competitive vs. Excepted Service
18. Staffing authorities and procedures

Day 2 of 5

1. Review of Day One
2. Employment Policies and Practices -- Continued
3. Delegated Examining System
4. Order of Referral in Competitive Examining
5. Compiling a Certificate of Eligibles
6. Category Rating Procedures
7. The Rule of Three (working a Certificate of Eligibles)
8. The Career Conditional Employment System
9. Service Requirement for Career Tenure
10. Completion of Probationary Period
11. Reinstatement Eligibility
12. Employment of Individual Experts and Consultants
13. Non-Permanent Employment

Day 3 of 5

1. Review of Day Two
2. Merit Promotion and In-Service Placement Actions
3. Agency Promotion Programs
4. Covered Personnel Actions
5. Qualifications
6. Qualifications Glossary
7. The Qualification Standards System
8. Crediting Experience
9. Crediting Education

Day 4 of 5

1. Review of Day Three
2. Qualifications -- Continued
3. Combining Education and Experience
4. Eligibility Requirements
5. Time-In-Grade Restriction
6. Time-After-Competitive-Appointment Restriction
7. Job Analysis
8. Job Analysis Glossary
9. Pertinent Laws and Regulations
10. Regulatory Requirement
11. Job Analysis Steps
12. Developing KSAs

Day 5 of 5

1. Review of Day Four
2. Recruiting
3. The Staffing Specialist's role in recruiting
4. College Recruitment vs. College Relations
5. Interviewing Techniques
6. Automated Recruitment Systems
7. Downsizing Approaches
8. Alternatives to Reduction in Force
9. Outplacement Assistance
10. Career Transition Assistance Program
11. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program
12. Reduction in Force Principles
13. Displacement in RIF: Bumping and Retreating
14. Appeal rights in RIF