I O Psychology Jobs in the Federal Government What

I/O Psychology Jobs in the Federal Government: What we do and how you can get involved! Report Tile Matt Sigafoose – Personnel Research Psychologist Regan Miller – Human Resources Specialist Center for Talent Services U. S. Office of Personnel Management February 28, 2008 1

Overview Ø Personal Experiences § Who we are and how we got here Ø What we do at OPM Ø Benefits of working for the federal government § Private Sector –vs- Public Sector Ø Applying for a Government Job 2

Personal Experiences – From UB to OPM Ø Matt § UB → Job Search → COAUSPHS § Interviews – Behavioral or Situational? § OPM’s Center for Talent Services Ø Regan § UB → SIOP → Networking → OPM 3

OPM’s Center for Talent Services (CTS) Workforce Solutions by Government, for Government TM Ø A federal government HR consulting group • Work directly with Federal, state and local government clients to help them achieve their human capital goals • Perform analysis, write reports, give proposals, negotiate agreements, manage projects, and develop business • Serve the public by helping agencies reach higher levels of effectiveness Ø A matrix organization offering 4 categories of services: • Recruiting and Staffing • Workforce Management and Development • Individual and Organizational Assessment • HR Technology Solutions 4

CTS Branches Ø Competency Assessment Branch Ø Assessment Centers Ø Accomplishment Records Ø Writing Samples Ø Structured Interviews Ø Job Knowledge Tests Ø Assessment Strategy Wizard Ø Human Resources Consulting Program Ø Workforce Planning Ø Examining/Staffing Ø Branding Ø Classification Ø Performance Management 5

CTS Branches Ø Assessment Services Branch Ø Leadership 360 Ø Organizational Assessment Survey Ø Customer Satisfaction Survey Ø Focus Groups Ø Action Planning Ø Program Evaluation Ø Other Groups Ø Nationwide Testing Ø USAStaffing/USAJobs Ø TMA 6

Leadership Competency Model: 5 ECQs 7

Example Project OPM Leadership 360 (Assessment, Group and Individual Feedback Sessions) Ø Client: USSS Ø Scope of Work: Ø Typical Leadership 360 administration is three weeks with two reminders built in Ø Once survey closes, we run the data and generate individual reports and one aggregate report Ø A group feedback session is required of any client that utilizes our instrument Ø Individual feedback sessions cost run 45 minutes in length. 8

More Examples Performance Management Ø Client: U. S. Patent and Trademark Office Ø Deliverables: § Performance standards/Benchmarks § Comprehensive feedback system (360 analysis) § Implementation courses Employee Development Ø Client: Transportation Security Administration Ø Deliverables: § Structured interview training class/workshop Classification Evaluation Ø Client: United States Department of Agriculture Ø Deliverables: § Evaluation of 7 positions § Rewritten position descriptions and evaluation statements 9

We want YOU to join our team! Working for OPM’s Center for Talent Services = Ø Working as a consultant for a spectrum of federal agencies Ø Opportunities to work on a great variety of projects Challenging and rewarding work Ø Opportunities to work in several geographic locations (offices in DC, Kansas City, Chicago, San Francisco, San Antonio, Atlanta, and Philadelphia) Ø Opportunities to move across agencies during your career Ø Opportunities for professional growth and development – in I/O and beyond Ø The ability to move up 10

Top Benefits of Federal Employment Ø Flexible work schedules and telework Ø Subsidized transportation Ø Vacation and sick leave Ø Health Insurance Ø Life Insurance Ø Thrift Savings Plan (401 K) Ø Pension Ø Childcare centers Ø Child and elder care assistance Ø Time off for volunteer activities Ø Public service (not profit) driven 11

Why CTS Recruits I/O Psychology Students… Ø A background in psychology gives you technical competencies: § Statistical analysis § Assessment and selection methods § Organizational design and development Ø As well as general ones: § Skills in interacting effectively with diverse groups of stakeholders § Understanding client motivations and needs § Ability to persuade others to accept recommendations 12

Applying for Federal Jobs Ø Where do I find jobs? § USA Jobs § Student USA Jobs § Current employees Ø Types of appointments § Career Conditional § Student Employment (FCIP, SCEP, STEP) § Temporary/Term 13

Qualification Analysis ØQualifying for federal jobs § Education § Experience § Combination of education and experience ØGS level qualifications § GS-07 § One year of graduate level education § One year of experience comparable to GS-06 § GS-09 § Completion of two years of graduate level education or a master’s degree 14 § One year of experience comparable to GS-07

Application Examination ØApplicant review (Examination) § HR Specialist § Administers assessments § Evaluates minimum qualifications § Creates a certificate of eligibles • Hiring Manager § Reviews certificate of eligibles § Conducts interviews § Makes final hiring decision 15

Federal Resume Basics 16

Tailoring your Resume Ø Relate your experience to the position you are applying for § Present related experience in your resume § Shows that you are qualified for the job Past Experience: Desired Job: Your Job Duties 17

Tailoring Your Resume Ø How do you know what duties to tailor your resume to? Ø Vacancy announcement ØDuties section ØQualifications and evaluations section Ø Important information you must include Ø The hours per week at your job Ø Include specific dates of employment (ex. 1/12/071/12/08) 18

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Competency Narratives ØNarratives § Some positions are measured using a set of narratives § Narratives assess knowledge, skills and abilities (Competencies) § Used to determine who is BEST qualified § Many narratives overlap from job-to-job § Save and re-use your narratives § Make sure your narratives focus on past experiences § Situation – Action – Outcome § Use at least two strong examples for each 20

What to expect when applying ØApplications are very time consuming § Allow ample time to complete narrative statements § Save your responses ØHR Specialists will not review applications until after a job announcement closes § There will be at least a two week delay from the closing date to an interview date ØApply to all jobs you feel you are qualified for § Carefully read all announcements § Minimum qualifications are set in stone § If you do not meet these, you will not be considered 21

Interviews ØStructured ØBehavior based ØCompetencies ØWriting Sample 22

Contacts Ø Questions § Matthew. Sigafoose@opm. gov § Regan. Miller@opm. gov Ø Interested? § Send resumes to §Doug. Deis@opm. gov 23

Thank you! 24