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Doctor Bovine posted:About three weeks ago I received a phone call saying I was being put forward as the candidate for a government job. I'll have to pass a background check before receiving a formal offer from HQ and the manager indicated that there would be a six week delay on all checks because of the recent cyber attacks. OPM brought e-QIP back online last week; probably your manager doesn't know much more than is in this blog post. It was four weeks of downtime when they were planning on four to six, but I imagine it'll still be backlogged for a bit.
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Jul 29, 2015 21:28
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Doctor Bovine posted:I'm getting antsy after three weeks of silence -- should I phone to see whether the manager has updates? (Delays are out of her control, but perhaps she has information.) Has anyone else had issues with background check delays or heard anything? I need a few weeks notice because I'll be moving back to the States if this works out. A friend of mine has been waiting on his secret clearance to start a PMF job for at least 6 weeks now. They keep saying "another two weeks" and push it back every time.
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Jul 29, 2015 23:34
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I didn't see anything on the front page and  for looking at 90+ pages in the thread.I applied to an agency with my Peace Corps non-competitive eligibility and eventually after the interviews got a phone call from them saying they were going to send me a job offer once my application was double-checked by HR. It eventually was, and they said that they were going to put up the job on USAJOBS for 3 days for me to apply to in the normal fashion. A couple questions: -Is this a normal thing for NCE positions? I'm assuming so because I'm sure OPM wants their data collection. -Does it normally take several months from first interview to starting the position? Its been nearly two months from then to now. I'm getting antsy, and broke. 
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Jul 30, 2015 03:56
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CronoGamer posted:A friend of mine has been waiting on his secret clearance to start a PMF job for at least 6 weeks now. They keep saying "another two weeks" and push it back every time. Sounds like either a) the GPO breach is so extensive they're still finding things to fix or b) they're stalling to get an arrest warrant lined up.
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Jul 30, 2015 04:23
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I was contacted by OPM to schedule a background interview about two weeks ago (looks as though I was a reference for a buddy applying to a high-level clearance position). Haven't heard back from the follow-up investigator/agent since then. I imagine everything is backlogged and slow at the moment. Keep waiting!
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Aug 1, 2015 13:58
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Referred to selecting official 
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Aug 2, 2015 01:43
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Got my first rejection. Qualified, but not enough!
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Aug 5, 2015 13:11
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Massasoit posted:Got my first rejection. Don't let it get to you, I'm up to at least 30 rejections. Only had 2 interviews out of those: one for my current position, and one for FBI special agent which I subsequently did not get selected for.
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Aug 5, 2015 13:35
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I'm not worried about it. I actually wasn't really that qualified for it. I have a stable job, but working of the agency I'm applying for would be under 'life dream' category. I've been waiting for a position to be posted that I should be highly competitive for. I've known about the posting for months but it hasn't come out yet.
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Aug 5, 2015 13:39
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Massasoit posted:I've been waiting for a position to be posted that I should be highly competitive for. I've known about the posting for years but it hasn't come out yet. Fixed 
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Aug 5, 2015 13:42
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Slaan posted:I didn't see anything on the front page and Peace corps NCE in da house. I've been hired by two agencies with my NCE. Applied twice, and in each case had an offer in under a month. Probably not typical, but I didn't have to deal with any USA jobs bs. I just applied directly with the hiring official. Both positions were listed on the job board on the PC website and specifically requested NCE. Not sure how well things work if you go straight to USA Jobs. Since it sounds like you have a contact at the agency, don't be afraid to ask for an update.
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Aug 5, 2015 18:55
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Yeah, I went through the PC website as well and they specifically listed PC NCE status for it. They said it was a major reason I am getting the job. I have no idea why they need me to fake apply to a USAJOBs bit for it, but they said its the last step. I guess the agency isn't do official NCE hires, but are allowed to wink-wink nudge-nudge it? I asked for an update this morning. Still nothing. 
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Aug 5, 2015 19:39
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Cheer up my rejected brethren, I had what, 250+ rejections before getting this job?  (not counting the non-government job applications)And now I am staring at a GS-11 supervisory job and wondering why in the world I would want to go for that rather than waiting for the GS-11/12 job that has the same description as my current job. I guess it would be helpful to have supervisory experience at this level if you wanted to be a More Important Supervisor later?
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Aug 7, 2015 02:48
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Is it typical for an in-person interview to be "mandatory"? I seem to have a decent chance at a GS-9 position but they want me to come interview in person and pay my own travel expenses. It's pretty far away, so anything but flying is not going to be practical. Either way I figure it's worth essentially wagering that travel cost on the chance that I can get hired, so I"m going for it. I was just curious what other's experiences were.
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Aug 10, 2015 23:44
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I've been on all kinds. No interview, they paid to fly, I paid and phone. There are no set rules; it depends on the agency's needs and budget.
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Aug 11, 2015 03:44
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Thanks in part to some encouragement earlier in this thread, I've been offered a position with a federal agency. It comes with a competitive salary, good benefits and a recruitment bonus. So, thanks thread! My next questions are: What, if anything, is negotiable about an offer? Can I make a case for a higher recruitment bonus, for example, or is that dictated by procedure/law? Second, do firms typically pay year-end bonuses? A not inconsiderable portion of my current job's compensation is in the form of an annual bonus, and I was wondering if I should consider a bonus in the equation.
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Aug 11, 2015 23:10
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Did they ask what you made at your last job? You can, and should, include annual bonuses in the amount you tell them.
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Aug 11, 2015 23:18
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TheMadMilkman posted:Did they ask what you made at your last job? You can, and should, include annual bonuses in the amount you tell them. They did ask, and I did provide, though this year's bonus was not listed with my salary; their offer is somewhere between my current salary without bonus and current salary with bonus, so they may have seen it?
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Aug 11, 2015 23:33
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There's no harm in calling them and countering with what your total pay was. Be ready to show proof, and also be ready for them to tell you no. I've seen it go both ways.
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Aug 12, 2015 05:36
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Should I be shoveling cover letters out to USAJobs applications? Does a dual citizenship with Britain affect my ability to get clearance if needed? Should I be claiming disability for an anxiety disorder?
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Aug 12, 2015 17:25
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Goodpancakes posted:Should I be shoveling cover letters out to USAJobs applications? Not if you are considering jobs that require a high clearance...
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Aug 12, 2015 17:57
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Goodpancakes posted:Should I be shoveling cover letters out to USAJobs applications? I doubt anyone much cares about these. I think they're a remnant of the "ask for a job with a firm handshake" days. Goodpancakes posted:Does a dual citizenship with Britain affect my ability to get clearance if needed? Goodpancakes posted:Should I be claiming disability for an anxiety disorder? I looked into this when I was applying. I said/say yes if they ask "Do you have a disability", but you're only eligible for non-competitive eligibility if you're disabled with respect to Section 9 of the social security regs, which I read and you basically have to be so disabled that you're collecting ssi/ssd. I think. Anyone is free to correct me, but apparently unless you've had a doctor certify(and had the gov agree) that you're unfit/unable to work, you don't get special treatment. I do have the disabled box checked in my demographic info, but I'm pretty sure the hiring official never sees that, not sure about HR. Uncle Enzo fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Aug 12, 2015 |
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Aug 12, 2015 18:49
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Unponderable posted:Second, do firms typically pay year-end bonuses? You can get a bonus with your performance eval, but it's capped at 0.97%. You're better off hoping for the quality step increase (QSI) which basically counts as an extra year of service for your salary. Basically you just make your salary. You can argue for steps, but that isn't to helpful if your going to get grade soon. E.g if you're on a grade 7-9-12 track I think a 7 step 10 makes less than a 12 step 1 so your "raise" functionally disappears in a year. No idea how it works for those crazy pay-band folks.
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Aug 13, 2015 01:38
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Uncle Enzo posted:I doubt anyone much cares about these. I think they're a remnant of the "ask for a job with a firm handshake" days. I certainly did not ever send one for any USAJobs applications, but then I also only ever had one near-miss in all the applications before I got this job (without an interview), so...
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Aug 13, 2015 02:24
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Hackan Slash posted:Basically you just make your salary. AFAIK this is going to be true for all folks until you get pretty high up in the executive management structure to where 'retention bonus' comes into play and you can really get some nice (for the government anyway) 5-digit that doesn't start with 1 bonus paychecks. Until then a GS employee bonus will be minimal and you might as well use a QSI to increase your base, although LOL at ever getting a rating high enough to qualify for that, depending on your agency/business unit/manager etc. What really matters is grade and time in grade.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:09
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Goodpancakes posted:
You get so damned many different answers to this question depending who you ask. It also depends what kind of clearance we mean, secret, TS/SCI, what. The UK is in Five Eyes so you definitely have that on your side. If your work doesn't have to do with the UK and if you've never served in their military or government or exercised most rights of citizenship there, you should be fine. Certainly as far as Secret goes.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:54
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Hackan Slash posted:Basically you just make your salary. You can argue for steps, but that isn't to helpful if your going to get grade soon. E.g if you're on a grade 7-9-12 track I think a 7 step 10 makes less than a 12 step 1 so your "raise" functionally disappears in a year. To stress how true this is, here's how the promotions and pay would go in the above example, following the 2 step promotion rule: GS 7 step 10: 51,437 GS 9 step 5: 54,855 GS 11 step 1: 58,562 GS 12 step 1: 70,192 Basically, even if you can max out your first year salary, that advantage is gone in 2 years. It's still more money, but don't sweat it if the agency says no to the step increase when you hire on. I was actually a GS 5 step 00 for a year. I transferred from a GS 9 position to a GS 5, but with better pay potential (auto ladder to 12, can go up to 15). I made more as a 9 than the GS 5 max, so I was put on pay retention (step 00). In fact, it's been exactly 2 years. I got my 9 back today, but thanks to special salary table 999b, I'm making more this time than I would have in my old position.
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Aug 13, 2015 05:10
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Goodpancakes posted:Should I be shoveling cover letters out to USAJobs applications? Citizenship itself will not be a problem but I hope you aren't voting over there, using a British passport, owning property, etc. Ex had a TS with dual citizenship and they didn't care outside of stuff like the above.
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Aug 14, 2015 04:36
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State has a good read on clearance issues regarding dual citizenship: https://careers.state.gov/downloads/files/dualcitizenship.pdf
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Aug 14, 2015 05:57
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Goodpancakes posted:Does a dual citizenship with Britain affect my ability to get clearance if needed? I have dual citizenship with Britain from birth (American mother, UK-born resident alien father), and had no problems passing a Secret-level check. I have never acted on the citizenship, though (tried to vote, get a passport, etc.). Sir John Falstaff fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Aug 16, 2015 |
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Aug 15, 2015 14:46
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So what do offer letters normally look like for federal government positions? I was 99% sure I bombed the interview for this position I applied to, but I just heard back today from them with what looks a lot like a job offer. Essentially reiterating the salary and asking if Im still interested and willing to relocate. E: Im basically just wondering if this is a job offer or more of a "were still considering candidates and are checking with everyone to see who we can disregard entirely." Lilli fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Aug 17, 2015 |
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Aug 17, 2015 15:10
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Lilli posted:So what do offer letters normally look like for federal government positions? I was 99% sure I bombed the interview for this position I applied to, but I just heard back today from them with what looks a lot like a job offer. Essentially reiterating the salary and asking if Im still interested and willing to relocate. Usually my offer letters stated pretty explicitly in the e-mail subject whether it was the tentative offer or final offer and included the next steps or what paperwork needed to be completed before they could extend an entry-on-duty date. They may be seeing if you are still interested prior to sending an offer out. Sometimes this happens when the first choice backs out.
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Aug 17, 2015 19:27
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I'm working on an online job application on usajobs, and is there any recommendation for what date to put on when I'd be available to work? I live in south Florida while the job's in DC, and while my apartment complex has a two month minimum notice I'm not adverse to just eating the extra fee if I were to get this job. Is three weeks from the date applications end a good idea? I'm not seriously expecting to get this job, but I would like to cover my bases.
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Aug 17, 2015 21:57
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NintyFresh posted:Usually my offer letters stated pretty explicitly in the e-mail subject whether it was the tentative offer or final offer and included the next steps or what paperwork needed to be completed before they could extend an entry-on-duty date. This has been the case for me as well. Last offer I received wasn't very clear so I called the HR rep to ask something about the salary or start date. He ended the call by saying "well, do you accept?"
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Aug 17, 2015 22:01
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Cythereal posted:I'm working on an online job application on usajobs, and is there any recommendation for what date to put on when I'd be available to work? I live in south Florida while the job's in DC, and while my apartment complex has a two month minimum notice I'm not adverse to just eating the extra fee if I were to get this job. Is three weeks from the date applications end a good idea? I'd say just put today's date or whatever. Your actual start date will be determined way down the road after if and when they decide to offer you a position.
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Aug 19, 2015 18:30
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My future boss emailed me earlier this week to say I should be receiving a phone call this week with an offer. But that call never came. I guess that means I passed my background check. Waiting around like this is the pits. I stayed in every night this week because DC is 12 hours behind and I didn't want to miss the call.
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Aug 22, 2015 01:53
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Doctor Bovine posted:My future boss emailed me earlier this week to say I should be receiving a phone call this week with an offer. But that call never came. I guess that means I passed my background check. Waiting around like this is the pits. I stayed in every night this week because DC is 12 hours behind and I didn't want to miss the call. This has been me for the last month and a half. Keep strong 
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Aug 22, 2015 06:12
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Health insurance question: My wife is starting a job with USGS soon and we will likely be merging health insurance for the first time (previously she has been covered under her grad student aid, and I've been on my own with my municipal employer). We're trying to figure out who should be on whose insurance. My employer offers a benefit where I can receive $200/month if I do not use their health insurance and demonstrate alternate coverage through my spouse. Does the federal gov't offer a similar benefit, i.e. if my wife goes on my health insurance does she get a bonus payment? We haven't found anything so far but of course the explanatory materials are a bazillion pages so I thought I'd check in here.
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Aug 24, 2015 03:09
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No bonus.
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Aug 24, 2015 05:42
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Go on the federal plan. You're covered if she dies forever.
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Aug 26, 2015 04:47
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