Are you REDI? The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) asked that question in their recently launched REDI Roadmap initiative. REDI is an acronym that stands for recruitment, engagement, diversity, and innovation. The concept behind it is to build a federal workforce that is “talented, well-trained, and engaged” in their work. OPM wants to use the “latest data-driven expertise, social medial tools, and collaborative thinking to continue to build, develop, and retain a purpose-driven workforce”.

While this initiative might seem like a huge change in federal hiring, it isn’t. OPM is letting the public and federal agencies know it is being responsive to concerns about the difficulty of using both USAJOBS.gov and the array of federal hiring authorities. One aspect of the REDI Roadmap initiative is to create a positive and productive USAJOBS experience. Another is for OPM to provide guidance and assistance to federal agencies on enhanced strategic use of federal hiring regulations already in place.

Since Congress controls federal hiring regulations (Congress passes laws that become regulations), OPM is addressing what it does control. OPM has authority for the look and feel of the USAJOBS.gov web site, and for the effective use of the full component of federal hiring authorities. These areas are where the public and federal agencies rely on OPM for guidance, and these areas are addressed by the REDI Roadmap initiative.

OPM clearly sees forthcoming Boomer retirements as an opportunity to reimagine what a 21^st Century federal workforce could represent. In her 3/11/15 blog, OPM Director Kathrine Archuleta stated, “REDI reflects OPM’s commitment to the president’s vision of ensuring that all segments of society are represented and feel included at every level of America’s workforce.”

What does this mean for you? If you are interested in applying for a federal job, paying attention to OPM updates on this project positions you for new federal career possibilities. As Boomers leave federal employment, jobs will be opening. Per Director Archuleta, USAJOBS changes under the REDI Roadmap initiative will take place incrementally, so you will want to be aware of and at-the-ready for each change.

Creating a strategic action plan to follow REDI as it evolves, provides positive direction. Writing down rather than dreaming about your plan allows it to become real to you, and makes it more do-able. You will also want to position yourself for fast action when jobs for which you qualify become available.

Here are a few ideas to consider for your OPM REDI Roadmap Action Plan:

1. Keep an up-to-date federal résumé in Word document format to share at job fairs and when networking with federal hiring officials.
2. Keep a current, well-written federal résumé on the USAJOBS résumé builder as the first posting (résumé #1), so it can be updated as soon as you learn of a job opening for which you qualify.
3. Periodically check OPM’s REDI Roadmap website for new updates.
4. Read Director Archuleta’s blog.
5. Read articles on the REDI Roadmap initiative in Government Executive magazine.
6. Follow OPM Director Katherine Archuleta and USAJOBS on FaceBook. (You have to have a FaceBook page to do this, so this idea might not work for everyone.)

Previous articles by this author on the federal job search address additional specifics on how to conduct yours.

Be proactive. Clearly, OPM plans to replace retiring Boomers with innovative and engaged new hires. If a federal job is your calling, why shouldn’t you be one of them? When OPM asks “are you ready, “you want your answer to be a resounding “yes, I am!!”