There is no doubt that Uncle Sam wants to hire Veterans. Special hiring programs are in place, and the relatively new Category Rating hiring process gives additional impetus for agencies to identify and hire qualified Veterans. Veterans’ preference does not require an agency to follow a particular type of hiring methodology; agencies have the flexibility to follow any appropriate regulation. Preference applies to the manner in which Veterans are considered under each of them.
It’s important for Veterans to understand how their preference relates to federal hiring. Following is an explanation of preference and the various ways available to federal agencies to hire Veterans.
Veteran’s preference is a special hiring regulation established for Veterans who served on active duty for at least two years during a time of war or who were disabled as a result of their service. Under Category Rating, Federal agencies have been directed to place qualified Veterans with their preference designation (i.e., CPS, CP, XP, and TP) before other applicants on the referral list sent to hiring managers.
Delegated examining is the traditional method for hiring federal applicants. The Office of Personnel Management delegated hiring authority for federal agencies to make their own hiring decisions. Agencies follow the Code of Federal Regulation’s competitive examining requirements (5 CFR). When preference ratings of 5 or 10 points are used along with the codes in the previous section, it’s based on these regulations. Veteran spouses and mothers of deceased and disabled Veterans are sometimes given preference under delegated examining, as well.
President Obama’s May 11, 2010 Memorandum on “Improving the Federal Recruitment and Hiring Process” asks federal agencies to use category rating, rather than the traditional approach.Category rating increases the number of applicants being considered while preserving Veterans’ preference rights.
Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
VRA allows federal agencies to “appoint” eligible Veterans to positions within a limited pay scale. Veterans are hired under “excepted” appointments to positions that would otherwise be filled competitively. After the Veteran satisfactorily completes two years of excepted service, the Veteran is automatically converted to a federal job.
Veterans with a 30% or More Disability
This regulation allows a federal hiring manager to appoint eligible candidates to positions for which they are qualified, without following the competitive federal hiring process. Unlike VRA, there is no pay scale limit. However, initial appointments must be for 60 days or longer, and for a temporary or term-limited appointment. Unlike non-Veteran disability hiring where the employee has to wait two years to be considered for federal status, Veterans in this program can be converted to permanent status at any time during this time-limited appointment.
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA)
VEOA requires agencies to allow eligible Veterans with three or more years of service to apply for positions announced under the standard hiring (not category rating) procedures when an agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. If the VEOA-eligible applicant is selected, a standard appointment is made. Veterans’ preference is not a factor in these situations.
On November 9, 2009, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13518, Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government, which establishes the Veterans Employment Initiative. The Initiative helps Veterans to find employment in the Federal Government.
Veteran Employment Program Offices
Under the Veteran’s Employment Initiative, some federal agencies offer one-on-one support to Veterans seeking federal jobs. They promote Veterans’ recruitment, employment, training and development, and retention within their respective agencies. Veterans are encouraged to contact individuals on this list for specific information about employment opportunities in their organization.
In Conclusion
With all of this help and support, it is clear that the federal government intends to hire Veterans. The federal government knows that Veterans are well trained and ready to supply the skills the Federal Government needs. Even so, Veterans struggle with the federal hiring process.
While Veterans preference helps, it can only be enjoyed through an understanding of the federal job search process. To learn more about this process, go to Karol’s previous Careers in Government blogs. Read them, heed them, and then use your Veteran’s preference to its fullest capacity.
Thanks For Your Service!!
Karol,
This is a very comprehensive and well-written piece on the federal governmet’s veterans hiring initiative. Keep up the great work and services you are rendering in providing such valuable information to this important audience.
Thank you, Chris. I think it’s important to honor our Veterans, and to provide them with jobs when they come home. My dad was a WWII Vet, and it broke him. I wish he had had more support in our little town, but that was not the case. Now I am doing what I can to provide support for others.
Very very powerful information coming from Ms. Taylor who is an expert in the field of understanding the federal process.
Well documented information for veterans with an expert such as Ms. Taylor writing the article makes it very worthwhile to read.
Thank you veterans and thank you Karol Taylor for an awesome article.
Thank you Furman.
As you know, you are one of my favorite Veterans, although we have not yet met. I am hoping our paths will cross one day. In the meantime, your words kind words are deeply appreciated.
Warmly,
Karol
Why should organizations hire veterans? For starters, they are disciplined, dependable, and diligent, among multiple other highly prized qualities they contribute to the workforce. The military provides some of the best training out there, and it behooves organizations to tap into the vast array of knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies veterans offer, particularly where teamwork is valued.
Karol provides an excellent service in helping veterans recognize their great attributes, appropriately market them, and ultimately tap into the federal hiring programs available. She is highly knowledgeable on the topic, as evidenced by this article, competently helping veterans navigate through the complicated and confusing maze of the federal hiring system from soup to nuts. As a veteran myself, I personally could attest to the fact Karol is an outstanding resource for veterans everywhere!
Karol has provided yet another right on point article. Veterans are one of our most valuable resources. It is extremely important that we provide as much career development support for them when they decide to transition from military to federal sector (or even state & local). Karol has provided in great detail an excellent blog to make sure the needed info for veterans is clear and complete. Outstanding job Karol. Keep it coming. The vets need more people like you.
Excellent information from Karol Taylor and in an understandable format.
Karol Taylor is your go-to gal for any and all information regarding the federal hiring process. This article is an excellent example of her thoroughness and attention to detail in providing information about federal job search.
Once again, Karol’s thoroughness and attention to detail is extremely evident; this time as it relates to federal government hiring of veterans. With this article, Karol continues to demonstrate the many reasons why she earned the National Career Development Association’s Merit Award last year.
Great. comprehensive article. Should really help veterans weave their way through the maze of preferences and programs available to them.
Karol:
Thank you for this article. You did a great job (as always) of explaining the various preferences in a clear, well-organized and concise manner. We have a veteran’s group on campus and I will definitely share the information with them and our staff.
Great information. I did not realize all of the many hiring procedures for veterans. Have a great day on purpose.
I work with many veteran students in Career Services. This article provides a easy to understand framework, which will become one of my go-to resource when helping my veterans interpret vacancies.
Karol,
Great job at helping me understand the numerous options available to our Vets. You broke it out in an understandable manner so I can use this information easily in the future.
Thanks!
Jim
Hi Karol,
Great information for Veterans and agencies. Many times agencies could use various hiring authorities to bring more Vets into federal service, but they aren’t aware of their options. The more that Veterans know about the federal hiring process, it only enhances their chance for employment.
Ms. Taylor,
Very good information as well as a good read. I hope all veterans wishing to continue/further their career get a chance to read and absorb this. Good details as far as the requirements, qualifications, and guidelines for veterans looking to obtain a Federal position.
Thank you Karol for the timely article! It should be mandatory reading for all career development professionals working with veterans and their families.
As one of the “go-to” experts on the federal hiring process, Karol has once again taken a confusing and complex situation and made it simple to understand.
Thanks, Karol!
I have attended Karol’s seminars and have worked with her in the field. I can say that Karol is not only helpful to Veterans, but to anyone searching for federal employment. If you are looking for federal employment Karol knows the process.
Karol does a great job capturing the many resources of the hiring process for Veterans seeking employment in the Federal government. Her ability to help people succeed in attaining what they want is exceptional. If you follow her guidance, you will be sure to land employment for sure. I have been very successful in attaining support in other areas because of her!
Overall, this was a great read!
Karol you are awesome. What great information for Veterans and their families. You also have helped many non-vets get much wanted government jobs. Thank you Karol for all you do. Lorna
In most military transition programs the Federal Hiring Process is not covered in enough detail. To navigate the process successfully Veterans must first understand the process. Karol Taylor does an excellent job outlining the various Veterans preferences and hiring authorities which any Veteran applying for a federal job needs to know. To learn more I encourage Veterans and anyone considering employment with the Federal Government to purchase her book, “Finding Your Federal Job Fit”. It is an excellent resource with valuable information; as a Career Coach I keep a copy on my bookshelf!
Carolyn R. Owens
Career and Life Coach
Thanks for sharing your expertise Karol. As more Veterans enroll in higher education and show interest in Federal employment it’s great to know how to advise them based on the information you have provided.
I am honored to work with Veterans at my agency. I value their experience and expertise.
I hope more Veterans read this article and take advantage of Karol’s knowledge and insight. She does a wonderful job explaining the process.
Karol,
Thanks for this insightful article. As always, you did an excellent job of explaining the myriad of ways the federal government is trying to help veterans gain employment. This comprehensive information will be great to have as a resource when working with Veterans.
Informative and comprehensive treatment for those wishing to know more about veterans hiring preference efforts within the federal government. Great job, Karol! I look forward to more posts on this topic.
Here are a couple of other resources for Veterans:
http://www.dllr.state.md.us/mil2fedjobs/
http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/edu/training/Continuing/menu.htm
http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/search/2014/11/24/american-legion-launches-new-career-platform.html#.VHSSy6dQ08A.facebook
i am a Vet with 5 point preference because I served during Desert Storm. I have a degree and 30 years of work experience yet I have applied for over a dozen government positions in my field in the last four months and have not received a single call for an interview. So much for veteran’s preference!
Karol, this information and your services are so critical to returning veterans. Thank you for providing them.
Very informative article, Karol. Thank you for explaining a complicated topic so clearly.
Veterans are definitely a great asset to our country, and many agencies (including the one where I work) value their expertise. This is a great explanation of the various aspects for veterans seeking federal employment.
Thank you, veterans, for your service and sacrifice, and I hope (and expect) that this information will help you find the next step in your career.
The intricacies involved in applying to work for any of our government agencies can be overwhelming. It takes stamina and perseverance. It also takes finding excellent resources that provide worthwhile information and that help guide you through the thick of things. Karol Taylor’s piece “Veterans: Uncle Sam Really Wants You” does just this. Thank you!
Impressive, Karol! I, too, help clients land federal jobs and I must say your advice is spot on. This is very thorough. Great job! =)
Thanks Karol for sharing with us the key preferences for Veterans to take advantage of as they seek gov’t employment. We really need to push that every Veteran seeking gov’t employment read Find Your Federal Job Fit. It is easy to read and comprehend. Many just are not aware of these best practices. Thanks for your contribution and service to our Veterans.
Karol,
Great information and more than that you have an easy way of explaining things and making “Fed Talk” easy to read and understand! Thank You!