INTERNAL RECRUITMENT

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INTERNAL RECRUITMENT
MERIT PROMOTION AND PLACEMENT
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Objectives

• Without references, students will
• Identify the impact of local regulations and
  union agreements on merit promotion procedures.
• Describe managements rights in considering
  applicants and making selections.
• Define the term area of consideration.

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Objectives, cont.

• Identify three staffing situations which require
  competition.
• Identify three staffing situations in which
  competition is not required or is discretionary.
• Explain special consideration for repromotion.

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Regulatory Base

• Title 5, USC 2301, 2302, 3361,3362
• 5 CFR, Part 335, Subchapter 1950
• AR 690-300, Chapter 335
• AR 690-950
• DOD Priority Placement Program Operations
  Manual
• Local Merit Promotion Placement Plan
• Negotiated Union Agreements

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OPM Regulatory Basis

• Section 300.103, 5 CFR
• Foundation of proper selections
• Requires all rating and selection procedures be
  based on
• Analysis of duties
• Identification of the essential Knowledge Skills
  Abilities (KSAs)
• Documentation of analysis and job-relatedness

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NSPS Regulatory Basis

• SC1950.6.3.3.3
• Prior to recruitment, management officials shall
  identify
• Job-related criteria used to evaluate and
  determine best qualified candidates
• Basic duties and responsibilities of position
  being filled
• KSAs and/or competencies required to perform
  duties

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Regulatory Base, cont.

• MACOM Regulations
• Cross Servicing Agreements
• Consent Decrees
• Business Process Maps
• Standard Operating Procedures

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Key Terms and Concepts

• Merit System
• Competition
• Exceptions to Competition
• Promotion
• Merit Promotion Placement Plan
• Internal and External Candidates
• Area of Consideration

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OPM and DA Requirements

• OPM Agencies must adopt and administer
  programs which provide a systematic means of
  selecting employees for promotion
• CFR 335.103 establishes 5 requirements
  which agency merit promotion plans must meet
• AR 690-300, Chapter 335 Supplements 5 CFR
  335

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Requirement 1 Merit Promotion Plan

• Must be based on merit
• Must be written and available to candidates
• Exceptions to competition must be listed in plan
• Must not discriminate

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Requirement 2 - Area of Consideration

• Be broad enough to ensure high quality candidates
• Allow for consideration of employees absent for
  legitimate reasons
• Support affirmative employment plans

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Armys Policy on Area of Consideration

• Consider DA applicants outside area of
  consideration
• Permit placement of graduating interns and other
  trainees
• Permit placement of family members

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Requirement 3 - Candidate Evaluation

• Candidates must meet minimum OPM qualifications
  requirements for positions
• Candidate evaluation must be based on job related
  criteria
• Give due weight to performance appraisals and
  awards

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Requirement 4 - Selection

• Management has the right to consider candidates
  from any appropriate source
• Management has the right to select - or not to
  select from a referral list
• Refer a reasonable number of best qualified
  applicants
• Document reasons for selection

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Requirement 5 - Records

• Maintain records which allow reconstruction of
  actions
• Maintain records for 2 years
• Protect privacy of applicants
• Make information on plan available to employees
  and applicants

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Merit Promotion Plans Coverage

• Merit Promotion Plans cover positions in
  competitive service
• Merit Promotion Plans do not cover
• Positions in excepted service
• Senior Executive Service positions

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Merit Promotion Plans Should Permit

• Consideration of employees on excepted
  appointments
• Consideration of employees eligible under DOD/OPM
  interchange agreements
• Conversion of career interns and other employees
  on excepted appointments to permanent
  career/career conditional positions
• Non-competitive conversion of 30 disabled
  veterans on temporary appointments

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Competitive Procedures

• Applicants compete for positions on basis of
  their qualifications
• Qualifications evaluated using job related
  criteria
• Highest ranking candidates considered best
  qualified--referred to selecting official
• Vacancy announcement is used when filling jobs
  under merit promotion

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Competition is Required

• Permanent promotions to grades higher than
  previously held on a non-temporary, competitive
  service appointment
• Time limited promotions of more than 120/180 days
  during a 12 month period
• Details to higher grade positions of more than
  120/180 days during 12 month period
• Transfer to higher grade than previously held

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Competition Required, cont.

• Reinstatement to higher grade than previously
  held
• Reassignment, demotion, transfer or reinstatement
  to position with greater promotion potential than
  previously held or competed for
• Selection for training when training is required
  for promotion
• Selection from Re-employment Priority List (RPL)
  for higher grade than last held

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When Competition is Not Required

• Promotion resulting from upgrade of position
  without significant change in duties or
  responsibilities
• Promotion resulting from application of new
  classification standard
• Promotion resulting from correction of
  classification error

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When Competition is Discretionary

• Career ladder promotions
• Promotion resulting from the addition of higher
  grade duties
• and responsibilities
• Time limited promotion or details to higher
  grade positions of 120 days or less for GS and
  180 days for NSPS

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When Competition is Discretionary, cont.

• Promotion to grade previously held on a permanent
  basis in the competitive service
• Promotion, reassignment, demotion, transfer,
  reinstatement or detail to a position having
  promotion potential no greater than the position
  currently or previously held on a permanent
  appointment
• Promotion of a candidate not given proper
  consideration in a previous competitive action

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Time Limited Promotions

• Formerly called temporary or term promotions
• May be made up to five years
• May be non-competitive if 120/180 days or less
• Must be competitive if over 120/180 days
• Selectee must meet OPM qualifications standards
• Receive pay at higher rate during time limited
  promotion

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Time Limited Promotions, cont.

• Time counts toward time in grade and qualifying
  experience
• Must provide employee reasons for and conditions
  of time limited promotion
• May be terminated at any time
• May be made permanent without further competition
  if stated in vacancy announcement

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Details

• May be made up to one year extended an
  additional year
• May be non-competitive to higher grade position
  if 120/180 days or less
• Must be competitive to higher grade position if
  120/180 days or more
• Employee need not be qualified -- except
  positive education requirements must be met

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Details, cont.

• Employee does not receive pay at higher rate
  during detail to higher grade position
• Time on detail does not count toward meeting time
  in grade
• Experience gained on detail is creditable
• Details may be terminated at any time

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Special Consideration for Repromotion

• Downgraded without personal cause and not at own
  request
• Must be considered before competitive candidates
• Consideration mandatory during grade
• and pay retention
• Optional for those not covered by grade
• or pay retention
• Selection not mandatory

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Priority or Missed Consideration

• Basis Failure to receive proper consideration
  in a previous competitive action
• Key Criteria Candidate would have been referred
  among best qualified
• Referred before competitive candidates for next
  appropriate vacancy
• One priority consideration for each lost
  consideration
• Selection not mandatory

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Job Vacancy Announcement

• Title, series and grade of position
• Opening and closing dates
• Promotion potential, if applicable
• Area of consideration
• Description of duties
• Basic eligibility and qualifications requirements

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Job Vacancy Announcement, cont.

• Selective placement factors, if any
• Physical requirements, if applicable
• Special, unusual working conditions
• How to apply
• EEO statement
• Other information, e.g., PCS

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Career Programs

• Cover professional, technical and administrative
  occupations
• Cover grades GS-05 through GS-15
• Central management of recruitment and development
• Entry level and journey level positions filled
  through OPM, DEU or Merit Promotion
• DA interns centrally recruited by North Central
  Area Office

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Grievances

• Employee/applicant may grieve
• Improper procedures used
• Non-merit factors considered
• May not grieve non-selection
• Agency or negotiated grievance procedures apply
• No appeal to OPM

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Job-related Criteria

• Is identified through job analysis prior to
  recruitment process
• Used to evaluate and determine BQ
• Tied to specialized qualification requirements
• Prescribed by either OPM or DoD
• Identify eligibility criteria for promotion or
  placement

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Job Analysis

• Requires
• Development of valid, job-related measurement
  devices
• Identification of KSAs necessary for satisfactory
  performance on job
• Accomplished through thorough and systematic
  selection-oriented job analysis

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Rational Relationship

• Exists between
• Job content and KSA identified
• Performance on job and selection criteria
• Demonstrates
• Validity of candidate evaluation method

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Purpose Of Job Analysis

• Job analysis identifies
• Basic duties and responsibilities of position
  being filled
• Knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies
  required to perform duties and responsibilities
• Factors that are important in evaluating
  candidates

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Coverage

• Job analysis may cover
• A single position
• Group of positions or an occupation
• Groups of occupations having common
  characteristics

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Measurement Tools

• Variety of possible tools from which to select
• Skills - training and experience ratings
• Measure level at which a candidate has
  acquired/demonstrated skills
• Structured interviews
• Supervisor ratings
• Used to measure quality of performance
• Performance test
• Written tests
• Assessment centers

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Applicant Supplemental Questionnaire

• Used to gather job-related background data
• Completed by candidate
• Provides examples that show when, where and how
  skills were attained
• Checklist format works well

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Structured Interviews

• Appropriate measurement tool if soft skill,
  e.g., oral communication is critical
• Selecting and training interviewers
• Use interview team
• Competence/Interest Essential
• Technical knowledge of job
• Team needs to be trained

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Supervisory Supplemental Questionnaire

• Supplement Questionnaire for Supervisors
• Gathers information from supervisor regarding
  level of tasks
• Benchmark levels are developed for supervisor to
  score

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Supervisory Rating

• Questionnaire designed to obtain supervisors
  opinion on quality of applicant
• Rating scale of and descriptors
• Based on observed behavior not potential

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Written Tests

• Only OPM approved written tests required/approved
  can be used
• When tests are used, raw score are required for
  all
• Test scores can not be a pass/fail
• Treated as only one source

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Assessment Centers

• Require candidates to perform in live
  situations
• Group discussions
• In-basket exercises
• Simulation interviews
• Oral presentations
• Written communication
• exercises
• Expensive to run

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Performance Tests

• Applicants use equipment used on job
• Examples are typing tests or road skills driving
  test
• Costly to administer
• Require one-employee to one-examiner
• Excellent predictors of potential

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Factors To Consider

• Determine most appropriate measurement tool
  within available resources
• Resources such as time and cost is always a
  factor
• Rating using the written word paper documents
  can only measure extent to which candidates
  demonstrate possession of skill

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Job Analysis Interview

• Conduct job analysis interview with SME
• Confirm what is required
• Determine which skills are required
• Outcome should include
• List of major duties
• Job Objectives
• List of skills essential to job
• Record of decisions made

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Identify Skills

• Identify four or five general duty statements
• Major, significant duties
• Aggregate of tasks
• Functions that reflect most significant duties
• List skills that can be identified as essential
  to performance of each duty statement

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Preparing For Job Analysis

• Job descriptions
• Job objectives
• Classification standards
• Evaluation statements
• Organizational charts
• Mission statements
• Occupational literature
• Interview with a SME
• Job elements by series contained in Job
  Qualification System for Trades and Labor
  Occupations (previously X-118C)

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Exercise

• Interview Subject Matter Expert
• Extracts skills from Job Description

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Reliability

• Examination produces same or nearly same result
• Measurement results independently obtained by two
  or more raters
• Indication of consistency or reliability between
  raters is based upon how closely the ratings
  match
• Ratings may be objective/numerical scores or
  subjective/judgment measures
• Several methods of obtaining an index of
  reliability

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Indicators of Reliability

• Test-retest method
• Administer a written test to group
• Give same group same test later
• Parallel or alternate form
• Administer a test to a group of people
• Give same group a similar test to obtain two sets
  of scores
• Internal consistency
• Split test into two equal part to obtain two sets
  scores
• Most difficult to administer

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Validity Measures

• How well a selection device work
• How well selection device predicts job success
• Possession of a KSA necessary for successful
  performance in job
• Indication of relationship between qualification
  ratings and job performance
• Documentation is critical

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Measure of Validity

• Measures how well selection devise
• Measures skills
• Predicts success
• Determined by
• Quality of candidates referred
• Success of placement
• Feedback from supervisor/SME

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Minimum Job Analysis

• Many ways to analyze a job
• No single method is adequate for all cases
• Must meet three basic regulatory requirements
• Analyze duties of position
• Identify skills necessary to perform duties
• Document analysis and job relatedness

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Preparing Evaluation Criteria

• Analyze each job (or each position of career
  ladder) to determine skills worker must possess
• Major duties are identified from several sources
• Job description
• Job Objectives
• Manager/Gatekeeper

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Process

• Skills are determined by collaboration between HR
  and SME/Supervisor
• Skills
• Are identified as needed to satisfactorily
  perform duties of position in reasonable period
  of time
• Must be measurable
• Must be defined in terms of training and or
  experience

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Reviewing Documents

• Identify four to five general duty statements
• Statements should represent major, significant
  tasks or functions
• Functions that determine kind or level of work

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Brainstorming

• List one skill what can be identified as
  essential to perform each duty statement or job
  objective
• Qualifiers should not be used such as
• Thorough, basic or considerable knowledge
• Terms which indicate level of performance should
  not be used
• Efficient, sound, good

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Brainstorming

• No judgment needed at this point
• Do not need to determine degrees of
• Relevance
• Importance
• Practicality
• Ratability
• Skills can be pared down later

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Conducting Research

• After major duties have been listed
• Use a knowledgeable person
• First line supervisor
• Incumbent or SME
• Add additional skills as needed
• Ties skill with level of duty
• Trainee position - use lower level experience
• First line supervisor ask for team / project
  leader experience

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Discussion Points

• All skills must be relevant
• All skill must be directly tied to job
• Other characteristics which cannot be directly
  tied to a duty should not be included such as
  dependability
• Brainstorming ends when all ideas are exhausted

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Skills Requiring Qualitative Judgment

• Can not make reliable decisions about level of
  possession of certain skills without performance
  indicators
• Example - Meets deadlines
• Could conclude applicant has experience which
  required deadline but not how the deadlines were
  met
• Best measured through supervisory feedback such
  as appraisals or reference check

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Refining Skills

• Skills should be reflected in duties/ specialized
  section of vacancy announcement
• Avoid using personal characteristics which cannot
  be defined through the testing devise
• Should not be agency specific, unless appropriate
• Must be measurable in a resume
• Rarely use Soft Skills
• Analyze job, use good judgment!

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Measuring Soft Skills

• Certain skills soft skills e.g. oral
  communications, team leader
• Best measured in simulated face-to face situation
  or structured interview
• Does not measure well with paper examination

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Exercise
Perform job analysis for YA-203-2 position
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Exercise
Perform job analysis for YC-346-02 position
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Documentation

• Documentation allows reviewers to clearly follow
• Thought process used
• Decisions made during job analysis
• Reasons for documentation include
• Show job analysis was done thoroughly and
  systematically
• Show proper conclusions were drawn about job
  requirements

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Documentation

• Record job analysis so that it will not have to
  be repeated
• Allow job analysis to be used as evidence in
  event of complaint, grievance or court action
• Demonstrate that most appropriate measurement
  tools were selected or developed

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Document

• Skills
• Definitions
• Any changes
• Names of supervisor or SME

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MPP Summary

• Identify the impact of local regulations and
  union agreements on merit promotion procedures
• Describe managements rights in considering
  applicants and making selections
• Define area of consideration

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MPP Summary

• Identify three staffing situations which require
  competition
• Identify three staffing situations in which
  competition is not required or is discretionary
• Explain special consideration for repromotion