The measure is one of the relatively few initiatives regarding the federal workplace to have gathered substantial bipartisan support in this Congress. Image: PowerART/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA bill (S-59) to downplay the role of educational credentials in job qualifications and the role of self-evaluations in assessing federal job candidates has been readied for a vote in the Senate when Congress returns to session after the elections with the issuance of a CBO analysis—which shows that the bill would have only a negligible cost to agencies.
The measure is one of the relatively few initiatives regarding the federal workplace to have gathered substantial bipartisan support in this Congress; a companion bill (HR-159) passed the House last year. It would expand and put into law several changes to hiring policy that started during the Trump administration that are among that administration’s few policies that the Biden administration has continued to pursue.
The bill provides that a qualifying examination includes a résumé review that is conducted by a subject matter expert; two years after enactment, agencies could not conduct examinations consisting solely of a self-assessment from an automated examination, a résumé review that is not conducted by a subject matter expert, or any other method of assessing an applicant’s experience or education.
Agencies further would be encouraged to use subject matter experts to develop position-specific technical assessments and to include structured interviews, work-related exercises or other similar assessments.
OPM would have to create online platforms through which agencies would share and customize technical assessments, share the résumés of qualifying applicants, and share information about the types of assessments used and hiring outcomes.
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