OPM says it will take a greater role in training and development for HR professionals to drive change and better align with President Trump’s workforce policies. Image: Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Trump administration’s recently issued memo on hiring policies increases the involvement “agency leadership”—not specifically defined, but generally taken to mean political appointees—”throughout the full hiring process.”
Among the requirements are that leadership “develop a data-driven plan at the start of the Fiscal Year, and each quarter, to ensure that new career appointment hires are in the highest-need areas” and that any new roles are subject to their approval.
Agency leadership, or designees, further “may be involved in the candidate selection and ranking process, including by determining which assessments to use in connection with a particular role and participating in interviews, resume reviews, accomplishment record reviews, and writing sample reviews,” it says. They also “should function as a hiring committee in the candidate selection process” with their approval required of “the selectee’s candidate packets (resume, answers to application questions, interview feedback, job description for role) prior to offers being extended.”
Leaders also are to “conduct a final ‘executive interview’ to confirm organizational fit and commitment to American ideals”—one of the more controversial aspects of the memo since it intertwines such commitment to commitment to Trump administration policies.
The memo refers to traditional roles for hiring managers such as defining current and future talent needs, review candidate resumes as part of a structured resume review, conduct structured interviews with candidates, and evaluate candidates and make selections. However, it specifies that those actions be taken “along with agency leadership” and HR.
The memo adds; “There is an urgent need to upgrade the skills and capabilities of Federal HR professionals to implement President Trump’s long-overdue plans to reform the Federal workforce. To drive governmentwide change in alignment with President Trump’s workforce policies and deliver high-quality Federal HR services, OPM will take a greater role in overseeing and delivering a high-quality training and development regimen for federal HR professionals.”
“It will also lead efforts to maximally consolidate and coordinate Federal HR services and Federal HR IT platforms governmentwide to create efficiencies, enhance quality, and reduce redundancies,” it says.
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