The report called attention to innovative alternatives
to the ACWA assessment, and training and experience
point methods, such as the Customs and Border Protection’s
procedure for selecting inspector positions.
Applicants begin by taking a logical reasoning,
quantitative reasoning and “integrity” test to assess
“counterproductive behaviors,” and if they pass, go on
to a “situational judgment interview,” something Customs
managers believe has increased the quality of new hires,
the report said.
It also highlighted the Internal Revenue Service’s practice
of making representative-applicants field live calls for an
hour, which has helped it reduce its turnover rate by 30
percent, and TSA’s practice of putting applicants through
“assessment selection procedures targeting a full range of
skills and qualifications,” which it used to hire
approximately 60,000 security screeners in 10 months.
The report said federal hiring needs to be improved by
identifying the “skills and competencies needed to do the
job right, designing a system to select an applicant based
on those skills, and validating the system by demonstrating
that it measures characteristics reasonably related to
performance.”
