A Merit Systems Protection Board report on managing federal
recruitment looks at the Social Security Administration’s
recruitment strategy as a successful example of how to
compete with the private sector and other federal agencies
for a limited applicant pool.
It said SSA’s “integrated marketing package,” launched in
2001, is designed to meet the marketing standards of major
private sector corporations in representing the agency to
potential applicants, which is a challenge because with
65,000 employees in 1,300 offices the agency is spread out,
and needs a workforce that somewhat reflects its highly
diverse customer base.
The agency developed a tagline to appeal to the altruism
and purpose of applicants: “Make a difference in people’s
lives and your own,” and developed marketing materials to
communicate the idea through photographs and employee
testimonies, according to the report.
It said SSA tries to sell the advantages of working for it,
and of the federal government in general, focusing on
“innovative jobs, career advancement, health benefits, and
retirement benefits.”
SSA produces bilingual recruitment materials and advertises
in bilingual media–for example, it collaborated with a
Latina magazine on a feature on three SSA executives and
how they got there – and it has moved beyond its earlier
focus on three core occupations to include other key
occupations within the agency.
