A recently concluded pilot project testing simplified ways of hiring into SES positions was successful and OPM plans to build on those tests and make those processes available to agencies wishing to use them, OPM has said in a memo to agencies.
A pilot program that ran at eight agencies in the last half of 2008 tested two alternative hiring methods, called Accomplishment Record and Resume-based. The former does not focus on the five broad Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) but rather on a select few of the 28 executive competencies underlying them. This permits candidates to submit a more streamlined application targeting the selected competencies instead of the lengthy ECQ narratives that have become standard, OPM said. Under the latter, applicants need only submit a standard resume. This option was designed especially for seasoned executives, whose general qualifications could be discerned from just a resume identifying positions they had held, OPM said.
"The candidate assessment methods used under both pilot options drew heavily on structured interviews of well-qualified candidates. These interviews to a large degree took the place of the lengthy ECQ narrative statements typically required of candidates under the traditional SES selection process. In this way, the pilot attempted to make the hiring process more inviting to applicants by shifting some of the burden from them to agency staff. Results from the pilot evaluation indicate it was successful in shifting that burden, and applicants noticed the difference," said OPM.
The pilot methods, especially the Resume-based option, "won high marks generally from the applicants," OPM added. "Agency staff, however, found the process somewhat cumbersome, although there is some evidence that the initial objections diminished as they become more practiced in the processes."
Agency human resource staff and executives were generally positive about the "virtual" Qualifications Review Board (QRB) process also tested under the pilot, said OPM. "Using an automated system, agency QRB members were able to receive and review QRB cases without actually convening at OPM. This method seems to hold considerable promise as a way to streamline this critical OPM function without diminishing the quality of the decisions rendered."
OPM will be developing an improved version of the pilot methods and will provide training within the next few months that will attempt to make it easier for agency staff to use the more rigorous candidate assessment practices under the pilot such as structured interviews, while preserving what have been shown to be its applicant-friendly features, said the memo. Further information will be released through the HR community when it is available.
