Fedweek

OPM has changed the sign-in procedures on USAJOBS, the government’s main site for job-seekers, including current federal employees looking to make a career change.

Effective immediately, sign-ins are being routed through login.gov, which requires two-factor authentication—first a user name and password, and then entering an access code sent to a phone. That “will give users an extra layer of security to help protect their USAJOBS profile against password compromises,” OPM said.

Login.gov is a GSA-run service that agencies can use for sign-ins to various benefits, services and applications. Those who already have accounts need not change them, but others will have to set one up. A link to instructions is on the USAJOBS home page.

Additional guidance from USAJOBs:

What is login.gov? login.gov is a service that offers secure and private online access to government programs, such as federal benefits, services and applications. With a login.gov account, you can sign into multiple government websites with the same email address and password.

Why is USAJOBS using login.gov? login.gov uses two-factor authentication, and stronger passwords, that meet new National Institute of Standards of Technology requirements for secure validation and verification. By using login.gov, you’ll get an extra layer of security to help protect your USAJOBS profile against password compromises.

What will happen to my USAJOBS profile? Nothing will happen to the information stored in your USAJOBS profile. You’ll keep all of your applications, saved searches and saved jobs. Once you set up a login.gov account, we’ll link it back to your USAJOBS profile. The only difference is you’ll use your login.gov email address, password and security code to sign into USAJOBS.

What do I need to do? You need to create a login.gov account, if you don’t already have one. Your old USAJOBS username and password won’t work anymore.

What if I already have a login.gov account? If you already have a login.gov account, you don’t need to create a second one. Use your existing login.gov email address and password, plus the security code to sign into USAJOBS.

What email address do I use to create a login.gov account? To keep your USAJOBS profile information, you need to use your primary or secondary USAJOBS email when you create your login.gov account. When you use the same email that you use for USAJOBS, we’ll automatically link your USAJOBS profile to the login.gov account. If you use a different email address when signing up for login.gov, we won’t be able to automatically link your profile. But, we can use your USAJOBS primary or secondary email address to help you recover your profile. We recommend you don’t use a .gov, .mil or .edu email address. Instead, you should use a personal (non-government) email address when you create your login.gov account. You also can’t use an email address you share with someone else.

What if I currently use a .gov, .mil, or .edu email address for my USAJOBS primary email? If you currently use a .gov, .mil, or .edu email address for USAJOBS, you may want to change it AFTER you get through the login.gov account set-up process.

Can I use a different email address from my USAJOBS email address, when setting up my login.gov account? When you first create your login.gov account, you need to use the same email address you currently use for USAJOBS. This will let us link your USAJOBS profile information to your new account. If you want to change your email address, we recommend you do it AFTER you’ve successfully linked your profile and login.gov account.