I was thinking about applying for a federal job with the department of education ~ I read that President Bush signed something that made it easier for a military spouse to get into the federal hiring process ~ am I correct? If so, where can I go to get information to help me?
I saw a commercial on AFN talking about this. It said something about if a manager knows a qualified spouse, the manager can hire that spouse without publicly posting the job. It said that this takes effect in 2009, but other than that, there were no great details.
I'm not sure how to take this change; on the one hand, it'll be great for spouses to get hired easier, on the other hand this sounds so much like "the good ole boys' club" and it'll be more of who you know than what you know.
How does spouse preference work? Management may select from any source of candidates (reassignment, change to lower grade, promotion, reinstatement, Office of personnel Management lists, etc.). If management chooses to select from non competitive candidates or use alternate sources (e.g., Veterans Readjustment Authority [VRA] appointments, transfer placements to correct Equal Employment Opportunity deficiencies), spouse preference generally will not apply. If management wants to select from a competitive list of applicants, a spouse preference eligible, who is ranked among the most qualified, must be selected for the position, unless an exception is granted by the local commander. If more than one spouse is determined to be the best qualified, management may select any one of the best qualified military spouse.
So things haven't changed much. Veterans and other federal workers still have the higher priority. I can't see them bypassing the veterans (with a higher hiring preference) for a spouse, even if they might be better qualified.
OP - You might want to check the rules for spouse preference regarding location. Usually, it applies when you move with your spouse under PCS orders. I do not know how it applies if your spouse is on an unaccompanied assignment.
There is a new rule that I think comes into effect sometime this year...right now they only way you can use your spouse pref is if you pcs with your spouse to a new duty station, but with the new rule you will have spouse pref no matter where you are or where your spouse is located so if your spouse is in Korea and you move say to Ft. Polk you can use spouse pref...
I'm new to this forum so if this doesn't come out right please bare with me.
I'm one of the growing numbers of male spouses within the military community. I am currently a federal employee at Ft. McPherson, Ga who is about to move to VA. This information was passed to me by a co-worker sometime ago about the new rules on the Federal Hiring Process. I how this helps.
sorry no unofficial or unauthorized links
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