So I was woundering if anyone knew if I as veteran...due to retire this summer is eligible for a "merit" announcement on USAJOBS? I am not claiming 10 points but I do obviously want my 5 points to count. I did apply for the "D" or delagate announcement for the same job but I am wondering if I should apply for both? Anyone?

Thanks Landder

when are they looking to hire/start? you might be applying for a job you can't fill. Read the announcements, unless it says don't you can apply under both, but applying for the M and claiming 5 points would be the better one.

landder, congrats on the retirement, mine was 1 November 2008. One bit of advice: GO SEE A VETERAN'S SERVICE OFFICER at any military faternal organization (DAV, AMVETS, VFW). They're experts in preparing your VA disability claim and will advocate your needs for the rest of your life! The VA is really only obligated to provide you with the application and some guidance. These organizations usually complete the claim and draw out every possible entitlement you may have incurred throughout your career. I can't tell you how many times I hear someone in your position, in the Coast Guard, say "I don't have any disabilities..blah, blah, blah." If they're all doctors, why were they in the military?

Enough said, I for one made sure my 30 years of service was wrapped up nice and neat before I separated. Because after that last day of the month, before your first day of retirement, it becomes an uphill battle.

Good luck and again, congratulations on your retirement.

P.S. put down the 5 points and if you later discover you have a rateable disability, the 10 points is a bonus!

This is what OPM says about veterans preference:

quote:

5-Point Preference (TP)

Five points are added to the passing examination score or rating of a veteran who served:

During a war; or
During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; or
For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; or
During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990, through January 2, 1992; or
For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on the date prescribed by Presidential proclamation or by law as the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom; or
In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal has been authorized. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, and Haiti, qualifies for preference.
A campaign medal holder or Gulf War veteran who originally enlisted after September 7, 1980, (or began active duty on or after October 14, 1982, and has not previously completed 24 months of continuous active duty) must have served continuously for 24 months or the full period called or ordered to active duty. The 24-month service requirement does not apply to 10-point preference eligibles separated for disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, or to veterans separated for hardship or other reasons under 10 U.S.C. 1171 or 1173.

And OPM also says that all merit announcements must have a written notice including veteran's preference.

RWLucas, you are mixing apples and oranges. The 5-points you are referring you will be able to apply to any application that you meet the criteria of the announcement. My understanding of the "Merit" system is that it is designed for those who are currently employed by the Fed Government as civil service. But I could be wrong and it might include other. What I can tell you and assuming you are active duty getting to retire, is that you can apply under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 1998, IF, that's what the announcement is looking for. Some announcements exclusively restrict the applications to one or few categories. You will need to read the definition of each (normally provided through a link right off the announcement) or check at www.opm.gov for what they are. Yes, it is sort of confusing, but what isn't in the Federal Gov. I am sure many will be able to provide you more info here. But I strongly recommend you check w/ OPM and the announcement itself. Many times we disqualify ourselves when applying for not reading thoroughly the announcement or not understanding what they are looking for. But I will tell you this. Looking for a job in the Federal Government in my opinion is clearly a game of numbers. You need to apply to many and hope that a few will hit on you. I currently have 22 open applications out there and so far I have only been interviewed by 3 (2 have made offers, negotiating $ since they are pay bands and I am GS). But others simply acknowledge receiving your application and you never hear back from them. Mainly, because they have someone already earmarked among the staff. As it should be. CG is notorious (at least CG-8) for not hiring within. They prefer bringing outsiders in the hope that they will take them to the promise land. But if someone was to analyze the turnover ratio, they will see that all come get their promotion and leave shortly after their 1st year. The ones that stay are normally those of us who have retired and feel comfortable knowing the culture and the organization. But sooner or later, many of us look elsewhere. Bottom line, it is a game of numbers. If you are picky, you might be luck, but you might want to sit back and wait. Good luck!

quote:

RWLucas, you are mixing apples and oranges. The 5-points you are referring you will be able to apply to any application that you meet the criteria of the announcement. My understanding of the "Merit" system is that it is designed for those who are currently employed by the Fed Government as civil service. But I could be wrong and it might include other.

I repeat part of my previous reply:

quote:

And OPM also says that all merit announcements must have a written notice including veteran's preference.

But maybe it would have been more clear if said

quote:

And OPM also says that all merit announcements must have a written notice including those with veteran's preference.

But don't mix up merit announcements with internal announcements, which are also on USAJobs, which are open to status candidates already employed by that agency only.

And IF the announcement includes, you may apply under VRA and VEOA.


Keko and Lannder, what series are you applying for?

RWLucas, I have applied to multiple series. 0340; 0343; 0301; 0505; 0510; and 0511. As far as paybands, aside from the GS, some are YA; IA and SV.

0343 you need to be careful because the program analyst field covers many areas. Although there are tons of these out there, they tend to be very specific and some are written asking very unique qualifications.

If your background is finance and accounting and you have at least 24 semester hours of accounting, then 0501; 0510 and 0511 are safe bets. 0511 is designed for those w/ an auditing background.


Good luck!

Landder:

Here are some suggestions after years worth of handling the human capital issues at my DHS facility.

I would suggest that any position that is offered to both status and non-status candidates that you take the opportunity to apply for both. It can make the difference between being selected to not even being interviewed.

Tailor your resume' (CV) to the position being offered. Many people may "qualify" for a position with a generic CV but in my experience few get selected.

As Kekojones123 says, read the job announcement very carefully. If the position says that only people at the facility can apply...it usually means an internal promotion. If a job announcement is open for only a week...again it probably means an internal promotion. Look for the clues.

If the job has KSAs to answer I would always suggest putting effort into the answers. It is often the answers to the KSAs that prompt interest in the rest of the CV.

Proof read your application package. It's not tough to qualify for a position with a sloppy package but selection is another story. Carelessness is usually rewarded with non-selection.

Federal application packages can be VERY lengthy. Most application packages we get from people experienced with federal job hunting will have a CV of 4-6 pages. The outside applicants will submit two page CVs which in my opinion puts them at a disadvantage because the information is too general.

If selected you may be able to negotiate for increased steps and sometimes time for leave purposes. The rules are always changing so keep doing your homework.

Hope this helps!

Also if the application process includes KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities questions) parrot back the key words in your replies.

In 11 more house payments my job will be open. If it hasn't been eliminated by then.

As a veteran due to retire this summer you should be applying for both types of positions if that is the way the announcement reads.

You are not a current federal employee however as a recently separating veteran you fall under VEOA which gives you the same status as a current federal employee. The problem may come if they require a DD-214. Some agencies will take a "statement of service" showing your retirement date and others require that you tend an actualy DD-214. You do NOT veteran's preference points (5 or 10) on a merit/status position.

The 5 or 10 points veteran's preference comes when a position is listed as open. The problem with an open announcement is the hiring official can only consider the top 3 candidates (called the rule of 3). If one of those top 3 turn it down you can move on to number 4. Remember those with 10 points preference will normally be in the top positions on the list. Also if someone makes the list and possesses a 10 point veterans preference and has a 30% or more disability compensation they "float to the top" of the hiring list.

LCDR and above are not eligible for the 5 point preference.

Also look into VRA. An agency can do an non-competitive appointment of a veteran in a position up to the GS-11 level. It comes with some extra rules like 2 years probation but is often a better way to get into a specific agency.

19512826, you provide lots of very good and valuable information here. I certainly appreciate it. Only thing I would say is that these are the rules that should be followed to avoid prohibited personnel practices. However, not always these rules are followed...or appear not to be followed. I take for example a GS-15 that came from DHS detailed to CG-8. A few weeks go by, and the next thing is a vacant GS-9 is converted to GS-15 and this person gets this new permanent billet. Probably was done legally from a technical point of view. But makes many others wonder not only if it was legally done, but why would people within the organization (probably homegrown too) were not considered. My point being, rules are rules, but there are people in certain senior positions capable of breaking them to self-service.

Thanks for all your replies/infomation. This stuff is all new but I think I am getting the hang of it.....we shal see.

You have some really sound advice here. As a DOI employee I can only suggest you look carefully at the announcement. Many of the merit promotions are also open to vets. If you have any questions or I can help my e-mail is mkcuscg2006@hotmail.com congratulations on retirement and take everything they say you are elligible for. After all you certainly have earned it. Welcome to the free check monthly club

By the way, KSA & all of these other website used for applications into the Federal Government are going away. OPM is moving into making ALL agencies use USA Jobs and eliminating KSA. Only your resume, transcripts, DD-214, SF-50 & performance evaluations are going to be considered. If additional informatin is required, the selecting official will need to depend of the interview process (if one is provided).