Am I the only one who thinks that some hirings in the federal government are "rigged" by the hiring officials to hire someone they prefer??

CWO3 Luis Cruz — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 08:53:09 -0400

Response by MSgt Michael Smith made Jun 2 at 2016 9:09 AM

MSgt Michael Smith — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 09:09:03 -0400

I don't know if I would call that rigging. I mean Veteran's Preferences, disabilities, prior service can get you past the initial screening process, but ultimately, it should be a person who decides who is best for the job, based on interviews. The Federal Resume system is way beyond rigged, so I think it is better idea to hire based on informed, personal decision-making rather than a piece of paper. There needs to be a personal touch, just like in the corporate world. Networking is key to the whole process, and it is quite effective.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Jun 2 at 2016 9:11 AM

LTC Kevin B. — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 09:11:43 -0400

No, and you're correct to believe that is the case. I've seen it happen first-hand, quite a few times.

Response by CWO3 Luis Cruz made Jun 2 at 2016 9:21 AM

CWO3 Luis Cruz — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 09:21:34 -0400

The reason that I posted this question is that at least in a couple of occasions where my application was "referred" to the hiring official I contacted friends at the agency to find out about the vacancy. In both occasions including one at a U.S. Embassy abroad my friends came back and told me that the position had already selected someone and that they knew the name of the person even before the end of the vacancy announcement.

Response by MSgt James Mullis made Jun 2 at 2016 9:28 AM

MSgt James Mullis — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 09:28:01 -0400

It happens all the time. The easiest way to rig the hiring process is for the hiring official to add a specific skill or qualification to the announcement that only one person in the world has.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 9:33 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 09:33:46 -0400

Oh, these things are rigged. And not just Federal jobs either. Employers have a particular person in mind for the job, but to be within legal standings, they have to post the job offer to give others a "chance."

Response by SP5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 9:46 AM

SP5 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 09:46:24 -0400

One more reason that many of our government functions are distrusted by the general populace. We see what looks like shady behavior, and there is no transparency during or after the fact. Back to a very old philosophical question. Who watches the watchers?

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Jun 2 at 2016 10:03 AM

LTC Paul Labrador — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 10:03:29 -0400

No, you are not imagining things. The system can be played to get the candidate you want into the job. IMHO, that is not necessarily an immoral thing (companies who hire internally do this sort of this all the time), unless you are choosing someone as a kickback or because it may provide you extra, untowards benefits.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jun 2 at 2016 10:11 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 10:11:43 -0400

Tough love stump speech time. Are there some cases of rigging? You bet. Is it pervasive? It's much more rare as urban myth would say. I've seen few individual experiences out there but a majority of MILs just recite the urban myth. I was a senior hiring manager for many years. We hired a lot of Vets but turned away many more, mostly due to crappy resumes, poor interviewing, and skill sets that wouldn't pass muster.

Have I seen the merit system get bypassed? Yes, but very rarely. The most egregious was the Skipper out on Adak falling in lust with a sales girl at the NEX. She couldn't qualify for the secretary position so he downgraded it to mostly nothing, hired her, and then had her move into his house. I recall the subsequent divorce was a slam dunk for 1/2 his retirement.

Bottom line, there's a lot of stories out there that get recycled so much, the hiring process and individuals get stereotyped as basically crooks. Some Vets have repetitive failure to get hired on because they presume the system is rigged vs. finding out what's wrong with their package. Saw that a lot. And when the Vet was shown what was wrong, he/she was too proud to fix it. Saw that a lot too. Saw "entitled" Vet types who wondered why we weren't interested in them either.

Response by SPC Paul Jennings, J.D. made Jun 2 at 2016 10:30 AM

SPC Paul Jennings, J.D. — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 10:30:32 -0400

Are we talking delegated examination hiring in the competitive service or merit promotion? If it's a regular competitive posting, it's hard to bypass veterans preference and schedule A. This means that even if they have someone picked out, they still need to qualify for special hiring preferences. If it's merit promotion, then vet pref only affords you the right to apply for the job, it does not give you a hiring preference. As such, a current federal employee will likely be chosen over a veteran not yet in the federal service.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 10:44 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 10:44:50 -0400

I can personally say that on the Mil tech side, I have seen commanders reject the list that came down because the person they wanted was not on the list. So they just have it advertised again and have that person beef up his resume on USAjobs until he makes the cut.

Response by SGT David T. made Jun 2 at 2016 11:33 AM

SGT David T. — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 11:33:48 -0400

Every employer has a preference to go with the evil they know over the one they don't. Internal placements have been preferred is every office I worked in. However, in most cases that is not an absolute. I am in my 4th position as a civil servant and have not known the hiring officials prior to the interviews. I threw my resume in the hat they called, I interviewed and I got it. I have seen instances where the hiring officials have stacked the deck heavily in one person's favor. It's not uncommon but it isn't the norm either (at least in the 4 offices I worked). 90% of the time it comes down to how well you make your resume fit the job announcement and questionnaire. The hiring matrixes most of the time are how they decide. Tally up the points whoever has the most gets it (in theory lol).

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 12:03 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 12:03:26 -0400

"I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"
(Captain Renault in the scene from Casablanca when he shuts down Rick's)
That's how surprised I'd be.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 12:58 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 12:58:00 -0400

Undeniable.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jun 2 at 2016 1:02 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 13:02:57 -0400

I'm sure of it. They have to jump thru a lot of hoops to make it look like it is not but plenty of times they already have a candidate in mind before they post.

Response by MAJ Charles Ray made Jun 2 at 2016 1:23 PM

MAJ Charles Ray — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 13:23:16 -0400

As unfortunate as it is, that's often the way positions are filled.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 4:16 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 16:16:46 -0400

I don't think its rigged. But CS does look at the veteran pool as well as in service transfers, and promotion with CS, usually they have the preference.

Response by SSgt Ryan Sylvester made Jun 2 at 2016 4:57 PM

SSgt Ryan Sylvester — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 16:57:54 -0400

Not just the federal government. My university requires at least three candidates to go forward with the hiring process. So even if they have someone handpicked for the position, they have to get two more warm bodies to legitimize the process. Not sure if the Fed Service works the same way, but I've been banging my head against it for a while now trying to not waste my 11 years TAFS.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 11:32 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 23:32:36 -0400

Ya'think??? You can bet your sweet Bippy, it happens. A lot!!!

Response by MAJ Raúl Rovira made Jun 3 at 2016 1:06 AM

MAJ Raúl Rovira — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 01:06:12 -0400

The hiring manager will hire the person he/she likes, not necessarily the most qualified.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 3 at 2016 2:21 AM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 02:21:02 -0400

Yeah it happens. Not just GS, this is done in some guard units. I applied for a guard flying slot in my local area. I thought I had the job initially, because I was the only one to apply and the job application acceptance time had expired. Then out of the blue when I showed up for the interview, wallah a new candidate was there. He just happened to be pilot training buds with the chief pilot. I knew before the interview started that I did not have the job.

Response by CH (MAJ) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 3 at 2016 12:30 PM

CH (MAJ) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:30:53 -0400

Sure it happens, and in some cases it should. The best person on paper is not always the best person for a team. You can have a great resume and be a terrible fit for the organization, potentially damaging everyone's productivity.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 3 at 2016 12:36 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:36:35 -0400

I didn't think this was a secret. "cherry Picking' resume's is easy and done all the time. Its all about who you know. ie Bob knows a GS-12 slot babysitting unicorns and pots of gold is about to open up. Bob already babysits the T-rex and knows his buddy Steve needs a job. Bob tells steve to drop a resume and the day the job opens up online. Bob has already talked to Maggy (who he is dating) to pick Steve's application over all others.

I have worked a LOT with GS civ's and almost always the jobs are filled before they are announced.