Biden Administration Issues Guidance on Enhancing the Federal Hiring Experience

Throughout the past three years, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been busy working to improve the federal hiring process.

In that timeframe, for example, OPM has helped federal agencies hire more than 8,000 targeted positions in support of Bipartisan Infrastructure Act implementation; issued a number of rules designed to boost federal government hiring, including a final rule updating the Pathways Programs; and redesigned the USAJOBS homepage in an effort to improve the applicant experience.

OPM recently touted these and other actions in announcing a joint memorandum, issued with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), that provides guidance to federal agencies on “how to improve the hiring experience for job applicants, managers and HR professionals.”

Released on Aug. 14, the new memo seeks to build on OPM’s recent work in regard to government hiring, and will provide guidance to federal agencies on:

⃰ Strengthening strategic workforce planning, recruitment, hiring and data analytics

⃰ Improving the federal applicant experience, including expanding recruitment efforts to bring in diverse skills and experiences, and developing more user-friendly, accessible and efficient application processes

⃰ Providing hiring managers with tools and training to improve hiring strategies, processes and the internal customer experience

⃰ Empowering HR professionals with innovative actions and hiring strategies

Agencies will be asked to track and share their progress toward improving the hiring experience, and to present results on the implementation of the memo to the President’s Management Council, according to OPM, which will also be monitoring progress through key hiring experience metrics.

“We aim to continuously improve the federal government’s ability to recruit, hire and retain a diverse and skilled workforce to strengthen the way agencies deliver on their missions for the American people,” said OPM Acting Director Rob Shriver, in a statement. “This memorandum builds on that success and is a culmination of years of data-driven and innovative thinking about the federal hiring experience.”

Describing the memo as a “strong step forward,” Jennifer Anastasoff, Tech Talent Project co-founder and executive director, expressed optimism that OPM’s ongoing efforts will ultimately help enhance the way government hiring is done.

“Many tech, data and AI professionals—and beyond—are eager to serve their country,” said Anastasoff, in a statement. “It’s exciting to see the federal government looking to best-in-class recruitment and retention strategies to attract and keep folks who are critical to delivering services, enforcing laws and protecting our country. This initiative will allow agencies to build the diverse talent pool necessary to meet today’s challenges.”