Hiring Managers using USAJobs

[Anonymous]

If you post a job and 120 people apply, how many would you expect to be qualified? I’ve applied to jobs with as many as 20,000 applicants and as few as 100. I’ve been referred to most but only interviewed once. I’m trying to get a sense of the actual competition out there because it looks pretty bleak on this end.

[Anonymous]

it depends on the job/field.

the ones that close after 100-400 applicants are usually direct-hire positions, which usually means the manager or a resume review panel is going through the pile. usually it's a stretch to find 5-10 truly qualified applicants for a 2210 position.

a lot of folks do not modify their resume at all for an application, however, so they may be shooting themselves in the foot. if a posting requests specific technology/experience, you need to put it in your resume!

[Anonymous]

The hiring manager doesn't see all of the people who have applied, just the qualified ones, so your question is probably better directed at the HR specialists reviewing the resumes.

I've heard from HR folks that they got LOTS of unqualified people applying for attractive jobs (telework, good agency, high pay). Think truck drivers applying to be doctors.

[Anonymous]

This really depends on the field and if the position is remote.

Last position I posted got about that many applicants and around 30 were on the cert from HR (meaning I got to see only those resumes, not the other 90). They were at at least minimally qualified and the top 10-12 were all very strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it depends on the job/field.

the ones that close after 100-400 applicants are usually direct-hire positions, which usually means the manager or a resume review panel is going through the pile. usually it's a stretch to find 5-10 truly qualified applicants for a 2210 position.

a lot of folks do not modify their resume at all for an application, however, so they may be shooting themselves in the foot. if a posting requests specific technology/experience, you need to put it in your resume!

In my agency, HR is apparently sufficiently understaffed that closing at 100 applicants is default for all positions. Many are 50. 200 is "generous."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it depends on the job/field.

the ones that close after 100-400 applicants are usually direct-hire positions, which usually means the manager or a resume review panel is going through the pile. usually it's a stretch to find 5-10 truly qualified applicants for a 2210 position.

a lot of folks do not modify their resume at all for an application, however, so they may be shooting themselves in the foot. if a posting requests specific technology/experience, you need to put it in your resume!

In my agency, HR is apparently sufficiently understaffed that closing at 100 applicants is default for all positions. Many are 50. 200 is "generous."

Sorry- my point was that none of these are direct hire positions, it's solely a factor of HR capacity

[Anonymous]

How many applicants typically make the cert? Is 30 common? I’m wondering why I regularly make the cert but not an interview. I tailor my resume to each job, pull out KSAs and highlight on my resume, only apply to jobs that I’m well qualified for, etc. I’ve even hired a consultant to review my resume and provide feedback. I’ve been told my application is strong but still nothing. I’ve applied to 30 jobs in 18 months ranging from GS12-15 - excepted, temporary, permanent, direct hire, competitive …

[Anonymous]

Ha! I applied to a job I was tailor-made for, received a notice that I was qualified and referred and literally within one minute of receiving the referred email got an email saying I wasn’t selected for further consideration. No way anyone read my resume.

[Anonymous]

As a hiring manager I can't read 200 resumes well.

Make sure you have every buzz word in your resume ... for example it requires a COR 3, make sure that is very obvious that you have that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many applicants typically make the cert? Is 30 common? I’m wondering why I regularly make the cert but not an interview. I tailor my resume to each job, pull out KSAs and highlight on my resume, only apply to jobs that I’m well qualified for, etc. I’ve even hired a consultant to review my resume and provide feedback. I’ve been told my application is strong but still nothing. I’ve applied to 30 jobs in 18 months ranging from GS12-15 - excepted, temporary, permanent, direct hire, competitive …

One possibility is veterans outranking you on points.

Another possibility is these are remote positions with crazy competition.

[Anonymous]

I help hire a lot and sit on panels at least monthly. We are in a job that doesn't have a specific major associated with it, thus we get SWAMPED by unqualified applicants. We always make it merit promotion because otherwise we'd never be able to weed through. I bet we'd get 5k applications for a GS13 if we opened it up to the whole US.

I can't tell how many applicants there were initially, but usually about 80 make it through the computer sort. Then we have SMEs read through those and rank them. Probably only 8 are qualified and only 5 get interviewed.

Reading resumes is hard. It takes at least 15 min a resume because we have to fill out excel spreadsheets. And federal resumes are long- most are at least 5 pages. I had a 40 page resume last time which is insanity.

I'm in a job with no major required, but a lot of new hires wash out. They just don't have the skills we need. I hate how everyone can say they're an expert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha! I applied to a job I was tailor-made for, received a notice that I was qualified and referred and literally within one minute of receiving the referred email got an email saying I wasn’t selected for further consideration. No way anyone read my resume.

that's the HR rep closing out the USAjobs job after someone was selected.

again, this is for direct hire: we report back in a spreadsheet which resumes were deemed as qualified, which ones were selected for interview, which ones were selected for a second round, and the manager lets HR know if they made a hiring choice. HR doesn't fill out anything in USAjobs until a hiring decision is made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many applicants typically make the cert? Is 30 common? I’m wondering why I regularly make the cert but not an interview. I tailor my resume to each job, pull out KSAs and highlight on my resume, only apply to jobs that I’m well qualified for, etc. I’ve even hired a consultant to review my resume and provide feedback. I’ve been told my application is strong but still nothing. I’ve applied to 30 jobs in 18 months ranging from GS12-15 - excepted, temporary, permanent, direct hire, competitive …

One possibility is veterans outranking you on points.

Another possibility is these are remote positions with crazy competition.

Or an internal candidate was slated for the job, but HR needed to advertise the position publicly. I think this is very common. I wish HR wouldn't bother with the appearance of fairness when the outcome is predetermined. It just wastes everyone's time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many applicants typically make the cert? Is 30 common? I’m wondering why I regularly make the cert but not an interview. I tailor my resume to each job, pull out KSAs and highlight on my resume, only apply to jobs that I’m well qualified for, etc. I’ve even hired a consultant to review my resume and provide feedback. I’ve been told my application is strong but still nothing. I’ve applied to 30 jobs in 18 months ranging from GS12-15 - excepted, temporary, permanent, direct hire, competitive …

One possibility is veterans outranking you on points.

Another possibility is these are remote positions with crazy competition.

Or an internal candidate was slated for the job, but HR needed to advertise the position publicly. I think this is very common. I wish HR wouldn't bother with the appearance of fairness when the outcome is predetermined. It just wastes everyone's time.

This happens a lot. You have to check the box of doing a formal competition for s job. But someone’s been acting in the job for a year and will get it by applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many applicants typically make the cert? Is 30 common? I’m wondering why I regularly make the cert but not an interview. I tailor my resume to each job, pull out KSAs and highlight on my resume, only apply to jobs that I’m well qualified for, etc. I’ve even hired a consultant to review my resume and provide feedback. I’ve been told my application is strong but still nothing. I’ve applied to 30 jobs in 18 months ranging from GS12-15 - excepted, temporary, permanent, direct hire, competitive …

One possibility is veterans outranking you on points.

Another possibility is these are remote positions with crazy competition.

Or an internal candidate was slated for the job, but HR needed to advertise the position publicly. I think this is very common. I wish HR wouldn't bother with the appearance of fairness when the outcome is predetermined. It just wastes everyone's time.

Yep. I do not like this at all.

I can sometimes ID this in the questionnaire when they write something like "Do you have experience working at DHS and leading meetings to discuss DHS policy?" Those types of questions are weeders and can only be answered "yes" (99% of the time) by someone who did that work at that particular agency.

So, I always read the questionnaire FIRST.