New fed position and timing questions

[Anonymous]

I received a tentative federal offer in early December. I am a current fed moving agencies. I have a public trust clearance and new position is public trust too. I have finished the e-QIP forms for this position and I have had a recent full security check. I am waiting for the official offer letter. Can any fed HR people layout next steps and timeline?

Also wondering if I don’t get official offer before the inauguration and the possible EO hiring freeze if I should not tell my current supervisor about the offer. For references, I used previous supervisor and current team lead, so supervisor doesn’t know about offer. Supervisor has tried to slow roll and stop colleagues from leaving because current office is under a hiring freeze.

Any thoughts about when to tell supervisor? And likelihood of post inauguration hiring freeze impact?

[Anonymous]

Tell your supervisor only when you get the final offer. It's not looking very promising you will beat the clock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell your supervisor only when you get the final offer. It's not looking very promising you will beat the clock.

Me again, in the last hiring freeze anyone who did not have the final offer had their offers rescinded.

[Anonymous]

Wondering about this too, re: transferring agencies. I was given a speedy interview and references were called and they want me to start in January....but odds aren't looking good if they can't get anything out by tomorrow, TJO or FJO. Guessing that means hiring freeze till Spring...://// Maybe I should just cancel/give up on the job altogether....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wondering about this too, re: transferring agencies. I was given a speedy interview and references were called and they want me to start in January....but odds aren't looking good if they can't get anything out by tomorrow, TJO or FJO. Guessing that means hiring freeze till Spring...://// Maybe I should just cancel/give up on the job altogether....

It will last beyond spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell your supervisor only when you get the final offer. It's not looking very promising you will beat the clock.

This - and that final offer needs to be in writing with an authorized signature. A verbal offer is not worth anything legally.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the other posters. You won't be getting this job.

[Anonymous]

I’m not in HR but have been watching recent timings closely because I have 2 people in your position and hoping they get their start dates assigned. The timing between tentative and final job offer is highly variable-we’ve had people get it in a week and others take 3 months. This time of year makes it tough because of holidays and use or lose leave. I am hoping that they are working furiously given the time crunch we’re under, but I’m not very hopeful. The fact that you have an existing clearance should help, but doesn’t always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell your supervisor only when you get the final offer. It's not looking very promising you will beat the clock.

Me again, in the last hiring freeze anyone who did not have the final offer had their offers rescinded.

Were they able to begin if their start date was after the freeze? Say they get their FJO on January 13 but start date is for early Feb? Or is that agency dependent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell your supervisor only when you get the final offer. It's not looking very promising you will beat the clock.

Me again, in the last hiring freeze anyone who did not have the final offer had their offers rescinded.

Were they able to begin if their start date was after the freeze? Say they get their FJO on January 13 but start date is for early Feb? Or is that agency dependent?

Correct. OPM guidance issued a few days later cleared this up. As long as you had a start date as of the date of the freeze and that date was within ~30 days of the beginning of the freeze, you were fine.

[Anonymous]

OP - thanks for all info. And good to know about OPM previous guidance on start date w/in 30 days of freeze start date.

I am not optimistic that I’ll get the final offer letter prior to freeze. So trying to avoid having any info get to my current supervisor. I have seen anger and retaliation with any sign of disloyalty. And I might be stuck in this position for a while.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t give up hope yet. You still have 3 weeks or so to get your final offer, so it could happen. Just be prepared if it doesn’t, which it sounds like you are.

[Anonymous]

Good rule of thumb is to never tell your old job about a job offer until it is a done deal. You never know until you’re in the door.

[Anonymous]

Start date must coincide with the beginning of a new pay period. So it’s either effective January 5 or January 19.

You might just get it. I’ve moved agencies a couple times. They usually give losing agencies 2 pay periods notice as a nicety, but they can absolutely push it through with one pay period. So accepting agency would notify losing agency on Friday Jan 3 that you would be starting new position effective Jan 19. That’s the shortest time frame available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start date must coincide with the beginning of a new pay period. So it’s either effective January 5 or January 19.

You might just get it. I’ve moved agencies a couple times. They usually give losing agencies 2 pay periods notice as a nicety, but they can absolutely push it through with one pay period. So accepting agency would notify losing agency on Friday Jan 3 that you would be starting new position effective Jan 19. That’s the shortest time frame available.

She has more time than that. Assuming the same rules apply that applied in 2017, as long as she has a start date by the date of the freeze (January 20 at the earliest) and that start date is before February 20, she’s fine.