Question about GS13/14 Promotions

[Anonymous]

I've just received notice that I was selected for a GS 13 position, which has promotion potential up to GS 14. Does this work like the lower GS level career ladder (i.e., basically automatic after 1 year at each grade), or does one have to 'prove' themselves at a 13 to get that, and it may not happen for a few years? Or does it vary by position/office/agency? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It can vary a bit, but promotion to 14 usually isn't automatic, and it's highly unlikely you'd get it in a year.

[Anonymous]

Must vary. I started as a 13 and had to apply after a year.

[Anonymous]

If the position promotes to 14, you do not have to reapply / compete when you make the transition from 13 to 14. But, promotion is not automatic. It depends on your demonstrating the listed skills and experience; there can be substantively different requirements for the 14 as compared to the 13.

Different offices have different policies on how the promotion is handled: in some places the boss will just put in the paperwork when you've demonstrated ability, and in others you have to advocate for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Seems to vary position to position and person to person. I started as a GS-13 attorney the same day as two other GS-13 attorneys. We all did the exact same job. I was promoted to a 14 after a year. Another was promoted after 2 years, and the other after 3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems to vary position to position and person to person. I started as a GS-13 attorney the same day as two other GS-13 attorneys. We all did the exact same job. I was promoted to a 14 after a year. Another was promoted after 2 years, and the other after 3 years.

That's typical IMO/IME.

It depends first (if done right), on the work you do. You can start doing GS-13 work and once you are doing at least 25%+ GS-14 work or are expected to and judged to be able to do is successfully, you're eligible for promotion.

Your promotion could be affected/limited by things like GS-14/15 caps (which my office had for non-attorney (excepted service) positions), as well as budgetary ability to pay the GS-14 salary.

The position is supposed to be classified based on the work, not the person's qualifications (see the OPM classification guidelines), though this is often not really done as intended.

[Anonymous]

^^^
to clarify re the cap, the attorneys are the excepted service positions (not capped), the cap was for the non-excepted service (non attorney) positions, in case that was confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems to vary position to position and person to person. I started as a GS-13 attorney the same day as two other GS-13 attorneys. We all did the exact same job. I was promoted to a 14 after a year. Another was promoted after 2 years, and the other after 3 years.

Same. My agency had a rule that you could not be promoted from 13 to 14 in less than 18 months. So about 4 months before the 18 month mark, I approached my supervisors to advocate for promotion. I got it shortly after I became eligible. A couple of colleagues who were hired as 13s before me never advocated for themselves, so they never got promoted. Since it wasn't an automatic thing it wasn't on the supervisors' radar; you had to bring it to their attention. We all did the same work, but I'm the only one who spoke up.