Does knowing someone at a Federal Agency improve your chances of getting a job?

[Anonymous]

I saw a posting for a job that I feel well qualified for at a federal agency. After scouring LinkedIn, I found an old college classmate who works at said agency (though it doesn't appear that he's connected to the position). I've never applied for a fed job before; how well, if at all, would having someone at the agency "recommend" me?

[Anonymous]

It can help if the person get your resume on the decision-maker's desk or more broadly offer a substantive recommendation. It's basically the same as the private sector. Of course, you would still have to make it past the cert by the HR reviewer, which is a little different.

[Anonymous]

Irrelevant unless your friend is VERY close to the selection official. Even so, not many people will put their name on the line unless you are a real catch.

[Anonymous]

As a hiring official at a fed agency, no. In your position, it wouldn't help.

[Anonymous]

No, as the PPs have said unless the person you know is the actual decision maker. I've landed/rotated through 3 fed positions all through a connection that did the actual or had substantial sway in the up and down vote on hiring me.

[Anonymous]

You have to make the cert on your own. If there was someone at the agency who had worked with you before and could weigh in, that might help, but just some random classmate? Unlikely. And unlikely that someone is going to put their rep on the line and recommend you if they don't actually know you that well.

[Anonymous]

Not the OP, but to pose the relevant follow on question: what are the chances, then, of OP getting hired or at least interviewed if qualified?

Depends on the agency, or position? Or Good, if qualified? Or slim?

[Anonymous]

Nope. This is a federal agency and they really don't want nepotism or people only hiring their friends. Even if you know the person is a top candidate and WANT to hire them, it can be difficult unless they're a vet. We'd love to hire a contractor that worked with us, but he never made the cert. He was far more qualified than anyone who made the cert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP, but to pose the relevant follow on question: what are the chances, then, of OP getting hired or at least interviewed if qualified?

Depends on the agency, or position? Or Good, if qualified? Or slim?

Without knowing what the actual position and what are OP's actual credentials, it's hard to say. Based on the way she described, it looks like she has the hard credentials to get onto the cert list, which is basically an HR person with likely no experience in the field OP is applying for ticking check boxes and compiling a list of qualified candidates and ranking them. The next step is the hiring official plucking candidates from that list to interview, which is anyone's guess without other information.

Also, it depends on how the job was posted. If it was a very detailed posting with very niche descriptions, there might already be an internal candidate and the posting was just a formality. If the posting says "many vacancies available" OP's chance will be higher, obviously. But OP will also need to get over the vet hurdle (assuming OP is not one) where vets would get the preference in hiring.

[Anonymous]

If our particular group had an opening and I knew a suitable candidate - I might be able to help that person get an interview. But that person would need to make the cert first. I could probably advise on how to best fill out the application but no guarantee of making the cert because that part is done by HR and not our group.

In your position - I don't think someone who is not connected to the job will really be able to help.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure it depends on the agency, but I think for some, yes. I got my current job at an agency with a pretty secretive hiring process I think in part because I knew someone who could put my resume at the top of the pile. Of course, I still had to get the job on my own merit, but it didn't hurt. My agency gets thousands upon thousands of applications and I think I otherwise would've gotten lost in the shuffle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure it depends on the agency, but I think for some, yes. I got my current job at an agency with a pretty secretive hiring process I think in part because I knew someone who could put my resume at the top of the pile. Of course, I still had to get the job on my own merit, but it didn't hurt. My agency gets thousands upon thousands of applications and I think I otherwise would've gotten lost in the shuffle.

Same here. I don't know if the hiring process is secretive around here, but my name got put in the top of the pile after a recommendation from a former supervisor that knew one of the higher ups.

[Anonymous]

Yes and no. As others stated the system is geared towards removing bias's but if your friend is savvy he/she may be able to help you with your resume (keywords the agency uses, lessons learned, etc) but he/she would not be able to use any pull to get you on the CERT list.

If you make the cert list and they have a relationship with the hiring manager they may or may not be able to put in a good word but that comes down what that hiring manager thinks of your friend.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it helps. Tell your friend to recommend you to the person doing the hiring. Don't listen to the idiots on this forum who say it doesn't help--they clearly don't know how reality works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it helps. Tell your friend to recommend you to the person doing the hiring. Don't listen to the idiots on this forum who say it doesn't help--they clearly don't know how reality works.

I'm a hiring official at my agency. You don't know how all agencies work.