The federal hiring system is designed to be as fair as possible as often as possible. Of course it isn't perfect and often fails. But fair doesn't mean that it is entirely impersonal and void of subjectivity. In the competitive system, a LOT of people can make a BQ list. From ther (veterans issues aside) the manager can pick whomever he or she wants. Knowing people and having somebody vouch for you can make a huge difference.

Also fed attorney positions, which people on these boards seem particularly interested in, are an entirely separate process, with very few rules. I was offered a positions at another agency that was never even announced or competed at all. I knew the manager very well from various networking opportunities. He had a vacancy, and he just called me and asked me if I wanted the spot. So if you are talking about being a fed lawyer, networking can mean quite a bit.

It is possible for a hiring manager who knows a particular applicant be included in the pool that is forwarded. However, that person still needs to meet the basic qualifications laid out in the job description. We recently had an intern in our office who would have been perfect for the a position that opened up, but b/c she did not have direct 3 - 4 years experience with the organization she could not be included in the pool. One way to also network your way into a job is for the hiring manager to write the job description in a way that is more favorable to your qualifications and experience - this so-called "hardwiring" happens a lot.

Can someone explain to me how this works? Don't all applicant resumes have to be screened and then ranked, with only the top applicants going to the hiring manager? Or is there a way for a hiring manager to get all the resumes or the resume of a specific person?