Definitely sounds like it depends on the agency and the position.

I have a ph.d., was hired at an 11, promoted to 12 about 5 years later. I see absolutely no potential for any more promotion unless I completely change jobs, and there are a number of others in the same standstill as I am. We are told the money isn't there.

Got hired as an 11, was a 14 about four years later...and six years after that am still stuck at a 14 (thank you hiring freezes). In many agencies and fields the pyramid gets a lot steeper at the 14/15 level for billets.

Jobs for life.

no way to answer, depends on agency, staffing, job series, career ladder, etc., etc.

I was hired as a 13, got a 14 2 yrs. later, got a 15 2 yrs. after that. Had no desire at all for the SES b.s. so that was fine.

If you are in a career ladder position, quickly. A lot of agencies also have programs for recent grads where you can move from a 7 to 12 in 3-4 years and lots move up from there. I know several early 30s 14s. 14 to 15 is the more difficult jump for most people.

Started as 14 went to SES in 4 years....back to private industry for now.

Anonymous wrote:I went from a 7 to 14 in six years. It's possible.

. +1

i went from a 13 to 15 in 3 years. i was hired in a 12/13/14 position at a 13 and got the 14 after the first year. 2 years later my boss left and i got promoted to a 15.

I went from a 7 to 14 in six years. It's possible.

It completely depends on your classification (line of work) and agency. In some fields, 14 is the journeyman level and promotion to 14 happens in a year in grade 13.

It depends on how the job was advertised. It could have been opened at the 9 with promotion potential to the 15. With these positions you go from a 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 without even going through any steps. It depends on your performance appraisals and the recommendation of your supervisor.

I went from 13 to 15 in only a few years. I think its easier if you have an advanced degree or other credentials that would allow you to make substantially more if you worked in the private sector. Lawyers and doctors etc. move through the pay scale very quickly.

Depends on the agency. In some it can be quick. In my first agency, getting a 14 usually took years for most people and 15 were even more rare, usually just a bunch of older 50+ people.

It depends on a lot. For one what is the promotion potential of your current job. Your co-worker probably had a 9-14 job and was promoted at every annual review. For many people it is standard to get the promotion every year provided he or she gets a good review. But agencies differ as do supervisors and some are stingy. I think having union representation can help with the stingy supervisor problem.

I know there's no guarantee that a person would ever be a 14 or 15. In any case, someone in my office went from a 9 to a 14 in less than 5 years. That seems very quick, doesn't it? (This is mostly through competing for positions, not having a position with a wide grade range.)