The only way we've hired someone from outside the government (not a current employee) has been if they have specialized skills. We had a very specialized announcement go out for a specific type of engineer we needed (preferably with masters) and we had vets applying with high school diplomas like it's a game.

But yeah vets rank high in all our hiring categories and more so in the admin side (HR, finance, budget, etc) than on our program side.

Vet preference blocks most offices from hiring anyone outside the government. Some use the merit promotion list to get around it, but that means only internal applicants have a chance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We recently hired a new group of attorneys at my agency. None of them were vets.

Attorneys are excepted service and are usually not subject to veterans preference.

Fixed that for you.

Anonymous wrote:We recently hired a new group of attorneys at my agency. None of them were vets.

Attorneys are excepted service and not subject to veterans preference.

We recently hired a new group of attorneys at my agency. None of them were vets.

My husband is a fed and if an applicant isn't a veteran their only hope of getting in some other way is at a university hiring event (which is how he got hired and how the vast majority of his CW's got hired as well).

My husband has disabled vet points, and has met 100% of the criteria for the last few applications and he isn't even making it to the first round. It's very tough for everyone right now.

Anonymous wrote:I think this has an unfair and maybe even illegal discriminatory impact on women, gays, and those with health issues that keep them out of serving but aren't quite disabilities.

Yes I know women can serve but the reality is the military is not a great environment for women in many ways and that has kept a lot of women away.

+1 Not to mention, it has really only been recently that the issues women and LGBT people face in the military have even been truly acknowledged. They still haven't been addressed. (And the statistics regarding sexual harassment of women in the military -- and assault -- are staggering, so it is definitely a deterrent.)

I don't see why a disparate impact legal challenge hasn't been brought up. It definitely adversely affects women and LGBT.

I think this has an unfair and maybe even illegal discriminatory impact on women, gays, and those with health issues that keep them out of serving but aren't quite disabilities.

Yes I know women can serve but the reality is the military is not a great environment for women in many ways and that has kept a lot of women away.

Two of my fed DH's colleagues. However they are in a very specific scientific niche, so there is usually no competition from veterans.

I'm a fed, but I'm excepted (so it doesn't count and I'm in the pool with all other nonfeds) and I've been applying for fed jobs for a year.

No interviews. Lots of notices that say according to the questions I answered, I'm in the qualified category, but there are too many veterans ahead of me.

And I've done all of the things people suggest on here with key words, et cetera.

The excepted fed job I have now I got because I had worked for a contractor who did work for that office, so I knew people there who could forward my resume along when something opened up.

So I don't know if it's worth the hassle. I'm feeling pretty discouraged.

The only interviews (and actually offers) I have gotten have been with the same organization (different office). I turned them down because the positions have some of the same features of my current job that I'd like to move away from (sorry that was so awkwardly worded).

But I have definitely gotten the impression that it's no use applying for fed jobs unless you know someone (and that someone knows the hiring manager), are a veteran, or are a Fed in the competitive service (and even then I think it can be difficult to jump to a different agency).

The process really needs to be revamped because I think that there are likely lots of really qualified applicants who never get a second look.

Even with fed experience -- you will not defeat a vet preference right now.

Nope not worth it... you will likely not get past the initial filters w/o veteran's preference.

I also would like to know. I have 15+ years of Fed contracting, and over the last 3 months have filled out tons of apps, and have yet to receive a positive response.

My field isn't overly technical (i.e., not like engineering). Is it even worth the hassle of applying for federal jobs given that I'm not a veteran or a fed? Thanks!