Questions and Answers about “On-The-Spot” Hiring at the
Society of American Foresters (SAF) Convention,
Honolulu, Hawaii
November 2-5, 2011
Updated 9/28/2011
What is “on-the-spot” hiring? It is a streamlined approach to hiring that uses existing noncompetitive
employment authorities such as the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) in a way that allows
us to evaluate applicants and provide a tentative offer of employment in the same day or in a couple
of days. The recent graduate authority (Career Intern Program) is not available this year.
What are the benefits of “on-the-spot” hiring? Because it is a quick, applicant-friendly process, it
provides us with a competitive advantage at conventions and job fairs where we are competing for
the same talent with other employers. It also demonstrates that the Forest Service is a progressive
agency serious about hiring the “best and the brightest.”
Has it ever been successfully tried in the Forest Service? Yes, it’s been used for several years at the
Society of American Foresters and the Society of Range Management annual conventions. The staff
came prepared to interview and hire students into pre-approved field positions. We interviewed
students at the convention and introduced selected students that received tentative offers of
employment as the newest members of the Forest Service workforce at the end of the convention.
What is required to successfully do “on-the-spot” hiring? The key to success is identifying positions
for hiring “up-front” and arriving at the convention or job fair with the delegated line management
authority to make a selection for these positions if the right candidate is found. This means the line
manager responsible for the position is present or this line manager has delegated the selection
responsibility to someone at the convention or job fair. It’s also critical to outreach our
opportunities prior to the convention in order to ensure a quality diverse applicant pool to hire “onthe-spot.” We have developed an outreach plan that will support this effort.
What grade levels can managers fill positions for “on-the-spot” hiring? We fill SCEP positions at
grades-3/4/5/7, depending upon qualifications and the vacancy. Upon graduation and successful
work experience, a student employee may convert to a permanent professional position in grades
GS-5/7/9, with full performance level of GS-09. Starting grade depends upon academic and
professional qualifications, and future promotions depend upon successful performance and
supervisor recommendation. NOTE: Typically, undergraduate students qualify at the GS 3 or 4
level and graduate students may qualify up to the GS-7 level.
Can positions other than forestry be filled at the SAF convention? Yes, although most positions that
we fill at the SAF convention are forestry and natural resource positions in the GS-460 and 401
series because the target audience for the convention is students majoring in forestry or a related
field. The forester series (460) includes positions such as silviculture, timber sale preparation,
timber sale administration, and general forestry. The natural resource positions (401) are more
general and can include planning, GIS, recreation, and special uses. We have filled some forestry
related positions such as sale administrator and general forestry positions with the 401 series.
There are limited opportunities to hire students in related fields such as wildlife biology and
fisheries. Forest technician (462) can be filled too but need to be evaluated to make sure those
positions meet the goals of SCEP. It’s important to receive information about “on-the-spot”
positions prior to the convention.
Will hiring managers have input on candidates interviewed and/or selected during “on-the-spot”
hiring at the SAF convention? Yes, a small team of managers will interview students and these
managers will be involved in the selection process.
Will “on-the-spot” hiring be extended beyond the SAF Convention? No, we will not extend the referral
list after the convention.
What hiring authorities are available? We can make selections with any one of the noncompetitive
hiring authorities that are available to agencies in filling entry-level positions. These noncompetitive
authorities include People with Disabilities Program (PWD), Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA),
30% or more Compensable Disabled Veterans, and Peace Corps. “On-the-spot” hiring works best with
Excepted Service employment authorities or Student Career Experience Program (SCEP). “Excepted
Service” means excepted from competitive requirements. An HR Staffing Specialist with delegated
employment authority will be involved to assist in determining the appropriate authorities to use,
to review the minimum qualifications of applicants, to adjudicate Veteran’s preference, to draft the
tentative offer letters, and to collect the information needed to make the final offers. We send this
information to the servicing personnel office for the position that will make the official offer of
employment.
What kind of students will be there? Do you think there will be much diversity in the students? We are
aware that student SAF chapters have been doing fundraising to send students from the mainland to
this convention. There may be reduced numbers of students from past years; however, there should be
good potential for the Forest Service to target SCEP opportunities from the Hawaiian Universities. These
schools offer degrees in natural resource management and related fields in the 401 series. We expect
diverse student representation at this event.
More information is available on the Forest Service Recruitment at the Annual Society of American
Foresters (SAF) Convention web page at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/infocenter/saf_convention/index.shtml.