I/O Psychology Jobs
in the Federal Government:
What we do and how you can get
involved!
Report Tile
Matt Sigafoose – Personnel Research Psychologist
Regan Miller – Human Resources Specialist
Center for Talent Services
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
February 28, 2008
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Overview
 Personal Experiences
 Who we are and how we got here
 What we do at OPM
 Benefits of working for the federal
government
 Private Sector –vs- Public Sector
 Applying for a Government Job
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Personal Experiences – From UB to OPM
 Matt
 UB → Job Search → COAUSPHS
 Interviews – Behavioral or Situational?
 OPM’s Center for Talent Services
 Regan
 UB → SIOP → Networking → OPM
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OPM’s Center for Talent Services (CTS)
Workforce Solutions by Government, for Government TM
 A federal government HR consulting group
• Work directly with Federal, state and local government
clients to help them achieve their human capital goals
• Perform analysis, write reports, give proposals, negotiate
agreements, manage projects, and develop business
• Serve the public by helping agencies reach higher levels
of effectiveness
 A matrix organization offering 4 categories of
services:
• Recruiting and Staffing
• Workforce Management and Development
• Individual and Organizational Assessment
• HR Technology Solutions
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CTS Branches
 Competency Assessment Branch
 Assessment Centers
 Accomplishment Records
 Writing Samples
 Structured Interviews
 Job Knowledge Tests
 Assessment Strategy Wizard
 Human Resources Consulting Program
 Workforce Planning
 Examining/Staffing
 Branding
 Classification
 Performance Management
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CTS Branches
 Assessment Services Branch
 Leadership 360
 Organizational Assessment Survey
 Customer Satisfaction Survey
 Focus Groups
 Action Planning
 Program Evaluation
 Other Groups
 Nationwide Testing
 USAStaffing/USAJobs
 TMA
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Leadership Competency Model: 5 ECQs
Leading
Change
Leading
People
Creativity &
Innovation
External
Awareness
Flexibility
Resilience
Strategic
Thinking
Vision
Conflict
Management
Leveraging
Diversity
Developing
Others
Team Building
Results
Driven
Business
Acumen
Accountability
Financial
Customer Service
Management
Decisiveness
Human Capital
Entrepreneurship Management
Problem Solving Technology
Technical
Management
Credibility
Building
Coalitions
Partnering
Political
Savvy
Influencing/
Negotiating
Fundamental Competencies
Interpersonal Skills
Written Communication
Oral Communication
Integrity/Honesty
Continual Learning
Public Service Motivation
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Example Project
OPM Leadership 360 (Assessment, Group and Individual
Feedback Sessions)
 Client: USSS
 Scope of Work:
 Typical Leadership 360 administration is three weeks with two
reminders built in
 Once survey closes, we run the data and generate individual
reports and one aggregate report
 A group feedback session is required of any client that utilizes our
instrument
 Individual feedback sessions cost run 45 minutes in length.
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More Examples
Performance Management
 Client: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
 Deliverables:
 Performance standards/Benchmarks
 Comprehensive feedback system (360 analysis)
 Implementation courses
Employee Development
 Client: Transportation Security Administration
 Deliverables:
 Structured interview training class/workshop
Classification Evaluation
 Client: United States Department of Agriculture
 Deliverables:
 Evaluation of 7 positions
 Rewritten position descriptions and evaluation statements
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We want YOU to join our team!
Working for OPM’s Center for Talent Services =
 Working as a consultant for a spectrum of federal agencies
 Opportunities to work on a great variety of projects Challenging and rewarding work
 Opportunities to work in several geographic locations (offices
in DC, Kansas City, Chicago, San Francisco, San Antonio,
Atlanta, and Philadelphia)
 Opportunities to move across agencies during your career
 Opportunities for professional growth and development – in I/O
and beyond
 The ability to move up
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Top Benefits of Federal Employment

Flexible work schedules and
telework

Subsidized transportation

Vacation and sick leave

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Thrift Savings Plan (401K)

Pension

Childcare centers

Child and elder care assistance

Time off for volunteer activities

Public service (not profit) driven
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Why CTS Recruits I/O Psychology Students…
A background in psychology gives you technical
competencies:
 Statistical analysis
 Assessment and selection methods
 Organizational design and development
As well as general ones:
 Skills in interacting effectively with diverse groups of
stakeholders
 Understanding client motivations and needs
 Ability to persuade others to accept recommendations
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Applying for Federal Jobs
Where do I find jobs?
 USA Jobs
 Student USA Jobs
 Current employees
Types of appointments
 Career
 Career Conditional
 Student Employment (FCIP, SCEP, STEP)
 Temporary/Term
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Qualification Analysis
Qualifying for federal jobs
 Education
 Experience
 Combination of education and experience
GS level qualifications
 GS-07
 One year of graduate level education
 One year of experience comparable to GS-06
 GS-09
 Completion of two years of graduate level education or a
master’s degree
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 One year of experience comparable to GS-07
Application Examination
Applicant review (Examination)
 HR Specialist
 Administers assessments
 Evaluates minimum qualifications
 Creates a certificate of eligibles
• Hiring Manager
 Reviews certificate of eligibles
 Conducts interviews
 Makes final hiring decision
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Federal Resume Basics
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Tailoring your Resume
 Relate your experience to the position you are
applying for
 Present related experience in your resume
 Shows that you are qualified for the job
Past Experience:
Desired Job:
Your Job Duties
Job Duties
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Tailoring Your Resume
 How do you know what duties to tailor
your resume to?
 Vacancy announcement
Duties section
Qualifications and evaluations section
 Important information you must include
 The hours per week at your job
 Include specific dates of employment (ex. 1/12/071/12/08)
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Competency Narratives
Narratives
 Some positions are measured using a set of narratives
 Narratives assess knowledge, skills and abilities
(Competencies)
 Used to determine who is BEST qualified
 Many narratives overlap from job-to-job
 Save and re-use your narratives
 Make sure your narratives focus on past experiences
 Situation – Action – Outcome
 Use at least two strong examples for each
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What to expect when applying
Applications are very time consuming
 Allow ample time to complete narrative statements
 Save your responses
HR Specialists will not review applications until
after a job announcement closes
 There will be at least a two week delay from the closing date to
an interview date
Apply to all jobs you feel you are qualified for
 Carefully read all announcements
 Minimum qualifications are set in stone
 If you do not meet these, you will not be considered
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Interviews
Structured
Behavior based
Competencies
Writing Sample
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Contacts
 Questions
 Matthew.Sigafoose@opm.gov
 Regan.Miller@opm.gov
 Interested?
 Send resumes to
Doug.Deis@opm.gov
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Thank you!
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