Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to applicants who have graduated within the past two years, or longer for certain veterans (with an associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, diploma, certificate, or vocational or technical degree, etc.) from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical education program (including registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps, etc.).

The HR Developmental Rotation Program is designed to provide graduates the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in the field of Human Resources through a robust training program touching a variety of HR components. The program will provide entry-level career development training for participants to learn and apply human resources management principles. This position will serve as a Human Resources Specialist (Recent Graduate) receiving rotational training in intervals in the principles, concepts, work processes and regulations of several functional areas of human resources management such as:

• Compensation and Benefits
• Recruitment and Staffing
• Classifications
• Employee Relations

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Incumbent is subject to random drug testing.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
• Selectee will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• A Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement is required.
• This announcement is open to applicants who have graduated within the past two years, or within 6 years for certain veterans from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical education program.
• Selectee will serve on an excepted service appointment for the duration of the program.
• Selectees must execute an Individual Development Plan which outlines a requirement to complete 40 hours of formalized training prior to program completion.

Qualifications

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the required qualification requirements described below by the closing of this announcement.

To be eligible for the Pathways Recent Graduate program, you must be:

A recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, diploma, vocational, technical degree, or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or completed a qualifying career or technical educational program that awards a recognized postsecondary credential (such as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps). If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application.

OR

A preference eligible veteran who has been precluded from applying due to their military service obligation can begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion. You MUST submit a copy of your DD-214 showing the duration and dates of service that precluded you from applying due to military service obligation.

Applicants applying for the GS-07 must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-05 grade level. Specialized experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Assisting with research to answer HR-related employee questions; 2) Drafting internal and external correspondence; and 3) Assisting with researching regulations, policies, and/or procedures to resolve personnel issues.

OR

B. Education: 1 full year of graduate level education.

OR

C. Superior Academic Achievement: Completion of all requirements for a bachelor's degree in a field; and education meets at least one of the following requirements for superior academic achievement: 1) class standing in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision based on completed courses; 2) grade point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on the official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; 3) grade point average of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR 4) election to membership in a national scholastic honor society listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet the experience requirements if you have the specialized experience, but less than one year; and have some education, but less than one year. The computed percentages of requirements were met, and the total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.)

Applicants applying for the GS-09 must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-07 grade level. Specialized experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Answering HR-related employee questions; 2) Drafting internal and external correspondence; 3) Researching regulations, policies, and/or procedures to resolve personnel issues; and 4) Analyzing data using an automated database.

OR

B. Education: A master's or equivalent graduate degree. OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR LL.B. or J.D., if related.

OR

C. Combination of Education and Experience:A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

For qualification purposes, an academic year is computed as follows:

• At the undergraduate level, four years of progressive study or 120 semester hours meets the degree requirements.
• An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.
• When academic credit is expressed in contract months, units, or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard.

NOTE: If your college, vocational, trade, or technical institution's definition of "academic year" differs from above, you must submit proof of this difference (e.g., copy of course catalog that defines an academic year). Absent this documentation, you will screened for academic qualifications based on the academic hours as defined in the bullets above.

Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12939791.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and meet or exceed the cut score requirements, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:

1. Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
2. Highly Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all, of the requirements of the position.
3. Best Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must possess the type and quality of experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position.

Best qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position.

The assessment questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions which provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question in 200-words or less. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and have not used a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume - must be no more than two pages in length; resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Resume should include applicants' name, email address, phone number, relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full-time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed. Education/Certification/Licensure when relevant or required for position. See Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information.
2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education. See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
3. Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles, if applicable: View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Highly-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed below to receive consideration for selection priority.

• (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)

1. Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable: The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent or higher will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

• To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
• To claim 10-point preference, submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) AND all required documentation outlined on the form to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
• To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 andall required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
• To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
• For all preference claims:
  • DD-214 must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
  • If you are currently on active duty and applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement.
• For more veterans' preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.

5. Other Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable. See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.

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