Visitor Guide

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all U.S. citizens.

As a Visitor Guide, you will:

• Provide educational and informative tours of the United States Capitol to groups of various sizes, interests, and needs. Tour groups usually include the general public and may include Congressional Members and their staff, and/or prominent visitors. You will need to have a thorough knowledge of the history of the United States Capitol and the United States Congress to share on your tours as well as when delivering presentations on the history and artifacts in the US Capitol Building and the US Capitol Visitor Center. 
• Serve as one of the primary points of contact for the visitors that arrive at the Capitol Visitor Center on a daily basis—as many as 12,000-15,000 visitors per day during the peak visitation period. As a Visitor Guide, you are expected to provide exemplary customer service by welcoming and proactively engaging with visitors, responding to requests from visitors, and providing information about a variety of topics, including but not limited to, security guidelines, the amenities available in the Visitor Center, and the process for going on a tour of the Capitol.
• Provide assistance to visitors with a variety of functions, including but not limited to, general directions and way-finding, reservation check-in and tour pass distribution, coat check services, large group coordination, distribution of listening devices, and theater loading and operations.
• Provide assistance, if needed, to visitors who require special attention, advising them appropriately, according to their needs.
• Walk, talk and stand for hours, up to an entire shift. You will also, need to walk up and down many flights of stairs throughout the shift, including the steep and narrow stairways utilized for tours of the U.S. Capitol Dome. As a Visitor Guide, you may be assigned duties outdoors, in a variety of weather conditions, to facilitate visitors entering the buildings or to provide support for special events.
• Operate various types of equipment, such as computers, coat check carousels, two-way radios, assisted listening devices, and audio visual touch screens. In addition, you will need to lift items which may weigh up to 20 pounds, such as stanchions and boxes.
• Receive guidance from the U.S. Capitol Police with regard to safety and security issues such as addressing prohibited items, directing crowds and assisting visitors in the event of an emergency in the CVC or Capitol, and maintaining personal safety. If any safety and security concerns should arise, you will report them to supervisors and US Capitol Police.
• Due to operational requirements, you will be expected to work Saturdays and holidays, and may be expected to work Sundays and/or evenings in support of special events.

*** Please Note: This position is temporary in nature and is not to exceed 13 months. This is strictly a temporary appointment where there is no permanent need or permanent funding available for the work involved and that the temporary appointment is limited in duration. The duration of this temporary appointment may be shorter or longer, depending on the duration of the work or project. The temporary position may also be terminated at any time due to lack of work and/or lack of funds without any advance notice. As a non-permanent employee, you may also be separated for failure to meet management’s expectations, with no advance notice.

Conditions of employment

• You must be able to pass a drug test and background check.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.

To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at https://www.opm.gov/qualifications.
 
Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Candidates for the GS-07 grade level must have at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level obtained either in the public or private sectors.  Specialized experience for this position is defined as having experience:

• Providing specific interpretations and explanations of the significance, development, and/or importance of historical features;
• Answering visitors’ questions by providing an explanation and description of the background of events leading up to the historical construction and development, origin, growth or development of the site; and
• Ushering groups in an orderly fashion and keeping them on a specific schedule.

How you will be evaluated

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

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions. 

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:

• Problem Solving
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Oral Communication
• Interpersonal Skills
• Customer Service

Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions.  Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration.

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).

The Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) job application process is designed to ensure you only provide information necessary to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position vacancy.

To apply for this position, you only need to submit: a) your resume and b) answers to the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant information. No additional documentation or attachments are required at the time of application.

Your resume should list your education, training and work experience including job titles, employment dates, duties and accomplishments.

Nothing further is required until it is requested by AOC’s Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for the position, you will be asked to provide it during the interview or selection process. At that time, you may be asked to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.

For example, you may be asked to provide a copy of your diploma, college transcripts, or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires licensure or certification, you will be asked to provide proof at the time of selection.

If Veterans’ preference is claimed, you will be asked to submit proof (DD-214, and, if claiming a 10-point preference, a SF-15 and the proof required by that form).

Failure to provide the required documents will end further consideration and/or result in the withdrawal of any tentative job offers.

Next steps