OPM to job seekers, managers: Talk to us

The Office of Personnel Management is offering new Applicant and Management Satisfaction Surveys to get the opinions of agency managers and job seekers on specific issues in the federal hiring process, OPM said in a memo to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council.

The council helped develop the criteria for the surveys, which support efforts to improve the federal hiring process, Michael Hager, acting OPM director, said in the memo dated Dec. 5. The surveys measure the satisfaction of hiring managers with job announcements, the quantity and quality of applicants, and hiring flexibilities available so the managers can offer positions to the best candidates, he said.

OPM plans to compile the survey data and prepare quarterly and annual individual agency and governmentwide reports to support analysis and decisions to change the federal employment process, Hager said.

OPM said it revised survey sections taken from earlier polls regarding the use of hiring flexibilities and added questions to help agencies better understand the managers' interactions with human resources divisions during the hiring process.

Agency hiring officials would complete a brief survey online when they complete action on a hiring certificate, the memo said. Agencies also will survey job seekers who complete the application process and those who abandon the application process for their opinions about the job announcement and applying for a federal job, along with the clarity of requirements, according to the memo.

OPM has al.so developed a follow-up survey to help agencies determine applicants' satisfaction throughout the hiring process, the memo said.

This survey will focus on what happened since an application was submitted, Hager said. Questions on this survey will center on communication and notification, the overall hiring experience, and timeliness, he said.